January in Atlantis Bonus Scene Read online

  January in Atlantis - Bonus Scene

  Alyssa Day

  Darling Reader,

  I like to say thanks when I'm grateful, and I'm so thankful for you! So here is a BONUS SCENE for JANUARY IN ATLANTIS, just for my newsletter subscribers and special Facebook fan group members:

  When the Brothers Reunite!

  This scene has SPOILERS. Do not read it before you read the book, because SPOILERS. If you want to insert it as you read, please make it the first scene in chapter 11.

  Atlantis, two days later

  "He's lucky to be alive, the idiot," a man growled, and Flynn opened his eyes to find his brother Dare glaring down at him.

  "Not feeling lucky, so much, right now," Flynn muttered, trying to sit up but then falling back against the pillows in the—he looked around. Huh. Healing temple He must have been worse off that he'd thought, after he'd jumped in the path of that knife to protect---

  The memory smashed the breath out of his lungs. "Eva," he shouted.

  "Eva! Where is she? What did you do to her? I'll--"

  "You won't do much, since you can't even sit up," another voice drawled. His brother Liam—Mr. Perfect—strolled into Flynn's view. "Eva's fine. She'll be back in a minute. And nice tough talk, Dumbass, for somebody we thought was dead."

  "I almost was," he admitted, wincing, but his entire body relaxed, muscle by muscle, at word that she was safe. And—back in a minute?

  "She's here? In Atlantis?"

  "Where else would I be, after you go and almost get yourself killed trying to protect me, you idiot?" Eva's voice held fondness and relief, and when she appeared, gently easing her way in between his brothers to get to him, Flynn's entire world righted itself.

  As he held out his hand to Eva, Flynn drank in the sight of his brothers as they stood at the side of his bed. Dare and Liam were both almost mirror images of Flynn--wild, dark hair and deep blue eyes, tall and strong, bold and confident—nothing like the scared boys they'd all been when his father was alive.

  "You have a lot to answer for--" Dare began, and Eva rounded on him like a spitting cat.

  "Don’t you even think about accusing him for leaving Atlantis," she said, poking his very large, very muscular, pirate brother in the chest, making Flynn blink and Dare and Liam gape at her. "Your horrible father would have killed him, and you know it. I've been talking to people, and there are a lot of long memories around here, and a lot of folks couldn't wait to fill me in about how many times your drunken father threatened to beat Flynn to death. So don't you do it!"

  Flynn almost laughed at the expression on his brother's face as Dare backed up a step, holding his hands in the air.

  "Hey. No. I was only going to say he had a lot of nerve, not letting us know he was back. He could have, I don't know, told us he was alive before he went jetting off to save the world."

  "Save the kidnapped girls," Liam put in, always correct, before grinning at Eva. "We're going to love you, aren't we?"

  Eva flushed and then backed toward the bed and grabbed Flynn's hand. "Oh. I mean, I hope you like me, if you—if we—if I—

  Flynn stopped her babbling quite satisfactorily by pulling her toward him for a hard, possessive kiss. "You're mine now," he told her. "You're not going anywhere."

  She looked like she wanted to argue, but she glanced at his brothers and shook her head. "We'll talk later. I'm going to find you some food."

  "I'm sure somebody will bring me something," Flynn began, but she kissed his forehead and ran off before he could stop her.

  "I like her," Liam said, raising an eyebrow at Flynn. "Are you going to run off and be too stupid to keep her?"

  Flynn could feel a hot flush burning through him. "Never. She's mine. But we need to talk. I . . . I need to talk."

  He struggled to sit up again, but this time his brothers—one on each side of his bed—helped him. For a moment, it was like they were kids again, huddled in their shared bedroom, crouched against the drunken, angry words coming from the other room.

  "Look. I . . . I'm so sorry I left you," he managed to say past the boulder suddenly lodged in his throat. "I was wrong. I should have stayed and protected you from him. I should have--"

  "Flynn," Dare broke in. "No. Eva was right. If you'd stayed, he'd have killed you. From the moment Grandfather gave you that sword, you bore the brunt of his drunken rages. We managed. We got through it. We're good."

  A kernel of something that felt almost like hope started to warm in Flynn's heart, but then Liam scowled at them both, and the hope shriveled and died.

  "I disagree," Liam said, frowning. "We're not good at all."

  "I know," Flynn said, his mouth dry. "I can never make it up to you. If you don't want me to be part of the family, I understand."

  Completely out of the blue, Liam smacked him on the back of the head.

  "No, you moron. We're not good because we haven't had you around for so long. I want to get to know you and for you to meet Jaime, the most amazing woman in the world."

  "And Lyric," Dare put in, smiling smugly. "The most amazing woman in the galaxy."

  "You forgive me, then?" Flynn was dazed, and not just by his injuries. He could be part of a family—his family—again? A huge weight rolled off his shoulders—a weight he'd been carrying for so many long years. "Brothers?"

  "Don't be a girl," Dare said, rolling his eyes. "I'll kick your ass when we get out of here, and we'll be good." Then he put a hand on Flynn's shoulder. "Brothers."

  "The first night out at the pub is on you," Liam said, pinning Flynn with an amused stare, before laying his hand on Flynn's other shoulder. "Brothers."

  It had the weight of a promise—one Flynn would never, ever break again. He'd found Eva, and he'd reunited with his family. He was one of Poseidon's newest warriors, and they'd saved every single one of those girls.

  Life was good. Really good.

  He looked up at his brothers and grinned. "Eva is the most amazing woman in the universe."

  They both growled and punched him in the arms at the same time.

  Damn, it was great to be home.

  # # #

 

 

  Alyssa Day, January in Atlantis Bonus Scene

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