Vampire in Atlantis Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Teaser chapter

  “Alyssa Day creates an amazing and astonishing world.”

  —Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “The perfect blend of fabulous world building and sexy romantic adventure.”

  —Jayne Castle, New York Times bestselling author

  “A PHENOMENAL NEW SERIES.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Alyssa Day works her own brand of sexy sorcery in this fabulous new paranormal series. Warriors and witches have never been so hot!”

  —Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author

  ATLANTIS BETRAYED

  “Day serves up her best book to date with this exhilarating, funny adventure.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Day’s sixth foray into this mysterious world offers the best of both worlds: a beautiful kingdom under the sea and hot, fastpaced action laced with humor on land.”

  —San Francisco Book Review

  ATLANTIS REDEEMED

  “Day blends action, suspense, and fiery hot sensuality to create another winning book in her Warriors of Poseidon series . . . Brennan is my favorite kind of hero: tall, dark, gorgeous, and emotionally wounded. There’s nothing better than watching a tortured hero—and is he ever tortured!—healed by the love of the heroine. Tiernan and Brennan are a match made in heaven . . . or Atlantis.”

  —The Romance Dish

  “Day places her latest romantic pair in unique circumstances as they face both technological horror and an ancient curse . . . Day continues to deliver consistent quality and sizzling adventure!”

  —Romantic Times

  ATLANTIS UNMASKED

  “Action packed and hot and spicy.”

  —TwoLips Reviews

  “Day utilizes a nice blend of action, character building, and sexy sensuality in all her books. A terrific escape from reality.”

  —Romantic Times

  “As always, I loved this book. Each time I settle down to read about one of the warriors, I know I’m going to want more.”

  —Naughty Edition Reviews

  “I have been patiently awaiting Alexios’s story, and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. Ms. Day just has a way with these sexy warriors that leaves me breathless.”

  —The Romance Readers Connection

  “There were tears, there was laughter, there were moments my heart soared, and there were moments my heart feared for what was to come . . . I know what I will be doing on the next release day of a Warriors of Poseidon novel!”

  —Leontine’s Book Realm

  ATLANTIS UNLEASHED

  “This character-driven tale will grab the reader’s imagination from page one . . . An epic thrill ride that should not be missed.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A terrific romantic fantasy thriller.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Day is back and better than ever . . . She doesn’t skimp on the action, but this story also delves into the psychological, giving the characters real depth. Power and passion unleashed make for outstanding reading!”

  —Romantic Times

  “Action-packed adventure filled with magic and romance . . . Superb job of world building that will leave you stunned with the richness of detail. The characters of Atlantis are sexy, intelligent, and fascinating. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for more!”

  —Romance Junkies

  ATLANTIS AWAKENING

  “Fascinating, thrilling, and deeply romantic.”

  —Jayne Castle, New York Times bestselling author

  “Alyssa Day’s Atlantis is flat-out amazing—her sexy and heroic characters make me want to beg for more! I love the complex world she’s created!”

  —Alexis Morgan, national bestselling author

  “Superb writing, fascinating characters, and edge-of-your-seat story bring the legend of Atlantis to life.”

  —Colby Hodge, award-winning author

  ATLANTIS RISING

  “Atlantis Rising is romantic, sexy, and utterly compelling. I loved it!”

  —Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “The Poseidon Warriors are HOT!! Can I have one?”

  —Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author

  “Alyssa Day’s characters grab you and take you on a whirlwind adventure. I haven’t been so captivated by characters or story in a long time. Enjoy the ride!”

  —Susan Squires, New York Times bestselling author

  “Alyssa Day has penned a white-hot winner!”

  —Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author

  “Wow! Alyssa Day writes a marvelous paranormal romance set on earth.”

  —Susan Kearney, USA Today bestselling author

  “Wow! What a spectacular series opener . . . The love scenes are sizzling hot.”

  —Once Upon A Romance

  “The world building is superb . . . The Warriors of Poseidon are a sexy, chivalrous, and dangerous team [who] create an atmosphere of testosterone so thick you can cut it with a knife.”

  —ParaNormal Romance

  THE WARRIORS OF POSEIDON SERIES BY ALYSSA DAY

  Atlantis Rising

  High Prince Conlan’s Story

  Atlantis Awakening

  Lord Vengeance’s Story

  “Wild Hearts in Atlantis” from Wild Thing

  Bastien’s Story

  “Shifter’s Lady” from Shifter

  Ethan’s Story

  Atlantis Unleashed

  Lord Justice’s Story

  Atlantis Unmasked

  Alexios’s Story

  Atlantis Redeemed

  Brennan’s Story

  Atlantis Betrayed

  Christophe’s Story

  Vampire in Atlantis

  Daniel’s Story

  Don’t miss

  Heart of Atlantis

  High Priest Alaric’s story

  Coming soon from Berkley Sensation!

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Vict
oria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS

  A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / June 2011

  Copyright © 2011 by Alesia Holliday.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-51597-6

  BERKLEY® SENSATION

  Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  This one is for my readers

  who have been with me every step of the way

  and for my new readers who are just

  discovering Atlantis with me for the very first time.

  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Acknowledgments

  So I decided to move to Japan in the middle of this book. Well, Navy Guy had a lot to do with it, and sooner than you could say sushi, here I am, halfway across the world. Thanks to everyone who kept me sane along the way:

  Cindy Hwang, always; my friends in the werearmadillos, at least we’re crazy together; and Hedy Sberna, who is currently the proud owner of seventeen boxes of cleaning supplies she didn’t need, plus a salad spinner.

  And to Scott Sberna, for insights into the very real issues facing people with prosthetic limbs.

  Arigato gozaimasu to you all.

  Dear Readers,

  We took a wonderful research trip to Sedona, Arizona, for this book, and I wish I could have taken you all with me. The red rocks of Sedona and the canyons and caves and vortex sites of the surrounding area are a spectacular part of our U.S. heritage. Of course, being me, I couldn’t resist throwing in a little of my own twisted slant on history by adding a vampire apocalypse to the very real historical fact of the disappearance of the ancient Sinagua Indians.

  Please visit the places Daniel and Serai see if you get a chance at all—it will be one of the best adventures of your lifetime, I promise. As to visiting Atlantis, well, I live in hope that one day I’ll get to be the first to step foot on the lost continent. Won’t that be a story to tell . . .

  Hugs,

  Alyssa

  The Warrior’s Creed

  We will wait. And watch. And protect.

  And serve as first warning on the eve of humanity’s destruction.

  Then, and only then, Atlantis will rise.

  For we are the Warriors of Poseidon, and the mark of the Trident we bear serves as witness to our sacred duty to safeguard mankind.

  Chapter 1

  The Primus chambers beneath the Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

  Daniel looked out at the sea of red eyes glaring back at him in the vast oak-and-marble chamber of the Primus and wondered, not for the first time, why the hell he’d ever wanted to be the ruler of the North American vampires. Also, how long it would be until the vampire goddess Anubisa discovered his ongoing betrayal and tortured him slowly to death.

  The goddess of Chaos and Night was really, really good at torture. It was her specialty, in fact.

  “So, shall we call you Daniel, then?” the vampire from South Carolina called out from behind the false safety of the rich mahogany semicircular desk. His voice was a bizarre hissing drawl: Deep South meets bloodsucker. “Or Drakos? Maybe Devon? You have so many identities; we wouldn’t want to use the wrong one.”

  “You may call me Primator, Ruler of the Primus, the third house of the United States Congress. Or sir. Or even master, if you adhere to the old ways,” Daniel said, smiling. It wasn’t a nice smile. He made sure to show some fang.

  “Or you can call me the one who delivers you to the true and final death, if you continue to be an obstacle to these negotiations,” he continued. Still polite. No longer smiling. “If we cannot work amicably and peacefully with the humans, we will find ourselves back to the days of angry mobs with wooden stakes and flaming torches. Except this time, the mobs will have missiles instead of pitchforks.”

  The South Carolinian sat down abruptly and clamped his mouth shut, with not even a hint of fang showing. Daniel’s sense of victory was as fleeting as it was futile. They’d never agree. Humans were sheep to them, especially to the oldest ones. Predators couldn’t become politicians, and he had no wish to continue in the role of trying to lead them. It was, as his Atlantean friend Ven would say, like herding seahorses: a task that would always fail and usually leave the herder with a severe case of nutjob. Daniel’s sanity was precarious enough already.

  A flash of memory tugged at him: Quinn’s face when he’d forced the blood bond on her to save her life.

  Another: Deirdre’s face as she lay dying in his arms.

  It was the only thing he was really good at—failing to protect the women he cared about. He’d started that tradition more than eleven thousand years ago, after all.

  Serai.

  Daniel’s assistant shuffled some papers on his desk and glanced up at him. “Shall we adjourn then, Primator?”

  Daniel snapped out of his dark thoughts and looked out at the members of the Primus. Still glaring at him, for the most part. Undoubtedly planning a coup or some other evil manipulation, except with them, unlike with the rest of the members of Congress, actual bloodshed would be involved. After all, they were vampires.

  He recognized the irony.

  “Adjourned.” He struck the gavel once on its sound block, but they were already up and streaming out the vaulted double doors. Not a single one stopped to speak to him or even looked back. Plotting, always plotting.

  After eleven thousand years, he was tired of all of it. Tired of the loneliness, the constant despair. The futility of hope. He’d had enough. He’d done enough. It was time for one last glimpse of the sun, before it incinerated him.

  He stood in a single fluid motion and tossed the gavel on his assistant’s desk. “Adjourned and done. I’m resigning the title and job of primator and getting out of Washington, D.C. Good luck with my successor.”

  Before the poor man could form a single word, Daniel leapt into the air and flew through the room and out the doors—right into the waiting ambush. Four ready to hurt him. None ready to help.

  The pundits were right. D.C. was a dangerous town.

  “Are you ready to die, master?”

  It was South Carolina again. Daniel didn’t recognize the trio of flunkies with him. Hired muscle, maybe, or members of South Carolina’s blood pride. Didn’t matter.

  They wouldn’t be around long.

  “Actually, I am ready to die,” Daniel said, enjoying th
e look of shock that widened the other vampire’s eyes. “But not at your hand.”

  He hit the first two flunkies with a flying kick so powerful it crushed the first one’s head and left the other unconscious on the ground. The third he dispatched with a blow from his dagger that removed its head from its body, both of which began to disintegrate into the characteristic acidic slime of decomposing vampire.

  Then Daniel turned to South Carolina, who was backing away from him.

  “I’m sorry. They made me do it,” he cried out, trembling and whimpering like the coward he was.

  “Then die with them,” Daniel replied, realizing he didn’t care enough to even ask who “they” were. He caught South Carolina’s head between his hands and, with one powerful twist of his arms, wrenched it off the vampire’s neck. The body fell to the ground, already decaying before Daniel realized he still held the head. He flung it away in disgust and scrubbed his hands against his pants.