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“ H ow long have I been here?”

The woman looked around frantically, as if she expected an attack at any moment. Kai grabbed her upper arms and forced her to look at him. “How long?”

“Three days.”

He cursed loudly but let her go. “Three days? How is that possible?”

“The lotus wine. It makes you lose track of time.”

“I think I already know who set this whole thing up. What I want to know is why? Why was I drugged and kept here against my will?”

She chewed her bottom lip and shook her head hard. She was refusing to answer his questions. He wanted to shake her until she spilled everything, but he knew that wouldn’t get him what he wanted. He decided to take a different approach.

“What’s your name?”

“Katerina.”

“Well, Katerina, I’m Kai, which you probably already knew, but what you probably don’t know is that I am actually trying to save a young girl who’s been kidnapped by the father of my…

er…girlfriend. My girlfriend and I were planning to save Willow, the young girl, as soon as my girlfriend was ready to face her father.

Now, I’ve lost three days, and for all I know, my girlfriend doesn’t even know where I am.

She probably thinks I abandoned her.” Kai took a deep breath.

“So, for goodness sake, tell me why I’m here instead of off finishing that fight. ”

Her purple eyes softened, and she gave a short nod, put her finger to her lips, and motioned for him to follow her.

He didn’t waste any time, just fell into step behind her as she headed down the long, dark hallway.

For all he knew she was leading him into another trap, but at this point, he didn’t have any other choice but to trust her.

Fortunately for him, she led him toward a heavy door that, when opened, led to a back alleyway.

Once they were both outside, she moved quickly toward the end of the alley, waving for him to follow once more.

When they were back out onto the busy swim way that functioned the same as a street on the surface, she crossed to another door.

She produced a key and opened it, quickly ducking inside.

With only a little hesitation, he followed her.

The minute the door closed, a light flickered on, and Kai looked around a small apartment—hers he assumed.

Finally, she turned and said, “Poseidon sent you inside with Triton and Polyphemus. They paid me to keep you drugged, but you weren’t an easy one. It took three times as much of the lotus wine to make you stop saying her name.”

“Whose name?”

“Hollyn’s.”

Hollyn! How could he have forgotten her name? That must have been some potent wine.

“So underhanded! So manipulative! Why were they trying to keep me unconscious?”

She swallowed hard, and Kai understood that she was scared.

“Look, I’m not staying in Atlantis. If you’d like, I’ll take you with me when I leave. I can take you to Hanupali City or to the surface or anywhere else you want to go. I just need you to help me understand what’s going on here.”

She nodded. “I would love to go to Hanupali City. Do you really think you can take me there?”

“I was the king of the city for a day, but my sister Oleen is now the queen. I think I can pull some strings. Now, will you help me?”

“Poseidon wanted to keep you here until Thian Grand was able to seduce Hollyn. I don’t know any more than that. It was my job to keep you from leaving Atlantis to go to her until Thian had done his part.”

Kai shook his head. He’d never felt so manipulated. Suddenly, he was incredibly thankful that his parents, his true parents, Michael and Tessa Iona, had been the ones to raise him. He didn’t think he’d like the person he would have become had he been raised by Poseidon and Uma.

But one thing was for sure. He wasn’t going to get the answers he needed from Katerina. He needed to speak to Poseidon, and that conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later. He needed to get to Hollyn before something happened that they both would regret.

Kai stormed into the palace, guards chasing after him.

With a force that knocked them all to the floor as he passed, the water around him slammed into them like giant fists, clearing a path for Kai straight to the throne room.

He shoved a powerful wave of water at the thirty foot high doors, and they flew open wide, slamming against the wall with force.

Kai strode inside, angry steps taking him toward the gray-haired man looking amused as he sat on a golden throne.

Beside him, Triton stood in a fighting stance, his face showing his surprise.

Polyphemus was nowhere to be seen, but Kai was on alert to any attack that might come his way.

He was done being a passive bystander when others were playing with his life.

“Poseidon, what game are you playing?”

Poseidon stood up and began to approach Kai slowly. “Son, let me explain.”

“What is there to explain? Oh, that’s right! You had me drugged and kept me imprisoned for three days while you sent Mr. Irresistible to seduce my girlfriend. What do you have to say about that?”

“Well, when you say it like that, I sound like a real douchenozzle.”

“If the nozzle fits…”

Triton seemed to wake from his stupor. “How the hell did you escape that quickly? You should have been there at least a month before you realized what was going on.”

Kai dismissed such a stupid notion with a wave of his hand. “Why was I there in the first place?”

With a heavy sigh, Poseidon said, “Pussy so good, that’s why.”

The whole room grew silent, and Kai wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that. He cleared his throat, and asked, “Pardon?”

“I would do anything for Uma, and she didn’t want her only son to leave.

I tried to explain to her that you would resent having the decision taken out of your hands, but she insisted that once you two were apart, you’d forget about each other and move on.

I had my doubts, and look at you proving me right, but that woman can make me do anything for her. ”

Uma had set him up? Had set Hollyn up? To try to manipulate him into staying under the water? What kind of messed up, dysfunctional world was this? Kai marveled that Oleen had turned out as normal as she had. He could only imagine that Oleen’s father must have been the only decent person down here.

“Well, it didn’t work. I woke up from my drugged state, and now, you’re going to tell me where Hollyn is. I’m done with Atlantis and, other than visiting my sister Oleen, I’m done with Hanupali City. I’ve had enough of all this secretive bullshit.”

“Don’t hold it against her too much. Uma just got you back. She wasn’t quite sure how to let you go.”

This was getting ridiculous. “Well, her actions have certainly not made me want to stick around. That’s for sure. Now, tell me how to get to Hollyn.”

“I’ll tell you how to get there, but I have to warn you that it might be too late. Thian is, as you said, Mr. Irresistible.”

Kai’s stomach churned at the idea that Hollyn would move into another man’s arms so quickly. He couldn’t let himself think about it or he’d probably stir up a hurricane with the fury just the thought of her with another generated.

He had to get to Hollyn, and he had to get there now.