Free Atlantium Trilogy I: Bride of Atlantis by Madelaine Montague Page A

little more than
a piece of sheer cloth, held together at the waist by strings about
the breadth of apron strings. The top was almost as bad, just as
sheer, and only covered her breasts, leaving her belly and back
bare except for the strings she used to tie it on.
    When she turned she saw that Thor was
lying on his side, watching her, his head supported by his bent arm
and hand, his expression unreadable.
    Alexis said the first thing that came
to mind. “It was thoughtful of Adonis to leave these here.” Her
tone was wry. The clothing was almost more indecent than she
would’ve looked naked, paying mere lip service to the concept of
clothing.
    A look of annoyance crossed Thor’s
features. “I had Moira find some clothing for you.”
    Surprised, Alexis lifted her brows. “I
would’ve thought, this being Adonis’ home, that it would’ve been
him.”
    “ This is not the home of
Adonis. It is my home.”
    Alexis gaped at him stunned, confused.
“But I thought … YOU! You brought me here! Helen said I was to stay
at Adonis’ home.”
    Thor swung his legs over the side of
the bed and stood up.
    He was gloriously naked.
    Alexis’ mind went perfectly
blank.
    “ I am the guardian. You were
released to me.”
    Something flickered in her mind,
almost like a touch.
    Alexis recognized it this time,
however, knew he was trying to probe her mind. She stared at him,
wanting, badly, to release her pent-up feelings about her
situation, but it was impossible to keep her thoughts at bay and
allow emotion to enter.
    “ You are guarding your
thoughts from me. Why?”
    Despite her best efforts, a smile of
triumph curled Alexis’ lips. “Because I want privacy?” she said
sweetly.
    He frowned.
    Alexis turned to look around the room,
realizing that she should have guessed from the first that she, a
prisoner, would be given a jailer if not confined to a prison. They
probably didn’t have a real jail or she would’ve found herself in a
cell.
    Thor grasped her arm, forcing her to
turn to look at him. To her relief, he’d resumed the facade of
clothing, the loincloth he generally ‘wore’.
    “ I am your protector, not
your jailer. You may come and go as you please.”
    “ But I have to stay here,
right?”
    “ Until the issue is
settled.”
    Alexis nodded. She’d thought as
much.
    Thor lifted a hand, caressing her
cheek. “This displeases you so much?”
    Alexis ignored the caress with an
effort, shrugged. “Being in Atlantis displeases me. I don’t suppose
it really matters where I stay. Here is as good a place as
any.”
    Something, some emotion Alexis
couldn’t quite decipher, flitted across Thor’s features. In the
next instant, his expression was impassive. “And, what happened
before—That was as good as any?”
    Alexis knew exactly what he was
asking, but that didn’t stop her from giving him a look of complete
incomprehension.
    He glanced toward the bed.
    Alexis glanced toward the bed,
assuming puzzlement. She knew she had to respond, however. The
problem was she had not had the chance to come to terms with it
herself and since she couldn’t decide how she felt about it, she
wasn’t sharing her confusion. “Oh, that!” she exclaimed, as if
suddenly enlightened. “Thanks! No, it was great sex. Really!
Nothing like sex to relieve tension, huh? I can’t tell you how much
better I feel now, relaxed, rested … I am hungry,
though.”
    Thor’s lips tightened. After a moment,
however, he seemed to dismiss it. “Come. Moira will have laid out a
meal.”
    Alexis preceded him from the room and
down the stairs. She could almost feel his anger bouncing off her
in waves as he followed her silently.

Chapter Six
    Thor left directly after they’d eaten.
Alexis supposed he had business to attend to, but she had a hard
time envisioning it.
    She spent a good bit of the day
pacing. She wasn’t accustomed to having nothing at all to do.
Television would have been welcome. She could have stared at it
mindlessly for hours.