Free Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day Page B

suggesting that I surrender my independence to you? And what is
mi amara
?”
    “Your surrender, as mine, was not of your independence but of your solitude, I think,” he said, pulling the blanket around her when she shivered at the cool currents of air-conditioned air blowing on her bare skin. He laced his fingers in hers, and she looked down at their joined hands, marveling that she could feel so completely safe and cherished—so
right
—in the arms of a man she barely knew.
    And yet…somehow there had been that moment of knowing. That moment when her soul had seemed to wing its way out of her body and twine its way through Bastien’s heart, the same way their fingers were joined together now. She’d known him on a level far deeper than she’d ever known another living soul; known the pain he’d faced, the battles he’d fought, and the black acts he’d been forced to commit on behalf of humanity.
    He believed he was damned for it. Damned to the nine hells, whatever that meant. Having caught a glimpse of his despair, she could guess, though.
    The mere thought of it terrified her. But before she could find words to tell him why the idea was bad, awful, and just wrong in so many ways, he spoke first.
    “I am wrong for you.” His black eyes were filled with pain as his words echoed her thoughts. “I have done so many things, caused so much death and destruction in the name of my mission—in the name of my god—that I can never undo.”
    She leaned against him, driven by the despair in his tone to offer comfort instead of rejection. Her heart rebelled at the thought of turning away from him. “What you have done, you have done as part of your duty to protect, haven’t you?”
    He nodded, caught her hand in his and kissed her fingertips. “Yes, but all Atlanteans have free will,
mi amara.
It was my choice to serve as a warrior of Poseidon. The sea god marks each of us at our dedication ceremony,” he replied, touching a hand to the strange symbol marked high on the right side of his chest.

    She traced its outline with her fingers. “What does it mean?”
    “It offers testimony to my vow to protect mankind. The circle represents all the peoples of the world. Intersecting it is the pyramid of knowledge deeded to them by the ancients. The silhouette of Poseidon’s Trident bisects them both.”
    He smiled crookedly. “Even one good only for his strength has the opportunity to serve well in Poseidon’s service.”
    “Why do you do that? Why do you discount your intelligence?” she asked, brows drawing together. “Your strength is not all that you are. Somehow, I have seen inside you to the fierce intelligence you don’t admit even to yourself. You plan and question and plot strategy with the best of them, don’t you?”
    “But—”
    She cut him off, nodding sagely. “Oh. Your prince isn’t very smart, though, is he?”
    “What? Prince Conlan is a brilliant leader. His—”
    “Really?” she said, tilting her head. “So Prince Brilliant chose you as liaison, huh? Guess he must have known what he was doing.”
    He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You are also very wise, are you not? Fierce in your defense of one as unworthy as me. Had my heart not been captured to your will before, you would have just won it.”
    She trembled, unable to breathe. “Your heart?”
    “From the day of my vow until this night, I have never found reason to question my loyalty to my duty. But looking at you, holding you in my arms…”
    “And
mi amara
?”
    “Means my beloved.”
    Heat rushed through her at the words and at the expression on his face—that of stark possession mingled with fierce longing. “Shh,” she said, laughing a little, trying to pretend her universe hadn’t just turned upside down. “There is no need to question anything right now. We never question loyalty on an empty stomach, right?”
    He blinked, then shouted with laughter. Something chained in her heart broke free