Read Online Vampire in Atlantis by Alyssa Day - Free Book Online Page A

Daniel and Serai were resting.
    “Unstable and dangerous,” she muttered, sighing. “Why am I always right?”
    “What are you talking about? Daniel? The vampire is unstable, too? I’ll kill him if he touches a hair on her head or a single drop of her blood.”
    Reisen strode toward Quinn, not even slowing as she moved to block him. In one swift motion, he put his hands on either side of her waist and lifted her up and out of his way. She sighed. She really hated being short.
    Luckily, she had other advantages in a fight.
    “I’d advise you not to move,” she told him in her most pleasant voice, and he froze, hands still on her waist.
    Smart man.
    “You may notice my knife is pressing into your nuts, big guy. You might want those, in the future. I’ve noticed most men seem ridiculously fond of theirs,” she continued, smiling angelically up at him as she pressed a little harder with the hand holding the switchblade to his family jewels.
    The color drained out of his face, and a look of horror replaced the fury in his eyes.
    “I’d do what she says,” a cheerful voice added. “Have you met One-Nut Mikey? He didn’t listen and, well, you can figure out the rest.”
    Quinn clenched her jaw shut against the laugh that threatened. Trust Mel to back her up and even embellish the story a little. Reisen turned his head slightly, careful not to jostle Quinn, and his eyes widened. Quinn couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping that time. Mel had that effect on people.
    “Having to teach another little object lesson, Quinn?” Mel sang out, dropping her overstuffed backpack on the cavern floor and stretching her curvy body.
    Reisen’s eyes widened even farther. Mel stretching was like catnip to men, and apparently Atlantean men were no exception.
    “Are you ready to listen to me?” Quinn asked, drawing Reisen’s attention back to her and her pointy object lesson–giver.
    He nodded. “Fine. Talk fast.”
    “Ooh, this one is feisty.” Mel took off her cap and shook out her short curls, which were blond with blue tips this week. She looked like a maniacal elf princess. The mischievous kind. You’d never guess she was a brilliant computer genius. The cropped shirt and low-rider jeans, combined with the hair and the skull jewelry, certainly wouldn’t give her away. “Can I have him?”
    Reisen growled, and Quinn rolled her eyes at both of them. “Down, Melody. Be nice to the Atlantean warrior. You two have to go on a mission for me. Together.”
    Melody, hacker extraordinaire and occasional thief, grinned and blew Reisen a kiss. “Oh, we’re going to have so much fun.”
    “I’m not going anywhere with her,” Reisen said. “I need to have a serious conversation with the Atlantean woman. Now.”
    “I’d like to meet the Atlantean woman, too. This place is better than a soap opera sometimes. Where’s Jack?” Mel said, dropping to sit cross-legged on the floor and taking an apple and her laptop out of her backpack. “Speaking of excitement, what is it this time, Quinn? What can I steal for our fearless leader?”
    Quinn waited until Mel swallowed the bite of apple, so she didn’t need to do any Heimlich maneuvering. “I want you to steal a bank.”

     
    Serai stirred, swimming back up through the layers of exhaustion to wakefulness. She felt like she hadn’t slept at all, but she had certain needs that were fast becoming urgent. Physical needs she hadn’t felt in so long she hadn’t even remembered how intense they could be. Her stomach also felt like a gaping, empty hole, and she realized she was hungry. Actually hungry .
    “I can eat,” she said, bolting upright on the hard pallet.
    Daniel, who’d apparently been sleeping on the floor next to her, shot up into the air, both hands clutching daggers. His hair was mussed, and after her initial surprise, she wanted to laugh. He looked so funny.
    Also gorgeous. Hot , even, to use the current slang.
    His hair had grown long, past his shoulders, and he