Vampire in Atlantis

bent on world domination before you even show up to the party.”
    “That’s ridiculous,” he snarled. “Atlantis is and always has been a peaceful nation. In fact, we have served and protected humans for more than eleven thousand years, since the time we first dove beneath the sea. As a sworn Warrior of Poseidon, I know this firsthand to be true. Not that your kind has ever appreciated it. And this latest madness, accepting the vampire race as your equals, when they only look at you as food—that has made many of us believe that you deserve what you get. We don’t want to dominate any part of your foolish world. We only wish you’d quit expecting us to fight your battles for you.”
    “I never expected anything of the sort, big guy,” she said mildly, keying in the final codes to break through the encryption sequence. Now it was a matter of time and waiting and hoping there wasn’t some kind of self-destruct written into the encryption code, like in a bad movie. She set the laptop on the floor next to her and stretched.
    “What’s a Warrior of Poseidon, anyway? Some kind of cult of hot guys? Is that what that tattoo on your chest is about?”
    He narrowed his eyes. “When did you see that?”
    “Um, I might have peeked when you came out of the bathroom in only a towel.” She could feel her face turning pink, but what the heck. He’d been totally worth looking at. “What does it mean? Can I see it again?”
    He scowled, but pulled his shirt up to show her the tat. She tried not to swallow her tongue as the move revealed his ripped abs and then the broad, muscular chest she’d wanted to get her hands on the night before.
    High on the right side of his chest, she saw the tat again.

     
    “This mark was branded on my skin by Poseidon himself when I swore my vow to serve the sea god and protect humanity. The circle represents all the peoples of the world, intersected by the pyramid of knowledge deeded to them by the ancients. The silhouette of Poseidon’s trident bisects them both.”
    He shoved his shirt back down, and a dark flush rose on his cheekbones. She stared at him, fascinated, realizing he felt shy. The big, tough warrior who’d saved her life was shy about taking his shirt off.
    The contradiction was kind of adorable, and definitely hot.
    “So you swore to protect humans? And you’re trying to tell me you’re eleven thousand years old?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing, let me think, um, no .”
    “No, I’m not eleven thousand years old, but the first Warriors of Poseidon who originally swore the vow to protect—Oh, hells, are you almost done with that computer?”
    She shrugged. “It’s working. Could take a while.”
    “What time is it?”
    She glanced at the bottom right of her computer screen. “Nine-fifteen. Fifteen minutes past the last time you asked. Don’t you have a watch?”
    She could have barbecued chicken in the heat of his glare. Which reminded her that she was hungry. Again. As usual. For more than just food, too, after seeing him in all his muscled glory. But she figured she was out of luck on that one. Scruffy human computer nerds were so not his type, probably.
    “I don’t wear watches. They don’t function properly with Atlantean magic around them. My father—” He stopped talking mid-sentence and glared at her again. “Why am I telling you any of this?”
    “Your father?” She rummaged around in her backpack, looking for a granola bar or an apple. Preferably a Snickers. It had nuts. Health food, for sure.
    “None of your business, human.” He whirled around and started back across the floor.
    “Seriously?” She started laughing. She couldn’t help it. “ Human? Are you going to start mumbling ‘my Precioussssss’ next?”
    “What are you talking about? I never understand anything that comes out of your mouth,” he growled, actually growled at her, and she laughed again.
    Which seemed to irritate him even more.
    “Interesting you mention my mouth, since you can’t seem to stop staring at it,” she added, taunting him.
    He whirled around and flashed across the room so fast she didn’t even see him move, and suddenly she was suspended in midair, held up by his big hands on her upper arms. His gorgeous, angry face was inches away from hers, and his eyes were practically glowing a hot, dark blue.
    No, wait.
    They actually were glowing.
    Oh, crap.
    “I don’t want to stare at your mouth,” he said, biting off each word. “I