Page 19 of Violet Legacy

Idris sighed. It was the sound of an Atlantean who would search every corner and whisper until he found what he was looking for or died on the journey. A sound Dante was well acquainted with, but one that he never fully understood.

“I have made it my life’s mission to find the truth. Your father gave his life to locate the tomb of Vandana,” Idris said. The words were deeply solemn as he moved toward the center of the room, stopping at the large oak desk. “You have spent millions of dollars looking for the tomb. Why?”

It was a question Dante had spent centuries asking himself. It had started as the idea that if he found the tomb, he could restore his father’s reputation. But over the centuries, it had evolved into something else, intrinsically linked to his search for power. “Legacy.”

“It has nothing to do with the untold treasures that are buried within the tomb?”

“The treasure would be nice, but I am not in any danger of running out of money or assets.”

Idris laughed, slapping his hand against the table. “No, you are not. If you will part with some of the money, I can point you to a couple of places. It would be helpful.”

“Sypha will help you.”

Idris moved to the half-hidden balcony door. “Do you think we will ever find Atlantis?”

Atlantis. Their original home. The three thousand years after the destruction of the island had been a dark age for their species; the Atlanteans had done everything they could to survive, even if it cost them the knowledge of their past. There were no records left of the original location of the floating island, and anyone who lived through the ordeal had perished by the time the Houses established themselves in the new world. Or died without revealing their secrets. “Do you believe that Vandana’s tomb has the map to where Atlantis descended?”

Idris’s pale blue eyes twinkled. “Yes. As did your father.”

“My father was an idealist and a dreamer, and in search of his truth, he found his death.” Dante stared at the tapestry. It had taken him centuries to understand why his father followed the myth. A misguided sense of responsibility, awe, and a desire to escape his reality. But Talal had been close to finding an answer when he disappeared somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. “He believed the clue was in the vault hidden somewhere within the treasure.”

“Maybe we can make a believer out of you yet?”

No, he wasn’t a believer.

He had no desire to restore glory to the extinct House Atlas, or to see the glorification of a rediscovered island of Atlantis. But he understood the power behind controlling both the narratives. Power that would ensure House Mneseus and the Delacroix lineage would remain untouchable for generations to come. “What would you do if we found Atlantis?”

Idris crossed his arms. “Preserve it for future generations.”

“Very practical response. There will be some who believe that House Atlas must be reinstated if we find the island.”

“Vandana’s flame still burns to this day,” Idris stated simply. His voice was low and contemplative. “There is a member of the royal house who is still alive.”

Dante pondered the statement. An image of Rieka flashed in his mind. The words from the vision continued to haunt him. “If there is an heir, they may not want to be found.”

Chapter 13

PerhapsyouaremoreAtlantean than you think.

The voice was quickly followed by Lilian’s.Do not trust the Atlanteans. They will use you to get what they want and discard you.

Dante was no different.For most of her life, she’d maintained her distance from Atlanteans—their general dislike of hybrids had been painfully drummed into her at their every encounter. Even when she worked side by side with them. Her damn eyes made her an outcast. Except for Chay. He treated her as an academic equal. Until the incident. She’d thought they were friends. Unfortunately, Atlanteans weren’t the only culprits. It was just as bad with some humans.

Dante wasn’t different, he just needed her. And once he got what he wanted, she would be back to being the hybrid archaeologist who no one wanted to employ. Unless she found the tomb.

Rieka pushed the thought away. She needed to focus on the here and now. Four days to find the tomb was all she had, and the clock was already ticking.

The perimeter of the Arx dwarfed the surrounding sand dunes. The farthest turret gave the illusion that the Arx touched the light blue sky. Like everything their species did, it was larger than life. Out here she understood where the crusaders had gotten their inspiration for their desert castles. Hands in her pockets, she leisurely surveyed the room, kicking the nonexistent dirt into the air.

“Hello?” Her voice echoed through the great hall and bounced off the light sandstone blocks. Cinnamon, and the light, woody-floral scent of blue lotus permeated the air. The sun shone through the stained-glass window, casting the empty room alight with blues and purples. A dark hooded figure stood central to the window; a black flowing cloak billowed behind it, the hint of the tip of a sword peeked through. The image suited a medieval church rather than an empty hall that was a glorified waiting room. It reminded her of a grim reaper or Khalida. The woman was the scariest Atlantean Rieka had ever encountered.

Dante’s words continued to taunt her. Rieka sighed. She’d stopped dreaming of waking up with Atlantean senses or gifts the day after her mother died. Near immortality hadn’t saved Lilian Sinha. But Dante had struck a chord she thought she had outgrown. It was all she had been able to think about on the two-hour journey in the patrol vehicle to the fortress.

She was one step closer to understanding what had driven her mom to search for the tomb. The irony wasn’t lost on her. Dante was the same as her, trying to fulfill a lost familial legacy, but that was the end of their similarities. They belonged to two different worlds. It wasn’t something that she was easily going to forget. Rieka sure as hell wasn’t still thinking about how he felt pressed up close to her, thighs touching during the trip to the Arx, or how her stomach backflipped when his arm brushed against her, the touch sending her pulse into overdrive.

Dante Delacroix had gotten under her skin, and she didn’t know why or how.

Her cell phone vibrated. A photo of Rory and her daughter appeared. Rieka bit back a smile.

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