I’m very pleased and excited to show off this BEAUTIFUL and GORGEOUS and LOVELY cover by Erin Dameron-Hill. This is for the third and final novella in the Guardians of Atlantis series. Here’s a snippet:
Helene opened her apartment door to see Sabre, her big brother, standing on the other side. She’s grown weary of his daily visits. She realized he was concerned about her well-being but she didn’t need him hovering. She said nothing as she turned away from the door and headed back into the confines of her apartment.
Sabre stepped inside, the door closing behind him. He paused there, watching her.
“What do you want, Sabre?” He flinched with her tone of her voice. She hadn’t meant to sound so snippy. He’d grown soft these last few weeks. She suspected it had something to do with the woman he kept hidden.
He hadn’t told her much about this woman. Only that he’d brought her back from topside. They’d had their usual argument of why she couldn’t go there. Their conversation always ended with him stomping out of her apartment. Perhaps picking a fight with him was her way of getting rid of him. Getting him out of her hair.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” she said, tersely.
“You know I worry about you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
She flopped on the sofa, leaning back in the cushions and staring up at the ceiling. She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder, hoping he’d go away. But he didn’t. He still stood in front of her door. His face was shadowed so she couldn’t see his face but she knew he was looking at her with pity. She hated pity. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, as she scrubbed her hands down her face. Clearly he wasn’t leaving until he heard what he wanted to hear.
“What is it you want from me, Sabre? You want me to tell you all is great? That everything is okay? Well, it’s not okay. My husband is dead. I lost my child.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.” She shot to her feet, her fists clenched as she stared at him. “And stop coming here every damn day. I don’t need your sympathy.”
“It’s called compassion,” he snarled. “I care about you. You’re my sister. I want to help you—”
“There’s nothing you can do!”
He inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. “I didn’t come here to argue with you.”
“Then why are you here? Just tell me and get out so I can get back to my peace and quiet.”
It was her solace. The only way she would ever survive this horrid life she now lived. He wouldn’t stake her topside. She’d asked him numerous times and he’d always refused. If she could escape this horrible place, then she could start over. She looked human enough save for the tiny gills behind her head. She could easily blend in.
He pressed his lips together in frustration. “We intend to take over Atlantis.”
For a moment, she thought her heart might stop. She knew her brother had been planning some sort of coup but she never expected him to go through with it. Had he lost his mind? Did he think he could really defeat President Otes and Dr. Franco?
