He watches her as she sits on the beach, watching the sunrise. Her dark hair tumbles down her back. The wind off the water tosses a few stray tendrils around her face. She is the most beautiful creature he's ever seen. It hurts to know that she is the woman he married, but that she doesn't remember who she is. That she doesn't remember a thing about him. That the Fates—those bitches, he thought to himself bitterly—had seen fit to take his Amphitrite from him and that Persephone had decided to replant her soul.
Poseidon wanted to confess that she was his Amphitrite. That she was his queen. But he didn't. Part of him wanted her to find out on her own. Wanted her to fall in love with him. He didn't want it to be like it had been the first time. When she had run from him. Hidden herself away, almost killing herself in the process because she'd spent too much time away from the salt water. Even now, he could feel her power awakening, calling her to the sea. Chanting her name. The dolphins wanted their mistress. His heart wanted his wife; his lover. No, not wanted. Needed.
The need Poseidon felt to claim his wife again for all eternity was far more compelling than he thought. Even as he watched her sit in the sand and toy with the shells she'd found, he couldn't help himself. He was compelled to be near her. Something deep within. A connection he'd never felt with anyone but her. Which is why he'd asked Nereus for her hand. The youngest of his daughters by Doris. The only one to openly defy him at every turn. And when she had finally surrendered? They're love was as sweet as the ambrosia that the Gods drank. Maybe even more so.
Poseidon was a fool though. He'd cheated. Betrayed her trust and her love many times. All of which made him feel unworthy of her now. Made him all the more determined to show her that her absence had made his heart long for her. Made him realize that she was the only one he wanted. And he would spend the rest of his immortal life making it up to her. If only he could make her remember that she was not the mortal Avelyn Reed. She was Amphitrite. His wife. His queen.
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The sea had always called to her. Had always given her a sense of kinship and belonging. It was why she went into working at the aquarium. To be near the water. Her job was amazing. She enjoyed every second of it. But lately, it wasn't the only thing on her mind. When the aquarium had hired a marine reproduction specialist, she'd been ecstatic. The chance to help rebuild some species that weren't doing so well was one of the things she had on her list. But what she hadn't counted on was the fact that the man they'd hired was so handsome. With his dark hair and piercing blue eyes, he made all the women at the aquarium completely gaga over him.
She preferred to keep herself with dignity.
But when she looked at him, all she wanted to do was feel his lips on her own; his hands touching her body. His face had been the face she dreamed about, playing all sorts of havoc on her dreams. Her fantasies. But it was more than that. He seemed to keep close to her. And it unnerved her. She wasn't used to men being so attentive to her. She'd noticed that it had made her make small changes. She paid more attention to her looks. She paid more attention to office gossip. Offered to go with him when he went out to check on the Orca pod in the bay. She got to know the man named Liam Douglas. She found herself fascinated.
There was something about him that drew her in and held her captive. Like she had known him in a previous life or something. He spoke to something in her. They had to have been something to each other in the past. The connection she felt to him, how well they worked together? It was as if they had done it before. She wasn't one to believe in past lives or things like that. But somehow, she and Liam? They were connected.
###
The sun was just barely coming up over the horizon when she turned her head and caught him staring at her. She nodded her head at the area beside her. "Have a seat." She turned her head back to the sunrise. When he sat beside her, she glanced toward him. His eyes were dancing with life, his hair blowing slightly in the breeze. Gods, he was so handsome. She thought his parents hit the genetic lottery when they had him. "What brings you out this way?" She asked, toying with the sand between her feet.
"I enjoy the sunrise. It's one of my favorite times of the day," came his reply. "What brings you out here?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I think I like the peace. The world is still asleep. For the most part, at least. If I wanted too, I could go swimming in the bay and no one could interrupt me." She missed his raised brow. "I get tired of the everyday hustle and bustle of the city," she told him. Poseidon had to agree. He wanted to tell her that she didn't even have to bother with it, if she didn't want too, but that would be revealing who he was to her, and he could already hear Zeus's fury. The Gods weren't to reveal themselves to mortals. Even those who had been reborn.
"Is your world so stressful that you crave a moment alone with the sea?" He asked, looking at her. He loved her hair. As it blew in the wind, he couldn't help bit remember a time when they had sat on the beach and talked. Relaxed together. Made love in the surf. But that was centuries ago.
She looked at him, shaking her head. "It can be. Sometimes I just want to escape for a while. Run wild and free. Play in the surf."
Hearing her say those words, Poseidon fought the groan from tumbling out of his mouth. But it also gave him hope. Hope that perhaps Amphitrite wasn't dead after all. But reborn into this woman. He gave her a smile, one of his million watt smiles. "Shall we then?" he asked. "We can play hooky today. I'll take you to a place that is my sanctuary. What do you think?"
She nodded her head, smiling. "I haven't played hooky in a long time. Probably since Joel left." Poseidon just smiled wider. Whomever this Joel was, obviously he hadn't caught her attention for long. He held out his hand to his companion. She slipped her delicate fingers in his and Poseidon felt a spark between them. He felt his Amphitrite. There was nothing that would stop him now. Nothing. This woman was his.