Warriors of Poseidon 01 - Atlantis Rising

face in his hands, searched her eyes. "Wherever you are is as paradise come to earth for me."
     
    Her breath caught in her throat. In what world was it fair that she'd finally found the other half to her soul, and it was unlikely either of them would survive another day?
     
    "But we have tonight," she whispered. "Let's make it enough to last forever."
     
    And she led him out of the room.
     
    Barrabas snapped the neck of the Atlantean in front of him and watched the dead warrior fall to the floor. Then he threw his head back and howled his rage out to the stone walls of the chamber.
     
    Drakos stood well back from the carnage, probably afraid that he'd be next. With the mood Barrabas was in, it was surely possible.
     
    Atlantis Rising – Warriors of Poseidon 01
    Page 323 of 351
    "How is it possible that these puny sacks of flesh can withstand my mind-control powers?" he hissed, kicking one of the bodies so hard he heard the ribs snap like kindling.
     
    It would have been so much more satisfactory if the man had yet lived. Barrabas so enjoyed it when they screamed.
     
    "But they did scream before they died, didn't they, Drakos?"
     
    He walked through the gritty residue of the three vamps from his blood pride.
     
    Point taken. Poseidon didn't approve of vampires touching his precious toy.
     
    They'd died spectacularly, though. A waterfall of flaming death. Barrabas had to admit the sea god had style. One had to admire such creative methods of murder and annihilation.
     
    His vampires had died screaming, too.
     
    The Atlantean leader, Reisen, hung from one of the manacles on the wall, bloody and near death. But that one had never screamed. Not even when Barrabas hacked his hand off with a sword.
     
    One had to admire such courage, too. Except when it obstructed his plans. Then one had to torture it mercilessly to death.
     
    "Reisen thinks the others will come for the Trident. The prince and the priest," he mused, carefully rubbing his boot on one of the dead bodies to remove the blood. He watched as the thing's shirt turned reddish black, then deliberately stepped on its face as he strode over it.
     
    Atlantis Rising – Warriors of Poseidon 01
    Page 324 of 351
    "They wouldn't dare confront you, my lord," Drakos responded. He even looked outraged on Barrabas's behalf. A nice touch, that, genuine or not.
     
    "A prince and a priest," Barrabas repeated. "Haven't these Atlanteans ever heard of the separation of church and state?"
     
    He laughed and watched Reisen flinch, lifting his handless arm toward his chest.
    "Maybe we'll have to introduce you to the new and improved Bill of Rights when we take over your precious Seven Isles, what do you think?"
     
    Reisen lifted his head and glared at Barrabas. "Conlan will obliterate you, and Alaric channels more power than you ever dreamed of, bloodsucker." He coughed, spat out a glob of blood.
     
    Then the Atlantean smiled, blood running down his chin. "And I will dance on your salted grave."
     
    Barrabas roared out his outrage, and the lights in the chamber flickered. "You will never live to see it, worm."
     
    But before he could rip the warrior's head from his body, Drakos was in front of him, back of his hand smashing into the man. Reisen's head snapped back and cracked against the wall, then he collapsed, unconscious or dead.
     
    Drakos bowed. "Perhaps he might prove useful later, my lord. Once he is sufficiently persuaded, he may be key to our learning more of the Trident."
     
    Barrabas narrowed his eyes, wishing yet again that he could scan his general's mind.
    "Do you offer good strategy or defiance, Drakos? Why do you always seem to walk the razor edge between the two?"
     
    Atlantis Rising – Warriors of Poseidon 01
    Page 325 of 351
    "Would you want a weakling as your second?"
     
    Barrabas waited several minutes before responding. Let Drakos worry. "No. But do not take that as leave to defy me. General Drakos."
     
    Drakos bowed again. "Shall I bring the last of them? The one they call Micah?"
     
    "Oh, yes. We still have a few hours until dawn. Let us see if we can make this one sing for us." Barrabas walked back across the bodies of the dead, enjoying the snap of bones as he crushed limbs.
     
    "I do so love the sound of music."

Chapter 36
    Conlan made it nearly two entire steps inside the dim room behind Riley before his control snapped. He slammed the door shut behind him and yanked her back against him, nearly crushing her in his arms. "I