Warriors of Poseidon 01 - Atlantis Rising

point piercing through, he knew he'd required a little help from Alaric.
     
    Another debt to pay.
     
    Alaric exchanged a glance with Ven, who stood on Conlan's other side, then looked back at Conlan. "She is unharmed," he said.
     
    Conlan dragged himself up to sit on the edge of the bed, scanning the familiar room that he recognized as part of one of Yen's safe houses. It hadn't changed much in the years since he'd last seen it. Same utilitarian furniture. Same movie posters on the walls.
     
    A couple of predators snarled down at him from the Komodo vs. Cobra film poster opposite the bed. Conlan looked from the giant beasts to his advisors and nearly laughed. He'd give even odds if the K or the C came up against his brother or Alaric.
     
    On second thought, the reptiles wouldn't stand a chance.
     
    "Yeah, she's all right physically," Ven added cryptically.
     
    Atlantis Rising – Warriors of Poseidon 01
    Page 96 of 351
    Conlan stood, swung around to face his brother. "What do you mean, 'yeah, physically'?
    Is she hurt? Did one of the vamp bastards get to her with some kind of mind trick?"
     
    He was breathing hard with the effort of remaining upright, but damned if he wanted them to know. It was bad enough that Alaric got a free pass to his mind with every healing.
     
    Ven shook his head. "No, in spite of the part where she threw her body in front of a vamp's foot to protect your thick skull. Or—hey, this is good—the part where she jumped on the back of the bloodsucker who skewered you."
     
    Conlan's blood rushed out of his face, and the weakness in his knees doubled. "She put herself in danger for me? Where is she? I must see her now. I've got to—"
     
    Alaric smoothly interrupted. "Perhaps you might say a word to young Denal, who believes, in spite of being outnumbered three to one—"
     
    "Yeah, and in spite of his head wound," Ven interjected.
     
    "That he has failed his prince," Alaric continued, his eyes snapping green fire at Conlan.
    "Perhaps you might consider the well-being of your men above that of a human."
     
    Conlan clenched his fists, a berserker rage spiking inside him. He forced it down.
    "Perhaps," he mocked, "perhaps you might tell me where they all are, so I can go see for myself."
     
    Ven motioned with his hand toward the doorway of the room, and Conlan headed toward it, first stumbling, then gaining strength as he walked. When he reached the doorway, he paused and looked around at Alaric. Remembering his duty, no matter how much the words stuck in his throat. "My thanks for the healing. And maybe, instead of Atlantis Rising – Warriors of Poseidon 01
    Page 97 of 351
    berating me, you can figure out why my mind is full of nothing but this human female I just met."
     
    Ven laughed. "Hell, Conlan, I can tell you that. She's freaking hot—"
     
    Conlan whirled around, his hand rising without his volition to grasp the front of Ven's shirt. "You'd better stop right there, brother," he snarled. "Compare her to your whores at your own peril."
     
    Ven whistled, clearly unimpressed, then peeled Conlan's fingers off his shirt. "At my own peril, huh? If she's got you using formal speak on me, big brother, I guess she really is special."
     
    "Special, definitely. I'd say dangerous, as well," Alaric said quietly.
     
    Conlan ignored him and headed out the door, finally clearing the fuzz out of his brain long enough to remember that he could reach out to Riley's mind. But when he tried, he got nothing.
     
    Which didn't help with his peace of mind, by a long shot.
     
    Ven led him down a short hallway to one of the house's several bedrooms and pushed open the door. Conlan could see a form huddled under the quilt, unmoving.
     
    Fear pierced him. He clutched Ven's arm in a steel grip, as much to keep from running to her as for support. "You told me she was unharmed."
     
    "Relax. She just seemed to shut down, mentally. Processing overload or something.
    And no wonder, after what she did." Ven sketched in the details of the battle, including Riley's part in it.
     
    Atlantis Rising – Warriors of Poseidon 01
    Page 98 of 351
    Conlan stood there and listened to how a fragile human had put her life on the line for him, and pain stabbed into his chest. Right in the vicinity of the heart he thought he'd lost.
     
    When Ven got to the moment when Riley had stood up to Alaric, Conlan's eyes gleamed. "That must have put a swordfish up his ass. A 'mere human' standing up to Poseidon's high