Warriors of Poseidon 02 - Atlantis Awakening

For all the arrogance in his words, there was none in his voice; merely the calm assurance of somebody who knows his own worth.
     
    She glanced up at Ven, who'd pushed his way between them and stood, feet planted, blocking her bodily from the priest. "You can back off, Ven. I am a ninth-level witch of the Seattle Circle of Light and can probably hold my own." She tried for a casual tone.
    "It's not like he's going to strike me dead right here, is he?"
     
    Neither man so much as looked at her, and her nerve faltered a little. "Um, is he?"
     
    A female voice from behind her answered. "No, he most certainly is not."
     
    Erin whirled around to see a tall, pale woman with strawberry-blonde hair walking toward them. The woman smiled at her, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Then she looked at Alaric and sighed. "Alaric, please stop scaring our guests. Don't you have some super-secret Poseidon adventures to work on?"
     
    Erin whirled to see how the scary "the penalty is death" guy was going to take being teased, or if he'd even realize that he was. Alaric's lips quirked up in a brief smile, and he bowed to the woman, who'd reached Erin's side.
     
    "As you wish, my future queen," he said, and his hard features softened for an instant before he turned back to Erin and Ven and did the glowy-eye thing again.
     
    Which, frankly, is working for him, because he scares the crap out of me, Erin thought.
     
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
    Page 77 of 296
    "Perhaps you will refrain from the use of your earth magic here in Atlantis, at least until such time as we might discuss how you can rein it in sufficiently. You may not care that you caused repercussions across the Seven Isles with your wild burst of magic—"
     
    "No!" she said, too terrified of what she might have done to care that she was interrupting him. "The Wilding? I called the Wilding and didn't even realize it? I am so very sorry; I never thought… it never occurred to me—"
     
    Alaric stopped her in mid-babble, catching her chin in his fingers and staring into her eyes. Ven moved to stop him, making that weird growling noise again, but Erin held up her hand between them. "No, Ven. Let him look. Perhaps he can see that my intentions were never to hurt anybody. Especially not you."
     
    Alaric's eyes glowed so fiercely that she was sure her skin must be burned from it, but after flinching for a moment, she stared right back at him, falling, plunging, spiraling down into the black whirlpools in the centers of his eyes.
     
    This must be how it feels to be enthralled by a vampire, she thought, and then suddenly he released her and she staggered, nearly falling, until Ven caught her in his arms.
     
    "She is innocent of any evil intent," Alaric said, raising his head to pin Ven with his piercing gaze. Then he looked back at Erin, but the glow in his eyes had faded until the green was almost human.
     
    Almost.
     
    "You will tell me more of this Wilding, I hope. Although I learned some of it from the fears you hold on the surface of your mind for Ven, I would learn more of how such a powerful magic can be channeled by one so young." He nodded his head to her and then bowed again to the other woman.
     
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
    Page 78 of 296
    Finally he faced Ven. "Your role by birthright and by battle challenge is to act as the King's Vengeance, my friend. Consider well how your feelings for the gem singer will interfere with those responsibilities before you tread farther down this path."
     
    Ven took a step toward the priest. "You are and have been my friend, Alaric. But be warned. If you threaten Erin again, I will come after you with everything I've got."
     
    "Hey! Not so helpless here," Erin said, indignant, but the queen-to-be put a hand on her arm and shook her head.
     
    Alaric and Ven never even spared her a glance, still caught up in some kind of intense, silent communication with each other. Finally Alaric nodded. "So that is the way of it. I had my concerns when I saw the Flame of Poseidon in your eyes. We need to discuss this in a war council before you go any further with helping the witches against Caligula.
    It may be that she will be your fatal weakness."
     
    Erin was tired of being talked about as if she weren't there. She shook the woman's hand off her arm and moved forward to confront Alaric. "What is the Flame of Poseidon? And if you're going to discuss anything that has to do with Caligula