Warriors of Poseidon 02 - Atlantis Awakening

his breath still coming in harsh, rasping noises. She hesitated, then ran for the door and escaped inside to the relative safety of the Temple and the people inside. Conlan stopped on his way out the door and stared down at her with that face so like his brother's, but with compassion in his eyes. "Don't be afraid of him, gem singer. He would give his life for you."
     
    Alaric brushed by her on the other side. "Why am I the only one concerned by that fact?" he muttered, then continued to swoop out the door like some marauding grim reaper.
     
    She put her hands on her hips, feigning a steadiness she was far from feeling. "He just told me I'm never leaving Atlantis. If he thinks he can keep me here against my will, thenhe's the one who should be afraid."
     
    Conlan grinned and unexpectedly leaned forward to press a brief kiss on her forehead.
    "I could never have wished for a more worthy mate for my brother, little witch."
     
    Her mouth fell open, but before she could form a single response, he was gone, following Alaric out the doorway.
     
    Somebody immediately started shouting at somebody else, and she didn't want to hear it. She walked away from the noise and toward the table, head held high. The room was now empty except for Riley and Marie, so the warriors must have made their escape through a back entrance.
     
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
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    Riley didn't stand, but held out a hand to indicate the chair across from her. "Please join me while the boys beat on each other for a while," she said wearily, but with a smile.
     
    Marie came up beside Erin with a silver carafe. "More coffee?" she offered, as if this were a normal ladies' brunch, and Ven hadn't nearly killed Christophe on the floor near where she stood.
     
    Erin shrugged. "When in Atlantis, I guess," she said. "Yes, I'd love more coffee, please.
    And maybe some chocolate-covered Valium?"
     
    Marie smiled, poured the coffee, mentioned duties and glided off in that serene, swanlike way she had. Erin watched her disappear down a corridor, then turned to face Riley. She could feel the heat of the flush burning her cheeks, but tried to ignore it. "So, you're going to marry Conlan. Is he much like his brother?"
     
    Riley laughed. "I wondered when you'd get around to asking that. Two peas in a pod, except really sexy peas in an underwater pod, to stretch a metaphor."
     
    "He pulls this 'I'm the warrior, you do as I say' stuff on you, too?"
     
    Riley rolled her eyes. "Let's just say that he tries and leave it at that. In their defense, it's bred in their genes and then trained into them for years, Erin. For centuries after that, they live for nothing but to protect and defend humanity. Once you recognize you're dealing with a warrior you learn to make certain concessions."
     
    Erin tried to wrap her mind around the idea. "So you're saying that you let Conlan get away with this?"
     
    "Are you kidding? If I gave him an inch, he'd have me locked in my room 'for my own safety.'" Riley flashed a very wicked grin. "You have to stand up to him, Erin. No matter what your hormones might be telling you."
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    Erin's face heated up again. "Um, about that. This is kind of personal, but do you and Conlan—" She paused, unable to think of a delicate way to ask the question.
     
    "Go at each other like bunnies?" Riley asked drily.
     
    The burst of laughter escaped before Erin could stop it. "I was going to say have some sort of runaway flash fire raging between you, but the bunnies thing works."
     
    "I figured a little laughter might relieve the tension," Riley said, reaching for her glass of juice. "Has he told you about the soul-meld?"
     
    "No, but Marie mentioned it. What exactly does that mean? And don't tell me that Ven will explain it, or I may have to take your pastries hostage," she threatened, only half joking.
     
    Riley put her hands up to cover the plate. "Touch my baklava and somebody gets hurt,"
    she warned, grinning.
     
    "Okay, okay. Your pastry's safe from me, since you're eating for two. But, seriously, I need to know what this soul-meld is about."
     
    The smile faded from Riley's face, and she nodded. "You deserve the truth, especially considering the way Ven's acting about you." She glanced up at the doorway, but it remained empty, although they could still hear the faint sounds of the three men arguing outside.
     
    "The soul-meld is an ancient