Warriors of Poseidon 02 - Atlantis Awakening

and magic and Fae combine to form a most potent aphrodisiac. It's part of the reason why he wanted your sister so badly."
     
    "What? Deirdre? Who the hell are you? What—"
     
    "No time." He cut her off and turned to Ven. "Less than four minutes now, Atlantean.
    Make it look good. But first, here's what you need to know. I was there when the tolling began, and it was nothing human-made. It may very well be that your ruby is awakening and calling for its singer."
     
    He turned his head and pinned Quinn with his black gaze. "My hope is that your sister be made well, brave one. You need to know this: Caligula's plan is to take the country back to the time when your rules and laws did not apply; when we who ride the night created our own anarchy. Everything he does is to further that end. His blood pride goes out every night to turn more and more humans to his service, against all the laws of your Congress and against the wishes of the other, more conservative vampires of power."
     
    Daniel looked up, as if listening to something none of them could hear, then nodded.
    "Time's up. Shoot me and make it good, Lord Vengeance. The stomach, perhaps."
     
    "What? What's going on?" Erin thought she might be shouting, but she didn't care. "You want us to shoot you? Where is my sister?"
     
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    The vampire flashed over to the table and grabbed a pen, then stabbed it down on the map so hard it drove into the wood and stood there, quivering back and forth. "There.
    Now do it, Ven. If they catch me here, I am worthless to our cause. Oh, and one more thing." He paused, eyes focused on the gun that Ven drew from his leg holster.
     
    "Anubisa still lives. She is plotting something that even Caligula does not know, and they have spies in all three of your groups." His gaze encompassed Quinn, Ven, and Erin when he said it. Then his eyes glowed red and he curled his hands into claws.
    "Now!" He sprang at Ven, and Ven shot him in the stomach. Daniel howled out a bone-chilling scream of agony, and before he hit the ground the few windows that still had glass exploded inward as a swarm of vampires came screaming into the building, the rage of blood fever in their glowing red eyes.

Chapter 17
    They came in fast and furious, and there were a lot of them. Ven slammed his Glock back in its holster, dismissing it as useless against the horde of vamps. He shrugged out of his long coat, and used one hand to unsheathe the sword strapped to his back, while he pulled a dagger with his other.
     
    He headed straight for Erin, who stood frozen in the center of the room, and herded her backward until her back was against a wall. "Stay here, and stay shielded," he ordered.
     
    When she started to argue, he cut her off. "I know you want to help, but we have more experience at this. Keep yourself safe."
     
    Alerted by the screaming sound of displaced air, he whirled around to meet the vampire diving at him. Ven hurled his dagger with deadly accuracy and it smashed into the vamp's throat. Not enough to kill a bloodsucker, but enough to slow it down.
     
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    The vamp crashed into the floor, clawing at the dagger protruding from his throat, but Ven was there in a single leap. One swift down stroke with his sword, and the vampire's head rolled away from its body. He yanked his dagger out of what was left of the vampire's neck and turned to face three more coming at Mm.
     
    Everywhere he looked, Atlanteans, humans, and shape-shifters engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the vamps. The rebels fought almost as fiercely as Poseidon's warriors, but they were brutally overwhelmed in number. Ven heard shots ring out, but couldn't see who was doing the shooting over the shoulders of the vampires who were suddenly on him. Stabbing, slashing, and wishing for an armful of wooden stakes, he defended himself and blocked them from where Erin stood behind him.
     
    There was no way he would let them get to her. He tried to console himself that her shield that could block the force of a bomb was good enough to keep her safe from vampires, but then his sword got stuck in the ribs of one of the vamps, and another came at him from above and sank its fangs into his shoulder.
     
    He leapt sideways so that he slammed the vamp's head into the stone wall, which dislodged it from his flesh. The move gave him an opening to see Erin. She stood where