Warriors of Poseidon 02 - Atlantis Awakening

Riley. She's worse. If we don't get Erin and the Nereid's Heart back to Atlantis in the next seventy-two hours, Marie says Riley may die."
     
    Ven drained the last of the coffee from his mug and refilled it, holding the pot up in a silent question to the rest of the room. The kitchen incongruously smelled like butter and cinnamon, homey scents that jarred with the grim mood of determination and despair that rode the room's inhabitants.
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
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    Only Quinn and Erin nodded yes, so he poured the remaining coffee from the carafe into their mugs, walking past Justice, who sat with his head propped up in his hands.
    The head wound must be causing him pain, not to mention the slice across his chest he'd taken from a vamp's sword, but the warrior had refused to allow any of the witches or Alaric to expend healing energy on him.
     
    Alaric sat in a chair as far from Quinn as was physically possible in the spacious yellow and white kitchen, but the heat in the looks that the two of them kept shooting at each other was likely to set the place on fire. Ven didn't know when he'd ever seen such naked anguish on the priest's face, except maybe for when they'd learned that Anubisa had taken Conlan.
     
    Gennae sat near Erin, speaking into her ear in a low tone, and Ven's hands itched to go lift his gem singer into his arms and get her far, far away from this damned town. Away from the entire fucking state. He'd kidnap her if he had to, if only so much more than their own lives weren't at stake.
     
    He studied the weary droop to her head, the way she kept tucking her blond curls behind her ears in a nervous gesture, and amended that last thought. If her life were in danger, he might kidnap her anyway. Not that she'd ever forgive him if she believed Riley died through her own inaction.
     
    Not that he'd ever forgive himself. The choice of risking Erin's life or risking the lives of Riley and the baby ate at him worse than any torture that Anubisa could ever have planned. Of course, the vampire goddess was alive, according to Daniel. So maybe she'd had one of her unholy hands in the making of this dilemma.
     
    Denal stumbled into the room, grief and exhaustion harsh in the lines around his mouth and eyes. "Brennan—he almost died, didn't he? And Alexios, he's still in bad shape, too.
    If I'd been there, maybe I could have—"
     
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
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    "Maybe you could have been killed or nearly killed, too," Justice said, clenching his hands into fists and slamming one on the table. "We need to find out who the traitor is.
    They know every step we're making, and they're coming after us in numbers large enough to wipe us out."
     
    Gennae nodded. "We are sadly afraid that one of our ruling three is possibly a traitor. I can hardly countenance it, but the evidence suggests that Berenice betrayed us to Caligula and his blood pride either captured or killed Lillian." Her voice contained only a hint of unsteadiness, and Ven got the idea that the women were very close to her but she'd be damned if she'd show any weakness.
     
    Gotta admire that in a witch.
     
    Erin's hands tightened on her mug until her knuckles went white. "Berenice," she said, all but spitting out the name. "I knew she was up to no good. Always poking and prodding at me with her jibes, trying to get me to give up my training and forget about my plan for revenge against that monster."
     
    As if she remembered that he'd named himself a monster, Erin's gaze sought out Ven.
     
    "They're after you," he said flatly. "They were after you in the attack here, and they were trying with everything they had to get through your shield tonight. Caligula wants you for some reason, and he's throwing everything he's got at us to try to get you."
     
    The little color she'd had in her face drained out at the words, but she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "Well, he's not going to get me."
     
    "Don't worry, little witch. He'll have to go through me to get to you, and that's not going to happen," Ven promised, amazed again at her courage. Amazed and—however reluctantly—impressed.
     
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
    Page 170 of 296
    "It's not just about her, though, Ven," Denal said. "Christophe and I scoured the city.
    You wouldn't believe the destruction. The vamps tore through town in the space of an hour, from what we could learn. Anybody in their