Warriors of Poseidon 02 - Atlantis Awakening

sign that he was still breathing.
     
    "Then we will both warn her," Justice said. "Prepare to defend our position and your tiger."
     
    A new voice that held the gravel of the grave skittered across the clearing. "Oh, it's far too late for that, Atlantean. We're going to take the tiger with us for Caligula's amusement."
     
    The vampire who stepped into the open from behind the cover of the trees wasn't one Quinn had seen before, but it wasn't like they posted their pictures on some bloodsuckers' website. He had long, ragged brown hair that fell over skeletally-thin shoulders, and the same glowing red eyes that she was so damn sick of seeing. "You'll have to go through me to get to him," she said flatly. "And these guns are loaded with silver. I know it won't kill you but it will certainly slow you down."
     
    The vamp flinched at the word silver, but then bared his fangs in a grotesque parody of a smile. "The silver is inconvenient, I admit, but there are only two of you."
     
    Justice raised his sword. "Come out and play. I will fight you with one hand tied behind my back to even things up, if you like," he said icily. One glance at Justice and the concentrated focus apparent in the hard lines of his body reassured Quinn that Justice was every inch the predator that Jack was. She was suddenly fiercely glad to have him at her side, though her stomach ached at the thought of Erin and Ven, possibly asleep and defenseless, back at the cabin.
     
    "Oh, things are as even as I care for them to be, Atlantean," rasped the vamp. He waved his hand almost casually and dozens of dark forms spilled out into the clearing from behind the trees. Some were clearly vamps, the moon reflecting a glow off their Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
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    pasty-white skin. Others moved like shape-shifters, maybe kin to the wolves from earlier.
     
    Worse—far, far worse—at least two of them were witches. Quinn opened up her emotional shields enough to discover their intent, but it was too late. Even as she aimed her guns directly at the lead vamp's face, a large rope net fell heavily down from the trees to land on top of Jack, and five or six of the attackers, hissing, snarling, and carrying another of the nets held high between them, headed toward her and Justice.
     
    "Shoot and your tiger friend dies," the vamp shouted at her. Relief washed over Quinn.
    Jack must still be alive.
     
    Quinn shot a glance to the side and saw that they'd surrounded Jack, who lay, unmoving, on the snow. She lowered her guns.
     
    "Now! Do the mist thing and get out of here, now," she yelled at Justice, past caring that the vamps could hear her. But before he could move, a swishing sound heralded the approach of two more darts, both of which struck him in the back. Enraged, he tried to rip them out of his skin. She leapt to help him, but an arm like a block of concrete smacked into her chest and knocked her back and away from him. She stumbled and nearly fell, but the vamp caught her and she could only watch, helpless, as Justice flailed around, his arms jerking and waving in the air in a bizarre fashion.
     
    But it was too late. Justice's arms dropped to his sides and the sword fell out of his fingers. As she screamed and tried to get past the vampire, Justice's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell, face first, onto the snow.
     
    Two of the larger men, surely shape-shifters, caught her arms and lifted her off of her feet. Another took her guns and three of her knives. She had time to hope they didn't do a more thorough search, and then the leader was strolling forward toward them.
     
    Atlantis Awakening – Warriors of Poseidon 02
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    "I'd wondered about that," he said, glowing red eyes trained on Justice, who lay silent on the ground. "If ketamine, which works so wonderfully on the animals, would have an effect on the Atlanteans. Appears that it does."
     
    "You didn't know? You could have killed him," she shouted at him.
     
    He laughed. "You say that like I should be concerned about the possibility. The dose in each of those darts is enough to bring down a werewolf during the full moon, so maybe it will kill him. I guess we'll drag him along and see."
     
    He turned his back and gestured to the others, who hefted Jack and Justice and followed. Quinn was grimly pleased that it took half a dozen of them to lift Jack's limp form.
     
    Quinn noticed the angry looks exchanged between the two shifters holding