Warriors of Poseidon 02.5 - Shifter's Lady

small sigh.
    Shifter’s Lady – Warriors of Poseidon 2.5

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    Ethan‟s gaze whipped down to her mouth, and he pointedly stared at it, his smile fading.
    The heat between them was palpable, cutting through the biting winter wind that carried hints of swamp and sea. Marie shivered, though whether from the chill or from the expression on Ethan‟s face, she could not tell.
     
    Or, at least, she would not admit. Not even to herself.
     
    She deliberately turned her back on Ethan and faced Kat, the lovely, tall park ranger who was clutching Bastien‟s hand and chewing the glossy polish off her lips. Marie held out her arms. “Forgive me, my new sister. The journey through the portal seems to have tired me. I am so pleased to meet you at last!”
     
    Kat hesitated for only a moment and then flashed a dazzling smile that gave Marie much reassurance as to her brother‟s choice.
     
    “I‟m so happy you‟re here!” Kat said and then rushed forward to envelop Marie in an exuberant hug. “We have so much to talk about. I can‟t wait to show you around.” Kat glanced at Bastien, smiling. “Bastien told me that this is your first trip out of Atlantis, ever. I can‟t even believe how much you need to catch up on! We‟re going to have a blast!”
     
    Alaric cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. We must offer our farewells now, then. Bastien?”
     
    Bastien‟s eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. “Marie, you know I would prefer it if you return to Atlantis and reschedule your visit for a time when I could be here to protect you.”
     
    From behind her, Marie heard an almost inaudible growling sound. Startled, she quickly turned around but saw only Ethan. However, it was a very different Ethan from the man who‟d greeted her mere minutes ago. Gone was the sexy, speculative smile. His eyes were glowing golden flame, and his fists were clenched at his side. She blinked and Shifter’s Lady – Warriors of Poseidon 2.5

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    watched the panther as he visibly forced himself to calm, straightening his hands and quirking his lips into a semblance of a smile as he stared at Bastien.
     
    “As I said, Atlantean, I will protect your sister as my own. Do you doubt my word or honor?” His words dropped like heated stones into the sudden silence, and Marie felt the tension between the men shoot up to an unbearable level. “Even now, my pride-brothers surround this area to guard and protect.”
     
    “I doubt neither, shape-shifter, but you would feel the same about Kat, and you know it,”
    Bastien returned, in a tone far more reasonable than Marie had expected from him.
    Evidently the liaison role he‟d undertaken had affected him in more ways than merely touched the surface. The brother she‟d always known would have led with his fists. This new brother used logic. Marie smiled at Bastien, delighted at the change.
     
    “And yet Kat is now under your protection, and I am at peace with her decision, however wrongheaded it may have been,” Ethan said smoothly.
     
    The interplay between the men was fascinating to observe, but for once in her centuries of existence, Marie was impatient with merely acting as observer. She held her arms out at her sides, palms up. “I find I have tired of being talked about as though the decision were not my own. Lady Kat, perhaps you will take me into your lovely home, so I might freshen up and be settled?”
     
    Kat grinned and gestured to the small cabin. “It‟s Kat. And I‟d be delighted to, Marie. I have a feeling we‟re going to be great friends.”
     
    Marie crossed to her brother and stood on the tips of her toes to press a kiss onto his cheek. “Be well, and find Lord Justice. Do not worry about me. As I have repeatedly told Alaric, Conlan, and what seems to have been three dozen of your fellow warriors, I am not defenseless. The goddess protects her own.”
     
    Shifter’s Lady – Warriors of Poseidon 2.5

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    Bastien lifted her off her feet in a strong embrace. “I know this is true. Be well, and I will return as soon as we find Justice and free him from—”
     
    Marie touched his lips with her fingers. “Do not speak her name here in this place.
    Names hold power, and I do not wish to attract her attention to your beloved‟s home.”
     
    Bastien nodded and stepped back, then bowed. “I will return as soon as I may,” he repeated.
     
    Alaric, who had remained uncharacteristically silent, spoke up. “Send a message should