Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

teased and tortured him and swept sea-tossed tempests of longing and hunger through him. His body actually shuddered with the enormity of his need, and he raised his head, gasping for breath.
    “Keely, I need—I need—”
    “Señor Justice?” The small voice came from behind him, but it took a moment for it to register in his frenzied mind.
    “Justice, put me down,” Keely whispered urgently. “It‟s Eleni.”
    He clutched her tighter for an instant, then reluctantly released her, breathing hard and trying to regain his equilibrium. Keely ran over to the child and knelt down in front of her.
    “Are you okay, Eleni?” she asked in her beautifully accented Spanish. “Is anything wrong?”
    Eleni clutched that pitiful slipper to her and shook her head. “They‟re coming, Keely. The bad ones are coming back and they‟re almost here.”

Chapter 34
    Keely lifted Eleni into her arms and wished desperately that she could take the child far, far away from danger and superstition.
    Justice‟s face hardened and he drew his sword from its sheath, grimacing at the blackened blade. “I would have thought they‟d be sated from last night‟s raid for at least a week,” he said grimly. “Either there are more vampires in this blood pride than Alejandro knew, or these are very greedy bloodsuckers.”
    Eleni shivered and Keely shook her head at Justice. The child didn‟t need to hear about it; she‟d lived through it and lost both parents to the vampires. He inclined his head in acknowledgment and then strode out of the trees and back toward the village. She followed, holding Eleni, who clung to her like one of the native monkeys, her painfully thin legs and arms clutching Keely and the ever-present slipper, stinking of the rust-like smell of old blood, between them.
    The village was almost tranquil in the dusky shadows of twilight. A few scattered people moved about or stood in small groups, talking quietly. Two men stood guard, shotguns at the ready, scanning the perimeter. They reflexively raised their weapons when they saw Justice and Keely, then lowered them again, nodding their recognition.
    Alejandro appeared suddenly, almost materializing out of the dark. “I am not of a mind to rest our guard until we are safely ensconced in the vehicles of the P Ops unit,” he said. “I know you have done the work of five men, and I do not know how much using such amazing powers tires you, but would you be willing to take a shift? Your sword—”
    “They‟re coming,” Justice said flatly, cutting him off. “Eleni warned us, and we‟re going on the assumption that she‟s right. Round up every able-bodied man—”
    “And woman,” Keely interjected. “It will take all of us to fend them off.”
    Justice glared at her but didn‟t respond to her comment. “You said there were no more than a dozen last night, Alejandro?”
    “Yes, and that was the most they‟ve ever sent. I think that was the entirety of the blood pride.”
    “A dozen vampires is what we call „a good beginning‟ in Atlantis,” Justice said, grinning wolfishly. “You and I and two or three of your best marksmen will easily handle them and make them regret ever stepping foot in Las Pinturas.”
    The white gleam of Alejandro‟s teeth flashed, startling in the growing dark. “I find that I like you very much, although I reserve judgment on your claim to be from the continent beneath the waters.”
    “Yeah, well, let‟s get all girly and talk about our feelings later,” Justice said. “Keely, to the safe house. Now. Take the girl with you.”
    “She can stay with the others,” Keely protested. “I‟m a damn good shot and I can help.”
    “I don‟t care if you can shoot out the eye of a bloodsucker at two hundred yards,” Justice snarled. “You need to be safe or I will lose my precarious hold on sanity and destroy everything and everyone that moves for miles around.”
    Alejandro froze, his hands tightening on his shotgun. Then he turned to Keely. “I do not doubt that he means it, señora. Please do as he says.”
    “Fine,” she snapped. She wasn‟t going to waste valuable time arguing when the minutes until the vamps arrived were ticking down. She‟d get Eleni to safety then find a gun. No way was she huddling in a corner like a scared rabbit.
    As she ran across the clearing, she heard Justice and Alejandro shouting orders behind her.
    The men came running, weapons in their hands and grim determination on their