Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

change of subject caught her off guard, and she snapped back into alert mode.
    “What? Why? Why did you imagine me? And why are we here, and who the hell are you? I heard the prince and his brother—the other prince?—say that you were their long-lost brother.
    So why aren‟t you at the big royal family reunion right now? Prodigal son and all that?”
    His eyes narrowed. “You heard a lot. How long have you been in Atlantis? Long enough for one of them to claim you?” His words came out in a low, growling tone, and he visibly tensed, as if restraining himself from pouncing on her.
    She backed up again, holding up her hands in an attempt to placate him and steer him away from whatever crazed ideas he was formulating. “Look, Mr. Justice, or Prince Justice if you prefer, I don‟t know what you‟re talking about. Nobody claims me. This is not the twelfth century. Your buddy Liam came to my office to offer me the chance to study Atlantis. I‟m an archaeologist, and I—” She stopped, not really knowing how to explain.
    He calmed somewhat, tense muscles relaxing for a moment, but then a wave of something that looked like either despair or loathing crossed his face, and he shuddered. “We seem to be unable to think clearly around you, Keely. Perhaps you might rest while we bathe, so that we can continue this discussion when we do not stink of the blood of Pharnatus‟s self-sacrifice.”
    “Rest? Rest? ” She heard her voice rise into a near shout, but couldn‟t seem to help it. “Are you kidding me? You‟ve just escaped from someplace that can‟t exist, a pitiful man killed himself in your arms with your sword, you kidnapped me, you‟re talking about yourself in the plural again, and about claiming and baser impulses, and you want me to take a nap ?”
    She clenched her hands into fists and looked wildly around for something she could use to defend herself, jarringly aware that it was the second time in one day she‟d had to do so. “If I ever get out of this, I‟m buying a switchblade,” she snapped. “Or maybe a Taser. Or a gun.
    There is no napping. There is no resting. There is only you , getting me out of here.”
    He lifted the sheathed sword over his head, and she figured she was done for. Her mother had always warned her that her mouth would get her in trouble.
    Moderately famous archaeologist killed by ancient warrior come to life: reenactment on YouTube .
    But he simply placed the sword, sheath and all, on the ground, and then pulled off the remnant of his shirt. Blood and dirt streaked his skin, and she could see by the scar tissue in half a dozen places that he‟d been badly wounded many times. Some of those looked like they should have been fatal.
    “Are you hurt?” she found herself asking. “The—that blood—is any of it yours? Do you need medical assistance? I know some rudimentary first aid, if you can get us to some supplies.”
    He froze in place and stared at her, an expression she couldn‟t decipher on his face. “Did you just offer aid?”
    Exasperated, she folded her arms over her chest. “Yes. Why? Am I breaking some kind of „don‟t touch the royalty‟ rule? Because I have to tell you, I‟ve got a good healthy dose of scared going on right now, but it‟s about to get overruled by what my grandmother always called „pure cussed ornery.‟ ”
    He blinked. “You honor your grandmother, then, for you are both warrior women, are you not?”
    It was her turn to blink, because that had almost sounded like admiration in his voice. “But—”
    “No,” he said, cutting her off. “There is no rule against touching royalty, although I claim no such heritage for myself. Half brother or no, I was merely the unwanted bastard forced on a captive king. It is rather that I could not believe you would offer to aid me when I have treated you so very poorly.”
    She tried to process the information, but she didn‟t have enough knowledge to form any theories. The soap opera drama of royal families throughout history seemed to be in full force with this one, too, and she needed more knowledge before she even wanted to speculate. “I did. I mean, I will. Help you if you need it,” she managed to say, her breath catching in her throat as he started toward her. Then a thought occurred to her. “You said „I‟ again. Not „we.‟
    Is that . . . Can you explain that?”
    He walked slowly as if to show he meant no threat and finally came to a stop directly in front of her.