Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

pointed in the general direction of his brothers, “is not going to Poseidon‟s Temple. We will not allow her to take that risk.”
    Unfortunately, however, he made the tactical mistake of looking into Keely‟s bright green eyes. The warm understanding and determination he saw there almost buckled his knees.
    Even the Nereid fell silent inside his head.
    Keely placed her hand on his arm. “If there is any chance that it can help you—both of you—I‟ll take that risk,” she said softly. “I don‟t really understand it, but you‟ve become pretty important to me in a very short period of time. There aren‟t many people who are important to me, Justice. Please don‟t ask me to be a coward when a little bit of my courage might mean an awful lot to you.”
    He was undone. He, who had conquered thousands of enemies and survived countless bloody battles, was shattered by the gentle words of a human. She wanted to risk herself for him.
    He couldn‟t help himself, and the fact that Conlan and Ven were in the room be damned. He caught her with his free arm and pulled her close, then pressed a brief, hard kiss to her mouth, only forcing himself to stop when the soft warmth of her body nearly caused him to forget the danger they faced.
    “You honor me beyond words, mi amara , but I must forbid it.” He gently pushed her behind him, faced Conlan and Ven, and raised his sword a little. “Defy me in this, and brother will be forced to battle brother in this room.”
    Conlan‟s face hardened. “I‟d hoped it wouldn‟t come to this.” He nodded once, sharply, and a narrow ribbon of glowing blue-green energy sliced through the room from behind Keely.
    Before Justice could move, the energy encircled him, trapping him. Fury smashed through him, and he called on the Nereid for help to escape the trap, but Conlan and Ven raised their arms and added their own strength to whoever had sent the first attack.
    He was bound, unable even to speak, though he struggled furiously and called on both Atlantean and Nereid power. The Nereid shrieked its defiance inside his brain, but could do nothing against the combined onslaught.
    “What are you doing? Are you hurting him? Stop it!” Keely shouted. “Stop it! I‟ll do whatever you want; just let him go. Can‟t you see he‟s having a tough enough time controlling the Nereid side of himself without you betraying him like this?”
    Regret washed over Ven‟s features, and for an instant Justice understood what they were doing to him and why. Then rage seared understanding to bitter ashes and he shuddered under the force of returning madness.
    “If we let him go, he won‟t let you help us. You heard him, Keely,” Ven said.
    “If you don’t let him go, I will never read one damn object for you. Ever. Do you understand me? Never,” she shouted, tears running down her cheeks. Then she turned to face Justice.
    “Listen to me, please. I can do this. I can safely touch the cushion, or I never would have suggested it. But I need you sane, so you can hold my hand while I do it. Please, Justice. I need you.”
    Justice was shocked back to reason by the sight of her tears. She cried for him .
    She needed him .
    Abruptly, he stopped struggling. He instantly could speak again, as if the magic holding him recognized his acceptance.
    “We won‟t fight you if you can promise that all precautions will be taken to keep her safe,”
    he said to Conlan.
    Conlan nodded and lowered his arms, releasing the bonds of power. Beside him, Ven did the same. Finally, Christophe materialized in the corner of the room and the magic he‟d been directing at Justice faded. Some dark part of Justice was bitterly pleased to see the stark white pallor of Christophe‟s features. Holding him had not been so easy, then, even with three of them.
    He sheathed his sword and then opened his arms, barely daring to hope. But Keely only hesitated for a moment before she walked into his embrace, put her arms around his waist, and buried her tearstained face in his chest. He held her as close as a whisper of breath, as gently as a cherished hope.
    She was both breath and hope to him.
    “We will allow it, then,” he told Conlan and Ven. “We will go to the Temple, and you will discover the truth of her visions. Then we will leave Atlantis, and you will never bother us again.”
    “You‟re our family,” Ven said, the anguish plain in his voice, but Justice hardened his heart against it.
    “We were never your