Warriors of Poseidon 04 - Atlantis Unmasked

the corridor, carrying Grace as if she weighed nothing. It was a new sensation for her, this feeling of being protected.
    Cherished.
     
    It frightened her how much she didn‟t hate it.

Chapter 17
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    Alexios strode toward Grace‟s quarters, cradling her in his arms. Her face was starkly white against her dark hair; probably too much blood loss. He should have insisted she go to the doctor with Sam. He seemed to lose far too many arguments with her.
     
    Which proved that emotion and good judgment were incompatible.
     
    “Grace, we need to talk,” he began, but an annoying buzzing noise sounded from the vicinity of her waist.
     
    “Please put me down. I need to get my phone out of my pocket. It‟s probably Sam.”
     
    He nodded and carefully lowered her feet to the ground so she could access her telephone. She leaned against him, though, and he enjoyed the feel of it far too much.
    That she might need him filled him with a rush of warmth more like hearth and home than like the flash fire of hunger and need he‟d felt for her while sparring.
     
    Of the two, this was by far the more dangerous.
     
    She spoke into the telephone briefly, mostly questions that didn‟t give him much of an idea of what the other party was saying. Then she snapped her phone closed and shoved it back in her pocket.
     
    “It was Sam,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “Things are good. Not good, but better. You know what I mean. The doctor is taking care of everyone and said none of the wounds are critical enough to necessitate going to the hospital. Also, the doctor seems to be like Tiny, in that he‟d do anything for Sam. In other words, there‟s no mention of having to report the attack to the police or P Ops.”
     
    “Sam‟s a good man. It makes sense that he would earn this respect and trust,” Alexios said, nudging her toward the open doorway to her room only a few paces beyond. “And now that you‟ve heard from him, you need to rest.”
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    She shook her head, stubborn. “No. I should help you. I should patrol—at least take a shift. I‟m supposed to be in charge here. I can‟t fall down on the job.” But as she stepped forward, she stumbled, as if her body‟s reserves were deliberately mocking her words.
     
    “Even leaders must rest when injuries demand it. Trust me, acting like you‟re indestructible is never a good option. Exhaustion and injury only lead to careless mistakes.” He gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, marveling at the delicacy of the curve of her ear and jaw. Such fragile elegance in one so fierce.
     
    “Rest tonight, and you can lead again tomorrow,” he said firmly.
     
    She opened her mouth but then closed it again without voicing the arguments that were obviously trembling on the tip of her tongue. She stumbled again, and he tightened his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward her bed. She slumped down onto it and sat, hunched over, a study in desolation and despair.
     
    “I can‟t do this,” she whispered. “I‟m a great soldier in the army, but I‟m no good at being the one in charge. People died, and I will always carry that on my conscience.”
     
    He knelt down in front of her and took her hands. “As is just and only right. They deserve to remain in your mind and heart forever. They offered themselves up for this fight, knowing the dangers involved. You cannot protect adults from the consequences of their own choices. All you can do is honor their sacrifice with your memories.”
     
    She finally looked up at him and her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, were enormous in her pale, drawn face. The sight sent a wave of pain crashing through something in his chest that had been battened down like a storm-tossed ship.
     
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    “I don‟t even know how to ask this,” she said. “And part of me feels I don‟t deserve it.
    But . . . will you hold me? Just for a moment?”
     
    “Grace,” he said, and the sound of her name was a benediction. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
     
    Carefully, oh so carefully, he sat on the edge of the bed next to her and opened his arms. She came into them with a sigh, nestling her head in the curve where his neck and shoulder met. He felt the gentle warmth of her breath on his