Warriors of Poseidon 04 - Atlantis Unmasked

silver-and-red helicopter land expertly on the gentle grassy slope. The logo on the side, a running panther, raced across the top of the words BIG
    CYPRESS, LTD.
     
    When the engine shut down and she could be heard again, she jerked her head toward the three people climbing out. “Friends of yours?”
     
    He nodded. “Well, the tall one is. Bastien, of Atlantis. He, too, is one of the Seven of High Prince Conlan‟s elite guard. I haven‟t met the others yet.”
     
    She suddenly realized she recognized them. Not the Atlantean. The other two. They were the engaged couple she‟d seen on the news the other day.
     
    “We need to go down and meet them, Grace. Bastien said Ethan has quite a surprise in store for us.” He held his hand out and she clasped his fingers with her own before thinking. It felt somehow exactly the right fit, as though even their hands belonged together.
     
    Dangerous thoughts. She pulled her hand away and pretended not to see the disappointment on his face. “Okay, let‟s go meet the nice panther shifter,” she said brightly, heading for the stairs. If she kept herself so busy she didn‟t have time to think about what had happened between them the night before, it would be easier to push it out of her mind.
     
    Tiny met them at the bottom of the stairs, and he didn‟t look happy. “Nobody told me anything about a helicopter. Do you know these people?”
     
    “I‟m sorry,” Alexios said, stepping forward. “I just found out less than an hour ago, but I should have notified you immediately. These are friends who will be able to interrogate our prisoner more effectively than we can.”
    Atlantis Unmasked - Warriors of Poseidon 04
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    Tiny scratched his chin through his beard with a dinner-plate-sized hand. “Oh, I don‟t know about that. Done asked me a few questions in my day. You could ask Sam about that sometime.”
     
    Grace put a conciliatory hand on Tiny‟s arm. “I‟m sure you have, but this is Ethan, an alpha panther shifter. He‟s going to have methods we couldn‟t possibly match.”
     
    Tiny nodded and patted Grace‟s hand. “Well, then. That changes everything. Let‟s go meet these folks.”
     
    They walked out and met Bastien, Ethan, and the blond woman from the ranger station, who were walking up to the front entry. Grace noticed that two men, neither looking quite like a tourist, were standing at opposite ends of the parking lot. She wasn‟t surprised when Tiny gave them each a signal and the men wandered off, probably to circle around the back of the fort.
     
    “Hello, I‟m Grace Havilland,” she said, stepping forward and holding out her hand.
    Trying to act like she was in charge again, even though it felt artificial and false.
     
    She knew the Atlantean right away, of course. Even if she hadn‟t seen Ethan and the woman on television, she would have known which one was from Atlantis. He had the same beautifully sculptured face as Alexios, but where Alexios was golden, this one was dark. Black hair framed incredibly blue eyes, and he was so beautiful she almost didn‟t notice that he was nearly seven feet tall.
     
    “You must be Bastien,” she said, grinning in spite of the circumstances. She turned and beckoned Tiny forward with a gesture. “Tiny, you should meet Bastien. Maybe you two could start a basketball team.”
     
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    Tiny threw back his head and laughed that wonderful Santa Claus laugh, and Bastien smiled down at Grace. “I had heard that you were as lovely as you are lethal, Lady Grace. I see that the rumors were not wrong.”
     
    The lady ranger, tall and lean, with gorgeous tawny gold hair, and dressed in blue jeans and a sweater, walked up and punched Bastien in the arm. “Look, buddy, just because I agreed to marry you doesn‟t mean you can take me for granted and flirt with other women right under my nose,” she said good-naturedly, flashing a smile at Grace to show she wasn‟t serious. “Kat Fiero, by the way.”
     
    Alexios let out a whoop. “Married? Now you‟re getting married? I had heard you two were serious, but this is amazing.” He bowed low to Ranger Fiero, his eyes sparkling with some unholy glee. “Please accept my sincere condolences, Kat.”
     
    The other one—Ethan, Grace remembered—shouted out a laugh. “Finally! Finally, I meet someone with sense.” He shook hands with all three of them. “Other than Marie,