Warriors of Poseidon 04 - Atlantis Unmasked

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    Grace walked into the kitchen and introduced Kat to Michelle, still seething about Alexios‟s high-handedness. The two shook hands, the ranger‟s blond Amazon height a striking contrast to Michelle‟s petite darkness.
     
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    Michelle hugged Grace. “I‟m so glad to see you again. It was a rough night. We‟ve lost all but two of the recruits, too.”
     
    “Sam filled me in while you were dropping off your stuff in your room. You may as well go right back and get it, because you‟re leaving,” Grace said. “It‟s too dangerous here.”
     
    “Danger is my middle name,” Michelle said. “Actually, I wish danger were my middle name. My actual middle name is horrible beyond the admitting of it. Michelle Danger sounds rather brilliant, doesn‟t it?”
     
    “You realize you people are all crazy, don‟t you?” Kat said, not really phrasing it as a question. “Do you have any hot tea?”
     
    “Crazy like a fox,” Grace said.
     
    “Panthers eat foxes,” Kat pointed out.
     
    “Really? That‟s disgusting,” Michelle said, making a face. “Bushy tail and all? And yes, we have tea. Real tea, not that nasty tea bag stuff.”
     
    “Thanks. And no, we don‟t really eat foxes,” Kat said, rolling her eyes. “I‟m more of a cheeseburger-and-fries kind of gal. But I don‟t think you can talk, considering you Brits invented that barbaric sport you call riding to the hounds. I‟d love just once to jump into the middle of that as a panther. Scare a few stuffy old men, wouldn‟t I?”
     
    “Maybe we could talk about what we‟re going to do now and leave refighting the Revolutionary War for later,” Grace said. “Only two recruits left, and I need to get both of them out of here. Boy, won‟t Quinn and Jack be proud when they get back from wherever they‟ve gone off to?” She clutched her head in her hands and moaned.
     
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    “Who cares whether they‟ll be proud?” Kat shrugged. “You‟re the woman on the ground, so to speak.”
     
    “It was a rhetorical question,” Grace said flatly.
     
    “Well, here‟s one that isn‟t. What are you going to do with the remaining two?”
     
    “I‟ll be glad to take them wherever you need me to,” Michelle told Grace. “I‟d rather stay with you, but as long as you have Alexios, I won‟t worry about you as much.
     
    “Here we go again. Everybody trying to protect me. I‟m supposed to be the one who takes care of everyone else,” Grace said.
     
    “Hey, these Atlanteans are handy in a fight,” Kat said. “Don‟t underestimate the power of teamwork. We‟re all better off fighting this fight together, because the bad guys—even the vampires —are learning that very lesson.”
     
    Alexios showed up in the kitchen doorway, looking a little sheepish around the edges.
    “I‟m sorry about that.”
     
    Part of her wanted to make an issue of demanding a long apology on the spot, in front of witnesses, but mostly she just didn‟t want to hear it. Because every time he did something kind and gracious, or something protective and cherishing, it made it harder and harder for her to contemplate life after he left.
     
    “No worries,” she finally said. “Michelle has offered to take our last two recruits off to another training area. Any ideas?”
     
    “Yes, in fact. Brennan is in Yellowstone with a friend of mine. They‟re setting up a joint command—Pack and human. I think that would be an excellent place for them.”
     
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    Kat looked up. “Pack? Are you talking about wolves? Because I‟ve got to tell you, I‟m not a fan. It seems like the shifters who most consistently take the vampires‟ side are wolves.”
     
    “Perhaps. But Lucas is a friend and very definitely on our side. Sam already has one of Tiny‟s men lined up to go with them to Yellowstone, though. Michelle doesn‟t need to go. However, I agree she needs to be somewhere safe, and Bastien and Ethan have a proposition for her.”
     
    Michelle took a long sip of her tea, then carefully placed the mug on the table and folded her hands in front of her. “I do happen to be sitting right here. Perhaps someone could ask Michelle directly if they have a proposition for Michelle. After all, my name is Michelle Danger.”
     
    Alexios looked puzzled. “I thought your name was Michelle