Warriors of Poseidon 05 - Atlantis Redeemed

adjourn to your home and discuss our strategy for infiltrating the IAPN conference?”
    “Right,” Lucas said, clearly relieved to be moving on. “We’ve heard from our contacts. Tracy Baum should be arriving at the hotel soon.”
    “I thought we were meeting Tiernan?” Grace said, glancing back over her shoulder at the buffalo and then at the wolves surrounding Lucas and Honey. “Also, no offense, but is there a reason your Pack members are staying in wolf form?”
    Lucas’s eyes narrowed, but his voice remained calm. “Tiernan is operating under an alias. And it is very close to the full moon, so many of my Pack brothers and sisters prefer to run as wolf during this time. Is there a problem?”
    Alexios almost casually moved so that he was standing partially between Grace and Lucas. “No problem. She’s a city girl, that’s all. All this wildlife is making her twitchy for a cappuccino or something.”
    Grace bristled, but Alexios grinned at her and she laughed, her usual good nature surfacing.
    “I’m sorry, I certainly didn’t mean any offense,” she told Lucas and Honey. “But maybe we could go someplace with four walls and electricity or at least a fire? I may be a descendant of Diana, but I’m one with a healthy regard for modern conveniences, and it’s much colder than I’d expected.”
    Honey whistled. “Descendant of Diana, huh? Been a long time since we saw one of those.”
    Lucas bowed deeply, and Brennan noticed a strange thing. The wolves arrayed around their alpha and his mate all bowed as well, their elegant heads dipping low. The motion was a study in grace in each of them, far more the action of a predator giving honor than that of an animal performing a trick.
    Grace bowed to them all in return, but Brennan heard Alexios muttering, “Here we freaking go again.”
    “The wolf is not Diana’s animal,” Alexios said, biting off the words. “The panther is. So I don’t want to hear any blather about consorts, honorary or otherwise, or I’m so going to kick your ass.”
    Honey’s smile was suddenly sharp and full of teeth. “Trust me, you’d not be the only one doing the ass kicking.”
    Lucas threw up his hands in protest, shaking his head. “Hey, I don’t know what you’re talking Atlantis Redeemed – Warriors of Poseidon 05
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    about. What consort? Also, who even says ‘consort’ these days?”
    “Yeah, you’re the one who’s going to be getting your ass kicked if you don’t stop that,” Grace said, poking Alexios in the side, her embarrassment tangible. “It’s a long story and certainly one we don’t need to bring up again now. Or, you know, ever.”
    Brennan decided the moment had come to rescue Grace, and perhaps they could dispense with the small talk and move on to the focus of this mission. He stepped forward to state that very premise, but before he could open his mouth to speak, a searing, slashing pain cut through the side of his throat, dropping him to his knees where he stood. “Pain,” he managed, gasping out the words. “Fear. Darkness.”
    A tidal wave of fire and pain raged through his body, twisting him into an impossible contortion until his head slammed down onto the ground so hard it bounced. “He’s hurting her. Hurting her. Biting . . . blood . . . no. No!”
    Alexios crouched into a squat beside him, grabbing his shoulders and lifting him. “Brennan, what is it? What in the nine hells is going on with you? Hurting who? Who’s doing the hurting?”
    Brennan tried to answer, but a snarling roar was all he managed as the rage ripped at his insides until he was sure his ribs would explode out through his skin. Lust . He could feel the echoes of the vampire’s lust as his bite caught at the woman, threatening to pull her under. He caught Alexios by the arm and stared up into his fellow warrior’s shocked face.
    The world swam red before his eyes, but he finally managed to form coherent words. “He bit her. He bit her, Alexios. He touched her skin with his godsdamned bloodsucking teeth, and now he’s going to die.”
    “Bit who? Brennan, you’re not making any sense.”
    Brennan stared at Alexios, looking right through him as the image of a woman in life-threatening danger seared his mind. “I don’t know who. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,” he shouted, dragging himself up off the ground.
    Before Alexios could answer, Brennan shoved him out of the way, launched himself into the air, and