Warriors of Poseidon 05 - Atlantis Redeemed

pack, for example two wolves from the Yellowstone Pack, then being in close proximity to each other strengthens them far beyond any resistance they might have on their own.”
    Litton scoffed. “Moral support means nothing against science.”
    “I’m not talking about moral support. I’m talking about power. Real power. Magic.” Devon shot a pointed look down at what remained of the experimental chair. “The kind of magic that allows them to shift in the first place causes an actual change in their brain patterns, you incompetent fool. Did you think that human brain patterns stay the same when the humans shift into animal form?”
    Litton hooked a finger in his collar and nervously yanked it away from his neck. “Ah, we were working on that, but—”
    “But you got your asses handed to you on a platter. By shifters. Where are they, by the way?”
    “Where are who?”
    It took everything in him to keep from smashing the doctor’s head into his own computer bank.
    “The shifters, Dr. Litton. Where are the shifters who caused all this?”
    “They’re dead, sir.” The helpful vamp spoke up again. “They killed each other before we could Atlantis Redeemed – Warriors of Poseidon 05
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    stop them.”
    “Right,” Devon drawled. “I’m sure stopping them was such a priority.”
    A flash of hate skittered over the vamp’s eyes, but he simply nodded and got on with the cleanup.
    Litton, however, wasn’t smart enough to let it be. “They’re not humans at all,” he said. “The shifters. They’re freaks of nature. Mutations. Most people think they should be destroyed, but we want to study them so we can learn how to control them. Harness them for the good of others. We should be rewarded for this humanitarian service, not forced to hide in the dark.”
    Devon studied the man. Was Litton brave or stupid? Strangely enough, he was never quite able to come to an answer on that. “Interesting you’d say ‘freak of nature’ to a vampire. Especially when you—a human—betray your own kind.”
    “I don’t—”
    “Experiment on humans? No? You forget, Doctor, that I’ve seen your tapes of the various test subjects.” They had sickened him, not that anybody but Deirdre had ever seen his weakness.
    “Scientific experimentation is the purest form of scientific pursuit,” Litton snapped. “When the International Association of Preternatural Neuroscientists meets in Ireland in a few months, I should have very interesting data to present.”
    “Will you?” Devon slowly turned his head from side to side, studying the room once more. “Or will you be out on your ass now that you have let your lab be destroyed? We need Brennan and his money. Why would he give it to us now, when it’s clear we’ve wasted what he already donated? You may have killed this project before it really had a chance to begin.
    Congratulations, Dr. Litton. You’re still the same royal screwup you were at USC. Only now, you don’t have tenure.”
    Litton slammed a hand down on the nearest computer and then jumped back when sparks showered from its damaged monitor. “You’re not in charge as much as you think you are. When the others get here tomorrow, they’ll listen to me.”
    “Oh, I’m sure they will listen,” Devon said, baring his fangs. “I’m not at all convinced, however, that they’re going to like what they hear.”
    He’d had all he could take. It was time to go before he added Litton’s corpse to the tally of mess that needed to be cleaned up. He turned and headed for the door.
    “I want this spotless and ready for demonstration by tomorrow afternoon,” he called out to Litton, not bothering to look back. “Or you may find your brain is the next one to go under the probes.”
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    Litton huddled in the corner of his office after triple-checking that his door was firmly closed and locked. He held the phone in trembling hands, pressing it close to his ear so no sound escaped.
    “I know. But he threatened me, and—”
    The vampire on the other end of the line muttered dire threats against Devon, and Litton smiled a tiny, private smile. Excellent.
    “You need to get here tomorrow and run this meeting. I think—”
    A burst of hideously cacophonous sound skittered out of the phone and crawled down Litton’s spine. “I’m sorry,” he all but babbled. “I’m sorry, no, I wasn’t giving you orders, of course. I’ll see you