Warriors of Poseidon 06 - Atlantis Betrayed

look ridiculous.
    The princess laughed. “No bowing, no Your Highness-ing, please. Just Riley. It is a true pleasure to meet you.” Her dark blue eyes were glowing, not with magic but with simple joy.
    “Truly a pleasure. You are most welcome,” Riley said, her voice slowing. She turned to Christophe.
    “Really? Finally? Oh, I’m so happy for you!”
    Fiona watched in utter shock as the high princess of Atlantis jumped across the space separating her from Christophe and threw her arms around him. “I knew it. I knew it, I knew it. Underneath that surly exterior, I knew there was a heart beating.”
    “Yes,” Christophe said, raising one eyebrow and tentatively patting the princess on her back. “My heart grew three sizes today.”
    Riley pulled away and punched his arm lightly. “Funny guy. I have to quit letting Ven raid my Christmas video collection. You are all taking over my best lines.”
    She put her hand on Fiona’s arm. “Let’s go find something to eat and have a long chat, shall we?”
    Fiona stared back at Christophe, but he just grinned and held out his hands, helpless against Hurricane Riley. So Fiona did the last thing she ever, in her lifetime, could have imagined doing. She went to have lunch with the princess of Atlantis.
    Christophe watched as Riley herded Fiona off toward the terrace, probably to stuff her with food and pump her for information. Riley was aknasha, and with her Gift of emotional empathy she had clearly picked up on his feelings for Fiona. Maybe now she could explain them to him. He felt like his insides were tangled up into knots of razor wire mixed with flowering vine. Every moment he spent with Fiona made him want to be with her more, but danger haunted his footsteps. Danger and violence. She’d already seen too much of it. He’d thought his heart would explode out of his chest when he saw what had happened to that vamp and realized that she must be the one holding the blessed water.
    “Can’t stay with her. Can’t leave her. Where does that leave me?”
    He felt Alaric’s presence before the priest appeared, and he weighed the odds of getting away. Slim to not a chance in the nine hells, he figured.
    “You do not have the Siren,” the priest said even before he’d fully transformed into his corporeal shape.
    “And yet you have returned. With another human. Perhaps we can open a nature preserve for humans?”
    “You are dangerously close to sedition, my friend,” Prince Conlan growled, appearing next to Alaric.
    Atlantis Betrayed – Warriors of Poseidon 06
    Page 116 of 188
    The two of them were getting far too good at popping in and out. Made a man feel spied on. Christophe stood his ground, but bowed to his prince.
    “Really? You’re bowing to me when there’s nobody here to see it? Are you feeling okay?” Conlan reached up a hand as if to brush Christophe’s forehead.
    “Bad habits must be wearing off on me,” Christophe muttered, ducking.
    “Bad habits? More bad habits? You’re already a walking cornucopia of bad habits. One more might send you into the abyss, screaming,” Alaric said.
    “I’m the horn of the goat who suckled Zeus?” Christophe tilted his head. “I’ve been called worse, I guess.”
    “Nice. Greek mythology for ten points, ding, ding, ding,” Conlan called out. “Next up, hot human women for twenty.”
    “Your wife might not appreciate you calling another woman hot, Your Highness,” Christophe pointed out.
    “Your Highness me again and I’ll kick your ass. Also, last week she told me not to release Liam on unsuspecting women because he is, and I quote, ‘hot enough to blister paint.’ Don’t worry about me and Riley, Christophe. We’re doing just fine.” The prince’s wicked grin left Christophe in little doubt of that, but it was all far, far beside the point.
    “Not that talking about women isn’t fun, guys, but I have news and it’s all bad.”
    “The Siren?” Alaric’s eyes glowed a hot metallic green. “Tell me the Siren isn’t in the hands of the vampires.”
    “I’d love to tell you that, but I can’t. I don’t know where it is, yet. And I can go one worse. Denal willingly went to the Summer Lands with a Fae princess.”
    “What?” Conlan smacked his hand against the trunk of a tree. “Our alliance with Rhys na Garanwyn is supposed to prevent this. I’m going to have his arrogant ass on a platter for this one.”
    “Leaving aside the truly nasty visual that creates, you can leave na