Atlantis Rising

her thoughts, and her curiosity winging inside of another person.

And was nearly brought to her knees.

Strength. Courage. Honor. Duty.

Glimpses of the past.

A man, graying, with Conlan's eyes, stood next to a woman so beautiful that Riley gasped.

Mother. Father.

Shift: A boy, it had to be Ven, and another, the scary healer guy, maybe? She wasn't sure, since the boy with the green eyes so like Alaric's was smiling.

She didn't think the healer had ever smiled.

All of them riding horses, laughing.

Shift: Rows of men, all huge, muscled, gorgeous, naked to the waist, sparring with swords and daggers in some kind of arena.

Shift: Fires. Knives. Teeth, no, fangs. Pain. Searing, agonizing, ripping pain. She was dying—no, he, he, it was Conlan, they were torturing him, they were killing him…

'No!' she screamed, her hands falling away from his face as she fell backward into the strength of his arms. 'No, no, no, no, no.'

As he lifted her gently, held her in his arms, all she could do was sob.

Conlan stared down at the woman crying in his arms and felt the walls he'd built around his heart start to crumble. He literally heard the crashing sounds of the bricks and mortar, and all he could think of was how badly he needed to get away from her.

As he started to release her, she clutched at his arms and looked up at him through pain-drenched eyes. 'Damn them for what they did to you. I hope you track them down and rip their bloody guts out. I'm so sorry, Conlan. I should—I should never have intruded on your privacy.'

She slowly reached up to touch the scar at his throat. 'I'm so sorry,' she repeated, whispering. Then her eyes narrowed and she met his gaze again, her expression ferocious. 'I hope I get a chance to run into any of the ones who hurt you. They won't hurt anybody else, ever again.'

He blinked, unable to remember when words had touched him the way hers did. She wanted to protect him. She wanted to avenge him.

The cracking sound of those walls he'd built up inside himself turned into an avalanche.

He tightened his arms around her again, burying his face in her hair. 'Never apologize to me for your grace and your light, mi amara aknasha.'

She pulled away a little and looked up at him through the tears running down her face. 'What does that mean?'

He shook his head, the lump lodged in his throat rendering him unable to form the words in English. She'd really think he was insane if he let her know he'd called her his beloved empath.

Speaking of insane, he probably had about ten seconds before Ven came pounding on the door. He sucked in a huge breath and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then dropped his arms and stepped back. 'Riley, I know this must feel like you got dropped into the middle of one of those horror movies Ven loves so much, but you have to trust me—'

Riley flashed a brilliant smile at him, wiping the tears off her face. 'Trust you? Are you kidding? After what I just saw, I'd trust you with my life.'

Relief washed over him, loosening the clenched muscles in his neck and shoulders. 'Good,' he said, trying to smile. 'Because you may have to.'

Chapter 17

Riley followed Conlan down a long hallway lined with classic horror movie posters. She stopped, laughing, in front of the toothy tomato decorating the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes poster and then turned her gaze to The Blob.

'Steve McQueen,' she mused, tracing the edge of the frame with one finger. 'I loved this movie.'

Conlan held his hand out to her and grinned. 'You and my brother are going to get along just fine.'

As they rounded the corner into some kind of large games room, she jerked to a stop at the sight of the crowd of enormous men who sat, stood, leaned, and basically filled up every ounce of space. Well, the men and the cartons, boxes, and trays of food that covered every spare inch of surface. The room looked like an invading army had stopped by for breakfast.

God, they were huge. No wonder they needed to eat all that food. It probably took a zillion calories a day to feed each one of them. She closed her eyes for a moment, reaching inward to be sure her titanium-door emotional shields were firmly in place. She didn't want a repeat of the night before.

Almost to a man, they all shot up to attention and stared at her, most of them grasping the handles of the daggers they wore.

Would you like some coffee with your instruments of death? She covered her mouth to try to stop it, but she had an insane urge to laugh. Stress giggles, Quinn called it. Except Quinn rarely got them.

Riley always did.

She tightened her hold on Conlan's hand and lifted her chin to face them, the flash of hysteria draining away at the sight of the deadly intent on their faces.

'This is Riley Elisabeth Dawson,' Conlan said. 'She is aknasha, and she is welcome among us. Please accord her all courtesy.

'Riley, let me introduce my warriors. These are the Seven, my most trusted comrades. You know Ven, of course,' Conlan said, gesturing to his brother.

'Ah, yes, the classic movie buff,' she said, smiling. 'Steve McQueen rocks.''

Ven grinned at her from across the room, holding up a half-eaten bagel in salute. 'You are clearly a superior judge of films, Lady Sunshine.'

Conlan continued. 'Lord Justice.'

The one with the long braid of blue hair and the sword, still strapped to his back, nodded, unsmiling. She nodded in return. The man would be drop-dead gorgeous if he ever smiled. She glanced at the sword. Maybe he preferred just being drop-dead.

'Bastien.'

The giant leaning against the far wall, a doughnut box clutched in his huge hand, smiled at her. 'My pleasure, Lady Riley. Anybody brave enough to jump on top of a bloodsucker, unarmed, to defend my prince is golden with me.'

She felt her cheeks heat up again, all the way to the tips of her ears. 'Just Riley, please. And thank you. It was maybe more stupid than brave, though.'

Another warrior, with an easy smile and a mischievous look to him, bowed. 'Christophe, my lady. And most of battle is more stupid than brave, is it not? 'Tis why men wage it, not women.'

His bright blue eyes gleamed with humor. 'I'd be honored to share my breakfast with you, lovely one, aknasha or no.'

Conlan growled, low in his throat, but with such resonance that it reverberated through the room. 'Stay away from her, Christophe. You'll play none of your wooing games with her.'

Riley rolled her eyes and yanked her hand out of his. 'Wooing games? You're talking like Lancelot again. And I never liked Lancelot. Smarmy, underhanded guy.'

Ven started laughing. 'Oh, that did it. You're a Steve McQueen fan, and you just smacked high prince big britches down. My heart is yours forever.'

Riley grinned, inexplicably feeling incredibly safe surrounded by a couple thousand pounds of Atlantean