dangerous and unstable. By the time she reached him, she was grinning.
“Reisen. Good to see you. How did it go?”
He raised an eyebrow, probably at her uncharacteristic good humor, and then waved at her with the arm that ended in a badly healed, scarred stump just above where his wrist had been before he’d pissed off one of the worst vampires ever to suck blood.
“Only one hand in the grave, so it’s a good day,” he said, grinning back at her.
It was her turn to be surprised. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Reisen smile. He was an Atlantean lord who’d been exiled for daring to touch Poseidon’s trident, or steal it, or something awful. Tried to stage a coup, maybe. The details were murky, and none of the Atlantean warriors she’d met had ever felt the need to enlighten her. Reisen himself had come to her and joined the human rebels with a need for vengeance—or maybe redemption—and a damn near suicidal fervor. He’d insisted on taking any mission that had the absolute least chance of success, and somehow he’d made it out of every single one not only alive but successful.
Usually injured, sometimes near death, but always successful. But never, ever smiling.
Until now.
Which, Quinn being Quinn, made her suspicious.
“Why are you smiling? What kind of deep-shit massive trouble have you brought me that could possibly cause you to move your rusty face muscles like that?”
He laughed, and she almost fell over. Laughed? Reisen?
She stalked to the cavern’s opening and stared out into the sunlight of the beautiful, clear, Arizona morning, as it reflected off the glorious red rock surrounding them. As always, the sight of this tiny pocket of nature’s beauty, unspoiled by death or war or vampires and their evil plots, nearly brought her to her knees in gratitude that there were at least a few of these places left on earth.
“Nope,” she said. “No sign of the apocalypse. And yet Reisen just laughed. Is it some horrible bit of magic gone bad?”
Reisen crossed to stand beside her, still smiling. “You smiled, too,” he pointed out. “Which is almost as rare. So quit being such a smart ass and tell me who the Atlantean woman is that you’re hiding in this cave somewhere. Jack wouldn’t let me go seek her out.”
She suddenly realized just how very, very wrong and bad this could go. “Reisen,” she began slowly, casting around for a way to let him know that the Atlantean woman was with the vampire.
She’d been wrong. The apocalypse was on the way. Nothing good could come of this.
“I haven’t seen one of my people for almost a year now,” Reisen said, looking out at the view, his voice tense with barely suppressed excitement. He clenched and unclenched his hands, probably not even realizing he was doing it. “Did Conlan send her? Is she here to tell me I can go home?”
Quinn turned to her people and gave a hand signal, and they all headed out on patrol, giving her the room so she could talk with Reisen alone. She had no idea where Jack had gone. Probably off pouting somewhere, if tigers could ever be said to pout. Mostly, they just killed and ate whatever annoyed them.
“Reisen, I don’t know if Conlan sent her. I didn’t get the impression she was a royal emissary, but what do I know about Atlantean politics? All I know is she was in rough shape, and she and Daniel went to get some rest before they make with the explanations.”
He whirled around so fast she would have thought he had vampiric speed if she hadn’t seen Atlantean warriors in action before.
“Daniel? What in the name of Poseidon’s balls is that bloodsucker doing anywhere near an Atlantean woman?” He smashed his fist into the nearest wall so hard that chips of rock shattered and fell to the floor. “I’ll kill him. Where are they?”
She held up her hands, palms out, and stepped back so she was standing between the enraged warrior and the entrance to the short corridor that led to the room where
“Reisen. Good to see you. How did it go?”
He raised an eyebrow, probably at her uncharacteristic good humor, and then waved at her with the arm that ended in a badly healed, scarred stump just above where his wrist had been before he’d pissed off one of the worst vampires ever to suck blood.
“Only one hand in the grave, so it’s a good day,” he said, grinning back at her.
It was her turn to be surprised. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Reisen smile. He was an Atlantean lord who’d been exiled for daring to touch Poseidon’s trident, or steal it, or something awful. Tried to stage a coup, maybe. The details were murky, and none of the Atlantean warriors she’d met had ever felt the need to enlighten her. Reisen himself had come to her and joined the human rebels with a need for vengeance—or maybe redemption—and a damn near suicidal fervor. He’d insisted on taking any mission that had the absolute least chance of success, and somehow he’d made it out of every single one not only alive but successful.
Usually injured, sometimes near death, but always successful. But never, ever smiling.
Until now.
Which, Quinn being Quinn, made her suspicious.
“Why are you smiling? What kind of deep-shit massive trouble have you brought me that could possibly cause you to move your rusty face muscles like that?”
He laughed, and she almost fell over. Laughed? Reisen?
She stalked to the cavern’s opening and stared out into the sunlight of the beautiful, clear, Arizona morning, as it reflected off the glorious red rock surrounding them. As always, the sight of this tiny pocket of nature’s beauty, unspoiled by death or war or vampires and their evil plots, nearly brought her to her knees in gratitude that there were at least a few of these places left on earth.
“Nope,” she said. “No sign of the apocalypse. And yet Reisen just laughed. Is it some horrible bit of magic gone bad?”
Reisen crossed to stand beside her, still smiling. “You smiled, too,” he pointed out. “Which is almost as rare. So quit being such a smart ass and tell me who the Atlantean woman is that you’re hiding in this cave somewhere. Jack wouldn’t let me go seek her out.”
She suddenly realized just how very, very wrong and bad this could go. “Reisen,” she began slowly, casting around for a way to let him know that the Atlantean woman was with the vampire.
She’d been wrong. The apocalypse was on the way. Nothing good could come of this.
“I haven’t seen one of my people for almost a year now,” Reisen said, looking out at the view, his voice tense with barely suppressed excitement. He clenched and unclenched his hands, probably not even realizing he was doing it. “Did Conlan send her? Is she here to tell me I can go home?”
Quinn turned to her people and gave a hand signal, and they all headed out on patrol, giving her the room so she could talk with Reisen alone. She had no idea where Jack had gone. Probably off pouting somewhere, if tigers could ever be said to pout. Mostly, they just killed and ate whatever annoyed them.
“Reisen, I don’t know if Conlan sent her. I didn’t get the impression she was a royal emissary, but what do I know about Atlantean politics? All I know is she was in rough shape, and she and Daniel went to get some rest before they make with the explanations.”
He whirled around so fast she would have thought he had vampiric speed if she hadn’t seen Atlantean warriors in action before.
“Daniel? What in the name of Poseidon’s balls is that bloodsucker doing anywhere near an Atlantean woman?” He smashed his fist into the nearest wall so hard that chips of rock shattered and fell to the floor. “I’ll kill him. Where are they?”
She held up her hands, palms out, and stepped back so she was standing between the enraged warrior and the entrance to the short corridor that led to the room where
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