by L. A. Banks
"Oh, shit."
"Now, you get the picture." Marlene folded her arms over her chest, a look of triumph blazing in her knowing eyes. "You have to be responsible, Damali. You've opened that brother's nose so wide he can't see. Father Patrick said the man couldn't even muster projection, or change his damned clothes."
The two women stared at each other for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Damn, girl," Marlene sucked her teeth and shook her head. "In a priests' compound?"
Damali had to cover her face and laugh harder.
"He took his virgin bite from a virgin Neteru, pure Neteru—nearly an overdose, from the looks of things, and your blood is full of antibodies that are designed to kill off the vampire virus. That part ain't funny. Endorphins rushing through both your systems are probably the only things that kept him standing. Neteru hits their brains like dopamine, blocks out all pain until they start coming down. He's probably not feeling too good at the moment, now that he can feel the virus you gave him in his system."
The words slammed into Damali's brain, instantly cutting the mirth, making her hands fall away from her face as she stared at a very serious Marlene without blinking.
"They tried to revive him with an entire case from the monks' donations, and when he still couldn't get himself together to bear fangs, me and the fellas had to each give a pint."
"Oh, shit."
"Yeah, girl," Marlene said on a heavy rush of breath, shaking her head, chuckling. "Brotherman was strung out. But our team had enough adrenaline still running through their veins to shock his system back to normal. For him, normal human blood with adrenaline or terror running through it is like methadone. You are pure crack. You understand?" Marlene shook her head. "Problem is, y'all are both strung out. It'll take a full day and night for your system to purge the vamp trace in it. Until then, you're gonna feel it."
"Oh, my God, Mar."
"Yeah, sweetie, that's how it goes. Your temper, your passion, your appetite, your draw to the night is gonna make you bounce off the walls. Right now, we've got four innocent clerics over there trying to contain a master vamp who's jonesing for you so bad he's howling—and looking at them with a very hungry stare. The blood packs just aren't doing it for him anymore. Not after you. The fellas are concerned."
Damali nodded. "You don't think Carlos would…"
"That's the variable," Marlene said flatly "We don't know how much he ingested, truth be told. That's why you and I are standing in this kitchen. How bad was it, D? Not to get in your business, but we need to know."
Damali turned and faced the sink and closed her eyes. She had no idea… "It was bad, Mar," she finally admitted, unable to look at Marlene.
"How many bites?"
"Six… maybe seven, and then I lost count."
"Oh, my God… past daylight?"
"Yeah, I blacked out a couple of times after that. That last time was just before noon."
"Noon! Noon? You kept a master vampire awake feeding and… and… past noon? Oh, Lord have mercy!"
Marlene's silence made her turn around. Her stricken expression drew Damali's hand to her own throat. It was healed, but she then looked at her wrists, and the insides of her elbows, and closed her eyes, not even wanting to think about the bites that had landed on her inner thighs. But damn… it was so good.
"Don't even think it," Marlene said quietly, chuckling despite herself. "Oh, girl." She covered her mouth and then laughed. "Pretty soon we're going to have to get you sunglasses and a transfusion."
Damali wrapped her arms around herself trying to stave off the tremor the memory produced.
"Look at you," Marlene added, shaking her head. "Your eyes are flickering gold… pretty soon, you won't have a reflection."
Pure alarm raced through Damali and she ran to the refrigerator and stared at herself in the shiny stainless steel surface of it. "Oh, Mar… shit. My eyes!" She whirled on Marlene who was now chuckling with her hand over her mouth. "I won't turn, will I?"
"No, but you wore his ass out," Marlene said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Damali, listen, okay? He can't get you pregnant, so you're cool. He can't pass any human disease—if he had any—because everything that could have killed him died when he became a vamp. In that regard, you're safe. His vamp virus only has a temporary effect. But you can hurt him, so you have to cool it. Plus, he now has a full tank of Neteru in his system. It'll draw other male vampires to him like flies, looking for you, then they'll fight him. But, he doesn't have the strength, tonight, to ward them off. Dig?"
Marlene walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've gotta let him recover, and let the team's blood thin out and dilute what he's ingested. By tomorrow evening, he'll be fine. He just needs to chill."
She nodded, and let Marlene put her arms around her. Marlene stroked her hair and kissed her temple.
"This is going to be a rough night, baby," Marlene warned. "Hold onto your seat and get ready for the ride."
"What am I gonna do?"
"I don't know, baby. The choice is yours," Marlene chuckled. "But tonight, you're gonna walk a mile in that man's shoes."
Four armed clerics barred the door, and his gaze shot around the room for a way out. Turning over a table and a sofa, Carlos snarled, "I have to go to her!"
Father Patrick remained calm. "If you don't have the energy to take us, or to project yourself past simple steel and wood, you're staying until tomorrow night. Then there's the not so small matter of our prayer line, Carlos." He sighed. "Why don't you watch some television?"
Asula cringed as the television lifted and smashed against the cabin wall, then he let out a weary breath. "I was going to watch the football game, Carlos. This is ridiculous."
Even Padre Lopez sat down as Carlos paced. Monk Lin fished in his robes and pulled out a deck of cards.
"Poker, anyone?"
She couldn't sit still. The room was closing in on her as the team worked on weapons, talked about general goings on, idly chatted about everything and nothing. They were getting on her nerves. In fact, she had no nerves left. She stood before the large picture window, willing her mind to see beyond the steel grate. The moon was siphoning her, calling her. Carlos.
The image of him immediately sent a shudder through her. Five-o'clock stubble covered his jaw, darkening it. The tips of her fingers tingled, remembering what it felt like first thing in the morning. She saw him stop pacing in the monk's cabin, close his eyes, and run his hand over his cheek. Yeah, baby, I miss you, too. It was agony.
She saw him go to the window and place his hand on it, splaying his fingers, then drop his head in defeat. It drew her to the window, and she rested her palm on it slowly, splaying her fingers to match his distant handprint. Sudden warmth filled her, and she felt his knees buckle. Phantom thrusts entered her, sending a tremor to wash through her. She stifled a gasp. Torture. She could hear the silent plea from four miles away echo into the night. Wolves howled outsideùnot all of them wolves… some third-generation vamps. Fuck it. She was out.
"Look, fellas," she said, turning from the window abruptly. "I'm just gonna—"
Marlene shook her head. Rider stood up. Shabazz stopped cleaning his gun, and the muscles in his jaw tensed. Big Mike folded his arms over his chest. JL let his breath out hard as Jose and Dan passed a nervous glance between them. Humiliation claimed Damali. Damn, she was a junkie.
She stared at her team, but another image in her head eclipsed her physical sight. An erotic touch ran down her arms, and a deep, sensual kiss covered the side of her neck. She struggled for composure as the sensation created goose bumps on her arms. Her nipples stung with need and she felt herself get wet.
"Is it me, or am I the one who is crazy?" Rider said flippantly. "Give girlfriend a mirror."
"Uh, D," Big Mike said slowly, "baby, your eyes are going gold again."
"Two minutes from now she'll be bearing fangs, if she doesn't sit her ass down and chill," Shabazz fussed.
<
br /> Rider folded his arms. "You're creepin' us out, Damali. You gotta let this shit wear off. Play some music; watch some TV. Damn I need a drink!"
"You still got that bottle of Jack Daniel's?" JL said, standing and heading toward the kitchen to look for it.
"Bring a coupla glasses," Dan shouted behind him.
"Hell, why stand on ceremony?" Jose added. "Get the cards out and just pass the bottle around. It's gonna be a long night."
There were no words. Never before had she felt so exposed, and so thoroughly out of control. Her business was all in the street; the team was all up in it. Her man was locked up. And her body was talking to her. How in the hell was she supposed to fight this?
"Mar, can I talk to you alone, for a minute?" Damali searched Marlene's face and found a patient but weary expression in it.
"Yeah, hon. In your room."
Relief swept through Damali as she picked up her sword and paced quickly down the hall, listening to Marlene's slow footfalls behind her. As soon as Marlene shut the door, she cast the Isis blade on the bed and began walking in a tight circle, talking fast.
"Mar, I'm losing my mind. What part of this is normal?" She was now breathing hard, trying to collect herself, beyond shame.
"About seventy-five percent of it," Marlene said with a smile, taking a seat on the bed as she studied Damali.
"Okay, okay, okay." Damali continued pacing. "That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah," Marlene chuckled. "I remember those days… the pull was just as strong as a vampire's bite. Uhmmph, uhmmph, uhmmph."
"Well, how do you shake it, get it out of your system?" Damali fought off another shudder and briefly closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and looked at Marlene for an answer.
"Turned you out, didn't he? Uhmmph." Marlene shook her head.
"It's not funny, Mar. Stop laughing. Don't you have an antidote for this shit?"
"Nope."
"For real? Aw, man…"
"Nope."
"It hasn't been twenty-four hours!"
"Nope. And it's gonna get worse before it gets better," Marlene said, swallowing away another chuckle. "That part didn't have jack to do with him being a vampire."
"Oh, man…"
"Yup."
"But, Mar… if I just go out one more—"
"Nope."
"But—"
"Deal with it, honey."
Damali grabbed the sides of her skull. "He's in my head, Mar. My full vision is back, and… oh, man… listen… Mar… for real, for real… I gotta go out."
"You wanna kill him?"
"No," Damali said on a pitiful wail. "No. I do not want him to be hurt."
"Then stay put."
"But—"
"Remember how he kept trying to tell you?" Marlene's question made Damali open her eyes and look at her. "Remember the night he came in here to deliver the information about the tunnels to the team?"
Damali nodded but didn't speak.
"Remember at the concert when you were walking around him and he kept telling you to be still, stop stirring the very air around him?"
"Yeah," Damali finally said on a quiet breath.
"Remember the look on his face when he had to carry you… and the sound of his voice when he let you go in that last battle in order to save your life?"
Remember? Was Marlene crazy? It was a tattoo in the middle of her brain. "Yeah," Damali whispered.
"Well, then now you know how hard it was for him to do that."
Damali nodded. Tears of frustration filled her eyes.
"It was just as hard for him to back off when he wanted you like this, even before he was turned. The brother loves you. Always has. He had the will power not to try to bring you into his life at a time when you were vulnerable… at a time when he knew you couldn't hang, and his life would have been dangerous for you—gotta respect that much about him."
"I do," Damali said quietly, sitting down hard on a bedroom chair. She leaned over, placing her elbows on her knees and stared at the floor. "Always did."
"Can you image how difficult it must have been for him to know how much you wanted him, how willing you were to be with him, all new to the game, filled with passion just ready to explode for himùand he had to push you away for your own good?"
Damali closed her eyes. Marlene's words shredded her conscience.
"Tonight, you gotta do that for him."
"Oh, Mar. I thought I knew, but damn… Now I really know."
"Pure agony."
"In a word, yes."
"It'll pass."
"I hope so."
"It will."
"It has to."
"It will."
"Oh, Mar."
"I know."
"Get some rest."
"Yeah, right!"
The two women sat in companionable silence for a moment, then suddenly Damali jerked her head up. Her heart was beating fast, and she was on her feet. "Got a cold-body reading on monitor one."
JL burst through the bedroom door, the full team behind him. "Got a cold-body reading on monitor one!"
"So we gathered," Marlene stated in a blase tone.
"What do we do, Mar?" JL said nervously.
"Hit the lights… and let Carlos in."
"Are the monks okay?" Damali ignored the disgruntled team that flopped onto stools and chairs behind her. She couldn't keep her eyes off him. However, she was glad that the guardians had lowered their weapons.
"Yeah," Carlos said slowly. "But they have to repair the south wall before morning." He smiled, appraising her from head to toe.
"Awww, maaaan." Rider just shook his head.
"About that Jack Daniel's," Shabazz said in a disgusted tone, standing and leaving the room.
"Wanna go out?" Carlos murmured, moving one of Damali's stray locks over her shoulder with his finger.
"Maybe just for a little while," she whispered.
"Card game, anybody?" Marlene said, leaving the room with the team slowly filing out behind her.
"Wanna go to a club?"
Damali shook her head. The sight of Carlos was practically paralyzing as he ran his hand up and down her arm.
"If you're hungry, I can take you to dinner, or a movie, maybe we could just take a walk on the beach… or whatever you want to do, just name it," he murmured, stepping in closer to her.
His scent filled her as she inhaled him deeply. "It's too dangerous for you right now outside. You shouldn't have risked coming out. They explained everything to you, right?"
He nodded, tracing her collarbone and slipping the edge of her T-shirt off her shoulder with his finger. "I love you in red," he said, his eyes burning her, igniting an internal fire. "Noticed you've been wearing that color a lot lately."
She swallowed hard. "Baby… uh, listen. You've gotta go back home."
"So early?"
"Yeah, like right now, okay," she stammered, closing her eyes as his nose trailed across her shoulder, past her neck, and his lips captured her earlobe.
"I missed you…"
"I missed you, too," she breathed. "But not here. Not in this compound with my whole family here. Some things are just not done."
He chuckled low in his throat. "You're right."
"I know I'm right," she whispered, melting against him as his arms enfolded her.
"Then you wanna get your blade and go somewhere?"
"Aw, Carlos…"
"Please."
"Well… maybe. Just for a little while."
* * *
Chapter Ten
Damali pushed open the compound door, then locked it, and staggered down the hall. She couldn't even hold her blade steady, and she dragged Madame Isis behind her, scraping the tip of it along the concrete floor. She swayed in the doorway as her team yawned and looked up, and then dropped to her knees. Marlene held up her hand to stop the guardians—who had summarily abandoned their card game—to keep them from rushing toward her.
On her hands and knees from fatigue, Damal
i pushed herself up and slowly stood, picking up the heavy sword, weaving where she finally righted herself. "I woulda called," she said in a weary tone. "But—"
"We know, we know!" Rider snapped. "Something literally came up—"
JL hadn't even checked the monitors when she'd approached.
"Don't look at me, fellas," Marlene said, studying her cards. "We ain't got a single weapon in the house for this—and no, I do not have a cure."
Damali yawned as the steel gates began to lift to let in the sunlight. Out of reflex, she raised her forearm to shield her face from the rose-colored glare.
"Damn. Reminds me of New Orleans," Big Mike chuckled, glancing at Damali, and then shaking his head, slapped down a card. "Relax, y'all. The girl is going out. You know you can't do nuthin' 'bout mojo. It's the most powerful shit in the world."
"Don't go there, Mike," Shabazz said, slapping down a card over his. "This shit ain't funny. The girl's probably a quart low."
"Relax," Marlene said with a weary sigh. "She's protected and grown. I ain't got no thin' to say."
Rider tossed Damali his pair of sunglasses from his vest pocket. Too uncoordinated to catch them, they hit the floor with a clatter.
"Pitiful," Rider said, looking at the now-chipped glasses. "Reflexes are all off… just outrageous. I paid seventy-five bucks for those."
"And, how's our boy?" Marlene said, unperturbed.
"He went home," Damali said through another yawn, and headed toward the kitchen. Damn… what a night.
"This is a full-scale crash and burn," Father Patrick said, shaking his head.
"You do know, Father, that the monastery has asked if we're harboring more than one illegal vampire. They are becoming concerned about the donations… after all, we cannot continue to feed him at this rate, if, well, if his present activity level continues." Monk Lin's nervous glance darted around the group that studied the body in the middle of the cabin floor.
"I know," Father Patrick admitted, glancing at his team, then down at the floor. He stooped where Carlos had fallen through the door to touch his shoulder, noting the fingernail marks that had scored his skin and where his T-shirt was ripped. "We'll figure it out later. Right now, just get him down into his lair."