Vampire Huntress - The Damned Part 28

She'd walked along the beach and had found a quiet place of meditation, where she'd hidden within her own thoughts for hours until the sun dipped down beyond the horizon. She watched the waves, hoping their timeless constancy would unravel the mysteries of the universe... the mysteries of this erratically behaving man she loved. Damali stood and gave up her search, walking to her vehicle, her spirit in pure chaos.

Tonight she wouldn't say a mumblin' word when she saw him. She'd be on her most effervescent behavior as they all ate dinner together. She'd put on the best performance of her life. She'd act like everything was all right and smile.

But she still had hot tears in her eyes that wouldn't recede like the tide. The mission is first, she told herself, and looked up at the sky.

Tears, a distant female voice whispered in her mind.

Damali froze. She knew that angel's voice anywhere. "Mom?"

Tell no one, child.

Damali nodded as her own tears fell. "I know, Mom. This was horrible. I can't stop crying. I just hate that you saw it."The angels weep, the voice murmured. We hear you. Find the tears.

"They're inside of me," Damali whispered, and kept her gaze to the sunset. "Believe that."

No, the trinity, child, the voice whispered gently. The tears of angels at the roof of the world... those that never touched the ground when the Lamb was slaughtered. Find the temple that holds those tears yet still. Ignite that heavenly compa.s.sion with the energy of the Creator. Then remember the blood... and cure the world.

"The antidote?" Damali almost shouted. "Mom?"

Yes. Angelic tears have dried to salt and never hit the ground. The Creator's hand parted that sea, Red, and is in the salt. Salt is in the blood and walks beside you, but living. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit; Red Sea salt, for the Father, the living blood for the Son, and then spiritual tears for the sacrifice. In that order, as it was done.

"That's why the salt was killing them... The Covenant needs-"

Tell no one, not even your mate or mother-seer. You have two of the missing elements at hand. The last element could be at risk, and only your mind is strong enough to hold the secret.

Damali ran her fingers through her locks. "The Red Sea salt is no problem, we have that." She nodded, instantly knowing.

"Berkfield has the blood in his veins."

Yes. Be swift.

"The roof of the world is where?"

The Himalayas. Tibet is called the Roof of the World. Seek those who have sheltered these tears for centuries in the greatest temple of all. Only once in history have the angels wept so hard that their tears left Heaven to nearly reach the ground-when the Lamb was slaughtered.

"Mom," Damali whispered with renewed panic. "The Chairman is in the Himalayas. He's got a lair there!"

Yes. Dante knows to seek this missing element. The Chairman would offer a trade for it-you or Eve or both for the world antidote... and Heaven might have to indeed comply for the good of the whole. The Light might sacrifice a Neteru in the flesh and one in the spirit for all of humankind, and how would we angels argue such a decision, since the Creator has already sacrificed His Son?

"They would do that," Damali stated, but with a question in the flat response.

I don't know. But you're my daughter. I'm not as evolved as the Most High, and I don't care about the current raging debate about your possible compromise... or your soul mate's potential compromise. My love for my child is stronger than warrior angels' admonishments, even at my lower ring. I will always give you insight, living or dead. This is why Dante established his lair in the Himalayas. It was not coincidence.

Damali could hear her mother's voice becoming farther away, as the last thing she said became strident with conflict. "Mom," she whispered. "I love you. Thank you. Just tell me which temple, and I'm there with the quickness. Don't leave, yet."

I have told you all I can without being seriously reprimanded. It is the greatest temple of all. Heal yourselves, Neterus, then the team, first; then heal the world. In that order. Anoint each forehead with the antidote, that minds become clear and spirits unclouded. You, him, then the team, first. The trinity, always. Ohhhh... sugar... Mommy misses you so...

"I don't want to get you in trouble, Mom," Damali said, her voice catching in her throat. "I won't fail. I promise. I won't let what you told me go to waste. I love you, I love you, I miss you and Dad so. Don't get yourself involved anymore. Not even for me, hear, or risk-" But you are my daughter. You are my daughter. You are my blessed daughter, my gift. My life. I saw them take your baby. I was there through it all. I wept. This is why I challenge the warrior ranks and have secretly brought this to you, out of pure mother's love. They cannot argue with that, or stop it, even in Heaven. Enough has happened, and you held the line. I trust you, even if the other angels are wary. Know that I hold my first grandchild's light in my arms. They didn't get it. I will love you till the end of time. I will give you an edge, but do not forsake this information. This is why you tell no one. Not even Carlos, until you are both synced up. fust go and find it to heal the world. Ohhhh... child of mine... I love you. I must go.

Damali sat down hard on the beach as her mother's voice trailed off and disappeared. It was all too much, and she did what was human-just put her face in her hands and wailed.

Yonnie instantly lifted his head from the bed, sending dozens of silken pillows to the floor. Tara sat up quickly and touched his arm.

"Get dressed," Yonnie said. "Carlos is outside."

"In New Orleans?" Tara said, moving quickly to dress and follow Yonnie out of the suite Gabrielle had provided.

"Que pasa, m.u.t.h.af.u.c.ker!" Yonnie said laughing as he stopped, appraised Carlos in the new suit, then walked up to him for their familiar embrace. "I'll just be d.a.m.ned. Look at you, man!"

Carlos smirked and pushed off the gleaming black finish of his new Lamborghini and accepted Yonnie's embrace. "You're in a real good mood, man. You musta finally got straight."

Yonnie shrugged. "Hey... what can I say? You feel that surge that bubbled up to the surface? Has topspin on it like-"

"A real motherf.u.c.ker," Carlos said laughing, and cutting Yonnie off. He pounded Yonnie's fist. But he noticed that Tara hung back, her eyes cautious. "I hear you."

"Hey, baby, what's the matter?" Carlos said, his tone warm and oozing with sensuality.

Yonnie discreetly stepped back from Carlos and stopped laughing. He glanced at Tara. "I know you are not trying to get new with our boy? What's your problem?"

"Does Damali know you're here, in that?" Tara asked, her tone cool, civil, and so distant that ice could form around her words.

She appraised the car with open disdain.

"Excuse me?" Carlos said, tilting his head to one side, and then returning a hard glare to Yonnie. "You don't have this b.i.t.c.h in order?"

Stunned, Yonnie stepped back further, his eyes holding confusion and hurt. "Yo, man. C'mon. It's Tara. You know she's always got beef about some principle, but-"

"Then you clearly don't have her a.s.s in order," Carlos said, shaking his head. "I figured after the surge and you laid serious pipe, you'd have this b.i.t.c.h eating out of your hand, glad to get a wrist vein."

Carlos narrowed his gaze on Yonnie's jugular when he didn't answer, just bristled. "She throat marked you, and you allow her to dis you in fronta me like that?" He glanced at Tara hard and quickly studied her throat. "Man, you let her have you so out of control that you gave her a permanent mate bite, and she's not humble? And you're my lieutenant?" He sighed and opened the car door, allowing his palm to slide across the exquisite bloodred leather interior. "Can't blame you, though. You weren't schooled right from the jump. My bad."

Yonnie backed away farther and pulled Tara close to him. "Apologize to him, baby. He ain't in the mood tonight, okay? Don't take him there."

Carlos looked up with a sly smile. "Let's go for a ride, y'all. The new wheels are off da meter." He chuckled as he saw the couple draw together in fear. "Maybe we can go back to my lair and play, or go eat some real New Orleans, for a change, and listen to some live music?"

Neither Yonnie nor Tara spoke.

"Okay, maybe not. Yeah, there's a matter of protocol that I have to address, first. Again, my bad." Carlos laughed and closed his car door.

"She's sorry, man, and didn't mean to offend," Yonnie said, subtly pus.h.i.+ng Tara farther behind his back. "Besides, there's this whack s.h.i.+t going down with the portal energy... that's probably affecting her. Got a coven divination on it. Seems that something's turned subterranean upside down. Levels Five on up are scrambling to the surface through broken portals, can't survive underground, and are scared to be-"

"Didn't you give her a direct order?" Carlos said, cutting off Yonnie's frantic babbling as he stared at his manicure.

"I'm sorry," Tara whispered in a tight voice strangled with rage.

"I am, too, b.i.t.c.h," Carlos said looking up, his eyes beginning to flicker black. "I didn't like your tone. You took so long to respond to my boy-and you ain't f.u.c.king him the way you should be on a regular basis, anyway. I shouldn't have had to send a power surge up here to rectify that s.h.i.+t. Shoulda been automatic, just 'cause he said so. f.u.c.k Rider. He's human, and can't do nothing for you, like my boy."

"Yo, man," Yonnie said, his glare beginning to glow red. "That was between me and you, as boyz. As men."

"It is what it is, man." Carlos folded his arms. "Why be a punk, crying in your blood, worrying about-"

"We're friends," Tara shouted. "I cannot believe you are treating us this way. What's wrong with you!"

Yonnie froze. Carlos stepped forward. His voice dropped to a threat level that only vampire hearing could detect.

"Ain't no friends in this game-b.i.t.c.h."

As soon as the words escaped his mouth a vast cavern opened between dimensions, sucking Yonnie and Tara into it. Carlos stepped over the threshold of the yawn in the side of the building, looked back at the motionless pedestrians, and closed it behind him with a snap of his fingers. "Let's go back in time to get this straight."

Tara clung to Yonnie in the middle of the deserted wood clearing.

"This is why you have to establish your authority from the door!" Carlos bellowed, paralyzing Yonnie and yanking Tara from Yonnie's side by her hair as she fought against his hold. "You can't have this bulls.h.i.+t, man. Unless you kick their a.s.s good once, they don't respect you."

"Yo, Carlos, for real, man, stop playing," Yonnie said, trying to break the force around him to no avail. "This is Tarn, man.

Tara!"

"Like that means some s.h.i.+t? I ain't deaf and I know this b.i.t.c.h's name," Carlos said, teasing Yonnie as he gripped Tara's hair harder. "But you never laid down the law with her, never did her right, never put down your territorial marker, so I'll show you how. Then don't you ever act like no punk in my presence again. Understood?"

"Let go of me!" Tara screamed, twisting and hissing, her claws digging into Carlos's hand as her fangs tried to score any flesh on him they could. "You're mad! Completely insane. Get off of me!""Let her go, man!" Yonnie hollered, still fighting the paralyzing hold.

Carlos held her jaw, deflecting her missed kicks and punches. "You're beautiful," he murmured, "but too old to be behaving like this."

"Stop," she said, sobbing. "Don't do this."

"Man, for real," Yonnie said, his eyes blazing solid red and full battle-bulk consuming his paralyzed frame. "I will never forgive you for this."

"Good," Carlos said, ripping the front of Tara's leather suit away as he stared at Yonnie. "Now you're starting not to sound like a punk." He smiled. "Feel it. Embrace it. Then detach from the emotion so you can do what you've gotta do."

Carlos spun and caught one of Tara's stray punches, and snapped her wrist. Her scream rent the air; Yonnie cringed and growled. With a glance Carlos burned the remainder of her clothes away and ignored her screams, then body-slammed her to the ground and used a black current to open her thighs as he loomed above her. "You have to train them to obey your command like you'd train a dog. Use simple commands to let them know what disobedience can cost. Brother, you've got to say what you mean and mean what you say when-"

Carlos's head jerked up as Yonnie sent a weak current through his black-force hold. The impact was like a hard slap, but didn't faze him. "Your a.s.s must be really salty and really crazy, hombre. But that's a good thing."

"Me and you, motherf.u.c.ker! Let her go, and we do this to as.h.!.+"

"Now, see, this time when you called me a motherf.u.c.ker, I wasn't feeling no love. It's all about tone, vibe, att.i.tude," Carlos said.

"And this ain't even a throat-mate that obeys. You sure you wanna take her place?"

"Do it. Let her go," Yonnie hollered.

"No," Tara yelled, her eyes narrowed on Carlos. "He'll kill you, and it's not worth it. Let him finish, and we'll be gone, Yonnie."

She looked at Yonnie, her eyes filled with tears as her voice cracked and became a mere whisper. "Please. Don't provoke him further. Let him finish. We'll both survive."

"This is what I was trying to show you. A lair mate, at Second-gen, elevated by your own bite, should be ready to take the stake, a beat down, what-the-f.u.c.k-eva you say her a.s.s should take, even the G.o.dd.a.m.ned sun, to save your a.s.s. She should fear your wrath above anything else. Now, girlfriend is clear."

Carlos looked down at Tara, shook his head, and returned his scorching gaze to Yonnie, making his chest sizzle as he spoke.

"Your heart should be made of steel. No tail should make you go against your boyz and act stupid. You don't allow worrying over no dumb b.i.t.c.h to get in the way of real bizness. If this one dies, you go make another one. And the very last person you ever f.u.c.k with is me. We straight, holmes?" Carlos pointed at Tara in a hard snap and released her. "She's real clear now. Are you?"

Tara scrambled to Yonnie's side, her broken wrist immobile as she clung to him. "Stand down, Yonnie," she begged when Yonnie's fangs didn't retract and his battle bulk didn't give way. "The wrist is nothing. It'll regenerate after we feed. Don't provoke him. He's crazy, infected, something-I don't know, honey, don't do it."

"See how she's begging you to chill for your own good-that's what I'm talking about. She senses imminent danger, was ready to take the weight, and is very right. I am in a very dangerous mood tonight. Women know these things. Listen to your mate."

Carlos began walking in a circle around Yonnie. "She senses the potential end of your existence, if you don't bulk the f.u.c.k down now. She oughta beg for d.i.c.k like that, too, man, if we're being honest. But hey, what can I say. I'm on a time frame, and don't have time to show you how to do all that tonight."

Yonnie snarled. Carlos sighed and shook his head as he glimpsed Tara."He's still fuzzy about how this all goes," Carlos said, his voice dropping a decibel. "He ain't sure, ain't made up his mind as to what should be instinct, a reflex decision." Carlos snapped his fingers and blew Tara ten feet away to land in a crumpled thud, and then released Yonnie.

Instantly, Yonnie took flight and lunged like a beast that had popped its choker chain. Carlos's ma.s.sive wings ripped through his suit as he met Yonnie in the air, seized his throat, and slammed him to the ground.

Huge iron shackles formed around Yonnie's wrists as he tried to stand, dazed from the impact. Tara screamed and rushed forward, but was forced to fall back as a huge redwood tree came up from the earth beneath Yonnie's chest, plowing up dirt and stones, sc.r.a.ping the flesh from his torso as ma.s.sive chains tied him to its trunk and raised him a hundred feet from the ground.

Airborne again, Carlos hovered behind Yonnie, his tail cracking from his elongated spine, stretching away from his body and returning to Yonnie's back in a razor-edged bullwhip that sliced skin from bone each time it connected. The sound of lightning strikes echoed into the night with each torturous whip of Carlos's tail. A long wail of agony followed the sound into the darkness with every pain-filled lash.

Yonnie's claws dug into the tree. Tara screamed out from the ground, circling the base of it with her one undamaged hand reaching upward toward her dying partner.

"No, I beg you," she shrieked trying to climb to greet the a.s.sault. "Don't do that to him-he trusted you with that information!

Not from the plantation days, do not take him there," she sobbed. Her shrieks became high-pitched sonar as she circled the tree, screeching obscenities. "He'll go mad. You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! He trusted you with that pain within him. He trusted you to show you his darkest fear! How could you? I'll take whatever punishment, but don't do that to him!"

"See," Carlos said, delivering another lash. "She said she'd take whatever for you, man. You owe me for teaching your woman this very valuable lesson. No pain, no gain."

"Please stop," Tara sobbed, her words dissolving as she turned her head away. "Even among our own kind, this is..."

She crumbled into a heap on the ground and covered her head as Yonnie's wails continued to fill the sky, turning from curses and growls to howls, to pleads, to sobs as his tattered flesh left crushed vertebrae exposed.

"I keep trying to tell you both, I'm not your kind, so stop f.u.c.king with me!" Winded, Carlos lowered the tree to become a tall post and he glanced down at Tara with disgust. "I should f.u.c.k him in the a.s.s, too, for making me have to go there-but he's crying like a little b.i.t.c.h so bad, he's taken all the fun out of it."

Tara jumped up and gently lifted Yonnie's head, trying to cradle it as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him. Carlos snapped and stood back, watching the pair as Yonnie slid to the ground with a thud, and Tara covered his body, baring fangs.

"You've nearly bled him out," she said seething. "He's no longer conscious."

"Then do what you know you're supposed to do, b.i.t.c.h." Carlos began gathering a storm cloud around him. "Tend to your man."

"He'll die!" she screamed, sobbing and jumping up to run behind Carlos's evaporating form.

"Then go kill a human, get a full grub on, and feed the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"You going out with your boy tonight?" Rider said discreetly as he ordered another ginger ale.

Carlos shook his head and took another huge bite from his burger. "No. I'ma put a little distance between us until after we go to Tibet.""Seems like we're in the same boat, then," Rider said nodding, and rejoining the conversation around him. "Wise choice."

Carlos kept his attention on Damali as their team ate. On the surface, everything seemed normal. The team was laughing, joking, everybody was talking at once down the tables that had been pushed together in the restaurant to accommodate their large party. But Damali's eyes had avoided his all evening. Her smile seemed forced, and although she partic.i.p.ated in the dinner conversation, she seemed more quiet than usual. He could tell her thoughts were a million miles away, even though she kept up a good front. He glanced at Marlene, who issued him a look of concern, but it wasn't a judgmental glance; it was something mellow and quiet that said there's trouble in paradise, but it ain't my business. He liked that about Mar. She was cool to the bone. Wise.

He and Damali could talk privately later. His baby had been through a lot, just like he had. Carlos took another bite of his burger, wondering what on earth could have Damali feeling and acting this way.

"You see this s.h.i.+t, Marj?" Berkfield said, sitting up in bed and flipping through all the cable news channels in a blur. "Father Patrick and Kamal told us right. It's like the world has gone crazy. People are definitely possessed. The types of killings... a mother cut off her infant's arms? What the h.e.l.l, Marj! Even if we do close the portals, the insanity that still has to be cleaned up after, you know, hon? The baby is still dead, like how many others?"