"I'm going with you," Rider said calmly as Carlos crossed the yard.
Carlos didn't have the energy to even argue, and when Yonnie and Tara met them, he sent the full message of what they'd learned telepath-ically to keep it from Lilith. Yonnie nodded and then wiped his brow.
"If it goes there," Yonnie said quietly, "you be the one to dust me."
"Naw," Carlos said. "It ain't gonna go that far. I went to council and came back holding. Could use a good man on the inside. Remember, as long as there's hope, there's a fighting chance."
"I don't know if I can resist temptation like that, bro," Yonnie whispered, his gaze going to Tara and then, oddly, to Rider. "Keep her behind whatever barriers you've got, if I take a throne. Can't say what would happen."
"You can resist," Tara said, going to him and touching his face, but then pulling back as she saw Rider's reaction. "I'd asked you for a human, and you--"
"What?" Rider whispered, stunned.
"He didn't, though," Tara said quietly. "Don't ask me the circumstances."
Rider began walking away. "I guess this really is good-bye, then."
"Hold it, hold it," Carlos said. "This is important info. Need a seasoned sharpshooter on this, man, just in case it gets wild."
Rider stopped but didn't turn around. Yonnie looked away, as nervous sweat formed on his brow. Tara closed her eyes and neared Carlos.
"Give us all some hope," she whispered.
"For real, man," Yonnie said just above a murmur as he stared at Carlos. "You know what that level can do. If I go there, I ain't got a fighting chance at Light conversion... at least she will, unless I get back to her first." He turned away. "After an elevation like that, I know I will-- and she will come to me."
Tara turned away, holding her head high.
"I'll wait for you with her, then," Rider said between his teeth as he spun to face Yonnie. "Hollow points locked and loaded."
Yonnie simply nodded. "Take your best shot. But she'll take the bullet first for me as my wife. Ask Carlos to school you on what a wife in the Dark Realms will do." He stepped closer to Rider who had a weapon leveled. "Rivera--that's the only motherfucker I'd take a bullet for. Him and me ride or die."
"All right, y'all," Carlos said, finding himself once again trapped between alliances and loved ones. "It hasn't happened yet, we got time, and I'd feel an elevation if it happens to my boy. Rider, keep your aim on anything tagging along with Tara or Yonnie that ain't right, since you got da nose for sulfur and can shoot dead aim blind--but my boy ain't the target, so listen up." Waiting until all eyes were on him, Carlos shot the telepathic message first to Yonnie, then Tara, and then forced it into Rider's head: The thing of most importance is that Lilith is in the mix again. That's critical info. If she's down at Level Six, we know how to feed her bogus vamp leads for a while, especially if Gabby sent us two operatives to work with that Lilith thinks she can trust. But if she's rebuilding council, no doubt she's also laying for those beings in Nod to flood out of the breach.
Carlos looked at the group hard before resuming his message. Think about it. One nick that isn't lethal and she's got daywalkers with super powers. The prime directive is to get Cain back on his side of the veil with the rip sealed before Lilith can find a way to open it further. The way I see it, the clock is ticking like a motherfucker.
Cain was standing by a tree deep in the brush by the time she caught up to him. Just by his rigid posture she could tell he was furious. He heard her approaching, she knew it was impossible for him not to, but he kept his back to her. Damali sighed.
"Carlos was only trying to help," she said quietly.
"You defend him after what he has done to you?" Cain turned and stared at her with fire in his eyes.
She didn't give a damn, and was sure he wasn't expecting to see her arms folded over her chest. "That's our business," Damali said, glaring at him. "What went down privately within our relationship has nothing to do with you." She let out her breath hard and dropped her hands to her hips. "Now, listen. The man trusted me to