the first time in her life, she wasn't really sure of anything. "Uh . . ."
He lowered his head and kissed the place where he'd bitten her, making her fingernails dig into his shoulders. She could still feel him inside her, moving against her like a slow, thunderous tide although he remained physically still. Her whole body was vibrating, tears stained her cheeks. Guilt lacerated her, but he felt so good. She couldn't lift her head, or get her mind to cooperate to make her mouth speak. She'd thought all bites were the same... delivered by a sudden strike, but knowledge was a dangerous thing. All seduction bites were not created equal. Oh, shit, this brother was awesome. She was definitely the slain, not the slayer tonight. She was feining for a hit worse than he was, which was so out of order that it scared her.
She looked at his gorgeous, glistening fangs that caught moonlight, and tried without success to understand what had just happened. A slow dissolve of her old reality began to settle into her mind like a thin mist of sudden questions. Why had she felt so guilty? Why was this wrong? Why was it all right for Carlos to fully experience the world, but not her? Why was he allowed to still have close contact with female friends who had been more than friends, but not her? Why had developing the full range of her gifts or herself been so adamantly opposed? What gave a double standard the right to exist? Why did she feel like a gate had been closed around her, up until now?
Damali's gaze sought Cain's for answers that she knew he didn't own. The answers were within her, where her choice resided, but she couldn't go there at the moment--not messed up like this. She tore her eyes from his, looked back at the house through half- shut lids, and then up into his mesmerizing silver-gold eyes again and practically melted as his hot gaze focused on her cleavage.
"Decide, before I go in again. I will not be able to stop," he whispered. "I am also human."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"How the line, man," Yonnie said, matching Carlos's desperate moves to get around him. "This is why I hung back and even let Tara go in the house with Rider after our little meeting--one team, right? You da man, you cool. You told him he could nick her to get his energy right so he could jet." "He fucking bit her," Carlos said, shaking his head, eyes wild, walking back and forth on the porch. Then he stood still and looked at Yonnie, incredulous. "He bit her. In the throat. And she let him." Carlos's voice was a whisper of numb disbelief.
"Well, yeah, man. That's generally how it's done, right?" Yonnie raked his hair but kept his stance readied for Carlos to bolt.
"In the wrist... yeah, maybe," Carlos said, his stunned gaze set on the horizon.
"He's a king, man. He ain't going for the wrist," Yonnie said, trying in vain to make what he was saying sound logical. "It's cool. That don't mean nothing."
Carlos brought his gaze down slowly from the moon and held Yonnie's. "I'm done."
Yonnie began pacing. "You ain't done, man. Be serious."
Carlos shook his head slowly, turned, and headed for the screen door, leaving Yonnie to stare behind him. Damali's desire-filled whisper carved sections of his heart into slivers. "No, man," he said quietly, I'm done."
The way she'd breathed, "Oh... my... God . . ." followed him into the house and repeatedly planted her Isis squarely in the middle of his chest.
She walked up the front steps in a daze, dragging the golden staff behind her. When she opened the door, the team looked up. No one said a word for a moment.
"You okay, kiddo?" Rider finally asked. "We, uh, got some newbies-- incoming while you were sending Cain back, and uh... you okay, D?"
Damali just nodded, and then glanced around the room to find Carlos. His vibration was coming from the kitchen, but she didn't move toward it.
"The energy transfer work?" Shabazz asked carefully, visually and tactically scanning her.
Damali shook her head. "Where's the rest of the team?" Damali asked in a monotone voice.
"Krissy, Juanita, and Marj went into one of the bedrooms to stay with Marlene while she gets some rest." J.L. glanced around. "Bobby and Dan are on point in the back rooms in deep discussions... well, uh, that's the thing--Gabby sent us two new females, Heather