Rider sat up slowly, wet sand and sea clinging to his body and clothes as he stared at Damali. Her expression was more peaceful, like the sudden onslaught of whatever had taken her over had passed. "One of 'em got me from behind," he said. Strain made his voice sound tight, as he thought about the horrible possibility of being nicked. "Check my back, D - I mighta got a scratch from a vamp. I think I'm hit." He peered over his shoulder, grabbing at his shirt, panic making him scrabble at the wet cloth. "Check me out, for real - I'm hit!"
There was silence on the radio - all anyone could hear was static.
"They never nicked him," Damali said in an amused tone. "That was me who grabbed him from behind and moved his head out of the way so I could throw my dagger without taking off his ear. Couldn't talk to him with a baby Isis between my teeth. Needed one hand to grab his slow ass and pull him out of harm's way." She slapped Rider on his shoulder and rubbed his spine as he pulled away with a sullen expression.
"They never broke the leather on his boots. I had his back. Madame Isis had mine. We're clean. Got two more - but two got away. One of them, the female, is headed for the beachfront properties... but police are up there. I wonder, maybe staking out one of Carlos's boys' residences?"
"Come back to the compound, now!" Marlene ordered. "Mike will travel by day if they release Jose sometime tomorrow."
"I'm cool," Mike said. "Go back to base."
"She's not even breathing hard," Rider snapped, exasperated. "And is now all smiles. This is bullshit."
"She got her run out," Shabazz said. "The blood lust has passed. Bring baby-girl home."
"Youare grounded, Miss Thang!" Marlene walked in a circle as the rest of the team sat silently in the weapons room. "And, don't you ever curse at me, ever! What was that, 'Fuck you, Marlene,' mess? Huh? I will kick your natural - "
"Grounded? I'm grown. What the hell - "
"Don't you speak to me like that! And, everybody stop cursing!" Marlene pointed at Rider who now occupied a stool. Outright fury burned in her eyes and her voice dropped to a lethal octave as she spoke through her teeth. "You almost got a valuable member of the team killed!"
"Correct," Rider said. "Shark bait, right under the pier - "
"I handled it, and also got a bunch of them tonight." Damali leaned on her sword and glared at Marlene.
"No more solo acts. Period. We're not looking for numbers - we're looking for the source - the quality of the kill, not the quantity. That's the part you don't get yet. We can do topside vamps for a lifetime, and still wouldn't make a dent. Strategy is what you're lacking, and common damned sense!"
Damali studied her blade and looked up from it with a sideways glance. She respected Marlene, but she was sick of her telling her what to do. Who put her in charge, anyway?
"Mar," Shabazz warned, "drop it. She was doing what's natural, and there comes a point where you can't fight nature. You know that. A vampire huntress's job is to hunt."
Shabazz's comment made Damali relax a bit as a brief feeling of vindication swept through her, but the way Marlene glared kept her on guard.
"A Neteru's job is to hunt, but her job is to also work within a team. It is not to imperil the lives of team members in the process - just like our job is to protect. And just because she's smelling herself does not mean she can disrespect - "
"What!" Damali could not believe Marlene had gone there. She was practically hang-jawed, but that state lasted about two seconds until indignant rage kicked in.
"That's right! Smelling yourself." Marlene's tone was sharp enough to cut. "Getting Rider to steal a sword that's over seven thousand years old, given to me to give to you when I say you're ready. I let him take it - just to see what you'd do!" Marlene's eyes narrowed. "You're not ready for this power, because you have no respect to go with it - and just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. Lesson number one, as a huntress."
Damali threw the blade on the equipment table, and the team pulled back, each standing slowly as Marlene circled her.
"Mar, you are fifty years old, and she's - "
Marlene's glare cut off Rider's words.
"This has been brewing for a long time," Shabazz said under his breath, moving to a neutral position out of the way.
"You can't let them go at it in here," J.L. said fast, incredulous. "C'mon, Mar, D, we're family, and this is very uncool. Chill!" His eyes darted between the would-be combatants, worry tensing his expression.
Marlene pointed her finger at Damali as she turned and ad-
dressed J.L. "You think I will not deal with her in here? Huh! I will not have a mutiny in this team, and whether she knows it or not, she's still got a few things to learn. She almost cost Rider his life tonight." Marlene's attention snapped back to Damali and held her with a hard stare. "You just try me."
The challenge ignited a level of defiance in Damali that was nearly intoxicating. But as she looked at Marlene's stricken expression, seeing fear, hurt, and concern, she forced herself to relax. Yeah, she could take Marlene in an all-out one-on-one, but there was indeed this thing called respect. And she did love this woman... .
"Look, I'm sorry. And I shouldn't have cursed at you. I didn't mean it like that," Damali said, forcing herself to take a deep breath. "I picked up the trail, then all this weird stuff started happening to me, and I couldn't turn it loose. I didn't mean to put Rider at risk. It won't happen again." She watched Marlene lower her arm and steady her breath.
"I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Damali cast a disparaging look at the team. "Yeah. At night. And no, I'm not afraid," she added sarcastically before they could speak - then snatched her sword as she left the room.