"Sho' you right, brother," Shabazz said, giving Mike a fist pound. "That's why I got to a real cool place in my head, did my prayers, faced east and bowed to Mecca. Then I did my Aikido meditation and I asked all the earthly spirits that I had been at war with to accept my olive branch of peace ... asked the ancestors to roll with me, and then I was ready, good to go. Ride or die. Can't do no more than that."
" 'Bazz, man," Carlos said calmly, pushing off the wall. "Not to be in your business, but ... the shape-shift. You wouldn't have happened to - "
"Shape-shift?" Marlene went up to Shabazz and touched his cheek. He looked away and spoke quietly. "Yeah ... I talked to the brother on the astral plane. He was haunting my dreams, so enough was enough - and the way the Brazilian team went out was f**ked up, but righteous." Shabazz brought his gaze to Marlene and began to stroke her locks. "We needed to have a conversation as men. Said he'd ride or die with me, because if I crossed over before my time, you couldn't take it." The look in his eyes became distant as he searched Mar lene's face. "I'm cool with it. Understand how much that brother loves you, Mar. He still does, his spirit is bound to protect you ... he asked if he could give me a fusion when I needed it in a firefight. We came to terms." Marlene stepped closer, shut her eyes, and wrapped her arms around Shabazz as two huge tears ran down the bridge of her nose.
Tara walked over and cupped Rider's face. "Maybe you got what I was before when my spirit couldn't leave yours?"
Rider nodded and pulled his wife into a slow hug and kissed her hair.
"I'm so glad you're all right," Marjorie said, her tone gentle and sad as she kissed her son's cheek but went to her husband.
"We did it for you and Kris, and everyone else," Berkfield said, caressing Marjorie's back.
"If anything was to happen to you all... after what we saw at the casa in central Mexico ... watching Hidalgo and Duke, Esmeralda, and everybody bury their men and women. The whole frickin' Brazilian team... My heart couldn't take it, Marj. I'd rather go out swinging."
"You know that, suga," Mike said, gathering up Inez and showing her his badly cut fist.
"Swinging for you, baby girl. Don'tcha know that by now, for you and little Ayana, this team... and any more we make."
Inez turned her face into his chest and grabbed his T-shirt with her fists. Dan was rocking Heather gently, his battle-splattered palm caressing the silk at her back. Juanita swallowed hard, went to Jose, and put her head on his shoulder. Jasmine threw her arms around Bobby's neck and almost knocked him off his feet and began sobbing. Krissy
turned to J.L., and he pulled her to him and kissed her long and slow before she could start crying.
Damali stared at Carlos until his gaze met hers.
I understand, she mentally said, her voice tender.
He nodded. I wanted to kill her so bad, D... wanted to cripple their side without putting you or anybody's wife in immediate jeopardy, so it would take a long time before they could slaughter ours like they did in Morales. Every day I spent with you, every night, all I could think of was what if something crazy happened again and my wife ... and what if a baby you were carrying got... D, you talk about how you can't take it, shit... my heart can't take none of that ever again.
She swallowed hard as she looked at his handsome, dirty face and then stared into his liquid brown eyes that were beginning to flicker silver at the edges. I love you, too. Girl... you know how much I love you, right?
The exchange was too intense, and she had to look away. Let's get everybody cleaned up and take advantage of Adam and Ausar's black-box cover to rest, heal, and recover. Yeah... I'm starting to feel every blow now. Carlos rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck with a wince. In a minute, the rest of the brothers are gonna be feel ing it, too, now that the battle hype is draining away.
I'm sorry, she whispered in her mind. You brothers kicked ass the way it's supposed to be done.
Naw, you were right. Can't go on impulse like that again. He stared at her. D, I really f**ked up this time, didn't I? I started the big one. I swear I didn't know who was doing her in that throne - I'm crazy but I ain't stupid. Damali shook her head. Maybe it was fate, Carlos? Maybe that's what you were supposed to do, who knows? Like Marlene said, you 're the only one, alive, who ever sat in that chair... what are the chances of a Neteru doing that, huh? The Almighty wouldn't have let you start what wasn't supposed to be started.
You think so?
She just nodded, and prayed she was right.
"Okay," Damali said quietly. "Everybody just sit down, chill out, and let me get the Caduceus ... then everybody take a white bath." She blew a stray lock up off her forehead.
"Now I see why Adam black-boxed us in here. We're gonna need it." Damali stood to go to the bedroom to collect her silver necklace containing the seven stones so that she could privately commune with her queens. But a noise and a quick flash of golden light made everyone turn to stare at the coffee table. Just as suddenly as the light glinted away, the Caduceus staff clattered against the table's glass surface. She closed her eyes. "Oh, yeah, we're definitely gonna need it."
CHAPTER THREE
By the time Damali had administered the Caduceus to the last Guardian brother, sweat had formed a huge V in her T-shirt, and her clothes clung to her like second skin. Even though Marlene and Marjorie had repeatedly asked to assist, Damali declined for their safety. Who knew what the guys had dragged home? Foul and funky energy, some unseen spiritual parasite, who knew? The team had been there, done that, and Damali felt way
better keeping an unknown agent, especially from the probable sources it had come from, contained within one team healer - her.
"Okay, J.L.," Damali said, slowly straightening and stret ching her back. "You're good to go, man." She gripped the long golden staff that was nearly as tall as she, watching the dual serpents on it slither into place and settle down to become inanimate again. J.L. peered up at her from the sofa with a sheepish grin. "They never landed a blow on me, D."
She gave him her hand and a smiling scowl as she pulled him up. "Yeah, but you oughta know by now that down there, they don't have to nick you - they can blow smoke up your nose with a phantom tagging along in it to have you acting crazy." J.L. held up his hands in front of him. "You're right, my bad." Rider chuckled. "Give it up, brother. We're outnumbered and outgunned. They think faster and hit harder."
When several of the younger Guardians gave Rider a quizzical look, Big Mike chuckled and shook his head.
'They'll learn," Mike said in a rumble, beginning to grin broadly. He pulled Inez against him. "Y'all don't fight fair - low blows, hit a brother hard. Dang, girl, you'd cut me off forever?"