He chuckled and went back to his pancakes. "Let me tell you about this side, then." He waited until she looked at him again before continuing. "Yeah, we have wars and crime and atrocities. But we also party and have fun.The good with the bad. We dance, eat, drink, andbe merry. We make love, we fight, it's all sensation-and dead or alive, I wouldn't give up on this crazy plane for all the money in it. Now that's some raw truth."
"I want to experience some of those things," she admitted after a moment. "We all do. There's not many of us still left in Nod . . . most have fled and are in hiding. We can't be seen by the full humans. Those of us who are feather-bearers are bad enough, but those who . . ." She looked down at her plate.
"It's okay, baby. I know prejudice real up close and personal. You mean the leather wings, right?Homeboys rocking fangs and tails and shit."
"Yes," she said in a near whisper. "Those still in Nod are there because they are afraid and know of no other way to exist."
"Dimmed sensation . . . because you're afraid?" Yonnie arched an eyebrow as he took a sip of his coffee. "I'd take a bullet first. But then, if you don't know no better, hey. All I know is life is risk.A damned gamble every day."
"But you are brave, Yonnie. You walk about among the full humans. Most of us have never been so bold. We told ourselves it was because of the Edict, but now that the borders are open, it is hard to imagine such freedom . . . or such risk."
"Hey, be honest. It was real dangerous where you were, so how bad can this be? Plus, you get the perks. Sheeit, me myself, I'd be like-if I'ma die anyway, then I'ma go out loving every minute of being in this joint."
She stared at him and he stared at her. Until he'd said it, he hadn't realized just how much his seductive pep talk to get next to her was really the absolute truth.
"Your courage is admirable," she said without blinking. "I respect that." Then she looked away. "Carlos is blessed to have a friend like you, as is his wife."
Her simple statement did something to him. The purity of her spirit, in the absence of owning one himself, drew him to see beyond her gorgeous face and athletic body, to genuinely appreciate her real beauty. He hadn't felt anything close to that sinceTara , and it made him sit back in the booth to consider the dilemma.
"You didn't seem like a woman who was fearful when I met you on the beach," he said after a while, trying to wrest back his game. "You seemed like the type to go for the gusto-the kind of woman who does everything with passion."
She looked out the window and then up toward the sky. "I've spent my entire life in the service of others . . . fighting for right."
"Don't they give Valkyries shore leave or whatever?" he asked, leaning forward to wipe a bit of strawberry away from the corner of her mouth with the pad of his thumb. "You can be on a mission . . . but in your downtime, I can show you some earth plane sensations that'll knock your head back."
"I want to feel real water," she said suddenly, as though the thought had just occurred to her. "I flew over it, the waves,the blue!" She closed her eyes and laughed. "I want to get drunk on life."
"Shit . . . done."
"Really?"She opened her eyes and leaned forward like they were coconspirators in a crime.
He leaned forward and ran his tongue over his incisors to keep them back."Really. I got this little joint inMexico with a Jacuzzi . . ."
But his words trailed off as a stabbing call pierced his temples. "Hold up for a second, baby."
"Is everything all right?" Her concerned gaze held panic as he winced and sat back in the booth with an angry thud.
"Damn, Val, I'm real sorry-but I've gotta take this call."
"You're connected to the male Neteru by telepathy?"
He let his breath out hard. "Yeah . . . somethinglike that. But I've gotta bounce."
For a moment, she just stared at him with a look of total confusion on her face.
"I have to go," he said, materializing cash in his pockets and withdrawing a wad to leave on the table. "You go back and stay at the Neteru compound. It's definitely safe there-but be sure to leave them some kinda indication that you're there so they don't hot you on site by accident. If I can . . . maybe later tonight, depending on what's jumping off, I'll see if I can hook up with you. Damn, this gig gets on my nerves!"
She gave his hand a supportive squeeze. "I understand duty. I will look forward to experiencing water with you, then."
She stood when he stood. He leaned forward to kissher, she gave him a warrior's full forearm grip, looked him in the eye, and lifted her chin. "Be valiant, be victorious."
Yonnie raked his fingers through his thick Afro and smirked."Yeah, likewise."
"Sebastian, Fallon!" Yonnie hollered as he walked through Vampire Council Chambers. "You bad-timing motherfuckers better have a damned good reason for calling me with extreme measures! I'da came for Lilith, no problem-but she gave you the override code to blow my head up? Why!" He stood in front of the pentagram-shaped bargaining table with his arms folded, fuming. "Where is Madame Councilwoman, anyway?"
"OnSeven , clearing the path for a reanimation ceremony. She will be here shortly, if all goes well."
Be valiant, be victoriousstill singed the edges of his mind, along with Valkyrie's voluptuous body. He was in no mood for guessing games with Sebastian, especially not with Fallon Nuit smugly laid-back in his throne like the ultimate pimp.