Nods of agreement met Lilith as her gaze slowly raked the expressions around the pentagram-shaped bargaining table. Without further protest, everyone got up, extended their wrists to the crest, accepted the harsh bite, and then sat back down. Only then did Yonnie sit back in his throne and relax. His mind was racing a mile a minute. He had to take his time leaving and endure the politics for a while longer, but his main concern was what was happening with Carlos and the family.
"It seems that there is perfect balance on this council," Lucrezia noted in a cheerful voice. "You may take your leave with a clear mind. We are all prepared to work together to the common goal of Neteru destruction. Following your husband's initial assault, Your Majesty . . . Fallon, Sebastian, and Elizabeth have hit the Guardians hard with variations of a full frontal attack. Then Yonnie has come in through the back door to compromisean angel, who obviously had been sent to protect the most vulnerable member of their family-that horrid, screeching child. Then I, with poison, can double back, just as they believe they are safe, to injure and hopefully eliminate more of their family members. Perhaps even Yolando and I can team up, to get the angel to deliver the poison, since he has a way with her?" She waved her hands with sadistic glee. "In any event, it shall be intriguing!"
PRAYER
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Are you all right?" Marlene knelt beside Shabazz and waited for him to answer, both second-sight and eyes scanning him for any additional injuries that might have been overlooked. She quickly glanced at the spot on the floor where Damali and Carlos had been, hoping that the Neteru Council would be able to help them. But right now, Shabazz was her primary concern.
"Yeah, I'm all right," he said after a long pause and then looked up at Big Mike, who was standing near with Ayana up high in his arms. "Lost my pants in the hall, bro. The shape-shift thing ain't gotno modesty." He forced a laugh and began to cover himself before trying to stand.
"I'm on it, bro. Don't nobody care about all that, so long as you cool and ain't nicked." Mike hustled out into the hall with the baby as female Guardians lowered their gazes. He handed Ayana off to Krissy and then tossed Shabazz his jeans, and Shabazz caught them with one hand.
Marlene monitored Shabazz as he unfurled his exquisite ebony body and deftly pulled on his pants. His aura was intact. The blue-white current of tactical energy still crackled through his magnificent dark locks. His eyes were clear and he was completely lucid. He spoke with his back to the group, zipping his pants, but hadn't missed a beat as the senior Guardian team leader.
"All right.We just saw some deep shit," Shabazz said in a matter-of-fact tone, then turned around, folding his arms over his chiseled chest. Intermittent tension still ran through his body and made his biceps twitch. "We've got newbies in the house, and you all just saw live action on probably one of the worst days to join this team. Regardless, it is what it is. But you're going to have to come up to speed real quick, to avoid an incident like the one we just saw in here tonight."
Everybody looked down uncomfortably, especially Inez.
"I'll talk to her, 'Bazz," Inez said quietly.
"Talk to me, talk to me?" Inez's mother shrieked. "Did you just see what happened? Have you all been-"
"Stop," Shabazz said low in his throat.
The sound that came out of Shabazz was so close to a jaguar's growl that Mrs. Filgueiras drew back. Even Big Mike looked unsure. Shabazz unfolded his arms and rubbed the nape of his neck, locks crackling hard with static.
"No, Inez. Tonight, I'm going to break it down for young and old, new and senior-because we don't have time to tap-dance around so-called niceties. Mrs. Filgueiras, you are going to have to pull it together.Pure and simple. You ain't visiting your daughter, moving into a summer guest house with her and her new husband and kid. You are in the equivalent of a damned wartime military facility!"
Shabazz walked back and forth like a caged feline, his grace and swiftness unnerving to the uninitiated. When Delores Filgueiras started to cry, he spun on her. "Suck it up," Shabazz commanded in an even, deadly tone, bearing upper and lower canines.
" 'Bazz-"
"No, Marlene," Shabazz argued, squaring off with Marlene. "Delores came in here, freaked, screamed, drew Damali's attention at a critical strike point, and our girl got the snot kicked out of her by a demon serpent. The baby took it better than Delores did. Ayana just did what you're supposed to do, instinctively, and she scrambled to a safe spot, hunkered down, and got out of gunfire range." He closed his eyes and counted to twenty, regaining his Zen and composure after a moment. Once his canines receded, he addressed the group, rubbing his palms down his face.
"I don't have to stay and deal with this insanity, and I don't have to listen to whatever he says," Mrs. Filgueiras said, her voice shaking. "He's got the teeth of a demon, oh, my God-and electric, what is he? I am leaving here, getting away from you people, this life, this . . . this abomination! You can't keep me here against my will. I'll go to the police! My granddaughter-"
"Stays," Inez said coolly, unexpectedly rounding on her mother. "You saw with your own eyes what's out there. Ayana stays."
"In here, amid this? Are you insane?" her mother challenged, getting up in Inez's face. "I'll call child protective services on you. I'll get my grandbaby."
"And as much as it will break my heart, Momma," Inez said, lifting her chin, "I will make sure they believe you are insane, getting early-onset Alzheimer's, and you won't stand a chance. Don't make me go there . . . I love you."
"You wouldn't . . ."
"Yes. I would," Inez said, folding her arms over her chest."Because, here, Ayana has a fighting chance. Out there, with what's happening in the world, without me and my family around her to protect her, she's dog meat. If you can't see that, then I don't know what to tell you. But I refuse to bury my child because you don't want your feelings hurt. You'd better listen to Shabazz and suck it up."
"How can you disrespect me in front of these people? If you went to church more you'd know that you're supposed to honor your mother and father! I amyour mother and I say we go! You call yourself surrounded by people of faith-what faith? You want to raise a child in this house of horrors? You have serpents in your house, na**d people who turn into animals . . . have all sorts of-"
"Listen, let's get it out once and for all," Inez shouted, making her mother back up."Honor? Honor!Don't you dare throwstones. I had the same gift as my daughter. I told you things were happening to me at the hands of your husband, but you didn't want to see it. You wanted to be blind because at that time, blind was convenient. It's only because Damali saved me from it happening even more by almost killing that rat bastard and running away that you had to finally see for yourself." Inez walked back and forth and slapped a wall. "That said, I have and still do respect you-but I'm not taking no unnecessary guilt trips and drama along the way, Momma. I'm a soldier and good and grown . . . yeah, Momma, I grewa lot while away from you. I came into my own and I like who I am now. Plus, I came with serious squad to pull you and my child out of harm's way. But since you wanna talk about faith, let's go there!"
"Don't go there, baby," Mike said softly, trying to calm Inez down. "Some things you say can't betook back."
She snatched away from his touch and whirled on her mother. "This,right here, that I'm about to say-I don't wanna take back!"
Inez circled her mother, her voice dropping low and lethal. "You went to church day and night and lived there to avoid seeing the truth and to avoid living your life. But you were hiding! So-called in the world and not of it, but talking about people, who's wearing what, who ain't tithing like they should, whose kids are bad . . . not helping a soul, not advancing any cause other than the social. That's how the Devil gets up in a church in the end of days, ain't you figured that out by now?"
Her mother turned away, but Inez followed her, circling her as Delores Filgueiras tried to shut out her daughter's words by closing her eyes as the team silently watched.