"Let us be realistic. We are both male. Both hunters. Both Neterus, and we both know that being a vampire, Council-level, does have some sufferable attributes that she does not fear, in fact, enjoys. There is one female Neteru while we are both in season. If you are honest with yourself, you also know that even you have gone to Hell to claim her."
Cain chuckled and folded his arms over his barrel chest when Carlos was rendered speechless. "I am, for better or worse, Dante's son, made by the seed of raw passion, not the mere bite. That attribute is encoded in my cells--passion. My father ruled the pleasure principle, just as his father is master of negotiations and the airwaves. My lineage is complex and not to be taken lightly. My undoing as the second male Neteru ever made on the planet, and your senior by many years, is her. Warring for her is not out of the realm of my sensibilities or capacity. Do not test me."
Haughty disdain flickered in Cain's glowing, silver gaze. "How many men have gone to war over a woman? You have sat in a throne and should well know your history. Is she not worth all of Rome, rivaling Cleopatra? Is she not the face that could launch a thousand ships to reduce Troy to rubble? Tell me, young Neteru brother, have men lost all reason before in the past and sent infantries into the desert to reclaim something more valuable than gold?"
Cain nodded with triumph when Carlos didn't immediately answer. "I am not speaking from both sides of my mouth. I am telling you the truth, as honestly as any man can. My mission is as I originally stated. However, she represents a potential change in plans. The Armageddon may be in the offing, but challenge me over her and I assure you that it will seem like a minor border dispute."
Carlos nodded but didn't verbally respond. This brother talked more shit than he did. Only problem was, he seemed like he could back it up. Carlos's mind scrambled to assess the challenge. Yeah, all right, if it was war, so be it. He could dig it; Damali would make a man lose all judgment, especially one with a little vamp in him--and this brother had serious juice in his DNA. He glanced around at the rich, fertile valley below that was teeming with entities and glasslike structures, trying to gauge how many troops the brother could raise should the shit get real crazy.
The dilemma pissed him off; he didn't have an army, except human Guardians and his boy, Yonnie, maybe Tara, and any witches Gabrielle could get as mercenaries. If other teams joined his, which was unlikely for a personal dispute of this nature, at best he could count 144,000 Guardians on Earth at any one time. Although the urge to go to battle, just outright slay this motherfucker, was as strong as his old vamp blood hunger, Damali would never go for putting good people in harm's way to start a war over her, anyhow. Plus, he didn't know what preternatural powers the beings in this realm wielded, or how many of them there were. He didn't like the odds of not knowing. A solid bluff was therefore in order.
"As Neterus, it's between me and you, not a brawl throughout the planet where civilians could get hurt. D ain't going for that, and you know it--so stop frontin'. But since we being real, even if you happen to kill me, which your ass won't, then you still lose. The Light will snuff your ass out and send you back to your daddy's people. The way I see it, you're screwed." Triumphant, Carlos folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side in challenge.
"I know the resultant risks and consequences of killing you--a second younger brother--for the sake of envy. Heaven would close her doors." Cain smiled, retracting his fangs. "Given what I have honestly presented, how much wisdom do you think I have acquired?"
"Enough," Carlos begrudgingly said.
Cain nodded. "Therefore, a word of wisdom from me to you, younger brother. I will contend for her with everything at my disposal. Pure ether love converted to earthly love is a very powerful energy, laden with many desires. Duel. Outright battle. Gifts. Romance. Seduction. Honor. Neteru status. Good deeds. Or a Council-level war. Name your weapon."
Carlos nodded. "Bet. I can appreciate an honest man."
"Good," Cain said. "So can I. Then welcome to the Land of Nod."
CHAPTER SEVEN
T he house was totally polarized: men on one side, women on the other, with clerics on a speakerphone conference call in the middle, desperately trying to bring unity and arbitrate the peace.
Marlene, Marjorie, Inez, Krissy, and--oddly--Juanita, stood with Damali in the weapons room with arms folded over their chests, glaring at the male Guardians. Juanita watched Jose so intently that it seemed like laser heat would score the air between them.
Rider sat on a chair with his head down in weary repose. Big Mike stood glaring at Inez with his arms folded, while Berkfield's eyes glittered with pure outrage as he stared at his wife. J.L. appeared torn and stood at the outer reaches of the invisible male dividing line, seeming unsure whether or not to go to Krissy or to stay with his very upset Guardian brothers.
Jose hadn't stopped pacing since they'd entered the room, his eyes on Damali, the silent anger implicit within them; this wasn't about Carlos, it was about him and her. Shabazz seemed so outraged that his locks had actually lifted off his shoulders with static electricity. But Dan's eyes held no judgment, just confused worry, like Bobby's. They seemed oddly detached and calm, like doctors who knew a serious problem existed, but refused to allow the emotional content of the concerned family to keep them from doing what they had to do. Their countenance said that they weren't taking sides, but the situation was indeed critical. Damali honed in on the only rational vibrations wafting throughout the room, and began to deescalate her inner panic. "I need everybody to chill for a minute," she said without any apology in her tone. "I have to sense them to see if I can pick up if there's been any injury."
"You said that in plural, D," Jose said hotly. "What's with the them shit? The only person you need to be--"
"Jose," Damali said in a quiet but lethal tone, "if you don't chill, we can just have a real frank discussion in the weapons room that won't do any of us any good."
Juanita's gaze shot between Damali and Jose. "Well, let's just do that, then," she said in a loud voice filled with attitude.
Jose glared at Damali and walked away, leaning on the far wall. All eyes glanced at him for a moment, and then Damali, then settled on Juanita. Older male Guardians shook their heads and raked their fingers through their hair. Big Mike rubbed his jaw and let out an angry, hard breath.
"This shit don't make no sense all up in the house," Big Mike said, receiving a silent fist pound from Rider.
"Jose, you need to tell me what she's talking about!" Juanita shrieked, crossing the invisible line on the floor.
"Later," Jose muttered. "Now ain't--"
"Don't tell me now ain't--"
"Enough!" Father Patrick's voice boomed through the speakerphone. "It isn't the. time," he said loudly. "What is of critical importance is what came through that rip and where it took Carlos!"
"Exactly," Damali said, walking back and forth in front of the telephone. The male response to what had happened infuriated her. It struck a defiant match within her soul that had turned into a blaze. How dare they judge her? In fact, she no longer felt guilty. Carlos had been here, semiseduced by something he'd never come across before--and the response had been directed at problem solving, not whether or not the man was right or wrong and a buncha moral junk. "You'd all better get your heads together."
Damali paced away from the phone and placed her hands palms down on the table, studying the small pyramid shape she'd created by touching her forefingers and thumbs together.
"Seems like the one who'd better get her head together is you, D," Jose spat, pushing off the wall.
Damali looked up slowly. The room had enough tension winding through it that the air practically thickened. "Be clear," she said, almost speaking to him through her teeth. "I made my decision a long time ago and have held the line--admirably." She glanced at Juanita and held her gaze until it slipped away and her adversary's body relaxed. "If you want a full disclosure in this room about past feelings and drama, we can do that at some future point, but not now while I'm in the middle of a divination--you got that?"