All eyes were on Damali. Silence again filled the room with tension. Yeah, she'd asked for it, but never in a million years thought something like that could be possible. Up until now, her man had been the baddest mutha on the planet... but she hadn't really had a chance to look around, and before all that mess had really never wanted to. Apparently Carlos got his wish, too. Something stronger than she, more alluring than anything she'd encountered, with everything that could blow her mind, had rolled up on her and weakened her resolve... had a little vamp in him counteracted with pure silver Neteru, too? She staved off an inappropriate shudder as the entity's image came into her mind. The man was fine. Period. No matter who his daddy was. Halfway served Carlos's ass right for even going there. But the fact remained: the not-so-fun part of his wish had also come true. She was standing before all eyes having to explain the deeply personal and very inexplicable sequence of events.
"I never called for anything negative, so Cain might actually be on our side," Damali said slowly, her gaze meeting Marlene's before going toward the window. Oddly, she was no longer worried that Carlos would die in a brawl. She sensed the entity that Carlos had rolled through the rip with had more discipline than that, given what was at stake. If Cain made the wrong choice, it stood to reason that his Neteru status would be immediately revoked, snatched, then he'd be sent into the lowest levels of the pit as a human, and with the Chairman gone... no.
The entity she'd just met was many things, but she didn't pick up on insanity. Why go to Hell, burn like a human, get your light stamped out and exterminated because you posed a threat from Dante's direct line to a throne versus the next Antichrist's pending rule on it, when you could do earth and stay in good stead? Level Seven had made that mistake once before by creating a premature monarch, and they wouldn't sloppily mess up like that again.
Plus, Cain had been thoroughly offended down to his core when she thought that was who he might be--she'd felt the bristle that wasn't an act. And he'd been honest in his own way, told her that if she knew his name she would jump to conclusions, which she would have. Even told her his mission, in a roundabout way, as well as his connection to Carlos. The man hadn't lied.
"Wild as this sounds," Damali said while the team quietly waited for her decisions, "he was very restrained when he first appeared, and was talking about trying to fulfill his mission of Light after reincarnating repeatedly and needing one last mission to get it right so he could ascend... but I was sorta making that difficult for him to keep focused."
As she spoke, the whole conversation reminded her of the way Car-los's turn had been broken to the team. She stood between them and him, forbidding a sudden execution so they could learn more, accomplish more, and they did. Damali sighed. The Light was working her overtime on this lesson. Cain had also told her if she didn't get it right the first time, the Light would repeat the lesson, harder each time, until she did. Had said he would spare her that traumatic experience if he could, but couldn't. Damali smiled a half-smile. This guy was a trip, and to be honest, she kinda liked his style. But what was the lesson?
The worry for Carlos's safety was getting further and further away in her mind. Instinctively she knew he was okay. The Light would protect him over in Nod, and would probably just kick his wayward butt with a lesson or two. The team could temporarily stand down. Not a full off-duty relax, but there was no need to panic. What was important now was finding out answers, understanding what the new mission entailed, and getting Carlos's behind back in the compound... why did she always have to pull him out of some mad-crazy situation?
Instant fatigue made Damali complete her instructions to the team in a weary tone. Suddenly she just needed a hot shower and to lie down. "Maybe Cain's mother's DNA is what's dominant in him, if he crossed over from my prayer--especially since he's sired normal kids in the past, regardless of his paternal link. Think about it. Strong Neteru versus strong demon, our side always wins, and the Light was all over him when he stepped through... Plus he was talking ascension and tried to keep his hands off me so he wouldn't get in trouble. Everything female and veteran huntress in me says if the guy was leaning vamp, trust me, you all might have walked in on a floor show." She sighed and shrugged, the exhaustion and adrenaline spikes taking their toll. "Maybe that's why Carlos isn't dead or busted up?"
The speakerphone was silent and so was the team.
"Well, the Chairman is ash, by your hand, I might add, and further down in his family tree would be unadvisable to consult, no matter how crazy you are, D. So, it's not like you can just waltz into Hell and ask his daddy or his granddad about his proclivities, to know for sure, can you?" Rider snapped sarcastically, the strain evidently wearing his nerves away.
"No," Damali said with a slow, dawning smile. "But I can go ask his mother."
CHAPTER EIGHT
C'mon, Damali. Call me. Stop playing. The refrain strummed through Car-los's brain like an incessant chant as he followed Cain, watching the thick muscles knead in the huge entity's shoulders as he walked ahead of him. Even though he was now fairly certain that his woman hadn't totally lost her mind and slept with him, the fact that she got up out of bed and called this bastard kept Carlos's eyes glowing silver. After they'd made love? Carlos wanted to spit, but wouldn't give Cain the satisfaction of seeing just how much the whole thing was jacking with his mind.
After they'd made love? The torturous awareness began to replace his chant for her to call him. Damn... and he'd thought he'd put his thing down hard. Shit. Damali had called for something stronger than that? He knew this day would come, but had hoped it would be when he was an old man. But what did she want from him? Blood? Fine. It was like that. Okay. So she wanted a street sample to see what else was out there on the block. All right. Just because of that thing with 'Nita--but he'd had a reason; he'd been possessed. He thought she'd finally let it go, smoke or no smoke, but it was obvious she hadn't. Cool.
Baby, call me. Aw'ight. She didn't have to go there to make her point.
Carlos rolled the tensior out of his shoulders and paused. His collarbone had been broken, had snapped clean when he'd hit the barrier. But it had somehow mended on its own just like the old days, but without a feed. What was up with that?
He glanced up at the sun again, just to be sure he wasn't really in Hell. Two strange discs illuminated the sky. One that seemed to generate solar heat, and another that was a swirling opalescent fusion of oranges and yellows and pinks. Very strange. Everything around him had a slightly iridescent quality that made it look surreal. Then, suddenly, it dawned on him, with all this natural splendor surrounding them, he had seen or heard nary a creature. No birds, not even a bug. He inhaled deeply. With all the grass and flowers, no scent?
Carlos stared at Cain's rigid posture and almost snarled as they came to the edge of a cliff. The bastard had the arrogant stride of a king, head held all high and whatnot.
"I still maintain a lair at the realm's edge. You may lodge there, if you choose," Cain said with disinterest. "Or if you prefer to go into the valley and reside at my summer palace for the duration, it is your choice."
Carlos just looked at him. "Do I seem crazy to you--like I'd let you set me up in a lair up in the f**king mountains alone? You might not be able to smoke me, but one of your boys could, and my blood wouldn't be on your hands; I ain't stupid." The reference to a lair disturbed him. One near the border, one so very close to his boo... a place where if she tripped through the rip could be where... Carlos lifted his chin a little higher, fighting the curiosity of what Cain's spot looked like. "I stay with you."
"As you wish." Cain sighed and shook his head. A sly smile tugged at his mouth. "However, it is a long way down the mountainside, baby brother. If you get tired, I can always throw you over my shoulder and carry you the balance of the way. Just let me know."
Carlos's eyes narrowed.
"You'll kill yourself going down," Cain said, badly concealing a chuckle. "Look over the edge."
Carlos brushed past Cain but gave him wide berth as he passed. Just the slight bump against Cain's rock-solid frame told him the entity was getting stronger, if that was possible. He peered down the steep incline and saw clouds, then small dots of buildings and movement. Whateva. He had vamp in him and could get down unassisted.
Cain shook his head. "You have not acclimated to our vibration. Your body is still too dense. Perhaps we should wait a few hours before you enter my kingdom."
Again Carlos stared at him, gaining critical information from the brief statement. If the entity was losing density but gaining strength on this side of the rip, then that also meant that when on the other side of it, his side, he would possibly lose some power in the density transition. All right. He could work with that.
"Oh, please, you're a king, da man? Gimme a break."
"Yes," was all Cain said, and he walked toward a steep crag.
Maybe it was the flat nonplussed tone that Cain had used to answer him, but it messed with Carlos no end. He was a king? Damali had gone too far!
But he was forced to watch in awe as Cain slid his sword out of the heavy leather harness down his back, touched it to the rock wall, and made the illusion of natural landscape dissipate. Huge black onyx sphinxes guarded the entrance to what appeared to be a heavily columned temple. When they purred a welcome, Carlos jumped back. Cain chuckled and began walking forward. His footsteps left jeweled green energy in their wake that spread out on the carpet of what had seemed like grass to overtake it.