Zehiradangra touched his cheek and walked to the edge of the cliff and stared out at the surrounding mountains, giving Carlos her back as she spoke. "He will not come here to challenge you or me, now that I know."
"What went down, Z? Just tell me, okay? Then I'm out."
"He filled a trust void within her that you had left... the most profound gift one can do for an injured friend. He came to her when she needed him most, a strong, admirable shoulder to lean on when her mate had betrayed her... and he filled her heart with hope that in time there could be another after you who could make her feel the way you once did. I envy her."
"He did all that in one or two visits?" Carlos raked his hair and began walking in an agitated circle.
She nodded without any resistance in her body as her arms dangled lifelessly by her sides. Her voice was monotone and flat, carrying the numbness of a broken spirit.
"How can he face me when he cocreated with her through her music and his, a pure fusion, with her in his arms? There is no more sensual act than cocreation, bringing forth the inner gifts bestowed from On High with another... more so than even physical conception. It is pure Light. He enlivened her body through her mind as his swept the heat of melody through it, releasing resonances not heard on your side."
Her voice faltered and she swallowed hard. "Her spirit opened to accept a trusted act of cocreation... her mind opened to accept his warm friendship, knowing he would not hurt her within that sublime surrender--that was not his intent."
Carlos almost wanted to weep... he vividly remembered when his baby girl had turned her throat to him in sublime surrender, unafraid that he would hurt her, even when he bore fangs. He'd scored her throat, nearly flatlined her pulse... and yet, another man with even stronger vamp DNA in him had scored her with pure sound and light, and never hurt a hair on her head. His stomach was doing cartwheels. Oh, God, help him... this brother was gonna pull her for sure.
Zehiradangra shuddered as Carlos neared her and held her shoulders, nestling her spine against his torso. Yet her voice remained calm, detached, as the vision poured over him in pain-filled waves.
"With those two things, she sang for him, and it ignited his flesh-- and hers--and were it not for a thin remaining thread of love and respect for you... and, I suppose, his for me, she would have . . ." Zehiradangra jerked her head back as Carlos's fingers touched her temples and trembled. "Don't do this to yourself."
Carlos ignored her warning and allowed his palms to slowly flatten against the sides of her head. "I did this to us," he whispered. "I made her go here, so I have to know how bad it is. I'll never know peace until I understand where I went wrong or how this happened. I have to fix this."
"If you touch me and go into my mind, you will never know peace, my sweet. You cannot fix this. It is broken and already almost beyond--"
"I got this. Me and Damali go way back. I ask your permission to see."
"Cain is beyond comprehension, lover. You are not prepared... he is--" "Messing with the wrong one, me. Crossed into my yard. My territory. He might be seasoned as shit over here, but to me, he's just a new motherfucker on my block, and that's my woman. Aw'ight?"
She nodded with a sigh and covered Carlos's hands with hers, keeping her back to him. "I will be here for you, after. You will need a friend. That 1 promise you."
"Cool. 1 can handle it, though."
But no matter how much bravado he'd put in his voice, or how much he'd told himself he could take just about anything he might see as long as this brother hadn't actually slept with Damali--the older woman was right. This was almost worse than if she'd been caught in the act.
He was not prepared to really experience the sensual exchange that had gone down. Carlos dropped his forehead to the back of Zehiradan-gra's neck as the impressions cut him to the bone. He almost pulled his hands away as he saw what Damali had seen on her deck, and then felt Cain's loving, healing balm sweep that all away. Melody filled him up, brought tears to his eyes, and he squeezed them shut.
The sound in his head became multicolored light, which converted instantly to waves and bands of gut-wrenching pleasure. He could feel Damali's skin heat nearly sizzle, as her fully na**d form pressed against Cain's, her body arching like it had only arched for him, thunderous orgasms quaking her womb, her wet scent sending spirals of rage through him that collided with the invading male's scent as her nose dragged along his collarbone, just like he'd shown her! Every erogenous zone on her fired red, then went liquid-hot silver, her Sankofa climbing up her spine one vertebra at a time, her hands splayed across a massive, muscular back... oh Jesus, no... he didn't take her there!
Cain's deep breaths of sudden need ripping his gums--Carlos's own incisors lowered, his chest becoming tight with agony, his woman battling to breathe, trying to do the right thing, slipping fast, wanting to hold the line, but wondering why she should have to... Her voice a razor of uncut desire setting off a perfectly synced release, Cain's with hers, so intense that all Carlos saw beneath his lids for a moment was a blinding, blue-white nova.
Carlos pulled his hands away from Zehiradangra's head and drew in several shaky breaths.
"And he never even bedded her," she whispered. "Never breached your mate throat mark, out of respect--because she was not ready to accept his bite," she said, her voice becoming very far away. "Never took her to his lair, where everything is sound vibration at the cellular level... down to atomic structures. I remember when it was he and I and this realm had sensation... he was magnificent, then, in the flesh. This is what hurts me so badly," she said without turning. "He must really love her, to be so close, to want her so badly, but to force himself to back away... just because a small whimper within her mind begged him not to make her violate you. He could have done that very easily, in her condition. It was his choice not to, as well as hers. She did not have toxic silver in her veins to create a barrier, only pure endorphin rushing within her."
Zehiradangra turned to look at Carlos's stricken expression. "Cain has not been with a woman in longer than you could imagine, and was in an apex heat in the flesh density, but honored her request." She sighed, her tone sad and philosophical. "I cannot remain furious at my friend, I suppose. And yet, he offered you to me, and now I understand why... the man is fair. It was a gesture of repayment for the near miss and transgression."
Carlos didn't need to know any more, nor did he wait for further instructions about how to get back to the other side. His toes flexed at the edge of the cliff, tiny pebbles bit at his feet as he opened his arms, tears streaming down his face, and he just let himself fall forward.
CHAPTER TEN
T he team rode for hours in blindfolded silence, huddled together like sheep in the black van that had become a temporary prison. Yanked to their feet when the vehicle finally stopped, they were shoved and pulled out into a warm climate, but couldn't tell where they were.
They could each feel a strong, angry body beside them, hurrying them along as they stumbled forward being half-pulled, half- dragged, their hands restrained in tight nylon cords behind their backs, and then the brightness beyond their blindfolds gave way to darkness, and it became cool. Instead of their footfalls landing on what had felt like asphalt, they now echoed. The Guardian team was inside a structure somewhere.
"Sit down," they were ordered, and then shoved into what felt like metal chairs. "We have a lot of questions about this terrorist cell you guys are trying to operate on U.S. soil."
No one on the team moved or spoke.
He didn't want to land here. The compound wasn't home. This place would never, ever be home for him again.