"Look, fellas," she said, turning from the window abruptly. "I'm just gonna - "
Marlene shook her head. Rider stood up. Shabazz stopped cleaning his gun, and the muscles in his jaw tensed. Big Mike folded his arms over his chest. JL let his breath out hard as Jose and Dan passed a nervous glance between them. Humiliation claimed Damali. Damn, she was a junkie.
She stared at her team, but another image in her head eclipsed her physical sight. An erotic touch ran down her arms, and a deep, sensual kiss covered the side of her neck. She struggled for composure as the sensation created goose bumps on her arms. Her ni**les stung with need and she felt herself get wet.
"Is it me, or am I the one who is crazy?" Rider said flippantly. "Give girlfriend a mirror."
"Uh, D," Big Mike said slowly, "baby, your eyes are going gold again."
"Two minutes from now she'll be bearing fangs, if she doesn't sit her ass down and chill," Shabazz fussed.
Rider folded his arms. "You're creepin' us out, Damali. You gotta let this shit wear off. Play some music; watch some TV. Damn I need a drink!"
"You still got that bottle of Jack Daniel's?" JL said, standing and heading toward the kitchen to look for it.
"Bring a coupla glasses," Dan shouted behind him.
"Hell, why stand on ceremony?" Jose added. "Get the cards out and just pass the bottle around. It's gonna be a long night."
There were no words. Never before had she felt so exposed, and so thoroughly out of control. Her business was all in the street; the team was all up in it. Her man was locked up. And her body was talking to her. How in the hell was she supposed to fight this?
"Mar, can I talk to you alone, for a minute?" Damali searched Marlene's face and found a patient but weary expression in it.
"Yeah, hon. In your room."
Relief swept through Damali as she picked up her sword and paced quickly down the hall, listening to Marlene's slow footfalls behind her. As soon as Marlene shut the door, she cast the Isis blade on the bed and began walking in a tight circle, talking fast.
"Mar, I'm losing my mind. What part of this is normal?" She was now breathing hard, trying to collect herself, beyond shame.
"About seventy-five percent of it," Marlene said with a smile, taking a seat on the bed as she studied Damali.
"Okay, okay, okay." Damali continued pacing. "That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah," Marlene chuckled. "I remember those days... the pull was just as strong as a vampire's bite. Uhmmph, uhmmph, uhmmph."
"Well, how do you shake it, get it out of your system?" Damali fought off another shudder and briefly closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and looked at Marlene for an answer.
"Turned you out, didn't he? Uhmmph." Marlene shook her head.
"It's not funny, Mar. Stop laughing. Don't you have an antidote for this shit?"
"Nope."
"For real? Aw, man..."
"Nope."
"It hasn't been twenty-four hours!"
"Nope. And it's gonna get worse before it gets better," Marlene said, swallowing away another chuckle. "That part didn't have jack to do with him being a vampire."
"Oh, man..."
"Yup."
"But, Mar... if I just go out one more - "
"Nope."