"If Carlos and Damali don't hurry up and get back here..." Mar�lene muttered, watching sections of the hacienda collapse as smoke continued to spiral.
"Why don't you allow the cute one to draw the dragonsss?" the serpentine hybrid asked. "You sssshould have had flagssss all around your fortressss that could come to life. Are you not from the Old World, my lovely, lovely artissssst? Tell me Tibet or India..."
"The Philippines," Jasmine said with a shy curtsy, making Bobby spit.
"Closssse enough," the serpent hybrid murmured in a low sexy tone, beginning to seductively sway. "I could ssshow you what Zehi-radangra looked like if-"
"I don't think so," Bobby said, stepping in front of Jasmine. "Just tell us what she's gotta do to protect base camp."
"Paint on white fabric for purity," the nymph said, folding her arms and scowling at the leering male entities around her. "Forgive them. Anyway. If you have a tactical Guardian with charged blood that is in harmony with her energies, you may use that. No horrible blood sac�rifices and dark spells," she added in a tight voice that made Hubert smile and look away. The nymph shivered. "Eeew... disgusting!"
"Like... uh," Bobby said, glimpsing Jasmine, "somebody who, uh, is close to her?"
"A wizard would be perfect, especially if he has a magnetic attrac�tion to her." The nymph's voice softened as she glimpsed Marjorie. "It wouldn't take much."
"How close, Bobby?" Marjorie said, her eyes narrowing.
"Friends, Mom," Bobby said, opening his arms. "That's all, for the good of the team."
"Stand down, Marj," Berkfield muttered. "It's a lost cause and a done deal... like you told me." He cut a glare toward J.L. "Remem�ber that conversation about having to accept the unacceptable?"
Marjorie walked away and stood by Marlene, fuming. "Fine."
"Just let her draw with his blood onto the fabric and with the right energy jolt..." the nymph said, lowering her gaze with a smile, "whatever she draws will come to life to always fight on your side. It might get you through the night, if your Neterus do not return before dark."
"I can sketch anything crazy she wants," Jose said, his tone open and no longer defensive. "Then Jasmine could trace over it with a brush or knife, whatever we can salvage here on the beach. Just dot along the lines I draw so you don't have to take more than a pint from Bobby." Jose looked at Marjorie and spoke in a conciliatory tone. "For the team."
"But she will need her polarities adjusted by a warlock or a wiz�ard," the nymph said, swallowing a shy smile. "It is usually done in a private exchange, but you all probably would not sanction that."
Bobby smiled and looked away as his mother cringed. "Uh, yeah, no problem."
J.L. bit his lip and tried to keep from laughing as Berkfield cast a dirty look in his direction.
"My daughter ain't participating in no freaky luau on the beach, got that J.L.? I don't care what her gift is from her mother's side. As it is, with all this hocus-pocus, the Covenant is probably flatlining! Wait until Father Pat hears about this shit... This is waaay outside the boundaries of organized-"
"You heard that?" Inez said, glancing at Mike and then out toward the sea.
Everyone fell quiet as Big Mike neared Inez. "No, suga. What is it?" he said, tilting his head like a giant hunting dog.
Inez's gaze became distant and glassy. "It's like drums," she mur�mured, holding the group hostage with her words. "I can see stuff moving in the stones, like serpents coming alive. I heard it first, and then felt it, before I finally saw it." She shivered hard and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's in some kinda old ruins."
Hubert nodded. "Aztec."
"My baby done seen and heard some shit like in a real vision?"Mike smiled wide and hugged Inez off her feet. "You did it! You heard some mess that evenI couldn't hear?"
"I'm finally coming into my own, ya think?" Inez said, laughing as Mike swung her up higher in his hold.
"I can't believe it-you actually heard something creeping before me, suga, dang!" He laughed hard and set Inez down with a sloppy kiss, making her giggle. "Plus, you got visions... shoooot... we can talk about this later, one-on-one. But, uh, I really don't want you messin' with the unknown until we can thoroughly check it out, though."
"Yeah, well, I don't care who sees what, my daughter ain't doing no ceremony on the beach," Berkfield said, folding his arms.
"Nor is my son," Marjorie said, fussing as she glimpsed Jasmine. "No matter what he might have done before, all this sounds too dan�gerous. Spiritually speaking."
"Yeah, and Heather isn't participating in anything until we know who you guys really are," Dan argued.
"Word," Jose said, glancing at Juanita, then Hubert.
"Shit, you ain't gotta worry about me," Juanita said, holding Jose's gaze. "I don't mess with no spiritual nothin' I don't understand. Been there. Didn't like where it took me."