"Was crazy, boss," Big Mike said. He nodded to Inez. "Get our brother some water. I think this shock just used up one of his nine lives."
"I'm cool," Carlos said, allowing the blade to dangle at his side. "Where's D?"
"She didn't get back from the Queen's summit yet," Shabazz said. "She wasn't in the house when it happened." He shoved a stool away from the counter toward Carlos. "Sit down and take a load off, man. We got some crazy catching up to do before sunset."
Damali gripped her Isis as Aset kissed her gently and escorted her to the edge of the violet pyramid. There was nothing to say other than good-bye and Godspeed as she stepped into the strobe of the purple light. But... oh... woe unto Cain's no-good, low-life ass for what he had done to Carlos and Eve. Damn what he had done to her. She wasn't half as angry about that as she was about the other more dear hearts Cain had broken.
When her feet hit the beach, for a second all Damali could do was stare.He had razed her house to the ground with her family in it? She couldn't even propel her body forward as she watched plumes of bil�lowing smoke rise from the hacienda. Emotions too numerous to sort rocked her mind, colliding fury with core-wrenching grief.
The frantic people who were fighting the blaze blended with fast-moving still-frame images of demons spiraling through the air from Nod, Mike's RPG blast, Marjorie's scream, Bobby being dragged across the floor by a spaded tail. "No!"
Carlos's war scent haunted the air like a thickening fog. She could see Shabazz and Rider emptying clips, Dan exploding holy water vials. Bobby's blood was fresh kill on the breeze. Damali jerked her head toward it; the scent was coming from the villa. She cringed and briefly closed her eyes. They had eaten the poor newbie alive!
Then she inhaled deeply and opened her eyes-Heather and Jas�mine had been raped. Damali was shaking her head as rocks, the surf, grunting sounds fused with the image of victory flags planted in the four cardinal points around her and Carlos's villa. Even now she could smell a huge demon's scent coming downwind from there-had to be the one that was feeding on warm bodies pulled from the inferno.
But eleven, twelve entities had ransacked the house. The sand was still vibrating with their energy. A huge one had obviously stayed be�hind to create a base camp a few miles away in the old honeymoon villa. The reality brought instant insanity. She would slaughter Cain a hundred times over. Carlos had come home before her, and had made his last stand on the beach.
Damali threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut. There was nothing left to live for. Her family was destroyed, her man killed, all she ever knew and loved. Her Isis was in the air, held by a two-handed grip above her head.
"Cain,you motherfucker, come get me! This is war!"
Cain dropped his goblet and stood. Fallon Nuit was on his feet along with Lilith. The three looked up at the ceiling as a blue-white arc of lightning parted the transport cloud of bats in the ceiling and scorched the center of the Vampire Council table. Clothed in armor within milliseconds, Cain rounded his throne.
"She called me," he breathed out, almost unable to speak. He mate�rialized a Black Death sword in his trembling hand. "Fallon, she called me."
Lilith backed away from the table. "She's insane..." Fallon shook his head and smiled. "She's fantastic."
Carlos jerked his attention around two seconds before Mike did. "Damali!" he hollered. "Oh, shit, baby-no!"
Mike was on his heels and then lost him as Carlos cleared the back deck and was running headlong down the beach. Shabazz tore behind them and the other Guardians came to a slow stop as they realized it was futile.
"Damn!" Mike yelled, kicking sand. "She called Cain out when she saw the hacienda."
"By herself?" Shabazz said, gripping Mike bulging biceps.
Rider began walking in a circle. "Kiss my ass! We should have posted something there for her!"
Mike nodded toward Carlos who was frantically searching the shoreline, blade raised, and yelling Damali's name."Now, we've got a problem."
A black bolt of lightning had hit her squarely in the chest, knocking the wind out of her, and her back collided with a cavern wall. But be�ing temporarily stunned hadn't made her forget. Battle rage brought her off the wall, swinging the Isis with both hands. She couldn't have ventured a guess about which Level of Hell she was on, nor did she care. They could battle all the way down to Seven and beyond.
Steel met steel and the collision sent a hard quake up her forearm into her shoulder, almost chipping a tooth as she set her jaw.
"Sweetness, let me explain," Cain said in an amused tone, backing up as she advanced on him blow for blow.
"You murdered my entire family!" Damali yelled, and then released a war cry that made rocks fall.
"What? Are you mad?" Cain said, catching her next swing against his black blade, and then quickly wrapping his tail around her arm.
"Let me go, you bastard. I will cut out your heart, rip it from your chest with my bare hands!" she screamed, not caring that he was a lot bigger than she'd remembered and a whole lot stronger.
"Your family is alive," he said in a calm, sensual tone, still holding her arm hard with his massive tail.
She yanked away, the scales scraping flesh off her forearm and leav�ing it bloody and raw. "Where are they?" she panted through her teeth, ignoring the searing pain.
"On Earth, I suppose," he remarked coolly, now beginning to circle her. "You think I would do something like that to you?"
She straightened and lifted her chin, on guard for a potential lunge. His admission felt like he'd punched her with relief. For a moment she couldn't answer. "Why not?" she finally said and spat, remember�ing all the other offenses she needed to slaughter him for. "You tore out your mother's heart... Do you have any idea where Eve is now?"