"Right about through here, you could take a bath in it, and it wouldn't bother me none." He winked at her as she ate a little faster.
"What just got into you?" she said, smiling through bites. "Like, a minute ago, you were all cool, and then all of a sudden-dang."
"I was watching you from behind," he sheepishly admitted, "and then... hey, spontaneous combustion. What can I say?"
She shook her head and kissed him quickly, getting salad dressing on his mouth. "There, at least I feel better knowing you got close to a salad. What am I gonna do with you?"
He pulled back a bit and sipped his wine, smiling, but no longer even interested in the steak. "I have several suggestions about what you can do with me, but the real question is, how are we gonna do this in the family house?" he asked with a smirk, then took another generous sip of wine.
"Very, very quiedy... sneaky... vamp stealth."
He laughed and gave her a sip of wine from his glass. But it was the strangest thing... the later it got and the more he stared at her, the more the sudden testosterone rush slammed him. Yes he loved her, always wanted her, but damn, he was feeling something way past desire. And whatever was suddenly blasting through his system had an after-kick to it that was no joke. While Damali hummed and made a funny face at him, he could feel something summoning pure molten silver to his surface, and at the same time, his old days on a throne were calling out his libido at knock-his-head-back levels. Maybe she'd spiked his steak with some Queen's Council aphro�disiac, because he hadn't felt like this since she'd ripened the first time while he was all vamp.
"Don't ignore me by eating steak. You know I'm telling the truth, and we can't be going back to the house hooting and hollering, Carlos-so stop looking at me like that. And it's gonna be tight while we move the team around from place to place, so you'd better get all that out of your systemtonight," she said, laughing at his slight scowl.
"Quiet."
"Yep, quiet," she said, briefly pressing her fingers to her lips and giggling. "Silent scream."
"Silent scream?"
"You wouldn't."
"Hmmm..." For a moment he just stared at her, wondering if he could take her to the point where a cl**ax hit her so hard and fast that no sound would exit her throat. Maybe he'd been going about this all wrong, dragging it out? Carlos tilted his head and pressed one finger to his lips, studying her windpipe, then shook it off, making her laugh harder.
Yeah, it was their last honeymoon night and all, but he had to chill. This didn't make no kinda sense and was quickly about to border on insane, if he tried what was currently running through his head. Mid-flight she'd freak, and wherethe hell did that come from anyway? No. He took a deep breath, willed his hands not to tremble or quick-snatch her, and forced a smile.Shit.
Carlos kept his expression neutral and his tone light, but he was two seconds from battle bulking on Damali and wasn't even sure if he could pleasure-infuse the bite, he needed her so badly. If he made love to her in this condition, he knew he might actually hurt her, all fun and games aside. No.
"Vamp stealth only, then, huh? Girl, you know I can roll up on you like pure mist," he said, playing off his discomfort, "but uh, I don't think after I materialize, you're gonna be quiet, regardless."
He'd made her giggle so hard she set down her salad, losing inter�est in it. "You talk so much trash, Carlos Rivera."
"Husband, Carlos Rivera," he said, correcting her with a brief kiss. "And you love it, 'cause you know I can back it up."
"That ain't no lie," she said, her smile fading as her gaze went down his body with her hands. His skin was starting to swirl with en�ergy colors beneath the coppery, golden tan the sun had kissed on it. She allowed her fingertips to trace down his stone-cut chest over his permanent brand of her fist clutching an Isis blade, and then slowly down his torso, almost willing his nylon black-and-white Oakland Raiders basketball shorts to disappear. When he obliged the thought and dropped his shorts away in one lithe move, she laughed and shook her head. "You need to stop."
"I'm supposed to give my wife what she wants, right?" he said, laughing in pain as he took her mouth.
She came out of the kiss serious and breathless. "You've always given me what I wanted, Carlos-you." Her arms wrapped around his neck as her legs wrapped around his waist. Whatever had set him off like this turned her on to no end. "That's all I ever wanted from you... was you."
This time there was no playfulness in her tone, or his kiss. As he stalked through the villa with her in his arms, she could feel his body changing and bulking to near battle proportions. The transformation was slightly unnerving, but she rationalized the fleeting nervousness away as a last-night-alone-throw-down-jones. However, the way he dropped her in the center of the bed and looked down at her like she was dinner, fangs fully crested, she briefly hesitated. Even his tattoo was different. It had gone silver, then gold, and was now white-hot, light, and smoking. She wouldn't even look down at the other one. Did she say silent scream? Probably.
He didn't need to tell her; it was brace herself now or never. Shame on her if she wasn't ready. Seeing that message blazing in his eyes oddly got her there in a heartbeat, though. For the first time since they'd been together, it was obvious that he was in no frame of mind to take his time with slow torture. Her man had immediate plunder in his sights and had started breathing hard without her touching him. Devastating.
"Baby, you all right?" she asked quietly, staring up at solid silver in his eyes that had began to turn gold at the edges of his irises.
He shook his head and then immediately blanketed her, not even waiting for her to pull off her clothes.
The full Neteru Council of Queens stood as Eve burst into Aset's violet-glowing meeting chambers in full Egyptian battle armor. Tears streamed down Eve's ashen cheeks, her once dewy, exquisite com�plexion in a ruin. With a stern look, Aset bade the other queens not to move or intervene as Eve rushed toward Aset and grasped her by the upper arms.
"You must grant me the ability to retrieve the Isis blade and the Caduceus!" Eve shouted, her hysteria increasing with every word. "Why have you blocked my ability to summon the blade of justice? I demand that you immediately release it to me and allow me to leave the Neteru Council realms! You cannot leave me unarmed or make me a prisoner at a time like this! Release me."
"I cannot, dear queen sister, and we both know why," Aset said in calm, loving tone. Pain rose from Aset's burnished skin in heat waves as she stared at Eve with unshed tears.
"He's my son!" Eve shrieked, pushing away from Aset and going into a battle stance. "Have you no mercy in your heart, and you call yourself my sister?"
Aset waved her throne lions and the other queens back. "I know he's your son, and it breaks my heart. We are all shattered by Cain's choice. No matter what you think of me in this dark hour, you will always be my sister and a queen to me."