Not sure how to answer her mentor without divulging too much, especially when the other women had turned to stare in her direction, Damali chose her words carefully.
"Mar, there's a light that the Darkness can't see through within a union that's prayed over. But if one of the partners breaks the bond and lowers their energy around the marriage somehow, it can still get in to wreak havoc. You're right, though... it's not about paperwork, per se, it's the ceremony, the holy ritual in whatever faith you claim that puts the seal around the couple. It can be just you, your partner, and a cleric or judge, whatever, a witness-it's saying the words to each other in an affirmation of commitment that does it, I suppose."
"I knew it," Mar said quietly. "I poisoned-"
"Kamal was from the side of Light, though, Mar. Remember that," Damali said, trying to help Marlene deal. "Guilt is negative energy. Don't you always tell me that?"
Damali stood and gave Marlene a tender smile, then walked over to hug her. The nervous females on the team needed to see that she wasn't afraid of any were-demon jumping out of Marlene or turning her into a jaguar. Fear was poison, just like guilt, and jealousy, and everything else of that nature. They had to be a cohesive unit to sur�vive another attack.
"Well, I for one think we should all just go ahead and get married," Krissy said, looking at her mother. "Dan is already talking to people quietly about doing life-partner wills, anyway."
Damali hugged Marlene closer and shut her eyes. What else could go wrong? Possible demon incursion outside the fort; half the squad on the rag and armed inside the fort; a group of hybrids AWOL with�out a good navigation system and carrying the fallen; senior Guardians on a rescue-and-recovery mission to parts unknown in Nevada; a clerical and Neteru Council headquarters comm. blackout; a potential outbreak of old purge wounds making everybody jumpy; and now a team of male Guardians about to be descended Upon with marriage ultimatums. Mutiny was in the air. New flowers weren't blooming. Lady luck had thrown up her hands, leaving her as the only female other than Marlene who didn't need feminine hygiene products. There was no justice. No wonder she had a headache and lower back pains.
"See what you started?" Marlene chuckled sadly with a sniff, shak�ing her head. "The brothers are really gonna love you for this one."
He hated returning to the casa without better answers, but sometimes the bullshit just went down like that. Carlos briefly hung back on the wide sweep of front steps and kept his eyes straight ahead as Rider walked inside and poured himself a shot of Jack Daniel's. Shabazz had supposedly peeled away from the small squad to finish unpacking sup�plies and to assist with barriers. Although Carlos was pretty sure that the main reason Shabazz was laying low had everything to do with not wanting to deliver really bad news. It was somebody else's turn this time.
That left Berkfield as the decided spokesman. Gabrielle was, by rights, his sister-in-law, and his wife, Marjorie, would take the news poorly... as would his daughter, Gabby's niece, and Bobby, Gabby's nephew. Jasmine and Heather had also both loved Gabrielle dearly.
Sucking in a deep breath to steady himself, Carlos entered the ha�cienda and followed the sound of Berkfield's voice. He stopped briefly and stared up the wide antebellum-era staircase that curved off in separate directions, wanting sleep more than his next breath. But he had to go into the kitchen. As one of the team's cocommander-in-chiefs, it wasn't about not showing up for the postmortem. Rider raised a short rocks glass to Carlos as he passed.
"Two in one day, hombre," Rider said flatly, and downed his drink. "You want one?"
"If I didn't have to fly another recognizance around half of central Mexico to go look for lost hybrids, under any other circumstance, I would have said yes."
Rider flanked Carlos and they went into the kitchen and stood by the door. Marj took the news just as they'd expected, badly. First there was the flurry of questions, which Berkfield tried to finesse to stem alarm that was already there. Carlos watched the man ransack his mind for a way to put the indelicate as gently as possible.
"Well was there a sign of a struggle? Blood? Anything that would give us clues?" Marjorie stood in the middle of the kitchen, her panic-stricken gaze going between her husband and anyone in the room connected to Gabrielle.
"There was blood, Marj," Rider said quietly. "Honey, listen, we're gonna keep searching. All right?" He looked at Carlos when Marjorie slowly brought her hand up to her mouth.
"Yeah, in a few I'ma go out and look for Hubert and company, and as soon as it's dusk, I'll try Yonnie again... to see if maybe he might help us look, too."
"There's something else you're not telling us, Richard," Marjorie said, her hand dropping away from her face. "I have a very bad feeling." She spun on Heather and Jasmine. "I want to do a rock divination, me. Krissy, Bobby, and you guys. Right here, right now, we go touch some stones or something, however that works, andfind my sister."
"I want you to rest, first," Carlos said in a very calm voice. He could feel Damali's gaze boring into him. "None of you will be strong enough to protect yourselves and also pull info while you're this wrung out. Lie down for a couple of hours, then do it."
"But in two or three hours, the trail will have gone from warm to ice cold!" Marjorie shrieked. "And whatduya mean, protect our-selves? If they've got my sister-"
"Honey, we'll find her," Berkfield said, going to Marjorie to hug her.
"When I think of all the time we missed not getting along or un�derstanding each other, and then, this past year, we made up... but time ran out," Marjorie said, beginning to sob. "Richard, I can't lose her now-we didn't have enough time. I won't waste another minute not looking for her."
Berkfield rubbed Marjorie's back as her tears started a cascade ef�fect from Krissy to Jasmine, and then Heather. Clearly overwhelmed, Berkfield gave J.L. the eye and rare permission to take Krissy upstairs to calm her. Jasmine and Bobby were a mutual wreck and left the kitchen in tears, holding each other up. Shabazz had come in the back door to flank Rider. Mike's supportive arm over the shoulder guided Rider back to the dining room bar. Jose sat stunned between Juanita and Inez, holding both of their hands.
Tell her,Damali quietly urged.It's rippling through your skin, Carlos. The look on the rescue squad's faces, baby, says it all. Marjorie isn't stupid. Her instincts are dead-on.
Wegot there too late, D.Carlos looked at the floor.I picked up a turn in the blood. Lilith was in the mix.
Damali's gaze narrowed with rage.Ain't she always!
Yeah...which would make Gabby a master, if what I think went down, did. With Tara gone,Yonnie's probably got her-but I'm blocked to send or re�ceive from him. I picked up his tracer there, too.
Damali placed a hand on Carlos's shoulder.Then you better also tell Marjorie and anybody who ever loved Gabrielle...orYonnie...that the barriers are up against them until we know whether or not their blood hunger is under control. Don't have Gabby come to a window, Carlos, or Yonnie for that matter, and whisper to their loved ones. This team can't take it right now.
Carlos let his breath out hard and squared his shoulders. "Marjorie, honey, look at me," he said in a firm, gentle tone. He waited until Marjorie lifted her head from Berkfield's shoulder, and he stared into her teary eyes. "I picked up a turn scent while we were in there."
Marlene's gasp from across the room rattled his skeleton.