Part 33 (2/2)

”You smell so d.a.m.ned good,” she whispered, her eyes at half-mast. ”I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.” Her hand slid down his chest.

”It's been a long time.”

He held her upper arms, shook his head hard, chasing the vision, trying to catch it. ”There's a book, D.”

”Forget the book,” she said in a husky tone. ”Forget about what happened in the hotel room, okay?”

”What happened in the hotel room, baby?” he said, his voice tight and frantic as he tried to wipe the desire haze from mind. He shook her gently. ”Damali. Focus. What happened in the room?”

She rose on her tiptoes and suddenly crushed her mouth against his. ”I don't care,” she said as she pulled away, and then crushed his mouth again, sending her tongue into it. She swayed in his arms and gripped the back of his hair tightly. ”Stop playing.”

He stared into her now gla.s.sy eyes that glittered with something dangerous. ”There's a book-”

She covered his mouth again, her body writhing against his as she yanked back his head, her gaze dedicated to his jugular. The sensation of watching her eyes produced near vertigo, but something inside him cried out for understanding.

”Not while I'm apexing,” he said, suddenly pus.h.i.+ng her away.

”Are you nuts?” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

”No. Something's wrong.”

”You're d.a.m.ned straight, something's wrong,” she said, her tone icy. ”What the f.u.c.k is wrong with you?”He blinked twice and stared at her. ”What is wrong with you?” he said in a shocked whisper. ”D... talk to me.”

Her arm pulled away from her body as she pointed at him in a hard snap. ”Who is she? What is she? You talk to me, dammit.”

Damali walked away and stood between the two monk cots in the room. ”How long have you been dealing with this b.i.t.c.h?

Huh!”

Carlos held up his hands. ”Keep your voice down. We don't need the family in this. Baby-”

”I remember what happened on my porch,” she said, her voice low and seething with rage. Her breaths came out in short bursts; tears rose to her eyes but didn't fall. ”You washed me into my living room, opened my f.u.c.king nose so wide a tractor trailer could drive through it, and then backed off-left me hanging.” She closed her eyes and hugged herself and shuddered hard. ”All right. I was wrong about pus.h.i.+ng you away... about having a temporary lapse and thinking about somebody else for a second.

I'm sorry. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? Done. I'm sorry.” She wiped her hands down her face and breathed into them, her line of vision again capturing his. ”But, baby, don't do me like this.” She shook her head as she approached him slowly. ”Not tonight.”

Information attacked his mind. Her words were connecting to a distant memory, colliding with the present. It was like she was possessed, wanted him more than ever, but he couldn't respond the way she needed him to. The memory contained a red flag of danger. Her body moved too sensually across the floor. Her voice had dropped to an octave that wasn't hers. The competing images of what he knew and what he loved stripped pa.s.sion away, dulled the ache her s.e.xy advance caused. There was no silvery-gold flicker in her wide brown irises. The inner glow was too dark.

”Back off,” he ordered and jumped over a bed to avoid her. ”What happened in the hotel room?”

She met him on the other side of the cot in a lightning move. ”What did you say?”

He avoided an open hand slap, and grabbed her jaw. Instead of a punch he'd expected her to hurl, she closed her eyes. Her scent filled the room. Ripening Neteru began to enter his nose, but it was off and contained sulfur. That's when he pushed her back and slapped her.

”Damali! Where are you?”

She held the side of her face, looked dazed for a second and then normalized. Her hand rubbed her cheek as she stared at him.

”Have you lost your mind?' she whispered in her normal voice. ”You hit me?” She spun around and walked to the door. ”You hit me in my face because I was trying to kiss you?”

”D, it wasn't like that,” he said, coming toward her, but she held up her hand. ”That's not what happened!”

”Now I'm crazy?” she said in disbelief. ”I'm out. I need air. Follow me and I'll cut your d.a.m.ned throat in the streets.”

”D, wait!”

But it was too late; she was out the door.

She walked a hot path-to where, she wasn't sure. The streets were still loaded with pedestrians and tourists. Cyber cafes and restaurants bustled with nightlife. All she wanted to find was a bench to sit down on and weep. The man had hit her, an unpardonable offense. He'd actually slapped the f.u.c.king taste out of her mouth. A hundred possibilities ran through her mind.

Was he living on the down-low now? Plenty of sisters had to cope with that. Another woman? Relapsing? Detoxing? Whatever.

It didn't matter. The man she was with was domestically violent. Unacceptable. She was out. His a.s.s was possessed. Screw the contagion as an excuse. End game.

She stopped on a corner. Where the h.e.l.l was she gonna go? She was in freaking Tibet and had a mission to accomplish. She turned back toward the building that housed her team. She had to go back, had to get the angel tears, slay the Chairman, and get them all back to the airport in one piece. Had to find... her thoughts trailed off as she saw Carlos running down the street.

Her first impulse was to unsheathe her blade and gore him. Too dramatic in a foreign country. She'd get her own room; this bulls.h.i.+t was over. She didn't care what he had to say.

”Listen,” she said, one finger in his face as he came near.

”I was out of my mind,” he said, then jerked her to him and covered her argument with a deep, sensual kiss. ”I've been stressed, you've been stressed. I hate this s.h.i.+t. Let's get out of here. Tibet is giving me the hives.” He covered her mouth again before she could respond and set cool fire to her skin.

She tried to pull out of the kiss but felt something close to delirium capture her mind.

”I want this worse than you do,” he said into her hairline. ”C'mon. Let's find somewhere to be alone.” He raked his nose down the side of her throat, sending s.h.i.+vers along her spine.

She closed her eyes, swayed, and dragged her nose across his collarbone. He released a low, quiet moan. The adrenaline spike, along with whatever he was trailing, made her nearly forget she was standing outside on a busy street. It was reflex when she ran her fingers through his hair. She could feel his jaw become packed with sudden steel, just like what was pressing against her thigh.

”Oh, s.h.i.+t, I've missed you,” she whispered.

”I know,” he crooned, a fang now threatening to break the skin of her throat.

She couldn't take it; he'd pushed her past the point of shame in the streets. She bit him, no hesitation in the strike, and felt his knees buckle. But when she did so, the taste in her mouth was metallic. He lifted his head and smiled, but his eyes were just a shade too dark. No silver flicker behind his irises. His signature scent evaporated. He caught her breath.

”d.a.m.n,” he murmured. ”Perfect vessel.”

Before she could respond, he glanced over his shoulder, snapped, and was gone.

She looked up and Carlos caught her. She could have sworn he had on a black designer suit just moment ago, how the h.e.l.l did he get into a T-s.h.i.+rt and jeans so fast? Then she remembered. Oh, yeah, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had slapped her. She pushed him away, still enraged.

”Do not touch me!” she shouted, not caring that heads turned on the street. ”Back off or die.”

”D, I was worried,” he said in a gentle tone. ”I had to. Something sealed the door to our room shut when I tried to follow you, and it took-”

”The angels probably sealed the d.a.m.ned door to keep me from cutting your heart out,” she argued, one hand on her hip the other in his face. ”Don't you eva put your hands on me like that. I don't care who you think you are. I'll have your a.s.s in front of a judge so f.u.c.king fast they'll throw the book at you! If you eva hit me again, it's-”

”Angels!” he shouted, walking in a circle. ”The book! Oh, s.h.i.+t, Damali. I have to get the book!”

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