Between Books









Between
Books: Volume

Twenty- Training Day Part II


After The Forbidden,
Before The Damned
December 2005
Later that evening, after
training, around midnight

From her peripheral vision Damali glimpsed Carlos watching her. Shabazz
had called the entire team into the dining room after the dinner table
had been cleared. Newbies sat in chairs with senior Guardians leaning
over their shoulders pointing at diagrams. Intense gazes paid studious
attention to the next dayłs training mission.

It was gonna be a rough one. Earlier today wasnłt nothing. With
Marjoriełs promising display, everything had just kicked up a notch. The
positive vibe was thick enough to make the air in the house
intermittently crackle. Every newbie was energized and focused, each
wanting their personal gift to finally break through and shine.

Maps of the obstacle course terrain had been spread out before the
juniors; J.L. was showing the newbies the logistics of mock demon-tunnel
construction. Jose was explaining why the weres kept the entrances to
their nests low so that a creature on all fours could move with a speed
advantage, while two-legged humans couldnłt.

Damali knew she should have been paying attention and adding her
comments, too. But something primal already had her in its grip and
wasnłt letting go without a fight. There was no weapon she knew of that
could get it up off her. This beast named desire was no joke.

Dan gave poignant insight about the entities not being able to actually
grab a weapon out of onełs hand, if it had been properly treated with
sacred elementsthe same reason vamps could mentally make untreated
clothing vanish, but not the newbiełs weapons. That only gave Marlene a
reason to rag about the importance of doing the laundry to
specifications, lest the team find themselves in a lair hot-zone buck
naked, simply because someone slacked on the job. Damali tried to focus,
lest she slack on her job right now.

All instructors, except her and Carlos, were rapt as Rider explained how
to hold onto onełs weapon while moving through the tunnel sludge. Mike
told the newbies what to listen for. Jose eloquently explained what to
try to delineate as a tell-tale demon scent, and that the seniors would
add sulfur marker decoys along the way for the newbies to locate amid
the competing, putrid scents. Marlene and Shabazz gave wise advice on
how to find that quiet, still, Zen place within to cope with the coming
ordeal.

Damali just wondered how she and Carlos would get through their own
personal ordeal that was becoming increasingly difficult as the night
wore on.

Right now, there was no such thing as Zen. Her common sense was
unraveling layer-by-layer. She could feel Carlosłs gaze on her from
where he sat casually perched on a kitchen stool on the other side of
the small dining room. With his arms folded and sitting up higher than
the table, he looked like a billiards judge. To everyone else but her,
he exuded ultra cool, his back leaning against the wall. His exterior
repose appeared relaxed, but she knew he was anything but thatlike her.


She was already wet for him and he hadnłt even touched her.

The slight flicker of silver that overtook Carlosłs irises one thread at
a time was a dead giveaway to her manłs growing distress. She saw it
before anyone else noticed, but refused to look at him or acknowledge
it. Every now and then, hełd regroup and quietly battle to get it to
flare down. The intensity of his gaze had put gooseflesh on her arms and
made it hard for her to breathe.

Carlos was taking in slow, even breaths as though summoning patience. He
was laying for her. That, she could also feel. The brother was plotting.
Trying to figure out an angle, how to break her off from the family
herd. Glimpsing him, she knew he was working on a strategy to get to her
alone, somewhere very soon. She wanted that in the worst way, but was
trying to hold onto a very fragile line without losing her balance.

Quiet knowledge was destroying her. The mat exercises were hot foreplay
that had been left unresolved to simmer for hours afterwards. Slow cook,
low flame. His eyes hunted her. Tonight she was prey. Hełd hardly
touched his dinner. Yet, Carlosłs sensual hunger was palpable all way
across the room. Just sensing that made her crazy. It had been a long
timetoo long and she was only human.

Damali let down her psychic guard for a moment and glimpsed Carlos
quickly again from a sideline glance. J.L. was still talking. Good.

Although the desert evening was cool, a large V of sweat had dampened
Carlosłs red t-shirt. Beads of perspiration peppered his forehead and
upper lip. Every now and then hełd casually lick his lips and take in a
slow inhale through his mouth. Good God.

Keeping her distance, not trusting herself, Damali stayed close to the
kitchen door and tried hard to watch the lesson that really should have
intrigued her. But it was nearly impossible to concentrate now. Her
mouth was going dry just from picking up Carlosłs heavy vibe. She could
feel him watching her like a panther. He remained as still as stone,
then slowed his breathing until it almost stopped, his eyes keened on
her. The slightest movement she made, his current was all over her. His
vibration was stalking hers, crouched low and ready to pounce, if
opportunity would allow. Maybe later once everyone was asleep, this time
shełd let it.

Thankfully, the newbies werenłt that tuned-in yet, and none of the
seniors gave notice or balked. They were probably just as messed up from
their own personal dilemmas. Marlene was even cool. Damali knew none of
the seniors were particularly concerned, given there was little Carlos
could do about the house edict, as long as she held the line. That was
the problem, she wasnłt sure that she could much longer.

Damali centered herself, trying to find that ephemeral Zen place that
wasnłt within her now to be had. She gave Marlene a private glance to
let her mother-seer know she wasnłt crazy. Maybe, in part, she was
trying to convince herself and needed visual confirmation from Marlene.
She wasnłt sure, when tonight she definitely had to be. None of the
Guardians looked up as the lesson proceeded without incident. The
turmoil would pass. It was only temporary, Damali told herself, making
it a private mantra.

However, as J.L.Å‚s hair began to subtly rise with static electricity,
panic shot through her. J.L. was the closest senior tactical sitting
near Carlos. It hit him, went around the room to buzz Dan, and then
mildly arced into Shabazzłs locks. J.L. fought not to look up, as did
Dan. Shabazz just coolly shook it off. But when Damali glanced up with
the intent to give Carlos a hard-eyed warning to be cool, he was already
staring at her with solid silver.

Damali looked away quickly, almost having to lean against the wall to
catch her balance. She watched J.L. struggle to maintain his scholarly
focus, and heard him accidentally repeat himself twice.

“Anybody want some water?" J.L. finally said, clearly needing to walk
away for a moment to distance himself from Carlos. “IÅ‚ve being talking
non-stop for almost an hour, people."

“Yeah, bring everybody some cold water," Shabazz muttered as J.L. passed
Damali.

“IÅ‚ll help," Damali offered, also needing to get out of the room for a
minute.

To her horror, even though no one else looked up, from the corner of her
eye she saw Carlos slide off his stool in one fluid move. He then
casually loped around the team, not drawing any particular attention to
himself and entered the kitchen behind her.

J.L. stood up from the fridge so quickly that he almost banged his head
on the top freezer door handle. “Yo, I didnÅ‚t even hear you walk in,
man." He smiled tensely at Carlos and handed him a water bottle. “Damn
that was old-school vamp."

Carlos just looked at the bottle and then turned his line of vision on
Damali. “I donÅ‚t need water, thanks. But I do need to talk to
youalone."

“I have to get these waters into the other room with J.L.," she
protested, nervously beginning to gather the bottled waters that were
lined up on the counter.

Carlos grabbed her hand and slowly drew her to him. “Later."

J.L. stood momentarily trapped in an awkward position, looking between
Carlos and Damali. “Uh I can get those. IÅ‚ll tell Ä™em uh, something,"
he said and then hurried out of the room with the first armload he
carried.

Carlos started walking, his fingers threading through hers and
tightening as he gently pulled her along to follow him.

“Are you crazy, Carlos?" she whispered, hurrying to get next to him to
bring him to a halt.

He just nodded and yanked back the flimsy, accordion plastic door to the
pantry, which the team had turned into a makeshift laundry room. “We
need to talk," he said flatly, and spun her around him and then yanked
the partition closed behind him.

“Oh, my God," she whispered, wiping her palms down her face. “Man, you
have lost your mind?"

“Yeah," he said quietly. His silver eyes and the faint yellow haze from
the kitchen light showing through the plastic door, was the only
illumination in the tiny room.

“No, back up," she said in a panicked whisper, flat-palming him hard
against his stone-cut chest. She froze as she heard J.L. return to
gather the rest of the water bottles and waited until he left the
kitchen again before speaking. “You have thirty-seconds to state your
case, Carlos, and then wełre outta here. The only reason Iłm standing in
here with your crazy ass like this is because IÅ‚m too embarrassed to
move!" She glanced around, straining to listen for intruders. “IÅ‚ll say
we went on the porch to get some air while we discussed tomorrowłs
training exercise tactics wełve heard so far."

“Tell me when my thirty-seconds to plead my case starts," he murmured in
the semi-darkness, his voice a low rumble.

“Now. Whatchu gotta say that"

The kiss he delivered was so hard and so furious, and had hełd backed
her up against the dryer so fast that, for a moment all she could do was
hold onto his broad shoulders. He came out of the kiss like he was
suffocating, his hands gripping her upper arms only to slide across her
shoulders in a hot sweep and then splay at her back. He moved against
her, grinding out the pent-up frustration theyłd both felt until the
sound of denim friction filled the tight space.

“Nine weeks and IÅ‚m no longer pleading my case, IÅ‚m begging," he said in
a gasping whisper, rapidly spilling kisses down her neck as he spoke in
fast, broken jags. His mouth captured her nipple through her tank top,
and he suckled it until her eyes crossed beneath her lids. “You asked me
if Iłm crazy, the answer is yes. Si! I donłt care."

“I do," she whispered into his mouth as he lifted his head to claim her
lips. It took everything in her to fight the impulse to go with his
insane flow.

“My balls feel like theyÅ‚re about to be sucked up into my abdomen," he
said in a gasp as their kiss broke. “Girl, I miss you so much, I can
smell you all over the house." His fingers tangled in her locks and
tightened as he pulled her forward slowly by her hair for another
punishing kiss. “ItÅ‚s midnight, my time, and, mi corazon, you know what
the night does to me when IÅ‚m around you nine weeks of sheer agony, por
favor."

Her jeans were sticking to her. His body was hot iron. The earlier
demonstration on the mat had messed them both up. It was no secret. Her
butt was pressed against the dryer, and he hiked up her tank top before
she could pull out of the next kiss. Hełd pleaded his case so damned
well that tears of raw want brimmed in her eyes. He quickly kissed them
away, making them fall, chasing them down her cheeks with his nose.

“Oh, baby, IÅ‚m feelinÅ‚ it like that, too so bad I wanna fucking cry
myself. Donłt you know?" His words began to melt her spine and make her
hips work with his driving rhythm. “Every morning, each time I wake up
shit and roll over, IÅ‚m about to go blind."

She clamped her hand over his mouth. “YouÅ‚re talking me outta my
drawers. Donłt."

He kissed the inside of her palm, then licked it, as he slid his hand
between their bellies and then between her legs. The long-missed
sensation caused her to clamp a hand over her own mouth to hold back a
moan. But when his palms covered her breasts that was it. She felt her
willpower evaporate and knew hełd felt it, too.

Her hands fell away from their mouths and found his shoulders. An
opportunity had indeed presented itself. Shełd left herself vulnerable,
currently in the same condition as her nose: Wide open. Hełd use the
judgment lapse to break her down, for sure. Her jugular was already in
his mouth being suckled.

“Baby" SheÅ‚d forgotten the other half of the statement as her hips
undulated with his. She was supposed to be saying, “Baby, stop," but the
ęstopł part never left her throat. Her soft groan had drowned it out.


He picked-up on the unfinished sentence and filled in the blanks,
blowing her mind verbally as he caressed her nipples. “All I keep
thinking about," he murmured, in a low, thick voice against her neck,
constantly rubbing her breasts as he spoke, each taut nipple gliding
between his fingers, “is after nine weeks how good itÅ‚s gonna be. ItÅ‚s
been too long, girl. Donłt you want to?"

When she answered with a shattered whimper, he rained damp heat down her
throat in ardent attention and spoke against her collarbone, his hips
still moving.

“I keep remembering how tight you are, how good you feel gloving me,
ęMali and ęcause itłs been so long I canłt get my mind off how tight
youłll be now like that very first time. Slick perfect fit. I canłt
stand it. Your skin feels like butter. Jesus, woman, just looking at you
and hearing your voice every day is pure torture. Cłmon, baby, letłs do
this. We gotta."

She clapped her hand over her mouth again to keep from making another
sound.

“Oh baby, damn they wonÅ‚t hear us, and wonÅ‚t miss us I swear to God
this wonłt take long," he said, his movements against her growing more
urgent as his arms wrapped around her waist in an anchor position.

She clapped a hand over his mouth again when he groaned. It was so
ridiculous, yet so necessary, she wanted to shriek. She had one hand
over his mouth, the other over hers, and he was moving against her like
a freight train, beginning to bang her against the dryer with a very
distinct, repetitive thud. She tried to keep her hands in position and
push off the appliance with her foot. But her insane solution had not
only created muffled passion, it also left her entire body exposed.

He was now between her legs and had separated them with his knee, then
he went for her jeans fastenings. Her eyes almost bugged out of her
skull as she tried to shake her head no. This was too tacky!

Unfortunately, shełd made a crucial mistake when shełd moved. He dipped
his pelvis lower to further erode her resolve.

The hard length of him was now rubbing directly against her bud. Every
stroke that was thinly separated by wet denim sent a shudder through her
that finally forced her to release their mouths. She couldnłt take it.
The sensation nearly made her cry out. Instead of pushing him away, her
hands sought his back, and then yanked up his shirt so she could feel
his glorious skin against her entire torso.

Sudden heat from the flesh contact made him drop his head to her
shoulder and move against her harder, her hands reveling in the way his
deep breaths caused his back to expand and contract. He smelled so good,
tasted even better, he felt fantastic God, shełd missed him so much!


Reeling in his arms, she was so close to the edge of an orgasm that her
nails began to rake his skin. Not thinking, he was practically pushing
her up onto the dryer. Losing all perspective her legs wrapped around
his waist as he lifted her and halfway tried to get up onto the flat
surface with her.

The lid buckled from their weight and created a loud bang. They both
froze for a second.

“Oh, shit," she whispered.

“*bleep* it." He kept leaning her backward, his voice now sub-sonic
bass.

“No!" she said in a quiet hiss between her teeth.

“Then what do you want me to do!" he said too loudly, making her cringe
and cover his mouth again fast.

His eyes searched hers, holding instant panic within them. He jerked his
mouth away from her cupped palm, eased back slowly, kissed her hard, and
then started babbling in an urgent whisper.

“Please just donÅ‚t say no, not tonight. No mas, por favor. I donÅ‚t care,
the shed, one of the Hummers, the obstacle course, whateva take a walk
with me in the woods, girl. Best two out of threeIÅ‚m about to bust a
nut in my jeans I swear I never thought IÅ‚d have to admit some shit
like that to you, baby, but I missed you so much thirty seconds inside
you and IÅ‚m done."

“Carlos be quiet," she said through her teeth, and then kissed him hard
while trying to slide off the dryer. “I want to as much as you do"

“Just pull down your jeans before I lose it up in here," he said in a
tight whisper against her neck, the bricks of his stomach contracting
with each word. “We can work it out."

“The dryer will bang," she said with a forlorn moan, kissing his neck
and shoulder, her perspective shot to hell.

“Then on the floor, all fours, no dryer"

“What! If they open the door and see that, IÅ‚ll die."

“Shit, like we ainÅ‚t dying now?" He was sucking in huge gulps of air,
nuzzling her so forcefully that his five-ołclock shadow was putting
friction burns on her throat.

She held his face firmly and kissed him fast, her mind scavenging for a
compromise. Sweat was running down their backs. Condensation was
beginning to build on the walls around them. Something had to give.
Theyłd passed the point of no return. His hands were all over her,
resonating with a single vibration; let me get some or IÅ‚ll die. The
solution she mentally landed scorched them both in a shared vision.

“YouÅ‚d do that, here, now?" he asked. He stared at her unblinking. His
barely audible question was strangled by awe.

She nodded.

“Oh, God, I love you, D," he murmured in a near sob and then began
kissing her so feverishly her lip almost split.

She hugged him hard, tore her mouth from his, and spoke quickly in his
ear. “IÅ‚ll swallow and act like I had to go to the bathroom to pee, and
then brush my teeth. You take a walk outside after, so the noses donłt
automatically bust us. All right? I canłt be caught doing this. Thatłs
non-negotiable."

An _expression of appreciative agony spread across his face as she
gently raked her fingers over his nipples and sought his jeans button.
The soft sound he made and swallowed almost caused her to take off her
clothes. To avoid that foolish option, she kissed him hard again and
muffled his gasp. His hands tightened on her arms and one look said it
alldo it. Terms gladly accepted.

“But youÅ‚ve seriously gotta promise to be quiet, though, while I go for
this. Okay?" she whispered quickly, trying to get him out of his pants.


The moment she touched him he bit his lip and shuddered so violently
that tears spilled over his closed lashes.

Still teetering on the edge herself, she could definitely relate. But
from what she knew of her man, his condition seemed far worse than hers.
Carlosłs brows were knit, his devastated _expression held in-state
somewhere between intense pleasure and extreme pain as he fervently
nodded. But he was now so hard that it was impossible to get him out of
his jeans without pulling them down over his hips or shełd accidentally
scrape him on his zipper.

She squatted, looked both ways, her heart thudding, both of them
breathing like racers while she hurriedly inched down his pants to free
him. As soon as she did, he dropped his head back, put a fist against
his mouth, and allowed the trapped moan to implode inside his chest.

Instant reflex, her palms cupped his clenched ass and she nearly gasped
from the tight, smooth feel of it in her hands. Pleasure denied too long
was eating them up. The man she loved needed immediate relief. Even
though she wanted him inside her in the worst way, this solution was
best, given the circumstances.

What was left of her judgment told her that, if she pulled down her
jeans for him, that would kick things up to a whole different level of
sheer madness. Pure chaos. She had to focus and just give him what he
needed, like hełd done for her so many times before.

His ragged breaths hastened her to draw him into her mouth, remembering
every delicious ridge and vein of him by blind touch and taste the
course of her tongue knowing the way, guided by the taunt muscle beneath
his burning skin that spasmodically contracted to the rhythm he wanted
her to follow. She had to be delirious.

He held onto the dryer with one hand to keep from falling when his legs
practically gave out beneath him. Her hands were trembling with need to
the point where she could barely hold him. Time was ticking, the mission
was basic: Stop his agony, pronto.

She slid her hands over his hips and up his inner thighs to fondle his
sack and grip him tighter to keep from strangling on his uncontrolled
thrusts. He was almost there, bent over her, hands shaking, fingers
tangled in her locks. His voice entered her head like the deep
penetration he craved from her body, but couldnłt have. Oh, Jesus

Footsteps paralyzed them both, made them stop breathing, and squeeze
their eyes shut. Shabazzłs easily recognizable shadow loomed beyond the
other side of the plastic door in angry silhouette. Damali covered her
chest with her shaking palm; her heart was about to go into arrhythmia.
A stroke was a good possibility, too. Her mind was screaming; she felt
faint. Donłt open the door, donłt open the door! ęBazz, please, have
mercy, donłt open that door!

“IÅ‚m only gonna say this once," Shabazz said in a quiet, lethal tone.
“You guys have ten seconds to pull yourselves together and open that
damned laundry room door. If I was a demon, your asses would be deadas
would everybody else in the house. IÅ‚ve just started counting. One."

Damali popped up so quickly that she almost bumped her head on Carlosłs
chin. Within two seconds, her tank top was down and Carlos was walking
in a panic-stricken circle, trying to get himself back into his jeans
and zip them up. He sucked in a silent groan, wincing. The quick sound
of metal ripping made Damali cover her face with both hands and breathe
into them not to pass out. With three seconds to spare, she smoothed
down her locks and did a fast decency check on Carlos. After she
received his suffering nod, only then did she reach out and open the
door.

“We were just"

Shabazz held up his hand and cut off her breathless words. “Save it,
Damali. The newbies ainłt hip. But this is way outta line." He took off
his fatigue vest and handed it to her, immediately looking away from her
tank top. “You need to go in there and finish the parts of the training
that you know best, before they pick up the vibe. They may be slow, but
they ainłt all stupid." He looked at Carlos hard and shook his head.
“You, brother, need to take a loooong walk around the house to cool your
ass off. Then sit on the porch until you get your head together."

“Å‚Bazz, man, for real, listen" Carlos said, beginning to
uncharacteristically stutter in an agitated flurry, panting out
sentences. “See, itÅ‚s not what you think. I was just talking to her.
Need a just few more minutes of private convo to work out some details
for tomorrow. Have a heart, man. What had happened was"

“This hot vibe in the house will jack those newbies up," Shabazz said
flatly. “I feel your pain. I do have a heart, thatÅ‚s why IÅ‚m allowing
you two to save face."

He gave Carlos a steely grit when Carlos and Damali still couldnłt catch
their breaths.

“I told Ä™em," Shabazz said, almost growling, “that you more advanced and
disciplined Neterus heard something and were doing recognizance around
the perimeter, to cover for you." He drew a breath and let it out
slowly.

Damali closed her eyes and tried to breathe through her nose. But what
was the point; she had just died that thousand death thing shełd been
promising Carlos she would for nine weeks, if something like this ever
went down. Happened right on the spot. Total mortification was in full
effect. Now if a hole would be so kind as to just open in the laundry
room floor, shełd be good ta go. Shełd gladly take a Harpiesł snatch
right now. Anything to get out of Shabazzłs presence. Never again, never
again, never again, till she had her own space, oh, Lawd, never again in
the house!

“But after the top of the dryer went," Shabazz said after a
Zen-gathering pause and speaking in an excruciatingly slow manner, his
tone articulate ice, “Mike looked at me. I looked at Mike. Dan can
barely keep his hands from shaking. Jose is weaving where he stands, and
J.L. canłt thread together a coherent sentence. Sotake a walk, Rivera.
This is raggedy as a bowl of yock. Tomorrow is gonna be one of the
juniorsł toughest lessons ever, and Iłm trying to preserve yłallłs
dignity by excusing this lapse of leadership and letting it slide.
Therefore, I ainłt see shit. I donłt know shit. I ainłt hear shit. I
ainłt feel shit. Iłm sensory numb, right about now. It ainłt my
business, but keeping these newbies safe and training ęem right, is. Mar
had to shut down her third eye ęcause this bull was so ridiculous. In
the laundry room with a full house? Over the top, even for yłall."
Shabazz looked out the kitchen window and just shook his head.

Carlos and Damali sent their gazes off in different directions.

“D," Shabazz said more calmly, obviously having gone to that very
special place deep inside his head. “Go splash some cold water on your
face, take a deep breath, and go school those kids and get ęem ready to
rumble. ThatÅ‚s your job." He looked at Carlos. “Rivera, since you
clearly ainłt gonna get no sleep tonight, youłre on patrol. So, patrol.
Outside. Thatłs your job. I donłt want you in that packed bedroom
tonight tossing and turning in your sleep, sending shockwaves through
the house, trippinł out newbies, and keeping even some of the senior
Guardians up all night with youfeel me? One near catastrophe per
twenty-four hours is enough."

Carlos nodded but never looked at Shabazz. The muscles in both menłs
jaws were pulsing. Damali slipped out of the makeshift laundry room
around Shabazz too humiliated to even speak. But in her haste to escape
further scrutiny, she momentarily forgot that she was standing in front
of Carlos for a reasonto be his visual shield.

“Damn, man," Shabazz said turning and walking away. He pointed at the
kitchen door that led to the porch without looking at either of them.
“Leave by that exit, Rivera. The team donÅ‚t need to see you all jacked
up like that. Be smooth. This ainłt nowhere near smooth. Shit!" Shabazz
stalked out of the kitchen, blue static current crackling through his
locks.

The elder Guardianłs words haunted them both as Damali held onto the
edge of the sink and began running cold water from the tap to dab her
face. Oh, Godshe couldnłt breathe. Carlos passed her, lingered behind
her for a moment, but then wisely kept moving as she dropped her head
forward and simply closed her eyes.

“Meet me on the porch later?" he asked quietly as he stood by the door,
still messed up and obviously insane.

She couldnłt even look at him. Her face burned hotter as she glimpsed
the wet spot on her tank top under Shabazzłs vest where Carlosłs mouth
had been.

“Get away from me, Carlos Rivera," she said softly, her tone brimming
with repressed hysteria. “Baby, please, por favor. Just stop, before I
have to kill you."