Between Light and Dark (25 page)

He could not sleep. And he worried that if his human
body did not get some rest soon, he would be unable to
fight off the pull of his shadow side. He could sense that
part of him, buried deep and held carefully in check, pushing at its boundaries. It seemed to be getting stronger as his
time on Earth continued.

Which was why he stood outside her cabin door late at
night, a week after they had conceived the Earth Balancer.
There was no yearning to spur him to go to her, yet he was
driven to be near Laurell just the same. Humans called it
love. If that was what he felt, he hoped it would dissipate
soon. Perhaps, once I leave this human body and return to the
Light Realm, it will fade.

In the meantime, he could not bear the distance she
seemed intent on putting between them. He raised his hand,
hesitated for just a moment, and wondered at his nervousness. He was a protector of the Light Realm, a god.

And yet, facing this one small human female made his
bones turn to liquid and his stomach twist. He felt like the
most unseasoned of warriors being sent into battle. His fist
met the wood door with a resounding thud. Louder than he
had intended.

He sensed movement inside the cabin, then a dim light
switched on. The door swung open to reveal the object of
his desire. Laurell leaned against the doorjamb wearing a
pink sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. Her hair, which had
grown to just below her ears, was tangled and mussed, her
big eyes soft with sleep.

"I am sorry I woke you," Axiom said.

She tilted her head and crossed her arms. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you here? It's the middle of the night.
And it's freezing out there." She shivered and rubbed her
hands over her arms.

Axiom climbed the last step to the cabin door. He stood
close to Laurell, so close he could smell her sweet scent.

"Nothing, except that you are avoiding me," he added.

Her eyes narrowed. "Axiom. . ." She did not attempt a
denial.

"Nothing, except I cannot sleep. I cannot stop thinking of
you." He grimaced. "And this body wants yours. There is no
yearning, yet I am unable to push you from my thoughts."

Perhaps she saw the desire in his gaze, because her arms
dropped to her sides and her breath caught.

"Do you understand?" he asked. She nodded. Axiom
stepped into the cabin and, twisting his arm around her
waist, tugged her in with him. He kicked the door shut and
pulled her tight against him, burying his face in her neck.
She did not move to be free of his embrace. Her body melted
into him, and she raised her arms and circled his neck.

Ah, but she felt good. His flesh sung with need for her.
He wished for the yearning in that moment, because then
he would know what she was feeling. Without its benefit,
he had nothing but her words to rely on, and that made
him feel powerless.

He pressed a soft kiss to the tender flesh at the nape of
her neck. She shuddered. He lifted his head to read her
eyes. They were wide, glistening.

"What is it?" he whispered. How beautiful she looked in
the half light, face scrubbed clean, lips parted, eyes seeking.
What did she seek? He touched one finger to her smooth
cheek. "You are upset. Tell me what troubles you."

"I-" she started, then stopped, her voice husky with
emotion held stubbornly in check. The irony of this did not
escape his notice; it seemed he was not the only one who
struggled to control the feelings growing between them.

"You are afraid?" he spoke for her, when she could not.

"Yes," she said, her spine stiffening a little.

"Of me?" he asked. She gave a half nod, and he saw it:
her fear. It lanced him like a sword through flesh. "What do
you fear? You know I will not harm you."

Her eyes fluttered downward and her teeth worried her
lower lip. "It's silly. I'm being silly," she finally murmured. "I
know you wouldn't hurt me."

Axiom rubbed circles over her back and neck until her
face softened and her body relaxed again.

"Laurell, I need you." The words left his lips before he
could ponder them. I do need her. What that meant, exactly,
he did not know.

She blinked, and her gaze bored into his. Her hands
pulled at his neck, directed his head closer to hers. She
stoop on tiptoe and kissed him.

Heat flared, and he gratefully relinquished hold on his desire. He moaned into her mouth, kissed her back. Her tongue
darted out and met his as the kiss deepened and he could no
longer tell who was kissing whom. Not that it mattered. All
that mattered was that this time she did not turn him away.

Laurell stretched languidly and, lifting her legs, pushed her
bedcovers aside. She allowed her legs to plop down atop the
comforter, careful not to disturb Axiom, who slept soundly
beside her. He lay on his back, one arm flung over his face as
though to keep out the sunlight streaming in through the
window. The slightest of snores drifted through the cabin,
and his naked chest rose and fell as he breathed the deep
breath of slumber.

Funny, he didn't look much like a god right then. She
stifled a giggle, thinking she'd worn him out last night. In
the next moment, she sighed deeply and shook her head.
Don't get giddy, girl. Giddiness means there's more going on here
besides really mind-blowing sex.

She'd slept well last night. In fact, for the past week and a half, she'd slept better than she ever remembered sleeping in her life. Ever since Axiom had taken to appearing at
her cabin door each evening, eyes filled with need, looking
like the dark god he was.

He is gorgeous. Her gaze washed over his face and form.
His hair was matted, his thick, black eyebrows slanted over
lids pressed tight, long lashes fanning his cheeks. His jaw
was slack, his full lips parted in repose. She thought of waking him so they could make love again. Moisture marked
her thighs at the thought. Would she never get enough of
this man?

She decided to let him sleep a little longer and settled
back down beside him, breathing in his scent, sandalwood
and musk. She'd have to ask what cologne he wore. She assumed it was cologne, anyway. Did gods wear cologne or
did they just naturally smell yummy? She'd ask him when
he woke up.

Her stomach growled and she patted her belly, silently
communing with the child as was becoming her habit.
Hang in there, little guy. I know you're hungry too. She froze,
and the hand rubbing circles on her midsection stilled. She
glanced down at the small bump there. Bump? How could
that be?

Laurell lifted the bedsheet. Yup. There was a bump alright. Wasn't it too early for the baby to be showing? She
scooted from the bed and made her way quietly to the
bathroom, scooping up a cotton shirt and a pair of jeans on
the way. She slipped the shirt over her head and grabbed
her toothbrush from the counter. She made a mental note
to talk to Hillary about the baby. Surely the midwife could
shed some light on the stages of pregnancy.

"Dawna, I know Poe is your familiar, and I know you trust
him, but there's no reason to think we're anything but safe here." Fiona shifted in her seat on the paisley-printed
wingback chair.

Dawna and Lynn reclined opposite her on the overstuffed beige couch. The faint aroma of the apple sausage
Wayne had brought back from a recent supply run still
hung in the air of the main house.

Dawna groaned and tucked legs sheathed in ebony leggings beneath her. "Why won't you guys listen to me? Poe
doesn't lie, and you know ravens walk between the worlds."

Lynn leaned forward and touched her partner's knee in
reassurance. She brushed her honey-colored hair over one
shoulder. "What did Wayne say?"

Magic the cat leaped into Fiona's lap, and she rubbed his
fur absently. His grateful purr filled the room. "I told Wayne
what you said and he did a sweep of the property again. He
senses no Umbrae anywhere near."

Dawna's eyes, heavily circled with neon green eye shadow,
widened. "Poe said it would happen soon, not that it's happened already. You guys don't want to listen to me because
I'm the least skilled of the group. You think I'm not seasoned
enough to be able to tell when my own familiar is giving me
a message."

Lynn grabbed Dawna's hand and shot her girlfriend a
warning look, then smoothed her free hand over her jeans
and turned back to Fiona. "We know you're not saying
that, Fi. Dawna's been a bit jumpy lately. Ever since she accidentally got me with the athame."

Dawna dropped Lynn's hand. She shook her head vehemently. "This has nothing to do with that, Lynn. That was
an accident. It could have happened to anyone."

Fiona noted Dawna's cheeks flush, though, making her
lingering embarrassment over the episode clear. "Look," she
began, "no one doubts your prowess as a witch, Dawna. If we
did, you wouldn't be here."

Dawna's pursed lips softened a little at the remark, and
Fiona pressed onward. "We also realize the strength of your
ability to communicate with animals-"

"Well, just birds, really, so far," Dawna interrupted sheepishly.

"Poe in particular," Fiona finished. Dawna nodded. "Is it
possible, however, that Poe could be mistaken? Could he be
picking up a potential danger, versus a definite one? I thought
sometimes it could be difficult to tell the difference between
the two?"

Dawna frowned. "Sometimes it's tough, yeah, but this
feels to me like a definite."

Fiona nodded. "And I know you've been working on enhancing your psychic ability-"

"Come on, Fiona. Next to Anne, Dawna's intuition is
the best in the group." This came from Lynn, whose jaw
was tense now, her brow knitted.

Fiona groaned inwardly. Dawna was inexperienced. She
was powerful, yes, but still learning, just as Thumper was still
learning. As Laurell was still learning. There was no shame in
that, yet she sensed saying this would hurt Dawna's feelings.

"Even if it were true, if the Umbrae were to find us here,
they can't break through the protection circle."

"What about when we recast at full moon?" Lynn pointed
out.

"There's not enough time between circle fall and circle
cast for more than one or two of them to slip through. As
long as one of us guards each quarter, the circle will be cast
before they can do any real damage."

"And Axiom could deal with the one or two that might
make it through," Lynn responded.

Fiona nodded. "Not to mention us witches. I'm sure we'd
be of some help." She gave a half smile, but Dawna only
scowled.

"Why don't we pose the question to the rest of the
group?" Lynn suggested. "Do a majority rules sort of thing?"

"Good idea. Let's take it to the rest of the group," Fiona
agreed.

Later that night a coven meeting was held. The pros and
cons of leaving the covenstead were discussed. The group
decided to stay put. This news sent Dawna stomping out of
the main house, Lynn trailing behind her. Axiom suggested
Laurell attempt contact with her Liaison that evening to
see if there was any word from the Light Realm, any indication they should be concerned about their security on
Fiona's property.

Fiona didn't miss Laurell's grimace at this request, nor the
way Axiom touched a finger to her forehead, smoothing the
wrinkle from it and making her smile. Laurell's eyes flashed
with affection, and Axiom gazed at Laurell as if she were
the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Just that morning,
she'd seen Axiom exit Laurell's cabin, disheveled and sleepyeyed. She hoped Laurell knew what she was doing.

"I'll be pregnant for how long?" The words burst from Laurell's mouth in astonishment.

"Three months," Hillary responded, eyes soft with empathy.

Laurell placed splayed fingers over her rapidly thickening middle. "I look like I'm three months along already,
Hill, and it's only been a few weeks."

They stood in Hillary's cabin. Laurell had sought out the
other woman after waking up that morning and realizing her
belly had bloomed seemingly overnight. As usual, Hillary's
cabin was peaceful, with music tinkling in the background
and nag champa incense burning. Her smooth, lovely face
was serene. Laurell wondered if anything ever fazed the
woman; she had an air of solidity and strength Laurell admired.

Hillary crossed the floor, her long velvet skirt rustling.
She lifted Laurell's red sweater and put her warm fingers on
Laurell's stomach. "Hmmm. Yes. You do look about three
months along. But Axiom said you'd only be pregnant for
three months, so I assume that means, technically, the baby
is as developed as a child would be at three months."

Laurell grimaced. "No wonder I'm so ravenous all the
time. This kid needs tons of food to grow so fast."

Hillary nodded. "A healthy appetite is good. Make sure you're getting fruits and vegetables and well-balanced
meals. Not just those cookies I saw you munching on yesterday."