Between Light and Dark (16 page)

Perhaps she did not notice the fountain when she sat down
earlier, Axiom thought. Long moments ticked by while
Laurell eyed the thing dubiously, as though she expected it
to sprout fingers and accost her.

She finally faced forward again. "I'm not sure ..

"You need practice with the water element. This is a
good place to start," Fiona insisted. Laurell's hands clenched
and released the folds of her cloak. She swallowed hard
and, for the first time in days, turned her face to Axiom.
Her dark eyes were round with dismay and her face was
flushed with enough pink for him to perceive her embarrassment even in the dim glow of the tiki torches.

She needed his help. Her eyes begged him for it. That
she looked to him for assistance, that she trusted him to
come to her aid, produced an unfamiliar surge of tenderness in Axiom.

"I will call the water," he announced. He had never performed a Wiccan ritual before, but had on occasion witnessed them from the Light Realm. The energy produced
by a group of witches working in tandem could be quite impressive, and frequently such activity caught the attention
of the gods.

Laurell's release of held breath was audible. She mouthed
the words thank you. He flashed a smile in return. Her lips
curved slightly before she looked away. Reluctantly, Axiom
returned his attention to Fiona and the ritual at hand.

Fiona stood stiffly, hands on her hips and head tilted to one
side, clearly unhappy with his interference. He did not care.

I made Laurell smile, he mused. Only the briefest glimpse of
curved lips, but still a smile. Which meant she might actually
converse with him again. Which meant they might actually forge a friendship before they mated.

He feared he had hurt her by halting their most recent
intimate exchange. He could have consummated their sexual union then-Source only knew he desired her fiercelybut since she was not ovulating at the time, it would have
served no purpose.

Her aggressive kisses and caresses had nearly pushed him
over the edge; she had certainly tested his control of the
yearning. He could have given in to the carnal lust of the
human body he inhabited, but that was not part of his mission. He was to father the Earth Balancer and do what he
could to protect both the child and the mother. Anything
else would simply cause him to lose focus. And a warrior
who lacked focus was doomed to fail.

He could not afford unnecessary distractions. A Council
seat hung in the balance.

Fiona cleared her throat loudly. Axiom blinked. How did
Laurell manage to take over his thoughts even when he
held the yearning firmly in check?

"Guardians of the watchtowers of the West ..." he began, holding one hand to the sky.

An hour later, they had almost completed their ritual. The
coven had honored both male and female aspects of deity,
created a vortex of healing energy and channeled it to the
Earth, and then turned their attention to spiraling a protective current to the center of the circle. Fiona then stepped
into the midst of that energy, using it to recharge her power.
Laurell watched the scene in awe. Sparks of violet light
sparked around the redhead and wove through the circle to
touch each coven member's outstretched palms.

Laurell's eyes swept over the group. Everyone else hovered in various altered states, eyes either closed or half-open
and unfocused. Even Axiom stood still beside her, brows
furrowed in concentration, his eyes mere slits. Laurell had started out that way, but when her fingertips began to tingle
and her palms itched, she couldn't help opening her eyes.
The same violet light shimmered from her own hands and
flowed into the circle.

Amazing. She thought working with the elemental energies was incredible. Actually viewing the creation of energy
and its transmittal was even more astonishing. Now I understand why the coven stays together. They strengthen and support
each other. Like a family.

Fiona's voice broke the silence. "At the full moon, occult force and power reach maximum strength. Tonight, we
utilized that strength to direct much-needed healing to
Mother Earth. At this time, if any of you would like to direct the group's will toward something you wish to create or
accomplish, please speak now." Her face glowed in the dim
light, effervescent as the moon, which presided above them,
pregnant with possibility.

"I have a request." Axiom's deep voice came out husky
and strained. He cleared his throat. Fiona nodded, waiting.
"I would like to ask that Source remain close to us, that our
mission be successful, and that all of those involved in this
important work receive their just reward."

After he said the words, Axiom shifted from one foot to
the other and glanced furtively at the others, his uncertainty obvious. "It is appropriate for me to request such
things, is it not?"

Fiona nodded and gave him a warm smile. "Absolutely."
She then instructed the group to clasp hands and send currents from left to right, until it whirled from one person to
the next and made Laurell's body vibrate.

"Now!" Fiona's voice boomed. "Raise your hands skyward.
Release your intent to the skies. Let the element of air carry
it away and sprinkle the ethers with our will."

Laurell's hands shot upward. As the energy exited her body and spiraled upward, tiny tremors erupted inside her,
and she gasped in a mixture of surprise and fascinated delight.

"It's time to recast the protection spell around the property," Reese said. "Remember to let Fiona make the first
round. Her abilities are the closest to Anne's. And whatever
you do, finish by midnight."

At the mention of her dead sister, Fiona's shoulders
sagged. Laurell's chest tightened and she experienced a pang
of sympathy. In spite of Fiona's most recent attempt to embarrass her in front of the group by assigning her the one element she knew she hadn't been able to master, she just
couldn't be angry. Instinctively, Laurell stepped forward and
touched Fiona's shoulder, meaning to lend comfort.

Fiona jerked back. She didn't acknowledge Laurell's attempt to offer comfort. "I'll get started," she said. "Everyone is expected back here to close the ritual."

Then, flashlight and sword in hand, Fiona strolled off
into the darkness, purple cloak billowing in her wake.

Reese pointed to the main house. "Last one there has to sit
on the back of the golf cart." To their left, leaves crunched
and a whirring noise drifted by. Fiona had already claimed a
golf cart of her own.

"How may we assist?" Axiom asked Reese.

"By sitting this one out. We'll show you both how to cast
a protection circle tomorrow, but unless we absolutely need
you, we won't use you to cast. There's that five-second delay
to contend with, and you two are both too valuable to the
mission to chance if we don't have to," Reese explained before following the others out of the clearing.

Once the group's footsteps had receded and their excited voices dwindled, Laurell wondered what to do next.
Axiom watched her intently. Normally, she hated it when
he studied her like that, but for some reason, tonight, an air of excitement and anticipation hovered between them.
Is it all me? Or does he sense it, too?

The wind picked up and swooshed through her cloak,
lifting and twisting it about her ankles. The fire blazed from
the far side of the clearing in shades of orange, red, and magenta. Thumper had stayed behind and busily tended the
flames.

"Perhaps we should sit before the fire," Axiom suggested.
She almost refused. She was still miffed with him. Then
again, he had helped her out at the ritual circle. Reluctantly,
she agreed and followed him to where Thumper now perched
on a log, tapping a languid beat on his djembe drum. Another
long log rested opposite Thumper, and they sat there. He
nodded his greeting, and Laurell responded in kind.

"The cloak suits you," Axiom said. Her eyes rose to his as
she tugged the velvet material around her, burying her
hands beneath the excess folds in her lap in order to keep
her fingers warm.

"Thanks," she replied. "Someone left it in my cabin."

"I did. Consider it a gift," he told her. His eyes lit with a
silver gleam as he studied her features. "You are beautiful tonight. There is goddess energy flowing freely through you."

Laurell blinked. She couldn't be completely sure, but she
thought this might be the first time Axiom had complimented her. Although she'd seen his usually reserved demeanor soften into mild amusement once or twice at the
safe house, most of the time he just delivered information or
instructions regarding the mission.

Laurell offered Axiom a shaky smile and willed thoughts
of her botched seduction away. Please don't let him bring it up.
I just want to forget it happened. She sucked in a deep breath.
There. All gone. Now what had they been talking about?
Oh yeah.

"Thanks for the compliment. And I appreciate the cloak," she said. "It's keeping me much warmer than my
coat would have. The coat only reaches to midthigh." She
spied Axiom's usual suit beneath the long, black jacket he
wore. She swore he must own a dozen of them, some navy,
some black, one chocolate brown. Didn't he tire of dressing
so formally every day?

"Your suit looks nice, but, uh, why don't you try jeans
sometime? I mean, not every day calls for formal attire. Especially around here."

Axiom seemed to ponder her words. "I enjoy the look and
feel of the suits, but I will consider your recommendation."

"Good," she said, her gaze wandering back to the fire.
The heat took the edge off the frigid air.

"We must discuss our mating," Axiom suddenly announced.

Laurell snapped her attention back to Axiom, and her face
went hot. Much as she wanted to, she resisted the urge to
flee. "Do we have to talk about that now?"

"Yes. You have ill feelings toward me as a result of my refusal to engage in coitus."

An agonized groan erupted from her throat. "This discussion really isn't necessary." Good Lord. Could Thumper
hear them? Laurell eyed the youthful witch, who thumped
a louder, slightly faster tune now on his drum, gaze fixed on
the stars above. Satisfied he wasn't eavesdropping, she continued. "Look, you weren't in the mood, right? No biggie."

Axiom ran one hand through his hair, leaving a wavy
lock to cascade over his brow. Laurell itched to touch that
chunk of hair and smooth it into place.

"I did not reject you for lack of desire, but because you
were not ovulating," he said, his expression earnest.

Laurell swallowed hard. Well, that sure as heck explained
a lot. She didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted. "I
don't get it. I thought you could get me pregnant anytime,
anywhere. You being a god and all."

"I never said that. I am sorry you made this assumption."

"Wait a minute. How the heck do you even know when
I'm ovulating? My cycle is so screwed up from the endometriosis, I don't even know when I'm ovulating."

Axiom smiled. "I am able to sense your cycles."

"Because you're a god."

"Because I am a god, yes."

Since she'd only tried to coerce Axiom into having sex
to stop the yearning, Laurell told herself it shouldn't matter
that he experienced no urge to make love with her unless
she could conceive the child.

But as he gazed at her with his deep sexy eyes and the firelight danced over the chiseled planes of his gorgeous face,
she ached inside. His rejection stung just as much as that of
her ex-boyfriend when he had ended their relationship of
three years because she could never have children.

It stung just as much as the teasing she'd experienced as
a teenager, heavy and awkward, when she'd had a crush on
one of the popular boys in school. Somehow he'd caught
wind of her secret infatuation. Stop looking at me, fatty,
he'd said one day when he caught her gazing at him with
unabashed adoration in class. I'd never go out with you, he'd
added, his voice purposely loud so the other kids could
hear him.

"Although mating without ovulation is unnecessary," Axiom went on, "I do believe developing a friendship would
prove beneficial to us both. It will make the mission go more
smoothly if we have built trust in one another. I cannot force
you to befriend me, but I strongly urge you to consider it."

Laurell shook her head to clear it. Surely she hadn't
heard him right. Had he just asked her to be his buddy? His
request was sort of cute, actually. It eased the sting of his
earlier words. But only a little.

She hid a giggle behind a fake yawn. "Uh, sure. I'll be
your friend."

Axiom grinned. His pearly teeth gleamed and his left
cheek dimpled. She'd never noticed that dimple before.
Probably because he didn't smile much.

A shout erupted from the trees to their right. Twigs snapped beneath the weight of hurried footsteps, and someone let out a tortured groan. Another voice-it sounded like
Hillary-said, "Take her to the house. I'll get my kit."