Between Light and Dark (28 page)

"Are you my new Liaison?"

"A temporary replacement," Helen responded. "Which
is something we need to talk about. But first, an update
from the Council is in order."

"Yes, Axiom wants me to be sure you don't sense any
Umbrae near the covenstead."

"No Umbrae that we know of," Helen confirmed. "But
you must stay on guard. The Divine Director of the
Gods, Mobius, indicated that as you get closer to delivering the baby, they'll become more desperate. There's no
telling what they may do to find you and keep you from
giving birth."

"I understand."

Helen touched Laurell's hand, and her expression turned
serious. "Darling, it's time you made peace with your mother."

Laurell sighed and averted her eyes from Helen's knowing, penetrating gaze. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I can't seem
to forget all the crap she put me through growing up. All
the times she tried to make me be someone I wasn't, all
the attempts to mold me into the perfect little Hollywood
daughter."

Helen tilted her head. "Your mother was certainly no
saint-goodness knows I had my own issues with her-but
we've called a truce and come to terms with what we did
and didn't do in life."

Laurell shrugged with a nonchalance she didn't feel. "I
wish it were that easy."

"She was never the same after your father died, you
know."

Laurell's ears perked up at the mention of the father she'd
never known. "I imagine she was pretty distraught. They
were high-school sweethearts, right?"

"More than that, darling. She was devastated. He was
her first and only love."

"I'm sure it was hard for her," Laurell said, uncomfortable
with the sympathy her grandmother's words inspired in her.
She was not accustomed to feeling sorry for her mother.

"Beyond hard. Did she tell you they studied acting together? They intended to move to California and be big
movie stars together, too. Like one of those famous Hollywood couples."

Laurell shook her head. "I didn't know my father was an
actor."

Helen grinned. "He was a hell of a good one, too. Better
than your mother. Though I never told her that, of course.
When he died, fulfilling her dream became fulfilling their
dream, to her. She told me once that if only she could make
it big, it would be as if he'd made it, too. She was determined. I've never seen someone so focused as she was on doing everything she could to be the biggest, brightest, richest
star in Hollywood."

Laurell frowned. "She succeeded."

Helen rubbed Laurell's arm thoughtfully, and her lips
pursed. "She did, but at great cost."

Laurell trailed her hand over her face. "I'm not sure
where you're going with this. Are you asking me to feel
sorry for her and forgive her for the years of misery? Pretend
it didn't happen?"

"I'm not asking you to do anything at all. I'm simply
sharing information that might make it easier for you to
understand how she became the person she was. It doesn't
excuse her behavior. It certainly won't make you forget. As
for forgive? Well, that's up to you, isn't it?" Helen took Laurell's hand in her own.

Laurell's insides shook. She blinked the moisture from
her eyes. What was wrong with her? Maybe it was seeing
her grandmother again, hearing her voice, feeling her gentle touch. She longed to fall into her arms and snuggle
there and be comforted, as she had as a child. But I'm not a
child anymore. I'm going to be a mother soon myself.

She cleared her throat. "I'm not sure about the forgiving
part, but I'll make an effort to communicate with her as my
Liaison. I guess that's why you were sent to talk to me,
right?"

Helen gave a wry smile. "You always were a smart cookie."

Laurell felt her own lips curve in response. Then Helen
pulled her into another hug. "I have to go, dearest. I'm so
proud of you. You're going to be a wonderful mother and a
witch to be reckoned with!"

The praise washed over Laurell and left a feeling of pride
and reassurance in its wake. "Will I see you again?"

Helen shrugged. "I don't think so, but you never know.
This reincarnation business is great fun. Maybe I'll come
back as your cat."

Laurell's jaw dropped. "You will not!"

Helen blew her a kiss and in the next moment disappeared, her laughter tinkling behind her like tiny bells.

I love you, Grandma, Laurell thought, wishing she'd
said it.

Then she heard Helen's voice call, "I love you too, dear
one.

Moments later, she woke in bed, hearing Axiom's rhythmic breathing and feeling his body twined with hers. She
pressed a kiss to his forehead and nestled closer, loving his
comforting presence. The child in her belly moved, and
she placed her hand on her abdomen, a small smile lighting her face.

Mobius stood outside of Willow's private chambers and
mentally asked for admittance. Yes, come in, she responded.
He entered an emerald room where varying shades of green
vied for attention. Willow reclined on a stone slab the
color of jade. She wore a form-fitting gown of forest green,
and her golden hair was twisted atop her head.

She rose as he crossed the room. "Mobius."

"I believe you know why I am here," he said, getting
straight to the point.

She raised her eyebrows. "Do I?"

"Avina's interrogation. Why do you refuse it?" He did
not bother to hide his agitation. Willow was the one goddess he had trusted completely.

Willow averted her gaze and walked past him to a nearby
stone table. "Come now, Mobius, you know I've nothing to
do with tainting Helen's visions. I would never jeopardize
the mission."

Mobius strode to her side. "I do know that, but refusing
to cooperate with Avina makes you suspect."

Willow sighed. "I am sorry for that."

"Why be sorry? Why not simply acquiesce? I don't understand your reluctance."

Willow's eyes flashed with unreadable emotion. "Perhaps
I do not wish to have my consciousness plundered."

"It is not a pleasant experience, I realize; however, it is
necessary. Even I will undergo it." Mobius shook his head
and pushed down his frustration. "If you refuse, I will have
no option but to order you questioned by force."

Willow's eyes widened. "I am hopeful you will not do so."

"How can I avoid it? You know you leave me no choice."

Willow blinked. "As the Divine Director, you have the
authority to grant me a reprieve."

Mobius grimaced. "You know the rest of the Council
would take issue with that decision."

"They have taken issue with your decisions before, but in
the end, they back down, do they not?"

Mobius sighed. This exchange was going nowhere. He
needed to make her see reason. He touched her arm, and
his voice softened. "Willow, as your friend, I must urge you
to reconsider this course. What is it you are so concerned
about sharing with Avina? What secret do you hide?"

"I did not think of it until after I enlisted Avina's help,"
she murmured.

"What did you not think of?"

"I had no intention of ever telling you. I would never
presume to infringe upon our friendship." She twisted her
hands, her agitation clear.

Her words made no sense. "I don't understand what you
are saying."

She licked her lips and swallowed. "If Avina interrogates
me, it will go in the official transcript."

"Well, yes, the results of her interrogations will be on
record for the Council to read, if they so choose." Again, he
had no idea what the weather goddess was getting at. "Speak
plainly, Willow."

"I wish to experience a harmonization with you." The words tumbled from her mouth so fast, he almost thought
he'd misheard. She wanted to harmonize with him? It was
akin to what humans called making love; their auras and
energy bodies would merge in a highly pleasurable experience. Mobius had not connected with a goddess in this
manner in a very long time.

"Willow..."

She jerked away from him, and he read the embarrassment in her movements. "I understand you probably have
no such desire for me. I never intended to tell you, but if I
am forced into interrogation, it will come out anyway."

For a moment, he considered what she was suggesting.
Willow was a beautiful goddess, to be sure. He liked her
well enough, and the power surge from a harmonization
was intense and built enough energy for those involved to
increase their god force exponentially. He quickly discarded the idea, however. Although it would be pleasurable, there would be no love between them. Gods and
goddesses did not experience that particular emotion in the
same manner humans did.

But he had felt it once, deeply, and afterwards, what Willow or any other goddess could offer him paled in comparison. Not to mention how the harmonization might affect
their professional partnership. He did not wish the other
Council members to lose faith in Willow. Or in him. "Willow, I am flattered by your interest, but-"

She spun back around to face him and cut off his words
with her own. "Do not explain. It isn't necessary. Just do me
the favor of keeping that part of my interrogation to yourself."

She was asking him to be less than completely truthful,
and that was something he found difficult to do.

"Please, Mobius. It is difficult enough for me that you are
aware of these thoughts of mine. I could not bear for the rest of the Council to have such knowledge." Her eyes
pleaded.

It was a small omission. She had been his friend for a
very long time. "I will do what I can," he agreed.

Laurell's second month of pregnancy passed in a blur of activity. Her training continued, lessening as Fiona seemed
more and more confident in her abilities. And a good thing,
too, because the child in her womb was growing with amazing speed.

Yule came and went without incident. The coven, unwilling to leave the covenstead to go shopping, agreed to
celebrate without gifts.

But to her delight, the group did present Laurell with a
pendant made of gold. It was shaped as a five-pointed star
with a moon behind it and a circle of people etched into
the back of it, hidden from view-the emblem of Hidden
Circle Coven.

Axiom had gifted her with a warm bath and massage, and
a night of loving. Both gifts had made her insides mushy.

According to Hillary, she would deliver sometime in the
next few weeks.

Laurell stood in the kitchen of the main house, holding
a plate of cheese and sausage. She glanced down at her
swollen belly, shaking her head.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" Reese strolled into the kitchen and
swiped some cheese from her plate.

She smacked his hand. "Hey, you're stealing food from a
pregnant lady. There's got to be some bad karma there
somewhere."

He chuckled. "I've done worse things in my time."

Fiona rounded the corner and came to a stop beside them.

"Hey, guys," she said. "Don't ruin your appetite. Dawna's
making spaghetti for dinner."

Laurell gave Fiona a pointed look. "How is Dawna, by
the way?" The girl rarely came out of her cabin of late,
and when she did, she had a distant, gloomy expression
on her face. She and Lynn had gotten into a huge fight,
though Lynn refused to talk about it. A few days before,
Lynn had moved out of their shared cabin and into the
main house, where she was bunking on the pullout couch
in the living room. "Just until Dawna gets her head together," she'd said.

Fiona worried her bottom lip. "I don't know what to
make of it. Hillary thinks Dawna has sunk into some kind
of depression. She's been offering her herbal remedies, but
Dawna won't take them. She spends all her time alone,
scribbling in her journal or hanging out with Poe."

"It's not healthy," Reese said. "I'm surprised she's surfacing to make dinner tonight." He grabbed another piece of
cheese from Laurell's plate, and she scowled at him.

"Well, Thumper went in and talked to her today and she
seemed to snap out of her funk for a little while. At least long
enough to come in here and eat a sandwich and announce
she's cooking dinner. We'll see if she follows through. If not,
Thumper said he'd make the spaghetti."

Laurell scrunched her face. "I hope we don't have to go
with Plan B." Thumper's culinary skills left something to
be desired.

Fiona laughed. "Come on, Laurell, your cooking isn't
much better."

Laurell chuckled. Fiona was right about that.

"You know, I sure am glad to see you guys getting along.
For a while there, I didn't think you'd ever be friends," Reese said. He eyed a piece of sausage and Laurell tucked
her plate behind her back.

"We weren't that bad," Fiona said.

"Puh-leeze. I can remember coming into the kitchen and
finding the air so thick with tension between you, I could
have spread my toast with it."

Laurell's mind drifted to the day he was referring to.
That was when she'd been sure Fiona had more than just
friendly feelings for Reese. She'd been waiting to see if
Fiona would 'fess up to Reese, but so far, it hadn't happened.