Between Light and Dark (33 page)

Reese groaned. "I feel like I'm leaving her here to die."

Dawna shook her head vehemently. "No, you're not.
She's a powerful witch. So are Wayne, Hillary, and Laurell
for that matter. And Axiom is hardly helpless." Dawna
glanced at her watch. "Whatever we do, we'd better do it
soon. We've less than an hour until midnight."

Reese raised his hands in a sign of defeat. "Fine. Everyone, pack your bags quickly. We can take my car."

The group scurried in all directions, heading toward their
cabins. Only Dawna remained. She shivered and tucked her
hands in her jacket pockets, glancing around her as though
looking for someone or something. She stared at the birds
she'd called to the camp and sighed. Then she hurried off in
the direction of the cabins.

A moment later, the bird felt Dawna probe his mind
from afar. Poe, the group is divided. Some will leave with me.
Others will not. I'm afraid Laurell and the baby are in the group
who insists on staying.

Not your fault, the raven replied.

I know you will want to follow me, but please stay here with Laurell and Axiom. I need you to help direct the birds when the
time comes. Maybe you can help them distract the Umbrae long
enough to save my friends.

I will stay. I will do what I can, the bird assured her.

Thank you, my friend, came the reply; then the connection was severed.

It sensed Them lingering, listening to this inner conversation. When the dialogue had ended, the bird could sense
gleefulness in his masters.

Must sleep, the bird declared.

You are free to go now. The heaviness oppressing it for the
past few months lifted. The bird tilted its head, lifted its
wings and flapped them. Free-free of Them. It had no
night vision, and without the control of his masters, travel
at night would be difficult, but the raven took flight anyway, twirling once, twice, through the air, before becoming
one with the darkness.

By the time they reached Graves Manor, Laurell's nerves
were frayed. During the entire drive there, she'd kept looking over her shoulder, expecting to see murky, twisted entities darting through the air after them. They had seen no
signs of the Umbrae, however. Only those beady, glowing
eyes of an army of birds, and the rustling of hundreds of
wings as the creatures twisted and craned to watch four humans pile into the car and drive away from Fiona's retreat.

She sighed with pleasure as she walked through the front
door, comforted by the familiar surroundings. Deep mahogany wood floors, covered by massive rugs of varying patterns. Light beige walls and high ceilings trimmed with
stately crown molding. Directly in front of her was the sitting room and behind it, the library and the kitchen. To
her right, a wide staircase spiraled to the second floor and
six bedrooms and baths.

The place was immaculately clean and neat for a deserted
mansion. Not a cobweb nor speck of dust in sight. Clearly,
Abrams was doing a fine job of seeing the place was kept up.

"Now this is a house. It's gorgeous," Hillary spoke from behind her. Laurell turned to see Lynn's pale, delicate features
fading into Hillary's cocoa-colored skin and broad lines.

"The glamour spell is wearing off," Laurell said.

Hillary grinned. "Thank Goddess. I made the mistake of
looking in the rearview mirror on the way here. Talk about
bizarre. I mean, Lynn is a lovely woman, but I've become
attached to my own face."

Laurell pressed her hands to her own face. "What about
me?"

"You don't look like Dawna anymore. All back to normal, sweetie."

Laurell sighed. "Well, the glamour spell sure worked."
She frowned. "I'm worried about Fiona and the others
though. I feel like we've abandoned them to the wolves."

Hillary patted Laurell's shoulder, her gaze warm with reassurance. "They will be fine. They're well trained. Besides,
I doubt the Umbrae are particularly interested in them.
Unless they're blocking the path to you and the baby, that
is." She gave a pointed look at Laurell's round belly. Laurell
placed her hands over the bulge instinctively. As though
sensing the attention, the child twisted and moved inside.
His movements had become strong and regular over the
past month. A good sign, Hillary had said.

Wayne, whose face had earlier looked like Thumper's,
appeared in the doorway behind Hillary, his gaze sweeping
the room. "Nice place," he said.

"Yeah, well, the Book of Shadows said this is the location
where I'd be strongest." She glanced around the room, her
previous sense of safety suddenly overcome with a shadow
of doubt. "I hope we made the right decision coming here."

"A witch is always stronger the closer she is to her ancestors. Hard to get much closer than this place." Wayne gestured toward the front door. "Where does that path lead to
out there? To the right of the driveway?"

"Family cemetery."

"I rest my case."

Axiom was next through the door, carrying several bags
and dropping them at his feet on the floor as he assessed the
place. She was glad to see he no longer resembled Reese.
Much as she liked Reese, it had been more than a little unnerving to see Reese's face every time she looked at the man
she loved.

"We must erect the protection circle before the Umbrae
realize our deception," Axiom announced.

"The others will maintain their glamour spells longer, to
give us some time," Laurell said.

"Still, we don't want to take any chances. Let's get moving, kids," Wayne drawled, and the four hurried out into
the frigid night.

Once the protection circle was cast and Wayne confirmed it
was secure, they made a quick meal of some of the food supplies he had gathered for the trip. They dined on grilledcheese sandwiches and sipped decaf coffee. Laurell was
grateful for the hot liquid as it slid down her throat and
warmed her bones.

She shivered off and on, but not from an outer chill. A
deep, nagging fear had taken root inside and she couldn't
tear it out. She wondered if her intuition, which she'd been
working on with Dawna, was finally blossoming. If so, danger lurked outside Graves Manor, and their security there
was only temporary.

Hillary and Wayne excused themselves to retire for the
evening, heading up the stairs to the guest rooms. Laurell had decided to make her bed on the thick, comfy couch in
the library. There was a bathroom attached to the room,
and she didn't relish trying to climb the stairs to a bedroom
on the second floor.

Her protruding belly made it more and more difficult to
move around, and it had been all she could do to assist with
casting the protection circle. Good thing she'd observed
the coven as they cast circle at the last full moon.

She sat across from Axiom at the wooden table in the
kitchen. No one had wanted to eat in the opulent dining
room. It was too formal, too pretentious. Without the other
two there to make conversation, an uncomfortable silence
settled in.

Axiom lifted his coffee mug and sipped slowly, then set
the cup down, his gaze meeting hers, guarded, pensive. "You
look well, but tired."

"I'm okay." She tapped her fingers on the table, suddenly
nervous about being alone with him. She'd missed him
over the past weeks. She ached every time she rolled over
in the middle of the night to find only cold, empty space
next to her.

"Hillary tells me the child is due any time now," he said.
"How are you faring?"

"Good. A little nausea now and then. And my lower
back is sore, but otherwise, good." Her voice wavered on
the last word and she cleared her throat, hoping to cover
the tremulousness.

"I am sorry to hear that. How are you sleeping?"

"How the hell do you think?" she snapped, then immediately regretted her outburst. Tears sprang to her eyes and she
wiped at them angrily. She'd told herself she wouldn't let
him know how much she hurt inside. But dammit, how
could he sit there making polite conversation as though they
were nothing more than casual acquaintances? As though they hadn't spent the last month wrapped in each other's
arms, sharing the most beautiful, amazing, ecstatic moments
of her entire life? Doesn't he know I love him?

"I'm sorry. I-I have to go to bed now," she muttered as
she rose and made to leave the room, embarrassed at her
outburst.

His hand snaked out and grasped her wrist. "Laurell."
His eyes were dark with unreadable emotion. The pulse in
his neck beat erratically.

She glared at him, waiting for him to speak. Long moments passed while they simply stared at one another. She
couldn't take it any longer. "If you've nothing to say to me,
then let go of me."

"I am trying to do so, but it is harder than I anticipated,"
he replied. His silver eyes flashed with pain. She realized he
spoke of more than just his hand circling her wrist.

She softened a bit. "What do you mean?"

He stood and dropped her hand, shifting closer to her
until she had to tilt her head to meet his gaze. "I never
wished to hurt you, Laurell. I tried to control the feelings of
this body, but I failed. I tried to stay away from you, but
could not."

Laurell bit her lip and shook her head. "Some things
can't be controlled. Maybe that's the problem. You're trying
to control everything, and sometimes it's better if you just
let the universe move you where you're supposed to be."

Axiom tilted his head to one side. A wry smile pierced
his lips. "This from the woman who would control everything in her life if she could?"

His words hit home. He was right. Here she was counseling
him, and it wasn't so long ago her entire life had been regimented, planned. When had she learned to let go? When had
she realized that allowing each day to create itself could
be a good thing? When the universe brought me a child of my own. And deep friendships. And a sense of power and inner
strength like I've never known before.

She blinked, taking in the beauty of Axiom's face, the
way his thick hair curled over the black slashes of his eyebrows. Her fingers longed to twine through the strands of
his hair. And love.

"Well," she said, "I guess I've learned a thing or two."

"It seems so," Axiom agreed. He lifted his hand and
traced his index finger over her cheek. "I am sorry, Laurell.
I did not intend to deceive you. I assumed you understood
that I must depart once the child is born. I should have
made it clearer. Perhaps it would have changed how you decided to spend your time with me over the past months."

She placed her hand over his, turned her head into his
palm, and kissed it. She choked back a sob. No. She would
not give in to the tears. Something shifted inside her. She
wasn't angry with Axiom anymore. He had given her what
he could. It would have to be enough. She remembered
Thumper's words from so many nights ago: Loving someone
is never a waste of time.

"It doesn't matter," she said, the words difficult to push
out from a constricted throat. "I understand you'll go soon.
But stay with me tonight?"

Axiom responded with a sharp intake of breath. "I want
nothing more than to be with you, but I do not trust myself. I do not know when my shadow side will attempt to
emerge again."

He tried to back away from her, but Laurell stepped forward and wrapped her fingers in his shirt, pressed her body
against him. "I trust you."

He swallowed and hesitated, his gaze searching, seeking.
She feared he would reject her, but finally, he nodded. "Let
us go upstairs. The guest room Hillary prepared for me is
comfortable and private."

She eyed the stairs. "I don't think I can make it."

"Of course you can." He bent, scooped her into his arms,
and easily lifted her. With a speed that left her breathless,
he ascended the stairs and entered one of the bedrooms at
the far end of the hallway.

Only a bedside lamp lit the room, casting shadows on the
lavender wallpaper. Axiom set her on her feet, and her toes
sank into the thick plush carpet.

She inhaled the scent of a single perfumed candle near
the bed. Lilac. Her favorite flower. Her grandmother's too.
Laurell had found a woman in Florida who made candles
and scented them with essential oils. She'd mailed her
grandmother several of the specially crafted candles for her
last birthday. It was somehow fitting they should make love,
likely for the last time, while basking in the glow of one of
those candles, immersed in the scent of her childhood.

Axiom's hand twisted in her hair and tugged her mouth to
his, erasing all thoughts from her mind except the sensation
of his lips pressed to hers. He pulled her against his chest,
trapping her hands there, kissing her with a fervor that made
her dizzy with need. His tongue teased her lips and she
sucked his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

Axiom moaned, the sound muffled by their mouths. He
pulled back with a sigh of reluctance.