Between Light and Dark (29 page)

Reese ducked into the fridge and surfaced with half a
block of cheese. "I'm off to do some reading." He patted
the cheese in his hand. "I'll just take this bad boy with me."

"Thank you. I was beginning to think you were going to
get more of my snack than the baby," Laurell said.

He laughed and waved one hand over his shoulder as he
exited the room. Once she was sure he was gone, Laurell
gave Fiona a pointed stare.

"What?" Fiona grabbed a sponge from the sink and wiped
the countertop.

"Don't `what' me. When are you going to tell him?"
Fiona groaned. "I don't know. Every time I work up the
nerve, I chicken out at the last second. My reluctance is
ridiculous, I know. I can't keep on like this. Last week I almost kissed him while we were shoveling snow. I slipped on
some ice, and he caught me, and when I looked up, he was
just so adorable. I started leaning into him and then I realized what I was doing!" She clapped her free hand to her
forehead. "I haven't had it this bad since I was in love with
this guy in college. He was such a computer geek, but I swear,
his pocket protectors were a total turn-on."

"I'm serious, Fiona. You have to tell him. Really."

Fiona cocked her head to one side and in a very sassy
tone of voice said, "I'll tell him when you tell Axiom."

Laurell felt her cheeks heat.

"A-ha! You think I don't notice what's going on with
you two? Everyone can tell it's more than just sex, though
judging by the sounds coming from your cabin at night,
you're having one hell of a good time in that department."

"Oh! Are we that loud?"

Fiona giggled and waved her hand in the air. "Yeah, but
don't worry about it. We're pagans. We like all that sexy
energy being raised. It's powerful stuff."

Laurell sighed. "I haven't said the L-word for the same
reason you haven't told Reese how you feel. I'm just so ..
She struggled for the right words.

Fiona tossed the wet sponge into the sink and placed her
hands on Laurell's shoulders, looking her square in the eye.
"I know, honey. Maybe we can help each other find some
courage, huh?"

"Yeah," Laurell agreed. "Maybe we can."

Dawna slumped on the edge of her bed, held out a piece of
apple to Poe, who was perched next to her, and brushed
tears from her eyes. She was tired, hungry, and she missed
Lynn. She'd noticed how the others looked at her, as if she
were sick or something. She was sick. Sick and tired of being treated like a second-class witch. And she was tired of
being ignored. The Council said the Umbrae didn't know
where Laurell was. The Council was wrong. Poe's warnings
were growing stronger.

She'd tried talking to Lynn about it, but Lynn told her
she was obsessed and then insinuated Dawna was imagining Poe's warnings. At that point Dawna had told her to
get out of their cabin, and Lynn had said, Gladly.

But she regretted her harsh words now. And when she
thought of her girlfriend, her chest ached. They were talk ing, but only barely. At dinner, Lynn had been stiff and refused to do more than shoot pitying glances her way.

I don't want their pity, Poe. I have to do something to prove to
them I'm just as good a witch as they are. The problem was,
she had no idea what she could do to change their minds.

You deserve better. They should listen to you. Poe responded
as any friend might, reassuring her as best he could, but
that didn't really make her feel any better.

But how? she asked. How can I convince them? They won't
let me help them.

The bird raised and lowered his blue-black wings, tilted
his head to the side, and assessed her with tiny, knowing
eyes. "Kraw!" We will make a plan.

Fiona bundled herself in a thick red jacket and gloves and
hurried across the snow-covered lawn. Knocking on Reese's
cabin door, she shifted from foot to foot in an effort to keep
the bitter cold from seeping into her bones. Nighttime was
always worse than the day. At least during the day, the sun
warmed them enough to make the temperature bearable.
Once the sun went down, it wasn't unusual for the air to
chill to below zero.

Reese pulled open the door to his cabin wearing a thick,
navy blue bathrobe and a grin. His long hair spilled over
his shoulders in yellow waves. "What's up, Fi? You look a
little cold."

She rolled her eyes, teeth chattering. "Let me in."

Reese ushered her inside, and blessed warmth surrounded
her. The air smelled like soap and the bathroom mirror was
foggy, indicating he'd recently showered. He kicked the door
shut behind them and sat on the bed, watching her expectantly. Fiona swallowed. Now that she was here, her courage
was faltering.

She hadn't been able to sleep the last couple nights. Ever
since her conversation with Laurell, she'd been trying to
work up the nerve to talk to Reese. Then, last night, she'd
dreamt of Anne. In the dream, Anne held outstretched
hands to Fiona and between her hands a miniature Earth
rolled in circles and sparked light. You can have everything
you want, Fi. You just have to take a chance. Fiona knew the
"everything" Anne referred to was love. Which for Fiona,
meant Reese.

She approached the bed tentatively, halting a couple
feet away. He adjusted his robe, which had fallen open a bit
and bared his smooth chest to her gaze. She gazed at his
naked flesh with interest, then realized what she was doing
and quickly focused back on his face. His eyes twinkled
with amusement. Had he noticed her staring?

"I need to talk to you," she said.

He scratched his chin. "Um, yeah. I figured as much
when you showed up at my door at ten o'clock at night."

Where to begin? "I've been meaning to tell you something
for a while now. I didn't feel like I could when Anne was
alive, but then I found out you two had broken up before
her death. . . ." Her words trailed off and she took a deep
breath, hoping to steady her erratic pulse.

Reese looked confused. "Anne didn't want to say anything about our breakup. We were going to tell the group
together, but then-" He paused and looked at her questioningly. "How did you find out?"

"She visited me on Samhain."

Reese glanced up in surprise, then nodded as if her explanation made sense. "What else did she tell you?" He patted
the bed beside him. "Sit down. You're making me nervous
with your pacing."

Fiona halted. She hadn't even realized she'd been wearing a pattern into the floor. Her nerves were raw by the time she cleared the few feet between them and lowered
herself to the space beside him on the bed.

Heartbeat thundering in her ears, she began. "So here's
the thing. I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you
for a long time. And whether or not you have any interest
in me besides friendship, and you probably don't, I had to
get it off my chest." She couldn't look at him. She just kept
her eyes focused straight ahead.

Long moments passed before he spoke. "Fiona."

She couldn't move. Her neck wouldn't turn so she could
look at him. What if she saw disgust-or worse, pity-on
his face?

Ti, you have to look at me." His hand closed over hers
and squeezed. His voice was soft, reassuring. Slowly, she
faced him. His pale blue eyes sparkled with tenderness. "I've
had feelings for you, too, for a long time. Anne and I grew
apart. We realized we weren't in love. I think she might have
even known how I felt about you, though we never talked
about it."

Fiona's chest tightened and her heart swelled. "Did you
say you love me?"

"Not exactly, but I do."

She leaped into his lap and pressed her mouth to his.
Her arms wove around his neck and he chuckled at her audaciousness, but she ate the sound with her kisses. His lips
roved hers with fervor, and her skin tingled and heated.

First things first. She tugged her mouth away. "Why
didn't you tell me?"

Reese blinked, looking a bit shell-shocked at the abrupt
change in pace. One minute, passionate embrace, the next,
interrogation. "I wanted to, but it seemed like terrible timing after your sister died."

She paused and sighed. "I know. Is it terrible we're here,
now, doing this? She's only been gone a few months." Her eyes quickly filled with tears, and one fat drop slid down
her cheek.

Reese tenderly kissed the moisture away. His gaze was serious. "Birth. Death. Rebirth. You know that's how things
work, Fi. Anne knew that too."

"She wouldn't want us to spend too much of our lives
mourning her."

"No. She'd want us to live," he agreed.

Fiona nodded and sank into him, letting her head rest on
his chest. "Let's just stay here like this for a while. I've
wanted you to hold me for so long."

"And I've wanted to do the holding." Reese dropped a
kiss on the top of her head and she closed her eyes. The
thump-thump of his heart beneath her cheek was the only
sound she heard. It beat in time with her own.

"He confessed without need for interrogation," Avina said.
Mobius, Willow, and Avina stood inside the Divine Council's meeting room. The rest of the members of the Council
would arrive shortly to cast their final votes on what punishment should be dealt to the deity who had attempted to
thwart the mission.

"No doubt he realized continued denial would be fruitless," Willow said, directing this comment to Avina. Since
confessing her feelings to Mobius, she had been cooler toward him than usual, though she'd remained professional.
He hoped their friendship would resume. Perhaps time
would relieve her discomfort.

"Avina, do we have any reason to believe he had accomplices?" Mobius asked.

Avina shook her head, long ebony mane flowing like water. "No. It would have shown up in one of the others' interrogations, and they were all clean. I believe it is safe to
assume he operated alone."

A moment later, Mobius sensed movement outside the
chamber door. Then the gods and goddesses filed in, one by
one, and took their seats. Two of them escorted the prisoner.
Rhakma was held between them inside a crystal cage that
had been forged with Source energy, a power strong enough
to keep even a god within the bars.

Once the Council members had settled into their seats, Helios, the war god, spoke. "Mobius, before we vote, we
would like to hear from you on this matter. Do you have
any recommendations?"

Mobius peered at Rhakma, who narrowed ice blue eyes
and lifted his chin in defiance. "I am surprised and saddened by Rhakma's actions. It is rare one of our own turns
on the rest of us. In this case, Rhakma's actions could have
caused all of us grave harm. Including the people of Earth."

The Council members nodded and general murmurings
could be heard.

Mobius continued. "I recommend banishment to the
Astral Plane for a period of one hundred Earth years. At
the end of that period, we will revisit his status and determine whether he has repented and can be trusted in the
Light Realm. His Council seat, however, should be revoked
indefinitely."

Rhakma emitted a harsh laugh. "How convenient. You
now have a place for your beloved half-breed to occupy."

"Watch your tongue, Rhakma." Willow edged closer to
the caged god, eyes dark with warning.

"It is alright, Willow. Let him speak before his sentence
is decided," Mobius said. Then, to Rhakma, "Have you
anything you wish to tell the Council before the decision is
made?"

Rhakma threw his head back with a smile. "I made it
clear from the start that I disagreed with the decision to
utilize a Gray for this mission. Grays do not belong on the
Council, and they have no place on a mission of this magnitude. I placed knowledge of the yearning in Helen's visions, yes. I did so hoping only to make Council members
see the error of their decision."

"Two humans died because of your actions," Willow
pointed out. "What have you to say of their deaths?"

Rhakma's jaw hardened. "I have no apology."

"Very well. Let us vote." Mobius took his seat at the head
of the table and the Council recorded their votes. Moments
later, the decision crystal was handed to Willow.

She cleared her throat and pushed her sparkling gold
hair behind one shoulder. "The majority votes for banishment to the Astral Plane."

"I will avenge this deed, Mobius. Of that you can be
sure." Rhakma's words were heavy with menace, and his
eyes glowed clear as ice as he surged his god force at Mobius. Not that it did any good for him to threaten. The cage
bars would not allow his power to reach its target.

"Take him." Mobius nodded toward the doorway and
two of the gods stood to escort Rhakma out of the room.

Once the rest of the Council had also departed, Willow
lingered behind. She must have noticed Mobius's pensiveness, because she touched his shoulder. When he glanced
up, her gaze was filled with concern.

"What troubles you, Mobius?"

"It is very rare for a Light God to turn to such evil. It is
an indication of the progress the Umbrae are making turning humans to the darkness."