She rolled, pushed him back against the mattress. She straddled his body, her knees dipping into the mattress on either side of his hips. “Well, in that case, I hope you’re not sleepy, Wizard.” Her hands moved, skated across his lower abdomen, lingered just over his navel.
“Wizards can go without sleep should the need arise.” Jaxon found himself holding his breath once more, impatient to feel the silkiness of her skin capturing his hard flesh.
“Oh, the need has arisen.” She lowered her hand, shifted her hips. “And so has something else, I feel.” Her fingers tested the length of him, sheltered the breadth within her palm.
He ran his hands up her legs and settled his fingers around her hips. “I’m afraid my body has a mind of its own with you.”
“That wasn’t a complaint. In fact I think I rather like your body’s mind.” She pressed upward and with one hand, guided his cock between the lips of her pussy and into her moist cleft. “And I could get used to this.” Her breath escaped on a sigh while Jaxon’s heart stuttered.
“That was my intention.”
Chapter Eight
Tess came awake struggling. She fought against an invisible hand pressing her solidly against the mattress. She tried to open her eyes but her strength was depleted. Weakened, she felt the darkness shrouding her, not the darkness that accompanied night. This was blackness, a cloud of evil. She opened her mouth to scream but the words came out silently, faded into empty air.
“Baby born of this woman’s womb, join your heart and soul, you will belong to the sisters five and share their world no more.” The incantation continued in a rapid string before another voice joined the one.
“Woman of this earthly world, when the time is right, you will bring your unborn child to us, under cover of the night. She will remain safe within your womb until that day will come when we shall see new birth and our daughter shall be born.”
Tess continued to fight, managed to turn her body, to bump her shoulder against Jaxon’s. He awoke instantly. She heard the rush of air leave his lungs, felt the light bathe her face even though she couldn’t open her eyes.
“Tess, what is it? What’s wrong?” He shook her gently but she couldn’t respond. Tears filled her eyes as the horrid chants began to fill the air around her, heard only by her ears.
Then a rush of wind, a cool, cleansing breeze, poured over her and Jaxon’s voice resonated. “Witches five show yourselves. Bring yourselves into the light.” Tess saw the brightness of the overhead light but she still couldn’t open her eyes. He continued to speak to the air, one by one drawing the witches out. “Now I command you. You will show yourselves and take your punishment.”
A loud screeching, like voices from beyond the grave, spewed forth and the weight lifted from her chest. Opening her eyes with a sigh of relief, she pushed herself to a sitting position and stared in horror as five beautiful women surrounded the bed, each wearing identical expressions of shock and concern.
Jaxon stood beside her although she hadn’t felt him leave the bed. Fully clothed in indigo robes adorned with gold trimming, he presented a picture of masculine strength and power. His eyes darkened with loathing, his hands curled into fists at his sides. Tension popped in the air, crackled, sizzled as the wizard she now called husband faced off against the five witches. She should have been worried at the inequality but his stance reassured her he was in complete control.
“It would appear your magic has greatly improved since last we met, Jaxon.” Tess recognized the witch who spoke. Her ghostly apparition. Athena.
“I warned you what would happen should you come into my home again, Athena.”
The witch lifted a hand in apparent disregard for the wizard’s throaty warning. “Technically we weren’t in your home. Only in your bride. We came to claim what should be rightfully ours.”
Tess clutched the blankets against her neck and blinked, batting her gaze from her husband’s stormy face to Athena’s serene one. One second Jaxon was beside her, the next, he was gone, only to reappear side by side with Athena.
The remaining four witches stepped backward as their sister rounded on the wizard. “Much improved. I’m impressed.”
“Then this should really impress you.” His hand shot out and captured her throat.
Another witch tried to move forward but he stayed her with a simple toss of his hand. Frozen like a quartet of statues, the witches could only stare in growing horror as their leader hung suspended in the air, supported only by the wizard’s hand.
“You have entered my home for the last time.” Jaxon’s voice, dark with fury, vibrated with the strain of controlling his emotions. “In ancient times of days gone by, the witches roamed here not…” The words were a chant, a stream of promise, which brought collective gasps from the remaining witches.
A spark of fire cascaded through the bedroom window, slanted across the floor. A tall, lean body unfolded from the bolt and strode across the room. “Jaxon, release her.” Braeden took a position at the end of the bed.
Jaxon didn’t spare him a look. “This is not your concern, brother.”
“I say that it is. We have discussed this. Killing Athena is not part of the plan. You will release her.”
Jaxon did flick a glance at his brother then but only to rake him with a gaze so contemptuous Tess could only feel sorry for Braeden. “You allow your weakness for this witch to control you. You have brought shame to the Assembly with your connection.”
His ears barely registering his brother’s words, Braeden didn’t move. “Release her before you have to contend with the remainder of the Assembly.”
Athena coughed delicately. “Really, guys, it’s nice that the two of you are fighting over me but perhaps you would like to be alone. My sisters and I would only be too happy to leave.”
Jaxon’s fingers clenched. Tess saw the whitening of his knuckles and flinched. “What kind of spell did you use? Did you draw my child to you?”
A knowing smile crossed the witch’s face, making Tess shiver. “Now you know I can’t reveal my secrets.”
As his fingers continued to press, Tess leaped from the bed, dragging the comforter with her to cover her nudity. Stumbling, she made her way to his side, touched his arm. “It was something about a baby born of this woman’s womb and that it would share our world no more.”
Braeden took a visible step backward. “Jaxon, I know what you must be feeling inside but you cannot kill her. Not this way. If they must die, let them all die together.”
Jaxon shook off Tess’ hand and raised his arm. A fireball danced in the center of his palm. “That can be arranged.”
The four witches tried to move. Tess saw the struggle in their eyes but their magic was powerless against his. Compassion for the four women compelled her to intervene. “Jaxon, don’t! Whatever they have done, tried to do, they don’t deserve to die. There must be something else you can do.”
“Yes, Jaxon,” Athena purred, “There must be something else you can do. You should listen to your wife. It would appear she has a wealth of wisdom you do not possess.”
“You would be wise to remain silent,” Braeden inserted.
The four witches managed to join hands and they began to chant. Slowly the binding spell holding them powerless weakened. Arista broke free first, lunged at Jaxon, still chanting. As her fingertips ignited with flames, she raised her voice, called upon the goddesses for assistance.
Tess saw the shards of glass coming, watched them gliding toward Jaxon’s chest as a scream bubbled up in her throat. She forced her legs to move, her only intent to save her husband.
“Tess, stay!” His voice was barely above a whisper.
She continued to run forward but Braeden captured her around the waist to lift her out of harm’s way as the slivers bounced off the protective shield covering Jaxon. “Listen to your husband. Do not interfere.”
She struggled against the arm shackling her waist. “He’s in danger.”
“He can take ca
re of himself.”
“Arista, stay back!” Athena commanded.
Jaxon turned slightly, fingers flexing. As his hand rounded to a fist, he took one step forward and swept his arm wide, connecting with the air. The force flung Arista against the far wall. Still holding Athena’s throat, he approached the fallen witch and lifted her with a simple curl of his fingers, effectively pinning her to the wall.
“He’s going to kill her,” Tess whispered in horror. Braeden’s arms still held her, preventing her from doing more than watching. “You have to let me talk to him.”
“Tess, you will leave the room,” Jaxon said in a calm, cold voice.
“No, I won’t. I’m not leaving so you can kill this woman.”
“She is not a woman. She is a witch. They have no redeeming qualities. You waste your pity.”
Jaxon’s entire demeanor had changed. His speech patterns, his stance, everything portrayed him as a wizard and not the man she loved. She wondered if she could reach him now. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not leaving you.” She made her voice firm.
He swept her a look and she felt the command all the way down to her toes as easily as she felt the clothes sweeping over her body. In the blink of an eye, he had covered her, removing the comforter to clothe her in jeans and a knitted sweater. She lifted her gaze and almost thanked him.
Then the door swept wide. A powerful, consuming wind pushed against her body. Braeden opened his arms and released her into the onslaught. She couldn’t fight against the push that propelled her out the door and into the hallway. The lock on the door clicked into place and prevented her return.
Tess didn’t stand outside to listen to the end of the battle. She spun around and headed down the hallway, her own temper snarling.
* * * * *
Braeden whipped around, pointed toward the puff of light glowing in the dark sky. “Holy Hell, she’s summoned Falcon.”
Jaxon smiled grimly. “I am not surprised.” He scattered a glance around the room. The cleanup took a matter of seconds. Order was restored before the leader could make his appearance.
Braeden ran his hands over his face and shot a bleak look toward the door. “You are going to have one hell of a time controlling that one.”
“Who says I want to control her?” He opened the bedroom door with a crook of his finger. “Tess.” His wife was nowhere in sight.
“Pouting, no doubt.” Braeden scoffed his opinion.
Jaxon didn’t waste his energies on his brother’s disdain. He strode out into the hallway. His senses guided him to his wife. He found her on the balcony just outside the spare bedroom. She watched Falcon’s approach, her arms folded, the wind whipping her long, chestnut hair around her shoulders.
He stood beside her. “I couldn’t let you stay.” He didn’t touch her, didn’t even lean against her. He gave her the space her anger required.
“You treated me like a child.”
“You didn’t need to see that.”
“Did you kill her?”
He didn’t respond, allowing his wife’s gaze to rake over his face. He knew she was searching for his answer. Unable to find it, she drew in a shaky breath and looked back out over the gardens.
“And what about the others? Did you kill them as well?”
“They live.” His voice sharpened and Tess knew he didn’t like this line of inquisition. Suddenly weary, she lowered her head.
“She didn’t deserve to die.”
“The attack was unprovoked, Tess. I had no choice. Had I not retaliated, word would have gotten out that the Assembly was weak, unable or unwilling to defend ourselves. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So you just kill a woman instead? That makes the Assembly more powerful, more superior? You killed one woman to save the Assembly’s reputation? You’ll have to forgive me if I’m finding that a bit difficult to understand.”
He draped his arms over the balcony’s edge and directed his gaze toward the blackened sky. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Maybe that’s because I’m still not sure what I’ve gotten myself into. You’ve told me only what you think I should know, not what I want to know. You never told me, for instance, that you kill people. I think I would have remembered that one.” She drew in a stuttering breath. “I couldn’t reach you in there. You were different.”
“I won’t apologize for what I am.”
Her hand slapped the air. “I’m not asking you to apologize for being a wizard but you killed a woman.”
“You’re missing the point. She was a very powerful witch.”
“She was a woman.” Tess spun around, enunciating each word as she pressed her back against the railing. “You have ten times her power. She didn’t stand a chance against you.”
He moved forward, muscles rippling beneath the soft silk of his robe. “Then she shouldn’t have made the challenge.”
“She was trying to protect her sister.”
“Athena did not require her assistance. That’s why my brother was there. Braeden would have intervened before I could hurt Athena. Arista didn’t know that but I can’t be held responsible for her lack of knowledge. She attempted to take my life. I responded in kind. And now you expect me to regret that I’m more powerful, better able to protect my family? Am I supposed to apologize because I succeeded where Arista failed? Had I not awakened tonight, the curse would have been complete. The witches would have succeeded in their mission and our child, any future child, would have been lost to us.” Jaxon whirled around and took hold of her shoulders. “You summoned Falcon.”
“I called to him, yes. I didn’t know what else to do. I hoped I would reach him in time to prevent you from killing Arista.”
“He would not have stopped me.”
“He’s your leader.”
His hand tightened on her arm. “And Falcon knows the consequences for challenging a wizard. A witch alone cannot win against one of us. Arista knew that. She chose to place her life on the line by using her magic against me.”
Tess shook off his hands to move farther back into the shadows. “And for that, she had to die, right?” She gave him a scathing look he felt down to his bones. “Your leader awaits you.”
“He awaits both of us.”
She turned to look back out into the blackness. “I don’t want to see him.”
“You called to him. He has responded to your request.” Jaxon took two steps toward the door of the bedroom, stopped and held out his hand. “We must go.”
She stood her ground for a few seconds longer before she gave in and walked past him. “Fine. We’ll go in but don’t expect me to forget this, Jaxon.”
Falcon greeted Tess and Jaxon in the hallway en route to the living room. They joined Braeden by the French double doors. “Braeden has informed me that Arista is dead. The witches will retaliate.”
Tess struggled against her temper. “That’s it? A woman is dead and all you can say is the witches will retaliate?”
The leader lifted one eyebrow, sweeping a glance back and forth between the wizard brothers. “You expect compassion for those who would try to end our existence?”
“I don’t know what I expect from you. I certainly didn’t expect my husband to commit a murder a few feet away from me.”
Jaxon’s jaw clenched. “It was not a murder, Tess.”
She held up one hand. “I’m sure you’ll call it justifiable homicide or whatever terminology you wizards use but in my world, it’s murder.”
Falcon surveyed her for a long moment before responding. “Regardless, the witches will seek revenge.”
“Athena saw the challenge.” Jaxon placed his hand at the small of Tess’ back but she moved away from him, out of his reach. He frowned, slanting her a glance, but he allowed the separation. For now.
She came to a stop by the grand piano. Her words were colored with bitterness, her eyes downcast. “You were trying to kill her sister. What was Arista supposed to do, believe you would have enough compas
sion not to complete your task?”
Eyebrows lifted, Braeden and Falcon exchanged glances. “Perhaps we should discuss this at daylight.” Falcon made the suggestion with a slight inclination of his head toward the window.
“That sounds like a plan.” Braeden followed their leader to the window, paused long enough to rest his hand on Jaxon’s shoulder. “I wish things could have turned out differently.”
“I did what I had to do, what any of us would have done in the given situation.”
“We shall meet at dawn in the Assembly room.” Falcon directed his gaze toward Tess. “You are more than welcome to join us.”
Indigo Spell Page 18
