Indigo Spell (35 page)

His words rang true. Jaxon smiled. “She has adapted marvelously well actually. She does not speak of Charleston anymore.”

“She will always miss her friends but this world has opened up possibilities to her. Even now she is with your mother, learning of the weapons of battle and—”

As Falcon’s words slammed fear into the center of his heart, Jaxon snapped his fingers and disappeared only to reappear in front of his mother. “Why are you teaching her this?” His gaze landed on Tess’ face before his mother could respond. “You do not need to learn about our weapons. I have taught you all you need to know with the sword.” Jaxon gripped her arm and began to tow her toward the door. A flash of fire singed his palm and he released her with a muffled curse. “Stop that!”

She shared a smile with her mother-in-law and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You know, I think human women could benefit from that little trick. There’d be a lot less domestic abuse.”

“Tess, come with me now.”

“No.”

Charlemaine tried to intervene. “Jaxon, really.”

“Charlemaine.” Jensen shadowed his wife’s side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “We do not come between a husband and his wife, even if one is our son. We should go.” He whisked them away before she could fight him.

Tess blinked at the empty space. “How did he make her go with him?”

Jaxon lifted one eyebrow, snagged her wrist and blinked. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of their bedroom.

“I guess that’s a case of the eye being quicker than the hand.” She sat on the edge of the mattress and patted the spot next to her. “Jaxon, stop staring at me like you want to spank me. I’m not a child and I have every right to know everything about the Assembly since I’m now part of them.”

He prowled the width of the room in an attempt to rein in his temper. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“I believe you’ve said that once before or maybe it was that I’m going to drive you crazy.”

“For a wizard, I’m not sure which one would be worse.”

She gave a little laugh. “You didn’t really expect me to be the obedient little wife, did you?”

A long, studied glance was his only response but Tess could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

“What are you thinking?”

“Do you really want to see magic?”

Anticipation began to build in the pit of her stomach. “What did you have in mind?”

He crooked his index finger. “Come here.”

She shook her head. “You come to me.”

With a low, sexy laugh, he opened his palm and curled his fingers. Tess’ body moved without her permission, gliding across the floor to meet him.

“That wasn’t fair.” The protest was lost against his lips.

“Haven’t you learned anything about equality since I brought you here?” One hand slipped low to cup her ass.

“So where is this magic you wanted to show me?” She shifted her hips, silently urging his hand to move around to the front of her body. As with every time he was near, her pussy tingled and desire erased all other thoughts. Was it natural to crave a man this much? She never had before but then she hadn’t done a lot of things before she met Jaxon.

He kissed her again. And again. Slow, languorous sweeps of his tongue against hers until her body practically melted against his. She clung to him in sweet surrender, giving him what he wanted before he asked.

He whisked their clothes away with one hand, ascending into the air. “Join me.”

She obeyed the command. Their legs dangled before entwining. Naked flesh pressed to naked flesh, lips to lips.

“Each time we’re together, I only want you more,” he whispered.

The words sent a dart of pleasure to her heart and she cupped his face. “I love you. More than I ever thought I could love a man.”

“And what about a wizard?”

She licked the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I love him too.”

He kissed her again, drawing her so close that his air became hers. Holding her tight against him, he allowed his body to fade into hers until they became nothing more than droplets of moisture that dripped to the floor.

This was more than making love. It was a mystical union, a connection of body, spirit and soul. Tess felt Jaxon everywhere, all throughout her body. He touched her mind, learned her thoughts and caressed every inch of her skin until her body throbbed with restrained desire.

Then, when she thought she couldn’t take more, he began a delicious assault with his tongue. She couldn’t see him, couldn’t see herself for that matter but she could feel him. The slick wetness of his tongue lapped over her skin like a warm summer’s rain.

“Jaxon.” She couldn’t think of what else to say. Hovering on the brink of orgasm, she reached for him in the mist, surprised to feel the solid strength of his shoulders. Then the climax unraveled her, sending her spiraling into perfect oblivion where only she and Jaxon existed.

Their own flawless world.

* * * * *

Charlemaine greeted her at the door to the Serenity Chamber. “It seems you have my son securely wrapped around your finger.”

“He’s such a worrywart.” And an amazing lover. She kept that part to herself. Tess smiled, then sobered. “I do think he has every reason to be worried about the witches.”

“And the more I think about this, the more I think we should share our plan with Falcon.”

“No.” Tess’ fingers bit into the older woman’s arms. “Falcon would tell Jaxon and Jaxon has already given me his opinion on my taking any action myself.”

“Perhaps it is for the best that you allow him to take care of this.”

“I can’t just sit on the sidelines. I could never do that in my other life and I can’t do it now. Please understand, Charlemaine. Please help me.”

A sigh escaped the wizard’s lips. “As I promised so shall I do but remember what I told you. Should I feel your life is in jeopardy or should I be questioned by my husband, I will have no choice but to tell the truth. I cannot lie to him.”

“And I wouldn’t expect you to. Now show me how to do this spell again.”

Charlemaine led her to the chamber’s exit. “The power lies in your heart. As the spell expands, you need to focus all of your energies on your heart’s desire. As evil binds so shall good cast away the chains.”

Tess shivered. “You make it sound so…intense.”

Knowing eyes probed her face. “Intensity scares you?”

“It did at first. But living with Jaxon, I had to get used to it.”

Charlemaine’s bare feet slapped against the marble floors. “Do not say I did not warn you about that one. Once we reach the stairs, you will need to follow every command I give you. If Jaxon or Falcon were to find either one of us in the cell, well, to put it in the terminology of your people, there would be hell to pay.”

“Don’t worry. For tonight, I’m obedience personified.”

Chapter Thirteen

Jaxon’s temper spiked the moment he materialized in the center of the cell. His eyes glittered like silver diamonds and his chest heaved in response to the furious blood roiling through his veins. He watched the two wide-eyed women turn to face him as they realized they’d been caught red-handed.

“Tess, get away from the pit.” His voice whipped across the floor, arced like the bite of an adder. He didn’t give her the opportunity to obey. He lifted his hand, curled his fingers and propelled her to his side.

She tried to dig in her heels but her strength couldn’t match his. “Jaxon, if you will let me explain what I’m doing—”

“Silence!” He cut into her words, turning his attention toward his mother. “Do you have any idea what you have done here?”

Charlemaine lifted her chin, preparing to square off against her son. “I have done what I felt was right. Your wife needs to be able to protect herself in the unlikely event that you are not available. Should the witches manage to make it past your protective boundaries, Tess will be in their tower, under their control. This way, she is not without means to save herself.”

“You can excuse your actions even though they could put her life at risk?”

“I can excuse my actions because this is what Tess wanted and had you bothered to listen to her, you would have known that. She cannot remain under your thumb, no matter how much you want her to be there.”

Jaxon pushed Tess back behind him, sheltering her. “The Assembly will demand a tribunal for this insurrection.”

Charlemaine stood straight and tall. “They will not banish me for attempting to give your wife the ability to escape the witches should they capture her. Even they will see the wisdom behind my actions.”

Tess came around his body and tapped on his chest to gain his attention. “Jaxon, you can’t call a tribunal against your mother. This wasn’t her idea. It was mine.”

He looked down at her, feeling the frustration and fear warring within his abdomen. “You do not know what you have done.”

“Yes, I do. I’ve taken steps to protect myself.”

“You have touched magic and power you cannot control. You are not strong enough or wise enough to handle a spell of this magnitude.”

“Then show me how!” She shot back, matching him fury for fury.

“I will not.”

In the thick silence that followed, the foundations shook, the ground rattled beneath their feet and immediately the cell collapsed, giving way to the Assembly room. The remaining wizards had all gathered, hands folded, robes gleaming in the brightness of the lights overhead.

Falcon got to his feet and glided a hand over three empty chairs. “Please take your seats. It would appear we have something of great magnitude to discuss.”

Jaxon remained standing, his rage guiding his thoughts, darkened with an edge of violence. “My wife has violated a direct covenant of the Assembly. She has touched that which she cannot control. Her lack of knowledge could endanger us all.” When he turned to look at Tess’ shocked face, an invisible hand punched his stomach. He hurt her with his words but his fear for her life held greater importance than her feelings at the moment.

“You might be surprised at her knowledge,” Charlemaine inserted as Jensen wrapped a restraining hand around her wrist.

Jaxon leveled a look at his mother. “I never would have expected you to betray me.”

“All of you, sit.” Falcon flicked his fingers toward the three individuals and at once they sat, controlled by the magic of his fingers. “Now perhaps we can discuss this with the wisdom of our years.” He held up one hand. “Right now it would be best if you remained silent, Charlemaine. We know your opinion on the topic. We should let Tess tell us her side of the story.”

“Her side is not what is important,” Jaxon intervened.

Falcon singed a look across the distance. “It is your wife’s turn to speak.”

Every fiber of his being protested at the unspoken command but Jaxon fell silent, clamping his lips together.

“Well, Tess?”

She laced her fingers together atop the table and swept a look around. “It’s true I disobeyed Jaxon but all of you know that two of the witches have managed to get close to me in person, at least once or maybe twice in my dreams. All of this was without Jaxon’s knowledge. He can’t always be there to protect me no matter how much he wants to be. And I can’t just sit on the sidelines and wait for whatever is going to happen. I wanted to be prepared as well. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten Charlemaine involved but she was the only person I trusted. If you have to punish someone, punish me, not her. She was only trying to help me. And she didn’t know Jaxon had forbid it if that is how you choose to look at it.”

“I knew.” Charlemaine’s quiet words brought a collective gasp from the wizards. “Jaxon is my son. I am not under his control. Yet.”

Jaxon shot a look toward his mother to silence her. “Yet you encouraged my wife to disobey me.”

Tess smacked the table and lunged to her feet with so much force she staggered. Jaxon’s hand shot out to steady her but she shook it off, glaring down at him. “I’ve had just about enough of this obedience talk. I’m not a trained seal. I don’t perform on command and I certainly don’t obey. When are you going to understand that I don’t have to obey you, Jaxon? Marriage is a partnership, not a dictatorship. I didn’t marry you with the understanding that I would be subject to your control. I believe that part was left out of the vows.”

Rane coughed. Braeden cleared his throat while Nexon and Jensen’s chairs creaked as they leaned back with their arms folded.

Andion voiced his opinion. “You are out of line, Tess. It is common sense that you be under the control of your husband. It is apparent you do not know how to handle yourself otherwise. Your actions were foolhardy and rash. As such, you should be punished.”

“Wait just a minute.” Jaxon pushed his chair back and stood beside her. “We are not here to talk about punishment. My wife and I will discuss her actions ourselves. We are here because it is the decree of the Assembly that any unauthorized use of the cell be brought before a tribunal.”

Andion flexed his fingers and looked down the bridge of his nose. “You were the one who was up in arms about her breaking a covenant.”

Jaxon helped Tess back into her chair and placed his hand on her arm, more to keep her there than for comfort. “Maybe I was hasty in making that assumption. She was not aware of the rules.”

“Tess is still in the room.” Tess drummed her fingers on the table. “And getting more and more irritated with this nonsense. So I broke a cardinal rule. Sue me. But I would do it again.” She tipped her face back to see his. “I wanted to use the spell because I didn’t want to put myself in a position of vulnerability again. I wanted to be able to defend myself and even you’ve told me that my powers are no match for Athena or the other witches. But with this spell, I have a better chance at keeping out of harm’s way, at least until the rest of you get there to do your jobs.”

Rane chuckled, which earned him a dark look from Jaxon. “Sorry. Something in my throat.”

“Might I add that Tess has been increasingly irresponsible since she became your wife?” Andion’s voice rang with an air of superiority that grated on Jaxon’s nerves.

He shot the aged wizard a blazing look. “No, you cannot add. Just be quiet.” He turned to face the leader of the Assembly. “Why don’t we let Falcon speak and give us his opinion?”

Falcon rose, adjusted his robes and floated toward the center of the room. “Excellent idea. Jaxon, please take your seat once more. This problem can be resolved with a simple reversal spell, provided Tess has no objection.” He lifted one eyebrow, directed his eyes toward Tess and fell silent.

Her words brought a snort of derision from Andion. “I do have an objection.”

The elder wizard climbed to his feet, swept a glance around the room before ending with his gaze on Tess’ face. “Now there is a big surprise. We can reverse the spell from her without her consent.”

Jaxon’s chair fell back against the floor as he leaped to his feet. “No, we cannot. We are not even sure which one she used.”

Tess folded her arms. “Exactly. And I have no intentions of sharing it with you.”

Falcon sighed. “It would be a simple matter to surmise the spell, Tess.”

Jaxon rounded Tess’ chair and stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “But to reverse it without her consent could cause damage we cannot even know. I will not take that chance.”

Andion shoved himself back from the table and muttered a Gaelic curse under his breath before he spoke. “So what do you propose? That we allow her to attempt to control a dangerous spell? As we do not know which one she chose, we will not be prepared to help her.”

Jaxon cupped Tess’ elbow and helped her to her feet. “I will be prepared to help her. I will supply her with the extra power she needs to control the spell, should that become necessary.” The words made it clear that he had no intention of allowing Tess to be taken captive.

Andion circled the table and came face-to-face with Jaxon. “What are you suggesting? That you enable a human with the benefit of your power, your abilities? Do you realize what could happen? A human is not accustomed to the depth of our magic. She may know a few spells now and she can levitate and propel herself around the room. She may even be able to create a few fire balls but to give her what took you years to obtain could be detrimental to all of us!.”

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. “I do not like what you are implying.”

“I am stating facts. A human is an emotional, unstable creature without the capability of bridling the wizardry you seek to bestow upon her. Why, a simple bout of anger could destroy the nations below us, killing innocent people. This woman,” the words carried a wealth of disgust, “is no more able to handle your ability than a child.”

“For someone who can’t control herself, I’m doing amazingly well right now.” Tess glided toward the door. “Because at this moment I would like nothing more than to knock you on your holier-than-thou ass but, out of respect for my husband and his family, I am restraining myself.”

Andion’s face contorted into a mask of rage. “It would appear your husband has been sadly lacking in certain areas, not the least of which is respect for those who wield far more power than you could ever hope to attain. Perhaps I will make it my duty to correct this oversight.” Before Jaxon could anticipate the wizard’s move Andion’s eyes brightened to an unnatural glow and a burst of flame shot from the pupils.

Tess turned, flung up her arms and the flames bounced harmlessly off the protective shield encircling her. The wizards, now all standing, stared in stunned silence, exchanging glances.

Jaxon touched his hand to the solid presence, a note of admiration in his voice. “You used a protective spell—a shield. Can you lower it?”

She gave him a look of pure annoyance. “Of course I can lower it.” Her arms dropped to her sides and took the shield with them. “If any of you had bothered to treat me with a measure of respect, I would’ve gladly told you I didn’t choose a spell I knew I couldn’t control. A shield seemed to be the simplest way to protect myself from the witches and according to Charlemaine,” she turned a smile upon her mother-in-law, “it will take them some time to disable it, time enough for the rest of you to get your collective asses to the tower.”

Charlemaine bestowed a look of pride upon her daughter-in-law. “Well done, Tess.”

Jaxon’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Do you have any idea what we were thinking, the manner of spells that are in that cell? Most of them require extraordinary control which is why only few of us are allowed within the walls.”

“Uh-huh.” Tess clearly wasn’t impressed. “Well, next time, before you show up like an avenging angel, perhaps you would take the time to ask me what I’d done. I would’ve told you…because I trust you.” She let the words hang in the air.