Read Between Light and Dark for Free Online Page B

nature. She rolled down the window, frowning at the effort this required. The truck was old;
the turning mechanism for the driver side window was
rusty. Fresh, pine-scented air filled the vehicle, and the
breeze whipped her hair around her face.
    Anne yawned. She was tired, hungry, and had to pee.
Should have gone at the grocery store. She drove a few miles
more and remembered a small dirt road that left the highway and merged with the woods. She and Reese had picnicked there in the past. Once, they'd spent an afternoon of
passion in the bed of her pickup truck atop a blanket she'd bought on a trip to Mexico. The place was secluded and far
enough away from the road that no one would notice if she
made a pit stop there.

    She spied the dirt road, slowed, and turned the truck
down the narrow path. It really was more path than road.
Anne stopped the vehicle and climbed out, grateful for the
sneakers she wore. The ground was muddy from a recent
rain. She stifled another yawn, yanked her jeans down, and
did her business. Exhaustion was kicking in. She needed to
rest. The late nights working with Helen and getting the
safe house ready had worn her thin.
    As she zipped her pants and turned toward the truck, a
rotten, sulfurous odor permeated the air.
    A stabbing sensation knifed her gut, knocking the air
from her lungs. Her gaze flew to her abdomen, expecting to
see some instrument cutting her. Nothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she detected movement. She turned, but
saw no one. Searing pain sliced through her head, and she
stumbled backward into the side of the truck.
    She grabbed onto the vehicle with one hand and lifted
the other to her face. She touched something wet and warm.
    "What the-" Her heart raced. Blood, bright as a cardinal's feathers, stained her palm. Where was it coming from?
She felt warmth on her belly and glanced down to see her
pale blue T-shirt quickly turning that same shade of crimson. She lifted her shirt with trembling fingers. A large
wound there was emitting copious amounts of blood. Instinctively, she put her hands to her middle and pressed in,
trying to stop the flow.
    A bizarre buzzing sound filled her ears, and she blinked
twice, uncertain whether she imagined what she was seeing
or if it was real. The air a few feet in front of her shimmered and twisted. One clawlike black hand appeared,
then two. They pulled the air apart as though it were a solid structure. To the hands was added a misshapen head with
hollowed-out eyes and a thin, willowy torso. The buzzing
noise became a low keening that came from the thing in
front of her. The creature had two glowing pinpoints for eyes,
and it stared at her.

    Run. Move. But she couldn't. Another burst of razorsharp pain, this time in her chest. The creature, slightly
transparent, moved close to her, so close she was shrouded
by the thing. Its form clung to her face like cobwebs. She
could feel it shifting against her, and it moaned and undulated in orgiastic pleasure. Help me. Help. She tried in vain
to make her limbs wake up, but it was no use.
    The creature spoke into her mind. You will not mother the
Earth Balancer. You will die now, witch.
    Her heart plummeted, and she knew. She knew it was the
truth. Goddess keep me, was the last thought to flutter through
her mind before the pain became so unbearable that she sank
gratefully into unconsciousness.
    The woman was driving him to insanity. Axiom gritted his
teeth and forcibly pulled Laurell back into the circle of his
arms as she moved to scurry away. Damn stubborn human.
    "Cease fighting me, Laurell," he told her for the third
time that day. She seemed to think hiding on the other side
of the room would somehow make it easier to avoid the
yearning, although distance mattered little once its energy
was unleashed.
    "I don't see why we have to practice practically on top of
each other like this," she protested.
    "I already explained this to you. We must be