The Pagan Stone Page 0,24

safety and strength in numbers. So, who's going to buddy up with Fox whenever he has to drive up to Hagerstown, to the courthouse? Or with Gage when he's zipping from here to there?"

Fox shook his head sadly at Cal. "Warned you, didn't I?"

"For the record, I'm not the least bit insulted that you'd want to protect me and my fellow females." Cybil smiled at Cal. "And I agree we should stick together as much as possible. But it's not practical or feasible that we can avoid basic alone time or tasks for the duration. We're six weeks out. I think we can all promise to be sensible and cautious. I, for one, won't be lighting the candle and creeping down to the basement at midnight to investigate strange noises."

"I'll come here," Gage told her.

"No, because now it's a matter of principle. And I think we'd have more luck with this at Cal 's. This house still feels..."

"Smudged," Quinn finished. She reached over to rub Cybil's knee. "It'll fade."

"Yes, it will. Well, while you all work out who's sleeping where tonight, I'm going to bed." Rising, she glanced at Gage. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She wanted a long hot soak in the tub, but that struck her as too close to going down into a dark basement. Both were horror-movie clichés for a reason, after all. She settled on the nightly routine of cleanser, toner, moisturizer. As she started to turn down the bed, Quinn came in.

"Cal and I are staying here tonight."

"All right, but wouldn't it make more sense for you two to go home, with Gage?"

"Fox and Layla are bunking at Cal 's. I wanted to be here tonight."

Because she understood, Cybil's eyes stung. She sat on the side of the bed, took Quinn's hand, laid it against her cheek as Quinn sat beside her.

"I was all right until the lights went out. More interested, even intrigued than scared. Then they went out, and I couldn't see. Nothing was as horrible as that."

"I know. I can sleep in here with you tonight."

Cybil shook her head, tipped it to Quinn's shoulder. "It's enough to know you're across the hall. We all felt it, didn't we? That smudge like you said, that smear it left on the house. I was afraid it was just me, just being paranoid."

"We all felt it. It'll fade, Cyb. We won't give ground."

"It'll never understand how we are together, or what we are together. It would never understand that you knew I'd sleep better tonight with you in the house, or that I'd be better talking to you for a few minutes alone."

"It's one of the ways we'll beat it."

"I believe that." She sighed. "Marissa called."

"Crap."

"Yeah, and it was-the usual crap. 'Can't you do this, can't I have that? Why are you so mean?' It just added to an upsetting day. I dumped a good chunk of my unfortunate family history on Gage's head."

"Really?"

"Yes, I know, not my usual style. It was a weak moment, but he handled it well. He didn't say much, but he said exactly the right thing. Then I kissed his brains out."

"Well." Quinn gave her a friendly shoulder bump. "It's about damn time."

"Maybe it is, I don't know. I don't know if it would complicate things, simplify them, or make no damn difference at all. But while I'm sure the sex would be good-in fact superior-I'm equally sure it would be as risky as going down in the basement to see what the banging's about."

"It could be, but since there'd be two of you involved, you wouldn't be going down to the basement alone."

"True." Pursing her lips, Cybil studied her own toes. "And there would be some comfort when we were both hacked to death by the ax murderer."

"At least you'd've had sex first."

"Superior sex. I'll sleep on it." She gave Quinn a squeeze. "Go on, go snuggle up with your adorable guy. I'm going to do a little yoga to help me relax before I go to bed."

"Just call if you need me."

Cybil nodded. That was the thing, she thought when Quinn left her. That was a constant in her life. If she needed Quinn, all she had to do was call.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

SHE'D BEEN IN HIS DREAMS, AND IN HIS DREAMS, she came to his bed. In his dreams her lips, soft and seeking, yielded to his. Her body, sleek and smooth, arched up, long arms, long legs wrapping him in warmth, in fragrance. In female.

The wild glory