The Law of Nines

He turned to Jax when she put a hand on his shoulder, as if she were reading his mind and offering silent comfort.

He brushed a lock of blond hair back off her face. “Any ideas come to you yet about how to stop Cain?”

“Sure, one.”

He squinted suspiciously. “What would that be?”

“Only you can make the gateway work for him. I could kill you and then theoretically the gateway would be useless to him.”

Alex couldn’t help but smile. “Then why don’t you?”

She slipped her arms around him and hugged him close, laying her head against his chest. “Because then the world would be a lonely, empty place.”

If she ever left it, it certainly would be.

Alex was so tired he could hardly stand. After a long day of traveling, the heart-pounding terror of the events with the people back in Bangor and his fear that she had been hurt or worse had drained him. The long drive through the night after that had completely sapped any remaining energy he might have had.

It seemed that even his spirit had abandoned him, leaving him feeling nothing but despair at what lay ahead. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but think that the only thing that really lay ahead for them both was death.

He sat down on one of the double beds. Jax sat with him, one arm still around his waist. When he lay back on the bed, she went with him. Together they both moved up to put their heads on the pillow.

In such a remote, lonely place, on such a desperate, lonely mission, their only comfort was with each other. In the shelter of each other’s arms they both silently shared an understanding of the enormity of the task before them and felt at least momentary refuge from its unknown terrors.

They came together in a soft, gentle kiss. Jax was so warm and alive in his arms that it made life itself seem to have a point and a purpose. Her kiss felt as perfect, as compassionate, as any kiss he could imagine.

Somewhere over the course of events since Jax had first come into his life back in Nebraska, she had come to be at the center of his heart. It seemed a mystery exactly when that had happened. In a way, it seemed like he had always known her, always known that he never wanted to be with anyone else but her. There could be no one else.

By the way she kissed him back, he knew she felt the same.

Right then, right there, that feeling seemed complete. There could have been no better comfort in the face of all the difficulty they faced. No matter what happened, they were together. Somehow, that seemed more important, more wonderful, to him than anything else.

In a loose embrace, still fully dressed, they fell asleep.

Alex woke with a start. Jax, still in his arms, woke up when he did. In the muted, mellow light, it took a moment to remember where he was. Weak daylight leaked in around the curtain. The small light over the door around the corner of the bathroom was still on. He looked over at glowing red numbers on the clock on the nightstand. It was a little past seven.

Alex yawned. He wanted to go back to sleep. He wanted to keep holding Jax.

But he couldn’t. He needed to get the Cherokee over to the dealer and see if he could talk them into doing a rush job of replacing the starter. He figured that if he gave them a big tip up front it might help persuade them to hurry.

“Do I have time for a bath?” Jax asked.

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll run the truck down the street and leave it to get the starter fixed. That should give you plenty of time. We’re going to need to go out and pick up some supplies and hopefully by then the starter in the truck should be fixed.”

She rolled over on top of him. “Do we have time for another kiss?”

He pulled her into his arms in answer. Her hair slipped forward over her shoulders to fall around his face, as if even her hair wanted to be close to him. After a long, luxurious kiss she pushed back.

With a finger she brushed his hair back off his forehead. “I’ve never cared this much for anyone.”

“I know. Me neither.”

“Not even Bethany?” she said with a mischievous grin.

“Especially not Bethany,” he said without smiling before he pulled her back for another kiss.

When it ended she pushed back again. “What are we going to do about us?”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged as her eyes turned away. “Well, I’m not from here. If I can find a way, I have to go back.”

She had just touched the agony that tortured him. Alex knew that he couldn’t ask her to turn her back on the people who were depending on her. He didn’t know what or who she was in her world, but he knew that she was someone important there, and that people needed her.

“What if there was a way for me to go with you?”

She sighed. “If only . . . but you can never come to my world. There is no way that can ever happen. Without the spark of the gift that those of us there all carry, you can’t make it into my world. You would only die in the attempt. If you can work the gateway, you can’t use it. I can. With the gateway I would have a way to return home. I must . . .”