Page 22 of Artemis

She kept the water cool, not wanting to overheat her skin before the even colder temperatures of the pond below her fountain. Artemis scrubbed her body thoroughly, first with unscented soap, and then with her hands, removing all the suds. She didn’t want to injure any of the wildlife because of carelessness. Once she was certain she was clean, she stepped out and wrapped the cotton robe around her body.

A quick glance at the screen of the monitor showed Alexander asleep on his belly, his bum up in the air, holding onto his bear’s paw. She nodded to herself; unless he had a nightmare, he’d sleep through the night.

Barefoot, Artemis checked that the front door was locked before heading out the back door to her garden. The privacy hedges surrounding the yard meant that she couldn’t see her neighbors, but neither could they see her. The yard extended into the forest, where Elati lived. The fawn was still in the yard, though.

“Did you know I’d be back out because of the moon?” Artemis cooed to the animal, putting the monitor down on the table and going to her pet. “What a clever girl you are!” She let Elati butt against her side before smoothing her hand down the side of the fawn’s neck, the springy fur soothing to the touch. “You’ll watch over Alexander while I’m bathing, won’t you? Is heyourpet?” She chuckled at the idea and backed away, just enough to move without bumping into Elati.

She draped the cotton robe over the back of the chair and walked nude across the soft clover that made up the lawn to the large pond. There were rocks the height of her knee around the edge to prevent Alexander from accidentally falling in. She knelt on one, the hard surface smooth to the touch, and dipped her hand into the water. The moon was almost completely reflected on the top, the ripples that she made slowly traveling across to the other side.

Artemis pulled at a beam of moonlight, shaping it into a handle that she then used to climb into the pond. She shivered a little; even though she’d prepared herself for the temperature, it was another thing to feel the cold water lapping against her skin.

The koi fish she kept ventured over to greet her, their fins tickling her ribs.

“Hello, you pretty things,” she greeted them, letting them bite at her fingertips. “I think you’ll find some algae or something more to your taste than me.”

The deep pull in her bones heralded the full moon’s appearance in the pond. Artemis closed her eyes and floated, basking in the light, pulling its strength and beauty into her soul until she felt full.

She tipped her face up until she was looking directly into the moonbeams. “I glowed after orgasm last night,” she whispered. “Do you know why?”

A pulse of energy shone down on her, her heart filled to bursting from the love she felt inside it.

“Is that it?” she murmured, more to herself than to the moon. “I felt a connection with him?” A tear trickled down her cheek and she shook her head to remove it. “But he ran at the mention of my son. He can’t be my soulmate!”

The moonlight warmed briefly.

“All right. I’ll try.” Artemis wanted to curl in on herself, wrap herself in fluffy blankets, but she was bathing in water and moonbeam, fully exposed. She couldn’t ignore what the moon was telling her. That her heart was already won, that she needed to trust herself, that everything would be all right in time.

The pull of the moon lessened; it was leaving the pond.

“Thank you,” Artemis whispered to it. “I’ll make you proud.”

CHAPTER6

Several days later,Finley was feeling more confident with the kids at the daycare. It was thunderstorming, the rain hitting the large glass door into the backyard with a pattering that echoed throughout the living room.

The boys were chasing each other around the room, shouting at the top of their lungs. The excitement got the attention of the younger girls, and Atlanta shifted into her winged-wolf form to join in the fun, yipping shrilly and letting her tongue hang out as she raced after the boys.

“It’s way too early to start lunch,” Hestia said, shaking her head. “But someone is going to get hurt if this keeps up.”

“A story?” Finley suggested.

“It’s worth a shot.” Hestia scanned the titles of the books on the shelf. “Ah, here we go.” Without saying a word, she took the book over to the rocking chair in the corner and sat down, opening the book on her lap.

Damien stopped so abruptly that Alexander crashed into him. “Are you going to read us a story?” he asked eagerly.

“If you’d like me to,” Hestia replied. She winked up at Finley as the children gathered around her chair quietly, all humanoid now.

* * *

The rain had petered downto a drizzle by the time Damien had to leave for an appointment.

“It’s time for your naps, girls,” Hestia said cheerfully, putting Lyta on her hip. “Finley, you good?”

“Alexander and I will be fine,” he said. “I thought I might teach him a new game.”

“What game?” Alexander asked excitedly, jumping from one foot to the other. “Is it hard?”

Finley shrugged. “It can be. I find it fun. It’s called Mastermind. It’s all about logic.”

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