by Lizzy Ford
Beck walked towards the door. The sound of it opening sent her magick into a second panic, convinced their potential final meeting shouldn’t end the way their first parting did
“Beck,” she said quickly. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips nervously. With a deep breath, she forced out the words. “I want you to find a way. I want to come home with you.” It sounded lame aloud, not quite the romantic sentiment she meant to tell him, but the words, the ones she’d never spoken to anyone, wouldn’t come.
“I know.” He winked. “And I will.” Opening the door, he and his Light swept out of the room.
Morgan sagged. Her energy was almost spent, her hands trembling and head pounding with the effort it took to confront him without letting her fear drive her off or her heart make her melt to his wishes.
Chapter Eight
Beck closed the door. Of all the emotions he expected to feel, joy was not one of them, yet was foremost. Not anger or despair or disbelief. It was happiness – pure, Light-fueled happiness. Touching Morgan was always a bit of a shock; her charged fire magick was strong, and it leapt into him when he was close enough to touch her and began poking at the calmer earth magick.
The result was an escalation of emotion, particularly of desire, that took some effort to suppress.
But at least he knew now he wasn’t the only one who felt what was between them. Morgan had all but acknowledged it. It rubbed him the wrong way to leave her and return home, but the Master side of him knew he couldn’t put the lives of thousands of Light witchlings ahead of his emotions.
He’d do as he swore. He’d find a way, because he couldn’t live a life without her, either.
“What is wrong with you?” Decker asked warily from the bench seat where he sat next to Summer. She was staring at him in bewilderment, too.
Morgan’s fire magick clung to him, and tiny flames were visible in the air around him.
Beck wiped the sloppy smile off his face but wasn’t able to suppress the jubilant emotion resulting from Morgan not only being alive but admitting to loving him. “We came to an arrangement,” he said. “She’s going to stay away from northern Idaho for now, until I find a solution that lets her return without hurting the Light. But I’m assigning someone to go with her.”
“You’re letting her go?” Decker asked.
“It’s her choice,” Summer said.
Decker glanced at her a bit uneasily while Beck tried not to smile. Biji was right about there being something going on between the two. “Just need to figure out who to send,” he said.
“Connor,” Decker suggested.
“Noah,” Summer supplied.
“Noah?” Both twins said at once.
She nodded her head down the hallway. “He’s already here. He helped Biji, Morgan and me, and I have a feeling his black eye is from helping save Morgan last night. He wants to undo what his sister did. Why not give him a shot?”
Beck curbed his initial response, that he didn’t want Dawn’s brother, who also kept the secret about Morgan being alive, anywhere near Morgan. By the look on Decker’s face, he was dwelling on a similar line of thought.
“He’s the only person Dawn might listen to,” Summer added. “When she had us all tied up, she wouldn’t let any of her idiot lackeys hurt him.”
It makes sense. Beck still hesitated to agree, leery of placing a Dark student with Morgan and also concerned about Noah’s loyalties.
“I’m on board,” Decker said, studying Summer. “I can track him, too.”
“Okay,” Beck relented, aware they currently had no way to track a witchling caught in between Light and Dark like Morgan. “Do you think Mom or Sam knows more about the stone than we do already?”
“I don’t think Sam knows much. I cornered him after the mess in December. He told me what he said he told you. He also said he didn’t think there was a way to destroy it.”
“It’s not right that she’s stuck with it. If not destroy, what about contain with a binding spell?”
Decker shrugged. “It takes a fire witchling. For some reason, her family was chosen, like ours was. There’s likely a reason for it. I don’t know if we should mess with that.”
But we have to. Beck rubbed the rough hair of his goatee. “And … we need to find Dawn. She’s not going to stop until she has that stone. I think we should reconsider how we can use it to trap Bartholomew.”
“Oh, now it’s a good idea?” Decker shot back. “When I wanted to try it, you were neck-deep in self-pity. But you’ll do it for Morgan. Interesting.”
I had that coming. Beck rolled his eyes at his brother.
Summer smiled at him in encouragement. Decker’s arms were around her, and she was leaning comfortably against him. “He still loves you, Beck.”
“Thanks.” He snorted.
“She’s shielding herself and others. Maybe Mom has a trick to find her,” Decker continued. “Or … maybe I can still communicate with Bartholomew.”
“I feel like we’re half-assing everything,” Beck growled.
“We’re doing what we know to do,” Decker responded with rare calmness Beck attributed to Summer’s touch subduing his shadows and emotions. “We don’t understand the stone well enough to know how to contain it or why exactly Bartholomew wants it found and in Dawn’s hands.”
“Is it something you can tolerate?” Summer asked him. “To study if nothing else?”
“It’s strong,” Decker said, considering. “I’d have to touch it. Between the former Masters of Dark and Mom, I should be able to figure out something.”
“And I’ll talk to Sam and anyone else who can help us understand,” Beck said. “This sounds more like a plan.”
Decker leaned past Summer, sensing something or someone Beck couldn’t. “Let me get Noah before he leaves.” He rose and strode down the hallway, oblivious to the humans who scampered out of his way. The Master of Fire and Night drove people away while Beck’s gentler magick and open smile pulled people to him.
Summer watched him. “Are you really okay with this?” she asked Beck when Decker disappeared around the corner.
Beck dwelt briefly on his emotions and the enormous task before them. “I don’t know about okay,” he admitted. “I’m not freaking out like I thought I would and I’m also not … angry. I thought I’d be more furious. Instead, I’m relieved.”
“That’s good. You need a clear head.”
“You’re too smart.” He wrapped an arm around her neck and gave her a gentle noogie. “I see how you boss Decker around now.”
“It’s not bossing!” Summer laughed and pushed him away. “And I’m not smart. I’m just not an emotional mess like you and your brother.”
“It’s usually his state of mind not mine. Something’s up, though, Summer. You’ve been prickly for a while.”
“Just struggling with my place in the world, I guess,” she murmured. “I want to be more than Decker’s counterbalance. It’s amazing, but I want to be me, too.”
“That’s understandable. Have you talked to him about it?”
“Not yet.” Her gaze lingered in the direction Decker had gone. “I, um, have a knack for art. I painted this watercolor but …”
“You’re afraid to show him?”
She nodded. “It’s of him. He kind of has a bit of self-hatred left, and my skill can’t handle too much criticism yet. I’m still learning.”
Beck smiled. “Show him, Summer. Decker will never, ever do anything to harm you. He might be overly honest about it, but he’ll support you.”
“Yeah. Good advice. I’ll think about how to tell him I want to carve out my own thing.” Her gaze sharpened and rested on him. “Speaking of honesty … you’ve been a mess for a while, Beck. Morgan needs you not to be, though, and so does the Light. So you have to fix it,” she said wisely, gazing up at him. “You have to bring her home somehow. You need your counterbalance, and she needs you. What she’s going through is torture.”
“Yeah,” he agree
d thoughtfully. “I know. I’m just not sure how to make things better with the soul stone in the mix.” It was more of an instinct than a choice, one that assured him both that Morgan was meant to be his and that if something happened to her, he would never regain any sort of peace of mind.
“Oh, and make sure nothing happens to Noah. Biji won’t admit it, but she likes him,” Summer added.
“I got that feeling, too.” Beck shifted towards the direction of Decker, who led the blond haired Noah down the hallway. “I’m just not sure if I can trust him or not.”
Chapter Nine
Noah could guess what the Light twin thought of him by the look on Beck’s face. It was more than the fact that he was a Dark witchling; it was their past between them, namely Dawn and how Beck knocked her up then dumped her.
As much as Noah regretted severing ties with his sister, he was just as angry about someone leaving his sister in the situation she was in – pregnant, single and vulnerable to the Dark that had consumed her.
“So, what’re you doing in town?” Beck asked with forced friendliness.
The Light twin was different than Noah recalled. Leaner, as if he’d lost a little weight, and wary where he’d once been open and trusting. There was an edge to him that was new. It didn’t take much for Noah to figure out what happened after the incidents in December. He’d been unwittingly drawn into the lives of the twins and Morgan in a way he wasn’t yet able to extricate himself. At least, not until he saw his sister removed of the Dark soul possessing her and Morgan safe.
“Keeping an eye on Morgan, like you should’ve done,” Noah replied coolly. He had less patience than normal thanks to one eye that was swollen shut and the accompanying headache from his run in with Troy the night before. He’d been knocked out by Dawn’s guys, but not before he managed to drain the water from Morgan’s bathroom. He hadn’t known what happened until he, too, woke up in the hospital earlier.
Red crept up Beck’s neck. While Decker was known as the one to snap at the drop of a pin, Beck appeared ready to take his brother’s place as the temperamental one. Before Beck could say or do anything, Morgan’s door whipped open.
“I’m no one’s responsibility!” the fiery witchling snapped and glared at both of them. The pupils of her pine-colored eyes danced with fire, and her form was outlined by tiny orange flames.
Beck rubbed the back of his neck, the muscles of his jaw ticking, and Noah stayed quiet.
“Any idea where your sister is?” Summer asked, her earth magick flowing around them in an attempt to keep everyone calm. She had the same effect on him that she did everyone, and Noah’s tense stance relaxed. Decker wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her head.
“No,” Noah lied. “I found Morgan by tracking her phone.”
“Is that legal?” Beck asked.
Noah shrugged. “My dad runs a technology company. We have connections.”
“You couldn’t do the same for Dawn?”
“No. She’s … just gone.” Noah didn’t know what his sister had done to prevent Decker from tracking her. It was not possible in the modern age for her to completely disappear and not leave an electronic trace, which was how he’d found her general location. But he couldn’t reveal that to the two men likely to kill her. “And so is everyone with her. I found Morgan about a month after she got here. Had to fix some … business concerns at the company first. Dawn hasn’t tapped into what’s left of her trust fund or anything.” He cleared his throat and felt his cheeks grow warm. It was common knowledge his family was teetering on financial ruin, and alluding to the fact the family funds were frozen was embarrassing. “I haven’t seen Dawn here but noticed one of her Dark witchlings follow Morgan home twice this past week.”
“She came into my workplace,” Morgan murmured. “I wasn’t there. One of the guys told me.”
“So we know she’s here. Decker …” Beck looked at his twin.
“I know. I should be able to track her or one of the others.” Decker frowned. “Morgan, I had a thought about the soul stone. Could I examine it?”
Morgan glanced between them before nodding reluctantly.
“Hey, Red,” another male voice said from down the hallway.
Everyone turned to face the human teen who stopped a short distance away. His gaze swept uneasily over everyone before settling on Morgan.
“And you are?” Beck asked.
Morgan shot him a look.
“Stu. Morgan’s friend.”
Beck shook his hand. “I’m Beck. Also Morgan’s friend.”
Morgan eyed Beck and stepped between them. “Hi, Stu,” she greeted him.
“I heard about your apartment building and the boss said you didn’t call in. We were worried.”
“That’s sweet. Thanks.” She offered a wan smile.
Beck was bristling, and Noah bit back a laugh.
Sensing the tension in those around her, Morgan left the group and joined Stu, leading him back down the hallway and talking.
“Ha!” Decker snickered. “The look on your face, Beck.”
The Master of Light rolled his eyes.
“Maybe before you disappear again, you should say hi to Biji,” Summer said to Noah.
He ducked his gaze. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me.” Beautiful, sweet Biji had been horrified as much by him kissing her as by how he used violence to help her friends. The Light witchling was too good, too innocent. No matter how much he’d always been attracted to her, he wasn’t willing to take the chance she rejected him. He was bad for her and they both knew it. Better to take away the temptation and avoid her.
“Her fiancé is in town anyway,” Beck added.
“Her what?” Noah looked at him sharply, not expecting the jolt those words gave him.
Summer and Beck exchanged a knowing look.
“Stop messing with him,” Decker said, a faint smile on his features. “The man said he’s not interested.”
Noah resisted the urge to speak out. Biji really was better off without him, and she had admitted to him that her parents wanted her to marry someone they chose. Besides, he had to get to his sister before the Master of Dark did and try one more time to convince Dawn to stop this madness, however fruitless the effort might prove to be. He had cleaned up her messes more than once since she became possessed, but he wasn’t yet ready to write off his sister or the niece she carried.
If he survived another confrontation with her, if Biji didn’t want to marry her fiancé and could tolerate being with a Dark witchling …
Don’t be stupid. There was no way of them working out. Noah pushed the thoughts out of his mind, even more agitated than he had been before. His only satisfaction: watching Beck frown as his gaze followed Morgan and some guy down the hall.
“Chill, Beck.” Decker leaned forward to punch his brother’s arm.
“Like you don’t get jealous?” Summer asked, gazing up at him sweetly.
“Good girl,” Beck said to her with a quick grin. “Now, Noah, let’s talk about you accompanying Morgan.” He turned his attention to Noah. “You understand Dawn wants her dead and you might be the only one who can stop that from happening.”
Noah hesitated. There was a small part of him that didn’t comprehend how much Dawn had changed in the past six months or so. He had seen her do horrible things – and still didn’t want it to be true. “Yes, I do,” he answered, troubled.
“We’ll be checking in with you every day.”
“Understood. I’ll let you know if I need help.” Noah rubbed his face, wired and anxious. “Do you think she can be salvaged?” This he addressed to Decker.
“Don’t ask him,” Beck replied. “Decker has wanted her dead for months. I’m the reason she’s alive.”
“Because of her baby,” Noah said stiffly.
“Because I want to believe she’s fallen under some great evil that might leave her alone one day,” Beck replied. “Our history and my flaws aside, Noah, as the Mast
er of Light, I want to help and save people.”
It was hard for Noah to remember the two boys his age before him were charged with immense responsibility in managing the Light and Dark forces of the world, along with their own lives.
“Then do you think she can be saved?” he asked Beck quietly.
“I don’t know.” Genuine worry creased the skin beneath Beck’s eyes. “I want to think anyone can be, but the problem is that we don’t know how to deal with Bartholomew’s hold on her or the soul stone Morgan carries. If Dawn gets her hands on it …”
“Darkness,” Decker said, his face haunted.
They were quiet, the weight of the threat heavy in each one’s minds.
Noah grappled with the panic building inside him at the realization he might not be able to save his sister. He had narrowed down her location to a four-block radius. He needed to find her fast and try to reason with her one last time. Itching to leave and track her down, he began to pace.
Morgan returned alone and sat heavily on the bench.
“You ready?” he prodded.
“Hungry.”
“If your coworker found you, a witchling can, too. We need to go.”
“I want to take a look at the soul stone first.” Decker left Summer’s side. His shadows sprang to life, and Noah inched away from them as they crept towards him, the only other source of Dark in the vicinity. Decker motioned for Morgan to follow him into the hospital room.
“Stubborn men,” Summer said, eyes on him. “Call Biji, Noah.”
“And say what? That I’m still Dark, still not coming back to Idaho, and still broke?” he retorted.
“I was thinking you could just tell her you’re okay and you hope she is, too,” Summer replied with a shrug. “What do you think, Beck?”
“Leave me out of this,” the Master of Light raised his hands. “I am the last person to give advice about women.”
“Definitely,” Noah muttered. Still, when he thought of Biji, he got butterflies of excitement. The air witchling had been a bright spot in an otherwise dark time of his life. His family’s circumstances, Dawn’s path to Darkness … Biji made him feel like there was something good in a world that seemed so bleak. “I’ll call her, Summer.”