Autumn Dawn (#2.5, Witchling Saga)

by Lizzy Ford

  “Can you forgive me? Is it too much to ask?” he asked.

  “Some of it might take me awhile to understand. I’m a little overwhelmed by everything,” she admitted. “But I forgive you, Decker.”

  “I don’t deserve someone like you, Summer.”

  “I’ve been so afraid you wouldn’t…” she stopped.

  “Wouldn’t what?” he prodded. He cupped her cold cheeks in his warm hands, pushing the tears away with his thumbs.

  “Autumn saved you,” she said. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t…want…me.”

  “You are Autumn. And Summer. The best of both, rolled up into one,” he whispered. Gazing tenderly into her eyes, he continued. “Summer, I’ve loved you since the day I met you. That will never change. But I can’t ask you to stay with me after all I’ve done. It’s not fair to you.”

  “You don’t have to ask. I’m yours, Decker,” she replied firmly.

  “How can you say that, knowing what you do about me?”

  “I went through everything I did to save you, Decker. I won’t lose you now.” Her voice quivered. “I can’t. I’m going to protect you from the Darkness. I wasn’t strong enough before, but I am now, and I’m going to, because I love you too much to let you go.”

  He regarded her in silence for a long moment. Finally, he spread kisses across her face, murmuring,

  “My sweet Summer.”

  She closed her eyes, and he pressed his cheek to hers. Summer wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. His familiar scent, the warmth of his lean frame, his strong arms around her and the peace that filled her – they made everything she’d been through seem like a distant nightmare.

  She’d won. She’d completed the second trial and walked away not only with her soul, but saved Decker’s as well. The weight of the past few months lifted. Uncertain of what their future held and aware it was likely going to be difficult, she was certain she belonged in Decker’s arms, just as he belonged in hers.

  After a grueling few months, she’d found her way home.

  Decker nuzzled her, his tears and the snow wetting her hair. He held her shapely body as tightly as he could, terrified to let go and realize this was a dream. Without competition from the usual clamor of his mind, Summer’s words echoed, humbling him with the power of her courage and how much she cared for him. She was shaking. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her up in his arms and carry her to his room then make love to her the way he did months ago. Tampering his desire for fear of overwhelming her, he simply held her as they both cried.

  His brave Summer. He’d nearly lost it to see her talking to Sam, thinking she really hadn’t come there for him. The moment he looked into her huge brown eyes, he was a goner, despite his attempts to prepare himself for the worst. He never expected her to say what she did or to have the capacity to accept the hideous monster he was. But she did love him. She had never stopped. How did he show her how grateful he was for such an incredible gift? How did he make up for all the things he’d done?

  “You’re certain?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” she managed. She drew a few deep, shuddering breaths then leaned back, releasing him. Caught in his arms, she drew his face down to hers with cool hands. She kissed him so lightly, it tickled.

  Summer’s flawless porcelain features were framed by dark hair, her brown eyes brimming with tears. Her cheeks were flushed, and she glowed with hope and the depth of her feelings. Light magick shimmered in the air around her. The sweetness that drew him to Summer was partnered with the wisdom of Autumn, visible in her dark eyes.

  “I dreamt, hoped, prayed I’d see you one more time. Now you’re here. You’re more beautiful than I imagined,” he said, unable to fathom how someone this amazing belonged to him. “I just…are you sure you want to be with me?”

  “Yes, yes, yes!” Summer gave a watery laugh that made her glow even brighter. “As long as you still want me.”

  “More than anything,” he said. “Want me to show you?”

  She flushed, and her eyes sparkled in response. Her eyes went to his lips. Decker admired the look. It was reminiscent of the one she gave him months ago, after he made love to her.

  “I was thinking of writing I love Summer in the snow,” he said innocently.

  Her brow furrowed.

  “Or did you think I meant something else?” He pretended to consider.

  She stared at him. Decker tried not to smile. Realization crossed her features.

  “If you don’t kiss me Decker, I’ll go all out Autumn on you and put you underground,” she replied at last.

  He didn’t need a second invitation. He captured her full lips with his own. His body was screaming for him to claim her, but he kissed her long and deep instead, savoring the heat and flavor that was distinctly hers. He wanted to taste and touch every inch of her body, to brand the sensations of her warmth and softness into his memory every night for the rest of their lives. He never thought he’d have the chance. Now that he did, he was never going to waste the nights they had together.

  His elements warned him that she was still weak from the trauma of the other night. He saw the hurt and uncertainty when discussing the other girls, too. Decker forced himself to stay in control, when all he wanted was to strip them naked and get lost in his senses and her cries as he made love to her.

  They had all the time in the world for that, he reminded himself. What was most important was ensuring she was ready to take that first step towards their shared fate with him, without reservations.

  He withdrew, deeply satisfied with the kiss. Summer’s breathing was quick and shallow. Her frame was supple and yielding in his arms, her desire clear in her eyes and a dazed expression on her face. Decker was pleased with the effect he had on her. He didn’t deserve her love, but he could at least show her with his hands, mouth and body how much he appreciated her gift.

  He reached up to tug off his amulet with one hand then worked on freeing her ring without letting her go. When he had it, he replaced his amulet and withdrew from her.

  “I made you a promise,” he started. “I’ll make it again.” He met her gaze. “I’m yours, Summer, if you’ll have me. I’m broken and Dark and the last person in the universe who deserves someone as good as you, but I swear I’ll love you with everything I am for the rest of my life.”

  Summer was crying again. Her hand shook as he slipped the ring over her finger once more. Decker swiped at his own tears.

  “I don’t…have a ring for you,” she said between breaths. She took his hands.

  “That’s my fault. I, uh, sorta threw mine in the lake,” he admitted. “We can get a new one.”

  “I do want you. I’m keeping you,” she said. “I’m yours, Decker, forever and ever. I swear to protect you from the Darkness and to love you for the rest of my life.”

  For the first time in months, Decker smiled. He hugged her fiercely. The pain he’d felt since she fell was gone, replaced by something that felt like hope.

  Remember this moment.

  Decker almost jumped at the voice in his head. It wasn’t Bartholomew this time. It was Nataniel, the Darkbringer, who spoke barely above a whisper.

  Anger gives you strength to fight. Love gives you the reason. Welcome, new Master of Dark. I am here to aid you.

  Relief coursed through Decker. He dropped his forehead to Summer’s shoulder. Unable to stop his tears, he let himself cry into her hair, holding his love and his future against him.

  Chapter Four

  Beck saw Decker’s happy smile for the first time in months and grew teary himself. He didn’t mean to spy on his brother and Summer as they stood in the driveway, but he’d been waiting for the right moment to interrupt. His father reminded him twice already to pick up the new witchlings from the abandoned school, before the snow got too bad.

  “Thank god that’s over with,” his mother’s quiet voice made him jump.

  Beck wiped his eyes hastily before facing her. Her smile was genuine, her
gaze on the couple hugging in the driveway.

  “When we’re not trying to kill each other, we all make a good team,” he quipped.

  Thrilled his brother was going to be happy, he was also saddened by the reality of his relationship with his twin. He and Decker would never be best friends again, not with all that came between them. Summer was the key to taking the edge off of Decker’s Dark deeds, the ones that were chipping away at the single pure source of Light left: the grounds beneath the campus. Beck discovered how weak the Light was when he transitioned into his role as the Master of Light.

  To protect what remained and grow more Light, he was going to have to distance himself from Decker and focus on salvaging what he could. Decker was banned from the campus grounds for that reason; Beck didn’t need any more challenges in protecting what remained of the only pure Light source. It was going to be rough to repair, considering all their mother and Decker had done to grow the Darkness.

  “You think I can trust him not to hurt more of my witchlings?” Beck asked.

  “He’s furious with the Darkness, which is what he needs to be in order to battle it. Summer will keep him…focused elsewhere,” his mother replied. “Between the two of you, I think Decker will be okay.”

  Beck agreed silently, aware of how strong the relationship between Decker and Summer was, after all they’d been through.

  Outside, Decker didn’t just smile, he laughed. He kissed Summer again. There were tears on the faces of the couple.

  “I love that girl,” Beck said, chest and throat tight. “I never thought I’d see him smile.”

  “You’ll be okay, too,” his mother said.

  Beck glanced at her. He loved his mother, but didn’t trust the former Mistress of Dark. Being the Master of Light had shown him how wide the gap was between the two of them. Beck cherished life and Light, whereas a lifetime of Dark left his mother callous and detached to the value of the lives of those people outside her family. He didn’t want to become hardened like she was and prayed Summer was able to save Decker from the same fate.

  Beck couldn’t stop thinking about the girl whose body he found in the abandoned resort on the other side of the lake a few days before. Dark witchlings killed her at the command of Dawn, his ex, after thinking that Beck was dating the dead girl. The woman who asked the Dark witchlings to step in would become the mother of Beck’s daughter in a few months.

  His eyes went to the couple in the driveway. As happy as he was for Decker, Beck also felt envious and guilty he had chosen beauty over substance. He still felt the sting of being the Master of Light – the alleged protector of witchlings and the man who was supposed to epitomize Light – with a record of horrible judgment in his personal life. If someone as broken as Decker was salvageable, Beck hoped he, too, was able to redeem himself.

  It all started with dedicating himself to his new duty and letting nothing stand between him and growing Light.

  “I gotta go pick up the kids at the school,” he said. “Duty calls.”

  “No hitting on the girls,” his mother reminded him. “Like the nurse at the hospital.”

  “I’ve learned my lesson. No more messing around.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. He chuckled.

  “I’ll do my best, Mother,” he teased, winking at her. “It’s as good as a promise as you’ll get out of me.”

  Silently, he admitted he now knew better. He survived his brother’s meltdown and might survive the birth of his daughter. He wasn’t about to take any chances on screwing up his life by neglecting to put his duty before his attraction to girls.

  Rania shook her head.

  Beck breezed past her and grabbed his coat on the way to the garage. He opened the door to the garage and swung his coat on, pausing to look at the forms of his twin and Summer. They were holding each other’s hands and smiling as they talked. Beck sighed, touched by the scene. Grudgingly, he went to the entrance of the garage.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but you guys are blocking the driveway, and I gotta go pick up some witchlings,” he called.

  They looked at him. Summer’s bright smile was dazzling. Beck found himself grinning back.

  “Take the girl inside, Decker! She’s gotta be freezing!” he urged.

  Decker’s happiness was more subdued than Summer’s, but his eyes glowed. Beck climbed into his mother’s SUV and watched them walk – hand-in-hand – into the house. Satisfied they were safe inside and happy, he pulled out of the garage and drove carefully to the main road through Priest Lake. A solitary snowplow was out, scraping the fluffy white snow off the other side of the road and spraying down more salt.

  Beck grimaced as the salt pelted the vehicle. He’d have to wash it down in a day or so and check for damage. His mother wasn’t as picky as he was about keeping the vehicles spotless during winter.

  He reached the school just as snow began to fall hard. His gaze swept over the four witchlings with their baggage neatly piled nearby. None were Dark witchlings, which made him happy. To grow Light, he needed more Light witchlings. The school’s ratio of Dark to Light witchlings was almost two to one, causing the balance to offset further.

  Beck halted the SUV beside the luggage and climbed out, looking them over with a grin. Three girls huddled around a tall guy for warmth, like flowers at the base of a tree. A flash of brilliant red hair caught his attention, then the blonde girl. Chubby but pretty, she looked like she was thirteen.

  He was almost relieved. She was way too young for him. He definitely didn’t need any distractions.

  “Hey, guys!” he called. “I’m your ride!”

  He opened the back of the SUV and began loading their luggage with a grunt. The tall guy joined him to help.

  “I’m Beck,” he said over his shoulder.

  “Connor,” came the quiet response.

  Beck glanced at the teen, who almost reminded him of Decker. Connor’s features were obscured by brown hair that swept forward to cover half his face. His eyes were green, and his air reserved to the point of troubled. Connor had a familiar aura: neither Light nor Dark, as if he was caught in between.

  Like Autumn.

  “Oh, god,” Beck muttered and straightened to gaze at the teen more intently. “You’re not an orphan or missing memories or anything are you?”

  Connor gave him a quizzical look. “No. I’m from New York. Third generation Italian, except for my dad, who’s Irish.”

  “Good.”

  Beck had no idea what was before him, but concentrated on loading the back of the vehicle. If not like Autumn, maybe Connor was like Beck’s daughter. From what Michael Turner said, she, too, would be caught between Light and Dark, until she was of age to choose.

  Uneasy with the teen he couldn’t read, Beck decided to ask Amber, the head instructor for the Light Arts when he dropped them off. If she didn’t know, Sam would.

  The girls were in the truck already. Connor climbed in, and Beck circled the SUV quickly to make sure the salt hadn’t dented the truck. He slid into the driver’s seat. Snow fell hard and fast, decreasing visibility to half a dozen meters. He put the SUV into low gear, ready to tackle the worsening conditions.

  “Welcome to Priest Lake!” he said. “I’ll be your tour guide, Beck. Anyone here a stranger to snow?”

  No one said anything. Undeterred, he looked in the rearview mirror. The two young girls in the first row were seated close to each other, sisters, he guessed by their similar features. Connor was in the second row.

  “I met Connor. How ‘bout you ladies?” he smiled, aware of what his grin did to most girls. “You have names?”

  The two flushed in response.

  “They don’t talk to strangers,” the girl in the passenger seat told him. “They’re really shy.”

  Beck glanced over then back, startled. Fiery red hair, large eyes the color of pine needles, flawless skin with a sprinkling of freckles across her nose, full lips and cheeks flushed from cold. Her gaze was direct, almost challenging, and her el
fin features delicate. Beck stared too long at the gorgeous girl. While her aura was like Connor’s – neither Light nor Dark – it sizzled with subtle fire magick.

  Beck wasn’t certain he’d ever seen anyone so pretty, even among the blondes he preferred.

  “That’s my sister, Morgan.” Connor’s voice held a note of warning.

  Beck took the hint and tore his gaze away from her. He was relieved Connor was there. Rarely did Beck look twice at a non-blonde, but the girl beside him was compelling in a way that left him thinking he’d been missing out by not dating brunettes or redheads. The combination of her beauty and fire magick gave her a sexy edge.

  “Nice to meet you, Morgan,” Beck said and focused on merging onto the main road through town from the parking lot of the abandoned school.

  The last time he was this attracted to a girl, he ended up knocking her up. The silent reminder almost made him flinch. He was not going down that path again.

  No more girls, he lectured himself.

  He felt Connor’s watchful gaze on him all the way to the school. Beck resisted looking again at the beautiful Morgan. She wore some sort of perfume, amber or something similarly dark and musky. It was making Beck’s blood burn. He’d never thought a girl was too close to him until now. It was hard for him to concentrate on the drive. He wanted to figure out what it was about her that caught his attention, especially since she wasn’t the kind of girl he normally dated.

  After his dealings with Dawn, he learned not to let his body do his thinking when it came to girls. He wasn’t about to fall for someone, let alone a girl with an overprotective older brother that reminded Beck of his Dark twin.

  He pulled in front of the school and muttered a quiet curse. Morgan glanced at him, but his gaze was on the tall blonde glowing with Dark magick who looked like a model leaning against the side of her red sports car.

  It figured Dawn knew he was going to be there. He healed her at the hospital, not out of concern for her, but out of concern for the baby that might be his.