Dark Summer

by Lizzy Ford

  Beck entered a few minutes later, his dark hair tousled. He smiled at Summer, not at all surprised she was there. She fidgeted, wondering if he thought poorly of her still after the dance.

  “Is your eye black?” Decker asked, peering closely at his twin.

  “Probably.”

  “Any reason why?”

  “Eh, girl troubles.”

  Decker grew tense again. Summer gazed at him, sensing something amiss without knowing what.

  “No worries,” Beck said with a grin at her. “Roll the movie, Decker! Hope we’re not watching a chick flick.” He sat down beside her.

  Decker hesitated, appearing to debate silently before he finally turned off the lights. He pushed Beck out of his seat and reclaimed it, settling beside her. Summer took his hand, satisfied as their magickks mixed. Decker’s body relaxed the moment he touched hers, the strange tension forgotten.

  Beck entertained them through half the movie, making her laugh with his off-the-cuff remarks to the dialogue on the screen. Decker smiled as well. His head rested against the back of the chair as he watched through half-closed eyes. His hand stayed on her thigh in a relaxed display of possession. Her body had been filled with fluttering and heat all day; she couldn’t wait to feel his skin against hers again.

  The flick ended, and Beck turned on the lights. Summer cuddled closer to Decker, who kissed her forehead and nipped at her ear lobe.

  “Before things get awkward for me,” Beck said, mimicking Decker as he rubbed the back of his head. “Summer, I owe you an apology.”

  She looked up at him curiously.

  “For the dance thing, the letters, the video, and the curses. The list gets longer every time I stop to think about it,” he joked.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, face warm at the reminder of the video. “You already apologized for the dance and you had nothing to do with the video and letters. I don’t know anything about curses.”

  “Yeah, well.” Beck looked at Decker. The two exchanged a silent communication.

  Summer looked between them, not understanding.

  “There’s been some weird stuff going on,” Beck said at last. “I’ll let Decker explain. I’m turning in for the night.”

  “Wait, Beck.” Decker rose. “I talked to Mother last night. I have to show you something.”

  Summer watched them leave together, talking quietly. Feeling left out, she remained in the comfortable seat for a few minutes then left, padding down the hallway towards the kitchen. She paused at the island in the center and leaned against it.

  The twins stood outside on the patio, talking. Their demeanors were grave. Beck’s arms were crossed as he listened to what looked like a bad tale from Decker, who appeared agitated. Summer resisted the urge to comfort him. Whatever business they had, it was between them. She nibbled on cookies the chef left out.

  The two spoke for another ten minutes before returning to the kitchen. Beck forced a smile while Decker reached for her. Summer felt him relax when they touched. He circled her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

  Beck’s smile grew more genuine as he studied them.

  “Perfect,” he said. “You take care of my brother, Summer. I know he’ll take care of you.”

  “I will,” she said, grinning.

  “Just make sure you’re up for the shuttle,” he told Decker. “Unless you found where the parents hid our birthday presents.”

  “Nope.”

  “I had no idea they could make a car disappear.” Beck shook his head, winked, and walked down the hallway.

  “Your parents got you a car?” she asked.

  “They got him a car. I got a motorcycle.”

  “Wow. I can ride with you?”

  “Of course.”

  The thought of rugged Decker on a motorcycle with an unshaven jaw made her lower belly heat with desire.

  “Okay, I want to tell you what Beck was talking about,” Decker said grudgingly. He shifted away and took her hand, leading her to the small breakfast nook.

  Summer sat. He pulled a chair closer to her and took her hands.

  “Basically, Dawn’s been putting curses on you since you got here,” he said. “I think that’s why Sam gave you the amulet. Well that or …” His features grew dark again. He shook it off. “Anyway, I guess she had a curse on you the first few days that made your food taste bad. Did it taste bad?”

  “Like fish.” Summer frowned. “She did that? Why?”

  “Some girls are just crazy.” The way he said it made her think he was talking about more than just Dawn. “I guess Amber fixed that. When Amber left you at the mall, it was because Dawn put a spell on the van to make it seem like you were there. And the letters to you were all done by one of her friends. She also wrote about twenty letters to Beck and signed your name to them.”

  Summer drew a sharp breath.

  “The video, which, by the way, wow.” Decker’s eyes gleamed. “But she did those things to you.”

  “But why?” Summer asked again. “I’ve been bullied by all kinds of people, usually because of my magick. I was no threat to her.”

  “She’s kinda like that,” he said vaguely. “Beck broke up with her, which is why he has a black eye and is here tonight.”

  “She did that? Awful.”

  “The amulet will protect you. Um, Summer, I need to ask a favor and I can’t really say why.”

  “Of course,” she said instantly. “Anything.”

  Decker’s gaze warmed. “If you’re not with me, I need you to stay on the school grounds. They’re protected from major spells and curses. No more trips to the forest. Stay within the Square or dorms or classes.”

  “You think something is wrong?”

  “I think you’re a good target for Dawn and … others who might want to get back at Beck or me. Neither of us can do anything about it until we’re eighteen. You’re safe with me and at the school.” The darkness crossed his features again.

  “I trust you, Decker,” she said. “You’ll be eighteen soon, anyway. Like, in a day.”

  “And you’ll be seventeen in two,” he said, smiling. “We’ll have to celebrate.”

  She flushed at his intense look, delighted he wanted her the way he did.

  “We should start now,” he decided and rose, pulling her up with him. “I have a couple of ideas.”

  Summer laughed and wrapped her arms around him. She never imagined she’d be happy anywhere, let alone in a boarding school in the Rockies. Being with Decker was the most natural thing in the world, and she could see them together for a long, long time.

  He led her up the stairs and to his room, where the fire burned. Instead of stripping for him, she let him peel her clothing off and trail kisses all over her body.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Decker watched Summer climb the stairs to the main house. She turned when she reached the door and waved. He waved back and remained until she’d disappeared inside.

  “You got it bad,” Beck said from behind him.

  Decker ignored him and reached down to grab his gym bag. He’d never felt as whole or as good as he did this morning, even if it was too early for his preference.

  “It reminds me of that vibe between Mother and Father,” Beck added.

  This caught Decker’s attention, and he faced his twin. He expected to see the gleam in Beck’s eye indicating his twin was teasing. Beck was serious.

  “You really think so?” Decker asked uncertainly.

  “Yeah. I think it’s a really good thing for you. No hard feelings over the dance and Dawn fiasco?”

  “None.”

  “Okay, good.” Beck appeared relieved. The twinkle appeared in his eyes. “You hold a grudge like no other and are about to have the power of god to do what you want to people.”

  “Never to you, though,” Decker said. “We might’ve killed each other before … you know.”

  “Nothing like a horrible family secret to bring us closer t
ogether.”

  Decker smiled in silent agreement. The house and dorms were quiet, with only a couple of students out jogging so early. They walked past the house and into the square between dorms. Beck slowed as they neared their room.

  “I’ll protect you and go first,” Decker said dryly. He twisted the knob to their door and entered. Their room looked the way they’d left it. He stretched his senses for any sort of curse or danger but felt nothing. “It’s fine.”

  Beck crossed the threshold, uneasy despite Decker’s words. Decker suspected something else was going on. His twin closed and locked the door before tossing his stuff on his bed.

  “What if your psycho and my psycho got together?” Beck mused. “Ever think of that? One has the money and the other is Dark. No risk.”

  “I don’t think so,” Decker replied. “Trying to burn our house down is just stupid-crazy.”

  “It does reek of desperation, though. You have to admit, both of them are probably capable.”

  “I bet our mother knows who did it.”

  “Probably. She’s kinda good at keeping secrets, though.”

  Decker met his twin’s gaze. Beck still looked uncomfortable. He looked away and replaced his clothing in his drawer.

  “Two days,” Decker said quietly. “Summer’s birthday is the day after ours. I need to get her something. You’re better at this than me. What do girls like?”

  “Summer would be hard. Dawn just demanded what she wanted,” Beck answered. “Clothes, shoes, jewelry, perfume. Wanna ditch and go to the mall today?”

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing. Just don’t want to be here today.”

  “Then let’s ditch.”

  Beck brightened. The good one, Beck rarely did anything that might earn him a stern look from the instructors, let alone want to skip a whole day. They’d given up trying to rein in Decker. It didn’t help that he couldn’t tolerate being around people and just left class at will.

  “I’ll meet you out front,” Beck said.

  Nodding, Decker sat down to change shoes as his brother left. He strode out of their room a few minutes later. Matilda had just closed the door to the kitchen when he reached the corner of the dorms. She was dressed in workout clothing, but her expression was severe. He glanced at her.

  “Decker, do you have a minute?” she asked.

  “I guess.”

  She opened the door to the kitchen and held it for him. Decker entered, at once struck by the scents of breakfast. His stomach came to life. He stopped to look over fresh breakfast pastries as Matilda strode by him. Snagging one, he bit into the warm, buttery croissant and trailed her.

  Amber was in her office, perched on the corner of a desk. She looked equally as worried. Both women were troubled. Matilda sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk, and Decker took the other. He polished off the croissant.

  “We had something happen yesterday,” Matilda started. “We just want to ask you a few questions.”

  “Okay,” he said, uncertain why they were acting so weird.

  “You were at your cabin this weekend?”

  “Yep.”

  “With Summer?”

  “Yep.”

  “And Beck?”

  “He got there last night,” he said. He wondered if this had something to do with someone trying to burn down his house and leaned forward, waiting for one of them to explain what was going on. “Why?”

  “It appears he and Dawn had an altercation yesterday,” Amber said. “She’s been beat up. She’s not in the hospital or anything, but she had to go in yesterday for a broken nose.”

  Decker stared at her.

  “We’re trying to reconstruct what happened.”

  “And you think what?” he asked at last. “That Beck did this?”

  “We don’t know what happened,” Amber said. The two instructors exchanged a look.

  Anger bloomed in Decker’s chest. “You know Beck would never hit anyone. He showed up to the house with a black eye, though, because Dawn doesn’t have his sense of restraint.”

  “Until we can confirm what happened, Beck might be in some trouble,” Amber said.

  “Wait, did she say he hit her?”

  “We’re talking suspension, Decker,” Matilda added.

  “If Dawn said it, you know it’s a lie!” he exclaimed and rose, pacing to the window. “I can’t believe you, Amber. You know Beck isn’t capable of doing something like this.” Yes, Beck had been acting weird since last night, but he’d never hurt anyone. It wasn’t him.

  “Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.”

  “Like what?” He faced them again, arms crossed. “What would make Beck flip out and hit his girlfriend?”

  “She told him she’s pregnant,” Matilda said. “Her friends say he flipped out and they got into a physical altercation.”

  Idiot! he screamed at his brother silently. But he shook his head firmly.

  “She’s been after our trust funds for years. Her friends will do whatever she says,” he said. “Amber, you know she’s been putting curses on Summer. Before Summer, it was anyone who looked at Beck the wrong way. Her friends will do whatever she tells them to do.”

  “Even so, Decker, there are three girls who are supporting Dawn’s story,” Amber said.

  Fire blazed through him. He wanted to strangle his brother for knocking up the crazy girl and Dawn for being crazy. He wanted to tell them about the woman who hired thugs to burn his house down. Instead, he fumed in silence.

  “He has no other alibi but what the girls say he does,” Matilda added. “We’re calling your parents. For now, he’ll have to stay off the school grounds on official suspension.”

  Beck’s desire to leave—and probably avoid Dawn—made more sense, even though Decker suspected his twin had no idea what had played out since yesterday.

  “It’ll affect his ceremony,” Amber said with a frown. “We will need to know for certain what happened before then.”

  Decker hadn’t considered the impact to the ceremony that would change him to the Master of Fire and Night and his brother to the Master of Light. The Light ceremony took place on school grounds, but if they put up a spell to keep Beck off the property, it couldn’t happen.

  “So you’re just going to let that lying bitch prevent the succession of the Master of Light?” he demanded. “One of the most sacred magick ceremonies?”

  “We have no choice,” Matilda said. “If your parents can make it back today or tomorrow, we’ll be able to figure out what to do. We’ll have to postpone his ceremony and Summer’s.”

  Summer would be fine; her path was beyond any doubt. While it irked him, he didn’t think she’d mind as much as Beck, who’d been prepared for this day his whole life. Fury rose within him again. He still didn’t know who tried to burn the house, and now, Dawn was playing the victim.

  No part of him doubted his brother. His mother could fix this; she’d know who was guilty by means of her gift for sensing evil.

  “Why are you telling me this?” he asked at last, after he’d reined in his anger enough to speak in a level voice.

  “If the Mistress doesn’t return in time, your ceremony will still go forth,” Matilda said. “It will cause an imbalance.”

  “There cannot be a Dark Master if there is no Light Master,” Amber added.

  “Easy. Go through with his ceremony,” he snapped. “Deal with this crap after.”

  “If he did as Dawn said, the issue becomes he will no longer be on the path of Light.”

  Decker shook his head, ready to object again that only his mother could determine such a thing, when Matilda held up her hand.

  “We have to take precautions,” she said with firmness in her voice.

  “You’ll both be sent away,” Amber said. “Temporarily.”

  His mind went to Summer. “It won’t happen. My mother will be here soon and straighten this all out.”

  “I hope so. Things don’t look good.
Dawn’s already contacted her parents and her father’s attorneys. Allegedly, there’s a video of what happened, and it’s sitting with the attorneys right now.”

  Decker cursed under his breath. If that was the case, his father’s attorneys had been called as well. Once attorneys got involved, there was no telling what would happen.

  “I refuse to believe Beck did any of this,” he said. “If he doesn’t have his ceremony, I will. And when I confirm she’s lied to everyone, I’ll take more than her soul!”

  Amber looked taken aback at his words, and Matilda sighed. Decker’s mind reeled in disbelief that anyone would stand in the way of the ceremony or that all it took for them to drop it was one crazy girl’s lies.

  Sounds of shouting emanated from the main house. He turned. Amber was the first to the door, followed by Matilda. Furious, Decker paced for a moment before trailing to see what the commotion was about. He half hoped someone had pushed Dawn down the stairs.

  “Stop this! Right now!” Amber shouted.

  Decker jogged to the end of the hall and stopped, startled to see Summer and Dawn wrestling and punching. Beck had heard the sounds from outside and stood in the doorway, looking as confused as Decker felt. His twin moved first and snatched Summer off the ground, twisting until his body was between her and Dawn. Two of Dawn’s friends hauled her away. Dawn started screaming insults, until Matilda clapped her hands and boomed,

  “Enough! What is going on?”

  Summer clutched in his arms, Beck turned slowly to look at her. Her nose and lip were bloodied. Her eyes flashed in anger.

  “She attacked me!” Dawn shouted. “Crazy bitch just—

  “Bullshit!” Biji shouted from the top of the stairwell. “Dawn walked in and—

  “Shut up, Biji, you don’t know!” one of Dawn’s friends shouted.

  A shouting match ensued. Summer said nothing and moved away from Beck, touching her bloodied face. She saw Decker at last and met his gaze. A look of misery and longing crossed her features, and he ached to touch her, too. He moved closer, head pounding hard at the enraged souls that screamed inside his head.

  Amber and Matilda managed to silence everyone. Matilda took Dawn and her friends into the kitchen while Amber stayed in the hallway. Beck stayed where he was by the door. Summer hastened to Decker’s side, taking his hand as soon as she was close enough to. His mind fell silent, but her soul was crying and her body shaking. Worried, he dabbed away the blood from her face with his T-shirt.