by Lizzy Ford
With a sob, he realized Summer’s memory was best honored by doing what was right, no matter how hard it was or how much it hurt. Hadn’t Autumn told him the same?
Chapter Twenty
Autumn’s body was hurting, her vision blurring. How much blood had she lost? Or was this hypothermia? Wobbling, she made her way to Beck and sat beside him on the stone. Her hands quivered as she touched his face. He was alive. His breathing was steady, if shallow.
“Beck?” she called, tapping his face.
He didn’t awaken. Autumn tried to pull earth magick to help heal him, but the magick within her was depleted. She went through his pockets. He didn’t have a phone … Dawn did.
“Hang in there,” she whispered and stood. In a half-hobble, half-trot, she made her way across the clearing to Dawn.
The earth rumbled. She froze, scouring the field for a sign that Decker escaped. She didn’t see him. She bent over Dawn. The girl’s face was clammy. Autumn’s hands went to the pocket where she’d seen her place the phone.
It wasn’t there. Frantic, Autumn patted down Dawn’s jeans and jacket. She looked towards the blood-streaked snow marking the place where they’d rolled. The phone had fallen out at some point. She hesitated. She had to go for help. It was her only option.
Hot-cold magick washed over her.
Autumn straightened, her heart stopping. The ghost of Summer was at the edge of the forest again. Autumn wanted to scream at her to help. She turned to face Decker and involuntarily took a step back at the intensity of his magick. She couldn’t see his eyes to tell if his trip into the earth had done anything to make him become human again.
She’d wanted time to get help or a miracle. She’d gotten neither. And now, she didn’t have the strength to protect anyone. She’d made the wrong choice. She’d failed. She was too weak to save either of the twins. After all she’d been through, her pain conquered her, like Decker’s had defeated him.
She sank to the ground, exhausted. When tears rose this time, she didn’t fight them.
The Darkness crouched in front of her. His hand went to her throat.
“Please let him go,” she whispered.
“You plead for his life instead of yours.” The voice was soft, lethal. The inhuman edge was still present, and her hope tumbled.
“Some things are more important than what happens to me.”
“Like Decker.”
“Yes.” She thought he heard a human note in his voice and sought his gaze. It was too dark. “He deserves a second chance.”
“There are no second chances.”
“Yes, there are. He ... he has one now.” The desperation in her voice made her tears flow more. Was he able to hear her, wherever he was? “Beck is hurt. He needs his brother.”
His hand remained on her neck, tight enough to terrify her without constricting her breathing. His magick flowed through her unchallenged. She willed herself not to beg for her life. She’d fought too hard the past few months to go out pleading.
The Darkness was silent. Her strength began to slip. She wiped her tears then reached out with shaking hands. Autumn touched him tentatively with her fingertips. He didn’t move. She took his face in her hands as she had after the long walk up the driveway. He’d returned to her then. Was there enough of him left to return to her now?
“Please come back,” she whispered.
“He hurt too many innocents. He hurt you.”
“I know. But I know he can do it. He just needed to know there’s another way out.”
“What way?”
She hesitated. “With me. We’ll walk it together, like we did the driveway.”
“It’s not too late for … me?” His hand dropped from her throat. He was struggling. She felt his body trembling.
“I’ll help you, Decker, if you let me,” she said.
“How can you say such a thing after tonight?” This voice was purely Decker’s: Hushed, low, husky. “I could’ve killed you.”
“That wasn’t you. I knew if I could reach you, you’d come back.”
“You were a fool to stand up to the Darkness.”
“What happens to me doesn’t matter. I chose you” she fought back tears of relief “long before tonight.”
“I know.” He took her face in his hands and wiped her cheeks. “It scared me. It still does.”
“Me, too.” She closed her eyes at the light caress of his thumbs. He was warm, and she was so cold. He wrapped his arms around her.
“What happens to you does matter. I lost someone once …” His words were barely audible, even whispered next to her ear. “This … thing between us…”
“I know.” She sank into him. He was solid, warm and strong, his scent and heat filling her senses with nothing but him. His body shook from his internal battle. She didn’t resist his shadows this time. “One day at a time.” Silently, she thanked Michael Turner for the advice. “Right now, Beck and Dawn need to go to the hospital.”
“So do you.”
“They’re in much worse shape. Please, Decker. Take them first. Beck and his baby are in danger. I’m tough.”
He hesitated. Though she didn’t want to, she leaned away from him.
“You won’t lose anyone else, Decker, if you hurry. I’m not going anywhere.”
He kissed her forehead. “Didn’t I tell you I’d keep you, if I found you in my forest after dark again?”
“I made you a deal.”
“I intend to collect,” he assured her.
She gave a half-laugh, half-sob. The idea of belonging with him … to him was overwhelming. Could she really help him walk out of the Darkness? He was taking the first step, but she knew from experience that the true test of his willpower was yet to come. It was how he dealt with failure that would determine if he was able to recover.
But she wanted him to. She needed him to. She didn’t know who she was before her accident, but she knew they were meant to walk the path together.
“Decker, you have to keep fighting. It’s not going to get easier,” she said. “Please, keep fighting.”
“I’ll do my best. I’m not sure ... Autumn, I can’t do it alone.”
The raw emotion in his voice tore at her. She understood that feeling. She’d fought her way back from a wall of pain that wanted to consume her as much as his Darkness did him.
“We’ll help you,” she said. “Beck and I and your father and Grandpa Louis.”
“It might take all of you.” Decker kissed her forehead again, rose and stepped away, his warmth going with him. Autumn opened her eyes and watched him approach Dawn. He paused for a long moment before kneeling and lifting the unconscious girl.
His shadows closed around him, and he disappeared.
Autumn slumped. She huddled the best she could with an injured body numbed from cold and exhaustion. Her gaze went to Beck. A few minutes later, Decker returned to heft his brother over his shoulders.
When he’d gone again, she gripped her head. She was dizzy from blood loss and pain. A migraine was coming on fast. The amulet grew warm against her chest. She glanced down, surprised to see the amber glowing, but her head hurt too much for her to focus. The last of her strength gave. She sank into the snow and closed her eyes.
“Stay with me, sweetheart.” A woman’s voice pierced the blackness settling in her mind.
The words were familiar. Autumn had heard them before. A moment before fire tore through her, she almost remembered where.
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Witchling Trilogy
Dark Summer (August 2012; Available from Smashwords)
Summer Night (Novelette – Nov 2012; Available from Smashwords)
Autumn Storm (Nov 2012)
Autumn Night (Novelette – Feb 2013)
Winter Kiss (2013)
Excerpt of Masquerade
Excerpt of Masquerade
By Cambria Hebert
Chapter One
Heven
The street was dark and deserted. I wished, not for the first time, that I had a car. But I didn’t, and I’d spent too long in the library, so now I had to walk home in the dark. It was a clear night, and there were a million stars nestled in the sky, twinkling brightly alongside the moon. I was nearly home, my street just yards away. The night was quiet, exaggerating the sound my heels were making on the pavement. Usually, I liked the clicking sound; it made me feel womanly, and it announced my arrival. However, at this moment, it seemed I shouldn’t announce my presence. I slowed slightly, gentling my steps and glanced to my right at a wooded, overgrown lot. I imagined something hiding in the brush, watching. I laughed a little at my silliness, but quickened my pace. This time, allowing my heels to slap loudly on the pavement, hoping the sound would ward off any animals that might be around. Behind me I sensed movement and whirled around to confront it.
There was nothing there.
I began walking again. I’d walked this street many times, I knew it was safe.
Wasn’t it?
Just as I passed an empty lot, I heard some rustling and turned back. Something was definitely there, a dark shape unfurling from the weeds.
My heart beat fast, and my stomach cramped with nerves as I began to run. I wasn’t fast enough, and whatever was stalking me caught up. I fell forward, something heavy and warm pressing me down onto the cold pavement. I tried to scream, but the sound lodged in my throat. A hideous sound built low and filled my ears…
I bolted upright, heart pounding. It was just a dream. A stupid nightmare. Except it wasn’t stupid, and it wasn’t just a dream. I tossed the covers off and headed to the bathroom, feeling sticky and clammy with sweat. The water was cool and felt like silk running through my fingers. I scooped the water in my hands and splashed it on my cheeks. I froze, fingering the raised, puckered scars that distorted the left side of my face. No, it hadn’t been a stupid dream. It was an unnecessary reminder of reality.
The dreams had been haunting me so long I knew that it would be impossible to find sleep again tonight, so I didn’t bother to go back to bed. The soft sheets and fluffy pillows didn’t offer the same comfort they had Before. Bed was now the place I was haunted by unanswered questions. I shut off my alarm and turned, glancing at the window. A strange feeling of being watched crept over me, and I padded over to peek out from behind the curtain. I don’t know what I was looking for, only that I had a feeling that something was there. Chills raced along my skin and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I looked out into the dark. I resisted the urge to turn and look over my shoulder, but then something caught my eye – a movement within the shadows. I squinted and pressed closer to the cold glass of the window hoping for a glimpse of whatever was there. After long, tense minutes, I gave up. Of course, there wasn’t anything there. I was beyond exhausted from lying in bed at night worrying, paranoid about being watched, knowing that I wasn’t. Why couldn’t I shake this feeling that I wasn’t safe?
With one last look at the empty yard and a deep sigh, I went back into the bathroom, careful to avoid the mirror. I went through my usual routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face. I grasped my brush and looked up into the mirror above the sink. I began brushing the very long, very blond thickness of my hair, taking care to part it low on the right and smooth it over to conceal as much of my face as possible. I tried distracting myself with the features that weren’t so bad like my sky blue eyes and pimple free skin. There was a light smattering of freckles over my nose and cheeks and my lips were full and a natural peach color. How close I came to having the left side of my lips ruined. I shivered, and the action sent my hair momentarily away from my face, revealing what I hadn’t wanted to see.
A large, raised scar began at the corner of my eyebrow and ran jaggedly down, dangerously close to the corner of my eye and didn’t stop until well past my cheekbone. It was puckered and dark pink. If that wasn’t hideous enough, it wasn’t alone. A pair of wide scars, one on each side of the larger scar ravaged my skin, making me look like a freak. Adding to my freakish appearance, I had nerve damage, and the left side of my face was slack… the skin not as taut as it once was. When my hair concealed as much as it could, I left the bathroom to get dressed. It didn’t take me as long to get dressed as Before. I didn’t see the point of dressing nice when my face was ruined; whatever effort I made with my clothes wouldn’t matter. I selected a pair of jeans and slid them on, adding an oversized hooded sweatshirt. Getting ready so early, I had to wait for what seemed like forever before I went downstairs to make a show of grabbing a granola bar and carton of orange juice from the fridge.
“You look nice this morning.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, mustering a smile even though I didn’t feel like smiling. I know she was trying to be supportive, trying to make me feel good. I appreciated her efforts even if they never worked.
“Gotta go, I’m late.”
“Have a good day,” she called behind me.
I paused just before walking out the front door. Get it over with. Taking a deep breath I stepped back and prepared myself to look up. You’d think after months of this routine it would get a little easier. It didn’t.
I gazed into the mirror at my reflection, making certain my hair covered as much of my face as possible, knowing it was what everyone would be whispering about when I walked through the halls at school. They still whispered, even after all this time. You would think they would forget, I wanted to – like I ever really could. It was my face after all, and it was disfigured.
Kimber pulled into the driveway just as I shut the front door behind me. The bright red VW Bug was a happy announcement that she was here, an exclamation point that was her life. I used to love that car and all the attention that it drew. I’d hoped for something like it. But that car didn’t fit into my world anymore; I’m no longer the girl who would drive something so flashy. But I rode in it anyway, grateful not to ride the bus.
“Hey, girl,” Kimber chirped as I slid in the passenger seat.
“Hey.” I smiled and shoved the uneaten granola bar and juice into my bag. It would join the rest of this week’s uneaten breakfasts in the bottom of my locker. I was aware of Kimber watching, but she didn’t say anything. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of sleek, dark purple sunglasses.
As she backed out of the drive, I checked out her outfit. She was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a pair of tan Uggs that came to her knee. Her top was white but far from plain. It was a long sleeved, button-up with a bunch of ruffles along the chest. The first three buttons were unbuttoned, and a sparkly silver tank peeked from beneath it. To top it off she had on at least four necklaces. One had huge aqua colored beads on it while another had small yellow pebbles. The other two were silver and sparkled when the sun hit them. It should have been way too much, but on her it was perfect. It was exactly like something I would have worn. Before.
Her Blackberry began singing a Taylor Swift song, and she sighed. “Who is it?”
I picked the phone up from the cup holder and glanced at the screen. “Cole.”
“Ugh.” She took the phone, hit the ‘ignore’ button, and dropped the phone back into the cup holder.
“Are you fighting with him again?” Kimber and Cole have a definite love-hate relationship. They’d started dating freshman year and had broken up and gotten back together so many times in the past two years that I’d stopped counting. It used to amuse me. Now I wondered why they bothered.
“I broke up with him.” She sniffed.
“I’m sure by lunch everything will be fine.”
“Not this time,” her voice cracked.
“Kimber, you know this is the usual pattern with you two.”
“I caught him kissing Jenna last night after the game.”
“He wouldn’t!”
“Oh, yes he did! I know we usually fight and make up, but this is different. He cheated on
me!”
“With a skank!” Jenna Hoffman was a snotty brat. She flirted with everyone’s boyfriend and talked about everyone behind their backs. Unfortunately, the teachers all thought she was great. She got straight A’s and sucked up to all the right people. It didn’t hurt that she was next in line to be head cheerleader, and that her parents had serious money.
A giggle escaped Kimber.
“What?” I asked. Dealing with Jenna was no laughing matter.
“You said ‘skank’.”
“So?” I shrugged. “You act like I’ve never called anyone that before.”
“It’s been a long time. I almost forgot how…” She pressed her lips together and fiddled with the radio.
“How fun I used to be.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.”
I snorted.
“It’s just nice to see you excited about something.”
I didn’t think calling Jenna a skank for acting like one was me being excited. “So what are you going to do?” I asked, wanting to avoid this conversation.
“About the skank?” Kimber grinned. “Nothing.”
“About Cole.”
Her grin faded, and she stared at the road. “He keeps calling me.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“I told him to leave me alone.”
Her phone went off again, and I picked it up. “It’s him.”
“Just turn it off.”
This was serious. She never ignored his calls. She always answered to yell at him and then hung up. It was part of how they worked things out. Suddenly the idea of Kimber and Cole breaking up – for good – seemed like too much. I always thought they would be together, fighting forever. It was something I counted on – a constant. In a world full of change and uncertainty, I always thought I could count on them to be there… well, fighting.
“You okay?” Kimber asked, slowing the car.