by Ford, Lizzy
“Morgan-“ he started.
“Let me go!”
His hands dropped, and he paced away from her, rubbing the back of his head with one hand then gripping his head with both.
“You have no idea what you just did,” he managed at last.
“Incurred the wrath of a bully.”
“She’s not just a bully, Morgan.” Beck was beyond distressed. He stopped pacing at once, back to her.
She wanted to storm away and walk home, but his pain … it was driving her crazy. Her fire magick was stretching for him even while she silently ordered it to stop. As hurt as her own feelings were, she understood what it was to feel as he did now, without anyone there to help.
She wasn’t going to let him experience what she had every day for four years.
Morgan walked to the teen struggling to control his own emotions. She rested a hand on his arm and pushed more of her candy flames into him. His magick accepted hers readily, and the strange ache she felt to do something faded. His warmth settled her agitated fire, while her fire eased his pain with its comforting heat.
Beck was still, accepting her help. When he was calm enough, she lowered her hand. She was trying hard to focus on him and not her own emotions, but the fire burned wildly within her, outside her control. Its influence on her feelings was hard to counteract.
Right now, she wanted to cry.
“Can we go back now?” she asked.
“Yeah. Good idea.” Beck gave her a weak smile. He was normal again, not the angry, tense stranger. “Thank you, Morgan.”
She shrugged and turned away. Beck caught her arm again.
“No, really. Thank you,” he said, moving to face her.
She didn’t look at him. “Let’s go.” She pulled away and jammed her hands into her pockets, walking quickly towards the car.
Beck drew abreast of her, but said nothing. They reached the car a few minutes later, and he opened the door for her.
She sank into it, resting her head back for a moment.
She’s just a new girl at school. Besides, you know I only go for blondes.
She didn’t want to like him, so why did his declaration hurt badly enough that she fought back tears?
Beck got into the car and started it, weaving carefully through the crowded streets, until they reached the empty, two-lane road leading north, towards the Light campus.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“Oh, god. That means the opposite in chic-speak,” he half-joked.
Morgan said nothing. She stared out the window at the dark forest whipping by. In the close confines of the car, earth magick was moving through her, calming her. It was all that kept her from crying.
“I’m sorry about all that,” he tried again. “But really, Morgan, you don’t want someone like Dawn in your life, hounding your every move, sending you angry text messages. She’s a nightmare.”
Morgan glanced at him, hearing the pain again.
“I’m obligated to deal with her,” he added. “I’m afraid you might be a target for her, after tonight.”
“I can take care of myself,” she assured him. “I’m not afraid of people like her.”
“If she confronts you, will you tell me?”
Her anger stirred again, though she didn’t know why. Earth magick pushed the fire back into submission, and she sighed.
“No,” she replied. “Because I don’t want anything to do with you after tonight.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” His jaw tightened visibly. “It’s probably for the best, though.”
Morgan’s heart fell further. He wasn’t even willing to fight for her. All his talk earlier about not needing her brother’s permission, about how pretty she was …
She couldn’t think about it now. It hurt too much to think that Beck had asked her out for some reason other than he might’ve liked her.
“Personal issues aside, I do need you to tell me if she threatens you or tries to kidnap you or anything,” Beck said firmly. “It’s my duty as Master of Light to protect witchlings.”
“Fine.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“No.”
“Morgan,” he sighed. “Please. For me. Even if you hate me after tonight. Dawn can’t be allowed to hurt people.”
“I know that,” she snapped. “Why else do you think I stood up for you? I know what she was doing to you.”
“No one can know that.”
“I can. I felt your pain. I want to destroy it … she was hurting you, and I can’t … I can’t stand …” Her voice broke. She looked out the window again, hands clenched in her lap.
“You’re like an angry guardian angel,” he said, amused. “A beautiful, sweet, angry little angel.” The skin around his eyes softened with his long look.
“Too bad you only go for blondes,” she said.
“Ouch. Yeah. I am so sorry about that. I was trying to protect you. She has a way of making my girlfriends disappear.”
“No need for her to worry. I’m not your girlfriend.”
Beck said nothing for a long moment. Then, “You’re right. Whatever this is between us, we have to walk away.”
Whatever this is. His words startled her. So he felt it, too? It wasn’t just her?
“Can I ask you something?” he asked.
She glanced at him.
“What you said to Dawn. Has someone hurt you, too?”
Morgan frowned. “You say we’re walking away then want to know my secrets?”
“I get it. I can’t have it both ways. Never mind.”
They fell into quiet. Morgan reviewed the disastrous night in her mind. She’d been truly happy to be there with him looking at the lights, before the Dawn incident.
Just when something good happened, a horrible person came along to take away her joy. She was so sick of it. In two weeks, she’d be gone. She could start over somewhere else. Maybe even pretend not to be a witchling, not to have fire magick.
Yet she liked sitting so close to Beck. His magick centered her, and he claimed to feel something for her, though to what extent, she didn’t know.
Torn, she said nothing all the way back to the school. He pulled in front of the main schoolhouse. The lights were out, except for those in the living area. Morgan glanced at the waiting school then at Beck.
“Thank you for taking me to see the lights,” she said.
“You’re welcome.” His voice was hushed again. She couldn’t see much of his face in the dark car. “I really am sorry things ended up the way they did tonight.”
“Me, too,” she murmured. Her heartbeat quickened. She hesitated before asking, “You … feel something between us?”
Beck flipped on the overhead light and met her gaze. He offered a small smile.
“Yeah, I do.”
She studied him. He didn’t look away, and his features were open.
“But, I don’t want to put you in danger, and I’m not experienced enough as the Master of Light to ensure your safety,” he added. “So, I guess that settles that.”
His direct gaze stirred her body in a way earth magick couldn’t mute.
“I guess,” she agreed. “About settling things. Not about being good at your job. You are, Beck. I can see that much.”
“Thanks. Can we end on a peaceful note? Friends?” he asked, holding out his hand.
She took his with a nod. They shook, but he didn’t let go, and she didn’t pull away. His warm touch amplified the elemental magick in her blood.
“Do you?” he asked after a long silence. “Feel something?”
“No,” she said stubbornly.
He laughed.
“Maybe.” She allowed a trace of a smile to escape.
“And we have to walk away.”
“We can’t see each other,” she agreed.
Beck’s grip on her hand was firm and gentle. She wondered what it would be like if he held her the way she saw Decker holding Sum
mer at the boardwalk. The intensity of his direct gaze caused heat to creep up her face.
“Okay then. Can I ask you for a favor?” he asked.
“You want me to light Dawn’s house on fire?”
He smiled and shook his head.
“What?” she asked curiously.
“Since we both agreed that we’ll never see each other after tonight … can I kiss you?”
Morgan’s heart nearly stopped at the question then jolted into action again, soaring as fast as her fire magick in response. She found herself speechless.
“Just one. Just to see what might’ve been,” Beck said. “Then I promise, I’ll leave you alone for good.”
“Is this the only way to get rid of you?” she asked finally.
He laughed out loud.
“’Cuz that’s the only reason I’ll do it.”
“Yes!” he said, eyes twinkling. “It’s the only way to get rid of me for good.”
“Alright. If I must.”
Beck’s smile was wide. He cupped one cheek with his other hand and leaned forward, unburdened by the terror that was streaking through her. His earth magick flowed into her, warm and calming. She’d never kissed anyone since The Incident. She didn’t know what to expect or even if she wanted to know.
He rested his forehead against hers, his thumb lightly brushing the skin of her jaw. Her breathing was uneven, and she gripped his other hand tightly, overwhelmed by the sensations of her excited emotions and fluttering thoughts. As if sensing her near-distress, more earth magick floated through her, soothing the fire.
Beck pulled back far enough that she could see the warmth in his eyes. The side of him that scared her at the wharf – where they were confronted by the Dark girl – was gone, replaced by the boy she knew him to be.
“Trust me,” he whispered. “Just this once. Okay?”
She nodded and wet her lips. His face grew closer, and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Uncertain what to expect, she was surprised by how warm and soft his lips were against hers. His kiss was light, and warm electricity pulsed through her, a mixing of her fire and his earth. Desire lit within her, and her magick rallied with it, intrigued by the new kind of burning in her blood.
She liked his kiss and the way it made her body come alive.
Beck started to lean away, but she moved with him, fascinated by the combination of his soft kiss and the effect he had on her. He released her hand and took her face with both of his hands, kissing her more firmly. His lips worked hers gently, and her mouth opened in response to a flicker of his tongue.
If feeling him started her fire, tasting him made it roar with hunger strong enough to scare her. Morgan pulled back, startled by the intensity of her body’s response.
“Sorry. Too fast,” he whispered.
They gazed at each other, faces inches a part. She wanted to tell him that he’d done nothing wrong. She was afraid of herself, not him. The hands on her cheeks fell away, taking his warmth with them.
“I don’t know what it is about you, but I just …” Beck drifted off, eyes on her lips.
Morgan found herself craving another kiss, to the point that she touched his face tentatively the same way he touched hers. The intimacy of the moment was unlike anything she ever experienced. Already, she missed his touch. For those few, precious seconds, she hadn’t been alone. Not only that, but her fire liked him, more than it should.
She closed her eyes and leaned forward, kissing him with no small amount of apprehension. Beck responded just as gently, his restraint evident. The roar began again, and she pulled away reluctantly, resting her temple against his cheek. He took her hands in his and squeezed them.
“Still walking away, right?” His voice was husky, low. It sent shivers through her.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“Then you better go before one of us changes their mind.”
She started to laugh then realized what he was saying. If she didn’t leave, he wasn’t about to. Things could go much further than she wanted, faster than she was ready.
With effort, Morgan lifted her head and pulled her hands free. The loss of his heated touch made her ache to feel it again. Unable to look at him, she gathered her scarf and her purse with fumbling hands and got out of the car.
The cold night was a blessing. Without Beck’s earth magick to calm her fire, her body felt like it was fevered. She breathed deep, shaky breaths and climbed the stairs to the main house. At the door, she paused and turned. She didn’t expect to see Beck watching her, standing outside the vehicle with his chin on his folded arms on top of the car.
She waved. He smiled in return. Morgan turned away again and went inside. Part of her wanted to look out the window to see if he was still there, but she didn’t, not wanting to seem like a complete fool after one little kiss.
Or two incredible ones.
Chapter Eight
The voice came again.
I can help you, it said.
Dawn fell silent mid-sentence, trying to figure out what – or who – was talking to her. It wasn’t air magick. At least, it didn’t feel like air magick, which sometimes whispered random things to her. Her element normally didn’t speak in complete sentences, if it spoke at all.
“What’s wrong, sis?” her brother asked.
Dawn’s gaze went from the dark night visible through the car window to her brother. They’d had cocoa after her horrible interaction with Beck and now, Noah was driving them to the Dark campus, her new home for the past month.
“Why’d you come back?” she asked.
“Mum didn’t give me much of a choice,” he replied.
“Like helping out your sister is such an awful thing,” she snapped. “What is wrong with everyone?”
“You know that’s not the case.”
“No one wants anything to do with me. I’m the one who’s stuck with a kid!”
Noah glanced at her. They both resembled their mother, who in her youth had been one of the most popular supermodels in history. With blond hair and blue-grey eyes, Noah had their father’s height and their mother’s carved-from-stone looks, much like Dawn.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” he asked. “No one told me what was going on until last week. I got a call from dad’s attorney, asking me to be a character witness. Why? Because my pregnant sister is suspected of kidnapping someone.”
“You never should’ve left me here alone with these people to start off with,” Dawn retorted.
“Yeah, well, I had my own issues. Dad’s almost broke, and the company is going under. Someone’s gotta help him figure it out.”
“Oh and I’m incapable?”
“Dammit, Dawn, don’t be so bitchy. We both have things we’re dealing with,” he replied.
“You have no idea what I’ve been through,” she returned. “Beck is already seeing someone else! Like I never meant anything to him!” Three weeks after I delivered a message I thought was clear. Tanya’s death had been an accident when Alexa went a little crazy doing what Dawn asked her to. In any case, Dawn was glad she was dead; she hoped it would drive Beck back to her or at least, keep him away from other girls.
Taking out Autumn – the girl Summer was disguised as to complete her trial – was a second failed message. That one nearly cost Dawn her life and that of her child. She learned one thing from that encounter: becoming personally involved was too much of a risk. If she lost the baby, she lost the money. Though some days, she wanted Beck to feel her pain so badly, she considered an out of state abortion.
But then, he’d be off the hook. She would never win. Maybe one day, he’d realize how much easier life would be if they were together. She wasn’t certain what it would take for him to understand her; she just had to keep reminding him. Every time they crossed paths, Beck was confident and smiling. Unaffected. Uncaring. His life wasn’t changing, but hers was. The kid’s trust fund and child support would help replace the money her father no longer sent her, which in turn, might give her another
shot at modeling. She could do what her mother did: marry the richest man around to take care of her.
It’s what the plan was with Beck, only it didn’t go that way. Dawn got pregnant and Beck dumped her, like the playboy he was.
Master of Light? Was there no right and wrong in the world? What of their daughter?
I can help you.
Dawn shook her head.
“You really have to move on,” Noah said.
“I’m having his kid, Noah. What part of that don’t you get?”
“I don’t know what else to say, Dawn.” Noah sighed. “I’m here to support you. I plan on talking to Beck this week. We used to be friends. I’ll try to help make peace between you two.”
“I don’t want you talking to him,” she snapped. “I can do this myself.”
“Whatever.”
They reached the Dark Campus at the edge of Priest River. It was larger than the Light Campus, with its own football field. Everything was new, from the track around the field to the dorms and the buildings housing classrooms. The population of Dark to Light students had been two to one for some time, and the campus reflected the widening gap.
“I’ve got my deposition in the morning, but I’ll be back by lunch tomorrow. Do you want to sit down and talk?” Noah asked. He stopped the car at the curb next to her dorm.
“No one listens anyway,” she complained. “You won’t say anything bad tomorrow will you?”
“Of course not,” he replied. “I know you’re getting screwed over. I’m your brother.”
Dawn softened. Though Noah was a year younger than her, he had always been a good friend and great brother. His calm nature came from dealing with her and their mother, whose diva-like antics made Dawn look like an angel.
“Thank you, Noah,” she said, tears in her eyes. She leaned over and hugged him. Just when she thought no one cared, there was Noah. As usual. He left soon after his witchling trial was complete last year and went to help the struggling family business. She didn’t realize she missed her brother until the moment he was one of her only allies.
“If you need anything, call. I’m across the parking lot in the boys dorm,” he replied and returned the hug.