Winter Fire (Witchling Series)

by Ford, Lizzy

  She felt badly, but wasn’t sure how to find the girl she’d beat up. She kept an eye out for her as they toured the rest of the schoolhouse, dorms, common areas, cafeteria, and gym. After a short lunch, they continued their tour before gathering for the ride back to the Light Campus.

  Amber dismissed them early when they got back to the school, and Morgan was almost proud of herself at the end of the day. She won a fight with some Dark girl she stumbled upon in the forest, wrestled with the guy who made her heart fly, did her homework, and didn’t get in the trouble she expected for fighting.

  It was a bizarre day, all the way around. Of everything that happened, she couldn’t stop thinking about Beck. Lying on top of her, his breath tickling her ear.

  Wow.

  “Morgan!”

  She blinked, realizing she was standing in the middle of her room, staring into space.

  “What, Connor?” she replied.

  He opened the door.

  “You okay?” he asked, closing the door behind him.

  “Good,” she replied. “I didn’t get hauled into Amber’s office about my fight.”

  “I asked Beck not to say anything. You know I won’t.”

  She nodded, unsettled by the idea that Beck knew. She wasn’t certain why, but she was afraid of him knowing more about her. Maybe because the wall she kept between herself and everyone else wasn’t quite as solid around him.

  “You want to tell me what happened?” Connor asked.

  “No.”

  “Did you win at least?”

  “I did!” She smiled. “I almost beat Beck, too, but he cheated.”

  “Serves you right.”

  “I know.”

  Connor was smiling. “I’m proud of you. You won’t ever have to worry about … things happening again.”

  She nodded, eyes on the floor. The only one who knew her secret, Connor had pushed her into self-defense training when she turned fourteen and didn’t let up on her, until she proved she could protect herself. She was grateful to him for helping her rebuild her confidence after The Incident.

  “Okay. No more fights,” Connor said.

  “Believe it or not, I didn’t pick this one. It was self-defense,” she replied.

  She could tell he wanted to ask her more about it, but he didn’t. She was just as stubborn as he was, when she wanted to be.

  “If you need help, let me know,” he said at last.

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Omigod. Some days, Morgan, I just want to strangle you!”

  “The feeling is mutual,” she said with a sweet smile.

  He turned to leave, shaking his head.

  “Connor,” she said quickly. “Thank you.”

  “Whatever. You don’t need me looking out for you.”

  “Not anymore,” she agreed. “But I meant, thank you for bringing me here.”

  He paused at the door.

  “I know how much you and Mom did,” she added.

  “Not enough,” he said in a quiet voice. “We should’ve saved you earlier.”

  “But you did save me. That’s what matters, Connor.”

  He smiled and nodded. Her brother left her room. Her smile remained. They fought like cats and dogs, but she loved her brother and everything he’d done to help her over the past few years.

  She wasn’t about to tell him her final secret, though, that she was planning on making sure she never had to go home again.

  Morgan withdrew the black rock from the top drawer of her dresser. She’d been walking through the forest before dance class this morning, looking for the elusive heart of Light. A Dark girl happened upon her close to the road. Morgan still wasn’t certain what happened or why. Someone grabbed her, and she reacted the way she had been trained.

  After the second punch, the girl scrambled away.

  Morgan felt horrible. She needed to apologize, but had no idea who the girl was. She knew the rules about fighting and was afraid of Amber finding out, when the Light Arts instructor was already on the verge of calling her dad.

  Once again, Connor covered for her. He’d done it at school in New York, too, whenever she showed up battered and bruised.

  Morgan pushed those thoughts away. She knew how to get away, now. She wasn’t going to dwell on it.

  The rock was too cold to hold for more than a few seconds. She replaced it in her drawer then glanced at the clock. She had two hours until dinner; she could look for the heart again. Allegedly, it was somewhere on campus. She’d been everywhere she could get to and wondered if the snow was preventing her from reaching the point she needed to find.

  Chapter Eleven

  Pulling on her snow boots and coat, Morgan left the school. While she hated the cold, she loved how fresh the air was. Pine trees sprinkled snow from their boughs as they swayed in a light breeze. The sky was partially cloudy with blue peeking through white clouds. It smelled like more snow was coming.

  Morgan walked around campus, past the boys’ dorms and across the creek. A picnic area was covered in snow. Deer, roaming kids and other wildlife had carved paths through snow into the forest at points, and she picked a random direction to go. The snow soon became too deep to proceed, so she returned to campus and walked down the gravel driveway towards the road that led to town.

  Her thoughts went to the girl she beat up, and she struck off into the forest in the direction where she’d been headed earlier. Bright blood in the snow marked the spot where the encounter occurred. Morgan looked around, half-expecting to find the girl still there. Why on earth was she just roaming in the forest in the first place?

  No one was there, so Morgan trudged into the snow.

  She had no idea what she was looking for. Her phone rang, and she fished it out of her pocket. Her heart almost stopped when she saw whose number was on the screen. She hesitated then answered.

  “Hi Daddy,” she murmured.

  Silently, she prayed Beck or Amber hadn’t called him.

  “Hey, Morgan. How’s the new school?”

  “Great,” she said with more enthusiasm than she felt. “There’s more snow here than in New York.”

  “That’s a lot.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Listen, your mom is headed up there for Christmas. I figure I’ll come for New Years and your birthday.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Are you um, coming up alone?”

  “No, I’m bringing Gordon.”

  Morgan’s heart tumbled.

  “We aren’t going to have any issues with that, are we?” her dad asked tensely.

  “No, Daddy,” she replied. She’d given up trying to tell him what kind of person his brother was. On disability, Corwin McCloud needed someone at home almost full time to care for him, after an accident on a construction site. Gordon, his brother, had become that person. The roll of caretaker, though, didn’t fit the hot-headed man.

  “We’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Okay, bye, Daddy.”

  “Bye, hon.”

  Morgan hung up. She hated her uncle with all her heart. Between her dad’s mood swings and screaming at her and her uncle Gordon hitting her to vent his frustrations, she had a home life she wouldn’t wish on anyone, even Dawn.

  Well, maybe Dawn. Beck was clearly trying to deal with her as rationally as possible. Morgan felt no such desire; she’d rather push the bitch into the river. The baby would be fine, and Dawn might think twice before confronting Beck again. Morgan would feel a little better.

  Beck was a really good person, Morgan reflected with some melancholy. Much better than she was.

  A second thought settled into her, as cold as the snow around her boots. If she didn’t find the heart of the Light before Gordon got here, she’d end up with another broken arm when he visited or worse – he’d follow through on his threat and do something horrible to her father.

  Morgan shoved her phone into her pocket and began walking again. Distraught, she didn’t hear the sound of snow crunching beneath
the boots of others, until someone spoke.

  “Hey.”

  Startled, Morgan turned. She saw the tall, pretty girl from this morning. She had brown hair and bright blue eyes.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’m glad to see you.”

  The girl cocked her head to the side with a frown. Her nose was crooked and bandaged, where Morgan’s first strike had fallen. The second she’d leveled at the girl’s midsection.

  “I meant to apologize for this morning. I didn’t …” Morgan trailed off, realizing there were more people with her. Two others, a guy over six feet tall and built like a tree, and another girl. None of them looked friendly.

  “No worries. I brought back-up this time,” the girl said.

  “I just reacted this morning. I wasn’t trying to pick a fight.”

  “No? Well, you did,” was the hard response.

  Morgan tried to smile, but subtly widened her stance and balanced herself on the balls of her feet.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said again. “My brother used to test me to make sure I reacted right. It’s kind of second nature, when someone grabs me.”

  “Look, I came to give you a message from my friend. But when I told her what happened, she got real pissed. That message changed.” As she spoke, the other two moved closer to Morgan.

  “I don’t understand.” Morgan shifted uncertainly. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Dawn.”

  “Dawn?” Morgan laughed. “Living up to her reputation and sending bullies to do her work. What’s she upset about?”

  “Beck.”

  It clicked then. Dawn’s parting words to Beck about not dating anyone. Beck’s concern about Morgan upsetting her. Dawn had something to do with the disappearance of Beck’s other girlfriend. Fire lit Morgan’s blood, a mix of magick and pure fury. The two others were closing in on her, and she pretended not to notice.

  God! She wasn’t even dating him. She didn’t want anything to do with him, and she was going to get beat up?

  “So, you’re here to what?” she demanded, face growing hot. “Teach me a lesson? Kidnap me?”

  “Whatever it takes.”

  “You’re a fool. People like her use people like you. She’s a coward, and you’re too dumb or scared to stop her.”

  Something crossed the girl’s face that Morgan took to be confirmation that she was either scared or aware that Dawn was using her.

  “But, whatever. Okay. Teach me your lesson,” Morgan said and raised her arms into a starting position to fight. It was going to be difficult for her to maneuver in the snow with all the trees. Then again, it’d be hard for the others, too.

  The girl creeping closer swung first. Morgan ducked and socked her in the solar plexus. Unfortunately, the thick coat she wore prevented her blow from doing what it should – render her breathless – and instead knocked her back a step.

  The guy tried next. His fist was huge, half the size of her head, and he moved with quickness she didn’t expect. His blow sailed by her head. She kicked him in the crotch then punched him in the throat, the way her brother taught her.

  He gagged, but one heavy arm swung towards her. The backhand sent her reeling. Morgan tumbled into the snow. The whole world was swirling around her. She launched back up again, aware that she was most vulnerable on the ground. Disoriented, she nonetheless was able to wrench free from the girl who grabbed her and smash her elbow into her nose.

  The girl cursed and fell away. Morgan shook her head to clear it. The first girl she beat up this morning tackled her. Morgan fought her off, grunting as one punch hit her jaw, and pain went through her.

  She shoved the girl off her and climbed to her feet. The guy had recovered enough and looked pissed. Morgan ducked behind a tree. He reached around and snatched her by the collar. She leveled a kick at his knee, and he slapped her. Another kick at his knee, and he threw her down.

  Morgan’s coat got caught in the branch of a fallen tree. She wriggled but was unable to free herself. The three were regrouping, bruised – and furious. She unzipped the coat and shrugged out of it. The girl from this morning snatched one arm and the other girl the other.

  They hauled her to her feet while the huge guy readied his fist.

  A direct punch would crush her. Morgan struggled and then flinched, closing her eyes.

  It didn’t hit. Suddenly, the world around her was cold then hot, stifling. She opened her eyes. Black fog clung to the forms in front of her. Beck’s twin, Decker, had the big guy’s wrist in his grip, preventing the blow from falling.

  As she watched, Decker smashed him in the face with his fist then flung him aside as if he was as light as a pillow, the power of his Dark magick making the air quiver. He faced them. The fog was in his gaze, too, rendering him almost inhuman.

  The girls on either side of Morgan released her.

  “You. Leave.” His voice was a low growl, his eyes swiveling between the two Dark girls.

  They bolted.

  Morgan crept backwards, not at all certain what she was looking at or what to do. Decker shook his head, and the fog fell away.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I don’t know how to answer that,” she whispered.

  “C’mon.” He held out a hand.

  She flinched away and backpedaled, until her back bumped into the downed tree behind her.

  Decker rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll call Beck.”

  “No!” she exclaimed. Terrified after Decker’s magick display, she was just as concerned about Beck finding out about this. She wasn’t going to give him an excuse to worry about her or to think he was at fault for Dawn sending people to beat her up.

  “Why not?” he asked, glancing up from his cell phone.

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Whatever.” Decker dialed and put the phone to his ear, waited a few seconds then spoke to whoever was on the other end. “Hey, come find me.” He hung up.

  Morgan bent down to detangle her jacket from the branches, determined to be gone by the time Beck got there. Decker didn’t leave, and she winced as she touched her face. Her jaw took quite a hit; it was clicking now, which she didn’t think was normal. Her cheek would be bruised, and she might’ve twisted her ankle, too. There was too much adrenaline in her system for her to know for certain how bad she was hurt.

  She wrenched her coat free, disappointed that a piece of it ripped off. She’d only brought one, and neither parent had the money for a new one.

  “Alexa,” Decker said.

  Morgan looked up, surprised to see Beck standing there. Whereas Decker’s fog was black, Beck’s was white, almost like a fluffy cloud that settled around him. Just seeing his athletic body and chiseled features managed to soften her pain. Dressed for class with no jacket, he didn’t seem to be cold.

  The twins were studying her, Decker in amusement and Beck in concern.

  “Alexa didn’t do that,” Beck said, gaze lingering on Morgan’s cheek. It had to be red; it certainly still stung.

  “Who is Alexa?” Morgan asked.

  “Bad news,” Decker answered.

  “Dawn’s number one hench-chic,” Beck said. “The one you took out this morning who apparently came back to finish the job.”

  “She brought back-up this time,” Morgan murmured. “I almost won.”

  “You what?” Decker demanded.

  “I had everything under control.”

  He stared at her then laughed.

  “Almost,” she added.

  “Morgan is too stubborn to ask for help,” Beck said with a frown.

  “Later, Beck.” Decker shook his head and spun, striding into the forest.

  As she watched, the fog reappeared and swallowed him. When it dissipated, he was gone.

  “Did he just disappear?” she asked.

  Beck nodded and stepped closer. He lifted her chin and for a long moment, she completely forgot about her ankle and face. His teal eyes were warm, his touch reminding her how dangerous it
was to be around him. She’d wrangled her coat free but did not put it on, and it was the warmth of Beck’s body and magick that comforted her from the chilly afternoon.

  “What happened?” he asked softly.

  She shrugged, but didn’t move away.

  “C’mon, Morgan. This has got to stop. I know Alexa does Dawn’s dirty work. If they are trying to hurt you, I need to know.” His tone was firm this time. The gentle jokester had been replaced by the protector, the revered Master of Light, who for some reason, was worried about her.

  He pushed curls from her face. His gentle touch made her want to move closer.

  She faltered.

  “Talk to me.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I thought this morning was an accident, but I guess she came looking for me, and I scared her off. There were three this time.”

  “I’m sure they left in worse shape than you’re in,” he said with a small smile. “One of my gifts as the Light Master is the ability to use earth magick to heal. Will you let me help you?”

  She hesitated again.

  “Take the pain away? Like you do for me?”

  Morgan almost smiled. She liked that she could help him. His earth magick was strong enough to float through her body at their nearness, but it was desire that sizzled in her blood, making her too aware of his scent and heat. She felt silly to know how much he affected her.

  She nodded.

  Beck took her hands, and warmth pushed into her body. The stinging of her cheek and the pulsing of her ankle faded.

  “Wow,” she said, mind on how many days she’d had to bear through the pain of hidden bruises at school in New York. More than she could ever count. What was worse: the days where she’d been too hurt to go to school. With a skill like Beck’s, she wouldn’t have to try to hide the truth from her teachers anymore. “I think you need to come home with me.”

  Something dark crossed Beck’s features, and he studied her, concerned. Abruptly, she realized what she’d said. “That came out wrong,” she said quickly. “I’m not inviting you over. Even though you own the school. I just meant … healing is a cool ability to have.”

  “I’ll take care of you, Morgan.”