by Ford, Lizzy
Morgan said nothing.
“It’ll be nice to meet them,” Amber added with a smile.
Beck sensed the shift in Morgan before he looked at her. Her fire went cold. When he glanced at her, he saw how pale she’d gotten. Her eyes took on an empty look, and her face was as pale as snow.
“Amber, I think we need to call them and tell them to wait a week or two,” he said carefully, not wanting to reveal what he knew. “The fire is going to cause chaos here. It might help calm things down, if we don’t disrupt the daily routine.”
It was advice his attorneys had given him when he freaked out a few months ago under all the pressure.
Amber stared at him. Normally, he was on the receiving end of advice.
Morgan stood suddenly and walked out. Her step was hurried, her features blank. She seemed to be in shock.
Beck had a feeling – if faced with the threat of seeing her abuser again – she was going to bolt.
“Amber, you have to call them back and tell them not to come,” he said quietly, standing. “It’s important.”
“Beck, what’s going on?” Amber searched his face.
“There might be a situation of um, abuse, in her family. Please, can you call them and tell them not to come?” He moved towards the door as he spoke but didn’t leave without her response.
Amber looked surprised. Finally, she nodded.
Beck left quickly and trotted down the hallway. Some of the kids were at breakfast. He ducked his head into the dining room, already suspecting he wasn’t going to find Morgan there. Waving at Biji, he went to the stairwell and took the steps two at a time. Beck strode to Morgan’s room and rapped at the door. She didn’t answer, but he could hear her moving around.
He didn’t hesitate to walk in. The sense she was his, that they somehow belonged together, had only grown stronger since she made her decision last night. Beck walked in and closed the door behind him, watching. Morgan was flinging her clothing into one of two suitcases that yawned open on her bed. He once saw Decker so agitated, he burst into flames.
Morgan was near that point. Beck moved forward.
“Hey, I think we need to talk,” he said. He touched her arm as he spoke. She yanked away.
“I don’t need to talk!” she snapped, whirling to face him. Her face had gone from pale to red, her eyes furious.
“Okay,” he said.
Morgan returned to her task. She tossed clothing from the closet into the suitcase.
“Where do you plan on going?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “It doesn’t matter.”
She dropped to her knees to retrieve shoes from the bottom of the closet. When she stood, she tossed them. She paused for a moment, gazing around her.
“Morgan,” he said softly. He sat on the bed between the suitcases.
She looked at him quickly then away. Her eyes were red-rimmed. She went to the dresser and pulled open all four drawers.
“If you leave, I lose you,” he said quietly.
She stopped.
“Hey, come on,” he said. He reached out to her again, stretching his long arm across the space between the bed and dresser. “Talk to me.”
Morgan didn’t pull away this time. Beck took that as a good sign and stood, moving behind her. He rested his hands on her upper arms. His gaze went from her unruly curls to a strange, black rock on her dresser. It looked … familiar. Before he could determine why, she spoke.
“It’s better this way.”
“What’s better?” he asked.
“Everything I touch turns to ash.”
“I won’t,” he replied. “I can promise you that.”
“You deserve someone better than me.”
“Morgan.” His heart broke at the pain in her tone. “That’s not true at all. I want to be with you.”
“You don’t even know me!”
“You’re beautiful and sweet and strong. Your heart is so good, you try to prevent others from feeling the pain that you’ve been through,” he whispered. “You’re incredible, Morgan. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.”
She was quiet, breathing deeply enough he could tell she was struggling to control herself. Her magick zipped through him, and he gently tried to calm her.
“I don’t want to lose you, either,” she said finally.
Beck almost sighed. He turned her to face him. She wiped her face hastily, and he tipped her chin up.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I kinda need to know,” he pressed.
Morgan’s distress was rising. Her pine-colored eyes swam with emotions. He wasn’t certain she’d answer, but he loved gazing into those eyes that reminded him of the forest. Of all the things he expected her to do, kissing him wasn’t one of them.
Morgan took his face in her hands and rose up on her tiptoes. Her lips touched his timidly. The flash of fire magick that shot through him lit his desire, the way it had last night.
Beck wasn’t about to reject her, even if he suspected she was trying to distract him. He responded slowly, unwilling to pressure her in any way. When he deepened the kiss this time, she didn’t hesitate as she had every other time, but leaned into him. Beck’s arms went around her instinctively.
Morgan responded boldly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Beck sensed her control of her magick slipping under a combination of extreme emotion and desire.
“Morgan,” he whispered, pulling away. “We need to figure this out.”
“No, we don’t,” she replied and kissed him again.
Fire tore through him. When it came to Morgan, he didn’t want to say no. Ever. He felt like dry kindle to a hungry fire; her passion only grew as he responded. Beck lost himself in the sweetness of her taste and the softness of her skin. He’d tumbled into bed with many girls, but this one would be different. Not only did he feel so much more for her, but her magick would make any encounter explosive.
“Morgan,” he tried once again.
Her breathing was ragged.
“I don’t want to do anything you regret. I don’t want to push you into anything or for you –“
“Will you regret anything we do?” she asked, her voice husky.
“Hell no.”
“Beck.” There were tears in her voice, a tremble to her chin that made him want to do whatever he had to in order to ease her pain. “I trust you. I’m scared.”
“I never thought I’d hear those words,” he said. He wanted to assure her he’d never let anything happen to her.
He kissed her this time. Morgan’s body eased against his in a sign of surrender that unraveled more of his resistance. His own passion was barely restrained; he wasn’t known for resisting women in the first place, but this one and her fire had driven him crazy with desire since their meeting.
He pressed her against the wall, anxious to feel her perfect body. Morgan’s hands went over his chest and arms, and he wanted nothing more than to remove the clothing that separated their bodies. Her passion matched his. Beck’s hands started up her shirt, and he was thrilled to feel the magick increase at the direct contact with her skin.
A knock at the door jarred him, and he realized how little control each of them retained. He rested his forehead against the wall, breathing hard. Morgan’s breath tickled his ear, and her cheek rested against his.
“Wow,” she breathed.
“Morgan, you’re playing with fire,” he warned.
She said nothing, and he peered into her eyes again. She touched his face.
“I love fire,” she whispered.
“Hold that thought,” he said, smiling. He pushed himself away from the wall, resisting the urge to shake his head to free his mind from the fire.
He opened the door enough to see who was there. Connor was pacing in the hallway. Morgan’s brother appeared surprised to see him.
“Is she here?” he asked anxiously.
“Yeah
,” Beck replied.
“My father is coming. Does she know?”
Beck nodded. “She’s a little upset.”
Connor studied him.
“Leave me alone, Connor!” Morgan snapped and whipped the door open. She stepped in front of Beck, hands on her hips.
“If you told me where you were last night, I –“
“You couldn’t make something up to keep her from blaming me?”
“Okay,” Beck said calmly. He rested a hand at the small of Morgan’s back. “What’s done is done. We need to figure out how to handle it.”
“It’s simple. I’m leaving,” Morgan said stubbornly.
“No, you’re not,” Beck replied.
She twisted to look up at him, her direct challenge stirring his desire.
“No,” he said again and touched her hair.
“Then what do I do?” she replied, eyes sparking.
“You get pissed at me, and I kiss you. Seems to work, doesn’t it?” he teased.
“What?” Connor snapped.
“Don’t you start, Connor!” Morgan whirled. “I can date who I want, and I want to date him!”
“I know where you can stay, Morgan,” Beck said before Connor could be drawn into another fight. “I promised to take care of you. Whatever it takes.”
Morgan’s gaze returned to him. She was guarded – yet hopeful. He wasn’t about to let her down.
“Finish packing, and I’ll take you,” he said.
After a long moment, she listened to him and left the doorway.
“Connor, you’re going to have to trust me.” Beck lowered his voice.
“She’ll be safe?”
“I promise. I’m taking her to my parents’ cabin. It’s not far up the road. Please don’t tell anyone else.”
“I’ll check up on her,” Connor said firmly.
“Totally fine.”
“Beck, she’s wild.”
“I know.” I love that about her.
Her brother hesitated then nodded. With visible reluctance, he walked away. Beck closed the door. Morgan was finishing up packing. He watched her before his gaze settled again on the rock on her dresser.
Fire. Soul stone.
He recalled where he saw it: in the vision the earth showed him. The earth had acted alarmed when it showed him, as if the rock was to be feared, and Sam said it was concentrated Darkness. From across the room, Beck felt the Darkness clinging to the stone, just as he felt it around his twin. It was cold.
Dangerous.
Only fire witchlings can repel the coldness of the Dark.
He moved towards the dresser. “Morgan, where did you get this?” he asked.
“What?” she called from the bathroom, where she was tossing what sounded like shampoo bottles into a bag.
Beck gazed at the rock. He didn’t like it. The Light in him wanted it gone. He looked down suddenly, a second vision returning to his thoughts. The earth had showed him the core of Light being eaten away from its center. He had gone to the basement without seeing anything.
He never thought to look up. Morgan’s room was directly over the spot the earth showed him. As usual, the magick communicated in a way that wasn’t clear until he realized the truth.
A line of fire witchlings was entrusted with the soul stone.
Morgan.
Beck felt cold. He’d trusted Dawn, too, before she turned out to be a crazy kidnapping killer. Had he made the same mistake with Morgan?
Why did she have this … thing that was capable of destroying Light? Capable of destroying him?
“I didn’t hear you,” she said, emerging from the bathroom. “What did you …” She stopped.
Beck looked at her. Her attention flew from the rock to him.
“Why do you have this?” he asked in a low, calm voice.
Guilt then panic crossed her features. Beck reached for it.
“No, Beck!” she cried, reaching to stop him.
He picked it up. Ice flew through him. It froze his magick and chilled its warmth. He almost felt his blood slow. The sensations within him were too fast for him to counter.
Beck staggered. Morgan tried to catch him, and they both dropped to the ground. Her fire tore through him, preventing the Darkness of the rock from stopping his heart. In the distance, she was calling his name, her tears like drops of lava on his face.
Blackness swept through his mind.
Chapter Fifteen
“Beck!” Morgan cried. She hadn’t been able to keep him from falling, but she at least kept him from hitting the ground hard. Unconscious, he was pale, his eyes closed. “Wake up. Please, wake up!” Tears fell from her eyes to his face.
She felt his earth magick fade almost to a trickle and his body grow cold. She shoved her fire into him. The coldness retreated. Color returned to Beck’s face.
“Please wake up,” she whispered.
The room was chilly. Her eyes went to the rock. It had fallen from Beck’s hand and lay a few feet away. He didn’t awaken or move, aside from the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
Morgan kissed Beck’s cheeks, sobbing. He was alive- barely. If he didn’t survive, it was her fault. She’d brought the rock here, not knowing what it would do to him.
As always, she ruined everything good in her life.
“Morgan?” Amber’s voice was muffled. She knocked on the door.
Morgan gasped. She reached for the stone, wanting to protect anyone else from touching it. Or finding out what she’d done.
The door opened.
“Morgan?” Amber looked around, gaze falling on Beck’s still form. “What happened?” she exclaimed.
“I…” Morgan stopped. She saw Amber’s surprise, concern – and something else. Suspicion. “I didn’t mean to.”
“What did you do, Morgan?” Amber whispered. She knelt beside Beck and checked his pulse.
“Is he okay?” Morgan stood to give her space.
“He’s breathing and his heart is beating. Morgan, please. You have to tell me what happened!”
“He’ll survive?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong, but …” Amber felt Beck’s forehead “He seems to be sleeping.”
Morgan backed towards the door. Amber had barely believed Beck that Morgan had nothing to do with the tree incident. She’d never believe that Morgan hadn’t meant to hurt Beck. They’d try to send her home for sure!
Without Beck to calm her magick, Morgan was close to combusting. Tears blurred her eyes as she took in his still form. His chest was moving, and he certainly seemed to be sleeping.
But more was wrong. She knew it. It had to do with the stone clutched in her hand. It did something bad to the only person who reached out to her and was genuinely interested in her.
“I need to call his family,” Amber said. “Morgan, I want you to stay here. We have to talk about all the stuff that’s going on.”
Morgan was at the stairwell before Amber finished. The idea that Amber wanted her confined in the room was the last straw. Morgan ran.
“Morgan!” Amber called.
She ignored her instructor and fled down the stairs and through the main floor.
“Morgan?” The girl’s voice was soft and familiar. “Wait, Morgan!”
She ignored her and ran out the front door. Morgan ran down the driveway, not caring where she went. She had to escape, to take the rock away before it hurt anyone else, to just leave everything and everyone behind her.
Even Beck.
She stumbled, tears blurring her eyes. Someone was calling her name, and Morgan ran faster. Fire trailed her and made her fevered. She darted off the driveway into the forest, needing to be alone. She hurt so bad right now. She’d barely saved the only other person she ever cared about, and even her fire hadn’t been able to rid his body of the cold she put there.
She was a curse to anyone who knew her.
Suddenly, she tripped and landed hard in the snow. The fall jarred her out of her desperation. H
er magick melted the snow beneath her, around her, and she sank further into the white pile beneath her.
“Morgan!” the girl’s voice was breathless.
Morgan scrambled up, or tried to, but a tree branch swept her legs out from under her. She twisted, staring at it.
“I’m sorry about the tree,” Summer said, stopping nearby. She gasped for air. Biji slid to a halt behind her. “Morgan, you can’t leave campus. Beck said –”
The mention of his name caused pain so sharp, Morgan gasped.
“Leave me alone,” she said. She pushed herself to her feet. “I’m not going back.”
“Morgan, whatever happened –”
“You’re not supposed to be off-campus without Decker, either,” Biji reminded Summer.
Morgan began running again. Summer didn’t trip her, but the girls didn’t listen to her either. The snow cleared behind her, at the silent command of Summer’s earth magick, while Morgan struggled through the snow and brush. Her mind swam with emotion and thoughts; she soon forgot about the girls following as she focused on placing her feet and fleeing.
“Morgan!” The shout penetrated her thoughts. It was frantic this time, conveying enough emotion that she stopped.
She turned. Summer and Biji had halted a dozen feet behind her and were staring into the forest. Morgan twisted to see where they looked.
Alexa had even more back up this time. Wanting a fight, Morgan faced the Dark girl. There were six others behind her. She started forward.
“Morgan, we have to go back,” Summer urged her.
Morgan stopped, thoughts on the two Light girls. She wasn’t about to let anything worse happen today, especially to two of the only girls who were nice to her.
“Run,” she said to them.
“Only if you come with us,” Summer replied quickly.
“This is perfect,” Alexa said, eyes sliding from Morgan to Summer.
“You think six is enough?” Morgan snapped. “Summer, Biji, go!”
“We’re not leaving you here,” Biji replied stubbornly.
Alexa stepped forward, trailed by the others.
“Morgan, please,” Summer said. “You’re coming with us or we’re not leaving.”
She hesitated. She wanted a fight, but she couldn’t let the others get hurt. Morgan started towards the two Light girls reluctantly, planning on taking them to the campus then running again, before Amber locked her up in some tiny closet.