Autumn Storm (13 page)

As if feeling her gaze, Decker looked at her
again, struggling visibly. She couldn’t tell against what. The
sense of being cornered fled, along with the air magick’s cry of
fear. The hardness left his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice normal
again. “I shouldn’t have scared you.”

She said nothing. The danger – whatever it
was - had passed.

“You’ll figure it out soon. Someone has to
keep the Dark from spreading. When someone breaks the Dark Laws,
it’s my job to kill them.” He showed her his hands again.

Autumn looked away, fighting nausea.

“If I don’t, evil spreads. Understand?”

She nodded, uncertain if she did or not.
What he said almost made sense, when she thought of the Light Laws.
She’d never wondered what happened if someone broke one. She’d
understood that failing the trial was bad. She didn’t know
how
bad.

“They really should put a warning label on
the orientation class,” she whispered.

“They believe witchlings will choose what’s
already inside them.”

“There’s no room for mistakes?”

“No.” His response was quiet, gaze going to
the sky again.

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s not.”

“Then why don’t you …” she trailed off.
Autumn looked from him to the canyon, recalling his question about
following him. She almost understood. Almost recalled something. It
had to do with the dark-haired girl that led her here this night
and Decker’s pain.

Autumn ceased struggling with the memory. It
wasn’t going to emerge.

“Why don’t I
what
?” His voice was
calmer, though the hard edge had crept back into it.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. Pain as deep as
his wasn’t going to be soothed by empty words. She hesitated then
began to tell him what she hadn’t revealed to anyone else. “I, um,
was in an accident awhile ago. The doctors told me I’d never walk
again, and I’d have brain damage. They said to accept those things,
because there wasn’t much hope at all for any other outcome.” She
said with difficulty. “My … my left leg is pretty much just my skin
over this contraption they built for me. I used to wake up from
surgeries and pray I died. I never knew I could feel such pain. The
drugs did nothing.”

He was listening, gaze on her face.

“But I decided the pain couldn’t win. If I
survived, there was a reason, and I can’t … I can’t believe that
reason is so I can spend the rest of my life suffering.” She
swallowed hard to keep tears from forming. “I had a second chance.
I decided I wouldn’t waste it. I learned how to walk when everyone
told me I’d never be able do it. I may never run again, but I won’t
stop trying.”

“You’ll be in pain the rest of your
life.”

“I know that,” she said with some anger. “If
I had it to do over, I would still choose pain over death.”

“Wise words, from a crippled girl.” Decker’s
words were soft, mocking.

Autumn met his gaze. “I’m stronger than
you
. You let your pain cloud your judgment.”

“Careful,” he growled. His eyes flared with
anger, and the shadows around him slowed. Air magick grew agitated
once more, and the sense of standing close to something not
entirely human returned.

She waited for the air to calm and the
feeling to fade.

“You scare me, Decker. But I also know
there’s nothing you can do to me worse than what I’ve been
through,” she told him with more confidence than she felt. “You
don’t even try to fight your pain.”

“You make it sound easy,” he snapped.

“It’s not. It’s hell. Every second of every
day. At least I choose to face it.” Her chin trembled. “You’ve
given up.”

“There are no second chances.”

“Yes, there are. You just have to take that
first step.”

Decker held her gaze. His jaw was clenched,
his muscular frame and shadows making him look like an angel of
death. She didn’t back down. She’d sensed his pain and innately
understood it was this that drove him to believe what he did, to
take the lives he did. He didn’t believe in mercy, because no mercy
was shown to him. He needed to hear the truth. She hoped there was
some small piece of him that understood it.

The silence grew longer. Cold and
overwhelmed by the discussion, Autumn leaned more heavily on her
cane.

He was struggling again. She didn’t
understand what was happening to him. The inhuman presence left;
he’d won some invisible battle. Decker turned and strode into the
forest. His fog rose, obscuring his form. When it cleared, he was
gone.

Startled at his abrupt departure, she stared
after him then almost slid to her knees in relief. Something about
him left her drained every time they crossed paths. She wiped her
face and lifted it to the sky. Snowflakes caught in her eyelashes.
Her face was too numb from cold to feel those that landed on her
cheeks. The air and earth spoke to her, and she realized she hadn’t
heard one of them while she talked to Decker, as if the earth was
watching the exchange while the air tried to warn her.

She breathed deeply and focused on regaining
her composure and strength for the walk back to the school. Her
head was killing her. Lack of movement and the chill rendered her
left leg stiff. Grimacing, she stretched and bent it until it
warmed.

She faced the canyon again, eyes going to
the place where she’d seen the dark-haired girl’s body. No one at
the school spoke about what happened. Even the apparition hadn’t
told her exactly what occurred. Autumn considered suicide first but
changed her mind. The apparition had been sad but not
regretful.

No, the dark-haired girl didn’t kill
herself. Someone else pushed her over the cliff. Autumn’s thoughts
turned to Decker, who admitted to giving no one a second
chance.

Her headache grew worse. Autumn felt a
trickle of blood from her nose. It was hot against her cold skin.
She dabbed at it, then wiped it away. Sometimes that happened, when
the headaches were strong enough to make her nauseous.

Right about now, the journey back to the
school seemed too long for her to make it. A familiar sense of
despair rose within her as tunnel vision formed from the intense
pain in her head. She hated the helpless feeling that crept over
her. As strong as she’d made her mind, her body was frail.

The longer she stayed on the cliff fighting
her memories, the worse her migraine became. Autumn lowered herself
to her knees and placed the cane across her lap. One of her nurses
had been into New Age healing and taught her to meditate when these
spells came.

Squeezing her eyes closed, Autumn
concentrated on taking deep breaths. She tried to distract herself
from the pain by tracking the air magick zipping through her. The
earth’s gentle warmth crept through her legs.

“Not so tough now.” Decker’s voice was soft.
She didn’t sense the otherworldly presence, only him.

Her heart flipped at his unexpected return.
“You pissed enough to get your gun?”

“I use my hands, sometimes a knife, to
kill.” He crouched beside her, close enough for her to feel his
warmth.

Alarmed, Autumn kept her eyes closed,
needing to ignore him to maintain what was left of her resolution
not to pass out or throw up.

“C’mon.”

Her eyes flew open as he wrapped his arms
around her and lifted her off the ground with ease. Cradled against
his chest, she almost panicked at the force of his magick washing
over her, through her. She’d felt his fire before; this time, it
was accompanied by an equally powerful, cool magick. Water. Whereas
Beck’s earth magick slipped gently between her and the pain,
Decker’s met it head on. The result was a flash of agony before the
fire and water consumed it.

She gasped at the sensations, grateful that,
this time, there was nothing sexual in his touch.

“I don’t need help,” she said, pushing at
him. “I’m fine.”

“Right. So am I.”

She was about to object again when the world
fell dark and silent around them. Just as quickly, the fog lifted,
and she stared, disoriented.

They were in the foyer of the school. A fire
crackled in the hearth beneath the dark television. Its scent and
warmth had never been more welcome to her than right now! She
relaxed, relieved to be back.

Decker set her down on the couch and stepped
away. The fire flared as he drew near. Autumn looked at it,
unsettled to see the flames reaching for him. Though they no longer
touched, his magick remained, keeping her pain in check. She
stretched her leg, unwilling to let him see how relieved she was
for his help.

“All you have to do is ask,” he said. “Beck
and I won’t tell you no.”

She eyed him, recalling how Beck saw her
thoughts when they touched. Her face grew warm.

“About your pain. It’s easy for us to help
it,” he clarified, amused. “Unless you’ve got another reason you
want me touching you.”

“I don’t need your help.” With a shake of
her head, she focused on moving her leg. Both twins needed to learn
boundaries.

“You know what your problem is?” he asked,
amusement gone. “You’re unwilling to ask for help, even when you
really do need it.”

“Whatever.”

“You started this game by calling me out on
the cliff. I’ll finish it, whether or not you want to play,” he
warned.

“I see arrogance runs in the family,” she
retorted.

“That’s what happens when you poke a caged
panther.”

She looked up, startled. “And that’s why I
don’t want either of you touching me!”

Though he smiled faintly, the wariness
remained in his gaze. Autumn rolled her eyes at him and focused on
her leg.

“If you won’t listen to Beck, then listen to
me,” Decker advised. “The forest is mine after dark. Stay out.”

“A warning?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“You’re giving me a second chance.” A smile
tugged the corner of her mouth.

He paused. “Looks like it.”

“So … I won this round,” she said, unable to
help the note of triumph that crept into her voice.

“Seriously? Do you have any idea who you’re
messing with?” he asked, surprised. “You realize if you step into
the forest after dark again, I’m keeping you.”

“Keeping me?” She snorted. “I’m not the lost
puppy you and your brother think I am.”

“Think more along the lines of playing with
fire and being consumed.”

Autumn wasn’t sure what to think of his
words or why they left her body yearning to test him. His tone made
her blush. He drew closer again and sat on the ottoman. His magick
was free, as it had been earlier in the day when she saw him at the
cliff the first time.

She sat back as far as she could, wanting to
swat away the shadows piercing her body. His dark eyes were
intense, his nearness making her body hum with urges she didn’t
completely understand and her breathing irregular. He wasn’t even
touching her. She had a feeling if he did now, she really would be
lost. Why did she
want
that to happen? Did it have something
to do with when she’d been at the school before?

Like he baited his brother, Decker was
messing with her.

“One-zero,” she whispered.

“Alright,” he said in the husky growl that
skated across her nerves. “Game on. Remember you started this.” He
motioned her towards him. His knees almost touched the couch
already. She’d pulled her legs onto the couch when he approached to
keep from what she knew was dangerous contact.

Her eyebrows quirked. She didn’t move.

“Let’s see how brave you are,” he baited.
“Come on.”

“I’m not stupid,” she returned.

His slow smile and steady gaze left her
fighting not to sink into his shadows and fire. Every nerve in her
body ached to feel his touch. She’d conquered pain. She could
conquer whatever it was he did to her body. Autumn stayed where she
was.

“If I come after you, I’m not letting you go
until I’m ready.”

Her breath stuck in her throat at those
words. She’d hoped he’d give up when he realized she wasn’t falling
for his magick. The idea he’d pursue her thrilled her and terrified
her. He wasn’t going to let her go, if she didn’t meet his
challenge.

She eased away from the back of the couch.
With more calm than she thought she had, she lowered her legs to
the space between his and met his gaze. His magick was warring with
her self-control; he’d win soon. He knew it.

“I dare you to kiss me once and walk away,”
she said.

“Nice try.”

“Not for my sake,” she said carefully. “I
don’t think
you
can do it. Fire, water, spirit … you thrive
on impulse.”

He appeared amused. Autumn felt herself
slide into his magick. Drawn to him, she leaned forward when he
did, anticipating the kiss.

“I’ll accept your dare on one condition,” he
whispered. “Next time, it’s on my terms.”

“You seem confident there will be a next
time.”

She was aroused before he took her face in
his hands. Fire tore through her, evaporating what was left of her
control and making the furnace in her lower stomach blaze. In that
moment, she knew she’d not just let him do what he wanted, she’d
beg him to. Her skin felt raw, the cool brush of his shadows
tickling the sensitive areas at her neck. Her eyes closed, and she
waited with a hunger that needed to be sated.

His lips were hot and soft against hers, his
kiss much gentler than she expected. He teased her with the light
pressure. His velvet tongue slid between her lips as his kiss grew
deep. He tasted as mysterious as he smelled, a mix of man and
night, of danger and magick. His scent, taste and fire filled her,
made her forget everything from her pain to where she was. Autumn
never thought she’d want anyone to claim her, not if it meant
giving up her control.

Right now, she wanted nothing else than to
be consumed, to feel the heat and strength of his body pressed
against hers.