Autumn Storm (19 page)

Before she knew it, she was at the end of
the gravel road. Thrilled, Autumn stood at the edge of where the
gravel met the asphalt. She was breathing hard from a walk that
might’ve taken her ten minutes and no effort long ago.

Proud of herself, she turned and started the
long journey back. She focused on placing her feet for a short
time, until the sounds from the forest distracted her. Pausing, she
gazed into the thick pine woods. The trees creaked under the
influence of a mild breeze, and she heard snow collapsing from high
branches to the ground. Somewhere, birds were arguing.

Movement from the corner of her eye made her
gasp. She turned to see a small doe at the edge of the forest,
gazing at her. Autumn stared back, marveling at the long legs,
large ears and delicate features of the doe’s wide face. Its tail
flickered, and the splash of white pulled Autumn’s gaze to the
deer’s body.

She took a hesitant step forward. The doe
didn’t move. Autumn heard the elemental whispering grow a little
louder. She wondered if it told the deer to flee or stay. Two more
steps closer, and she began to believe they asked it to stay. Two
more steps, and her excitement was barely contained.

A final step, and she reached out carefully
to the doe. It inched away, tail flickering again. Autumn touched
the downy fur of its neck, enthralled by the warmth and softness.
The deer’s muscles bunched at the tickle of her touch. She marveled
at the animal’s body, at once graceful and muscular. The hooves
were half the size of her hand, and the body was much thicker than
she was. She took in every inch of the doe, from the huge eyes to
the tawny fur and slender legs.

It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever
seen.

The sound of a car coming startled the doe.
Autumn’s heart jumped as the animal leapt into the forest. She
stared after it, grinning at the incredible meeting with the forest
creature. Touching the wild creature was unlike any rush she’d
experienced. She moved off the road as another car left the school
for the rest of the world.

Cheered by the interaction, Autumn began her
trip back to the school. Her attention went to her surroundings.
She hoped to meet another deer. The first time she tripped, her leg
wrenched to the side, and pain tore through her. She froze, waiting
for the pain to subside before straightening. A brief stretch
released much of the pain.

She watched her step more carefully. Halfway
down the driveway, she stumbled hard and dropped to her knees. Pain
radiated through her. She sat on the gravel, tears springing from
her eyes. Counting to ten, she steadied her breathing.

“You got this.”

Autumn looked up at the voice, unaware
anyone was there.

Decker crouched half a dozen feet from her,
dressed in black. His dark eyes were on her knee, his shadows
restrained by both daylight and effort. The sight of him – and the
memory of his kiss – took her breath away. He met her gaze. Warmth
rose to her face. Embarrassed, she wiped her tears and looked
away.

“I’d offer to help you up, but we both know
what happens when I touch you.” The amusement in his voice made her
face hot.

“I don’t need help,” she retorted.

“I guess it’s a form of motivation. If you
don’t make it to your feet, I
will
touch you. I’ve never
thought of that as a threat, before you.”

“I can do it!”

He laughed, the first spontaneous emotion
she’d heard from him. For a moment, she couldn’t look away. His
mesmerizing eyes, muscular shape … the thought of his touch. The
fire in her blood replaced much of the pain she felt.

Autumn got to her feet gingerly and shook
out her leg with a grimace.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked.

“In the neighborhood.”

She eyed him. He drew abreast of her though
he kept his distance, as if not wanting to expose her to his
shadows this time. She wondered if he had a hot date with another
girl, too, like his brother did. The Turner twins were nothing but
trouble.

Her first step was painful. For the next
few, she focused on where she walked instead of him. Her knee
loosened again.

“You’re pretty tough,” he said, eyes on her
bad leg.

“I think that was a compliment,” she said,
glancing at him.

“It was.” His voice was quiet.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Her gaze remained
on him for a long moment. She wasn’t sure what to think about him
being the Master of Dark. What he was – and how he made her feel –
didn’t make sense to her. He walked as quiet as the shadows tracing
his movements, his hands clasped behind his back.

He was trying not to touch her. She’d
dismissed the idea he was actually affected by her after what she’d
learned earlier about the Master of Dark. Was it possible he was as
interested in her as she was in him?

“What?” he asked without looking at her.

“I can’t figure you out.”

“You probably shouldn’t try.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. A dark look crossed his
features. It made her uncomfortable. He was expecting something bad
to happen. To her or to him?

“Are you coming here for Thanksgiving?” she
asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” he replied. “My parents
host it. We’ll see.”

“I wonder if Sam is allowed to come,” she
murmured, thoughts on the yeti in the forest.

“What?” Decker stopped walking and stared at
her.

“I thought he might be lonely,” she said,
uncertain why Decker had tensed.

“You’ve met Sam.”

“Yes.”

“Seven foot tall forest monster?”

She nodded. “He helped me with my
magick.”

Decker began walking again. She did as well.
“He usually doesn’t talk to the students.”

“I can understand why. Maybe I’ll take him
some turkey.”

“As long as it’s not after dark,” he
warned.

“I remember,” she mumbled, flushing. “I
won’t go in the forest.”

“It’s for your sake.”

Autumn sneaked a look at him. His eyes were
on her.

“I’d welcome you with open arms,” he said. A
trace of his hot-cold magick teased her as he held her gaze,
starting a fire in her blood.

Recalling what Sonya told her, Autumn glared
at him. “Me and every other girl in the Northwest. No thank you,
Decker.”

“Open invitation.”

“If you ever decide to personalize that
invitation to one girl, maybe.” She rolled her eyes then realized
what she’d said. Where had that come from? “Not that it’d be me.
Just …” she trailed off and stared at the forest, humiliated that
she’d admitted she was interested in him. She had every reason in
the world not to be and yet she was.

“I know,” he said softly. “That scares
me.”

She understood why without asking. He’d
loved once and lost her. He was afraid to take another chance.
Compassion for what he’d endured took the edge off her emotions.
She returned her gaze to his. Her talk of second chances must’ve
hit him hard.

“Decker, I’m sorry,” she said.

“You’re sorry?” he raised his eyebrows. “For
what?”

“I shouldn’t have said those things at the
cliff about collateral damage and stuff. I didn’t understand why
you hurt when I said them.”

“Someone told you about Summer.” His jaw
clenched.

Summer
. A prick of pain entered her
temple. No wonder Beck and Biji had such reactions to her name.

“You still believe in second chances?” His
voice took on a bitter note.

“Yes, I do.”

“I don’t.”

Autumn studied him. He was tortured by what
happened. He hadn’t let his girlfriend go, and he hadn’t been able
to live with what he’d done. She had the sense again that he didn’t
talk this way with the other girls he seduced. He shared his pain
with her, no one else.

“I’ve crossed the point of no return,” he
added, pensive. “I don’t want a second chance.”

Was this meant for her? Autumn concentrated
on placing her feet, face burning again.

“People who want to find their way back,
will,” she said.

“You’re too sweet to know the truth,” he
whispered. He shook off the melancholy. “But, if you’re right, you
better be ready.”

It scared her to think he was serious. She
wasn’t certain she’d be ready for him to claim her or even if
that’s what he was talking about. Autumn drew a deep breath.

“Deal,” she forced herself to say. “If you
make it, then okay.”

He chuckled. “You don’t have any idea what
you’re agreeing to, do you?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “I don’t think
you’d take me up on it anyway.”

“You like to play with fire.”

“I believe in you.”

“I have no idea why.”

She shrugged, perplexed. “I’m not sure I do
either. I shouldn’t. Maybe I’m afraid if you fail, I might
eventually, too? Sounds so lame, doesn’t it?”

He said nothing. She didn’t dare look at
him, not with her sudden self-consciousness. She wanted to hide.
She trained her eyes on the ground in front of her, needing an
excuse not to talk or look at him. They walked in silence for what
felt like forever. He spoke after a lengthy pause.

“You made it.”

She looked up. A smile spread across her
face as she realized they’d passed the main house and were standing
at the corner where the dorms started.

“I did,” she said. Turning around, Autumn
took in the distance she’d walked without her cane. “Wow.” She was
hurting, but she’d done it.

She felt the air shift around her. The
magick turned fearful. It had last been afraid on the cliff, with
the unnatural presence. Her breath caught as she turned. It was his
body, but the darkness peering from his eyes wasn’t him.

“No!” she breathed. Autumn closed the
distance between them and placed her hands on his face. Fire shot
through her. It wasn’t his seduction fire but something else
entirely, a danger that set off alarms with her magicks.

She expected whatever it was to push her
away. Instead, Decker’s eyes closed. His body shuddered and his
head dropped until his cheek rested against her temple. The tension
melted from his frame. For the first time since they’d met, he was
yielding to her instead of the other way around.

The danger was gone.

The Darkness snatched Decker, perhaps
sensing his growing distress with how much he wanted Autumn.
Bartholomew had been screaming at him the entire time he’d been
walking with her, telling him to leave. Lately, Decker sensed the
ancient Dark Master - the last who’d surrendered to the Darkness –
didn’t like Autumn at all. What was one frail girl to the Darkness,
when Decker had already made his decision and started down the path
to surrender?

Autumn pushed the Darkness back with her
simple touch. Bartholomew’s voice was silenced by her actions,
along with those of everyone else. Decker let himself dwell in the
strange sense of peace. Her fingers were cold from the weather, her
scent a mix of snow and woman. The warmth of her body made his too
aware of how close she stood. Her breathing was uneven as first the
Darkness then his own magick raced through her body. If he let
himself, he’d barely have to move to bring their bodies
together.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“I…I’m not sure.”

The mysterious, fleeting sense had been
there when they met at the cliff and at the football game. It was
present several times along their walk. He was able to identify it
now as profound confusion. How did she seem so lost yet so aware?
Despite the pain she battled, she’d seemed more in control of her
world and life than anyone he’d ever met, save his father.

He was struck by the idea that her bravado
and self-control stemmed as much from discipline as it did from the
need to stabilize a world that wasn’t entirely hers. Not
understanding the source of her confusion, he also didn’t
understand how her responses to him were often instinctive.

“I think I didn’t want you to leave,” she
said.

The sense of confusion faded. He’d never had
a reason to pry at what was behind her tough façade. Without
Bartholomew and the other voices, he heard own instincts for the
first time. They insisted he needed to know more. Decker expelled
his magick into her to identify what was hidden in the depths of
her mind. Not only was it inaccessible, it was blocked – by magick.
How had she found a way to lock her mind away from a Dark
Master?

His push brought her fresh pain the in the
form of a headache. He stopped and soothed it.

“You shouldn’t do that,” he told her firmly.
“You can’t face what I am.”

At least she had the sense to fear the
Darkness. Decker opened his eyes and took in the flush on her face.
Her pupils were dilated and her breathing growing more irregular.
She was fighting the pull of his magick. He’d made every effort to
restrain it before appearing on the driveway, but she couldn’t
resist it when it was flowing through her.