Autumn Storm (26 page)

“I told you it was just like before,” Dawn
said to Alexa. “Summer came between you two and now Autumn is
between us and both of them.”

“Why does this keep happening?” Alexa
muttered.

“You gotta fight for what’s yours. Like I
told you. It worked for me and Beck.”

“The first time,” Autumn said before she
could stop herself. “You said he didn’t go back to you after
that.”

Both girls glared at her.

“So this little crippled girl landed both of
them.” She smiled bitterly. “I’ve got half what you have to offer
them, and yet they didn’t choose you.”

Alexa strode forward and slapped her. Autumn
laughed at the sting. Maybe she was hysterical, or maybe she just
didn’t care anymore. Anger that didn’t seem like it was wholly hers
was growing within her.

“You think that’ll hurt me after all I’ve
been through?” she asked.

She shoved Alexa. The Dark teen appeared
taken aback. Dawn, however, looked furious. Focused on Alexa,
Autumn was aware of Dawn approaching but not what she did until the
butt of the gun slammed into her cheek. She reeled at the impact
and caught herself against the rock.

“Laugh again, skank!” Dawn snarled.

Autumn did, a low, quiet sound. “You have no
idea what pain is.” She stood and faced them again. “I do.”

“Beck is mine!”

“No, he’s not. Did he dump you after he
knocked you up or before?” Autumn taunted. “He’s too smart to be
with someone like you.”

“If he won’t be with me – with
our
child – then he won’t be with anyone!” Dawn said and pushed her
back onto the rock. She spun to Alexa. “We’ll do what we did to
Summer instead of what you guys did to Tanya. You bring the
knife?”

Alexa nodded and reached into the pouch she
wore in place of a purse.

“What did you do to Summer?” Autumn asked.
She struggled with her mind and relented. The answers weren’t
coming from within her.

“Killed something she loved and watched her
go Dark trying to save it,” Alexa said. She pulled the knife from
its sheath.

Autumn gazed at it. There was blood near the
hilt. It dawned on her that they meant to use her as the bait for
Beck. If he tried to bring her back from the dead …

She couldn’t pull the full memory free, but
she saw fragments, the earth’s magick being used to replace life.
Then destroy it. Beck had that power. He didn’t love her, though.
At least, she didn’t think he did, not enough to try to bring her
back from the dead. He’d know to stop if she died. He was the
protector of Light.

“He won’t fall for it,” she voiced out
loud.

“You’ll be dead anyway. Then Alexa will give
Decker a call to bring him here at the same time. We’ll make it
look like Beck did it or something. Either way, one of them will
kill the other,” Dawn replied. “They’re this close to doing it
anyway.” She held up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

That
Autumn believed, after seeing
the tension between the twins at Thanksgiving. Part of it had been
over her. Or quite possibly all of it, she admitted grudgingly.

“Let’s do this,” Alexa said.

The other Dark teen stepped forward and
reached for Autumn. He grabbed her and pulled her to her feet.
Alexa stepped in front of her, the knife in one hand. Autumn didn’t
want to die here. The singular thought fluttered through her,
accompanied by fear. After all she’d been through …even though
Decker was surrendering to the Darkness …what exactly did she have
to live for?

She had to save him. It was all that
mattered.

“Are you certain Decker won’t kill you?” she
challenged Alexa. “He doesn’t believe in second chances for
anyone.”

Alexa glanced over her head at the other
Dark teen.

“Just do it, Alexa,” Dawn said. “You’re
Dark. You’re allowed to kill, even with your magick.”

Magick. Reverse snow globe. Autumn breathed
in air magick. She’d created a small shield against snow and wind.
Was it strong enough to hold back a knife? Doubtful, she couldn’t
think of anything else to try.

“Still a risk,” she said to Alexa. “What if
Decker reads your thoughts, next time you’re in bed with him? You
know he can do that when you touch, don’t you? You know he likes me
almost as much as Summer.”

Alexa hesitated. Her gaze went to Dawn.

“If he didn’t see what you did to Summer, he
won’t see this,” Dawn countered.

“Well, I told him about hurting Tarzan. I
didn’t say anything about you or Summer, though,” Alexa said,
pensive. “He’s –“

“Give it to me,” Dawn said, holding out her
hand. “I’ll stab her first and show you nothing happens.”

Autumn eyed the knife. This was probably
going to hurt. She steeled herself for pain and readied her air
magick.

“Where do I stab?” Dawn asked, taking
Alexa’s place in front of her.

“Depends,” the guy at her back replied.
“Quick or slow death?”

Dawn gazed at her for a minute. “Whatever.
Beck will be on his way soon.”

Autumn shook her head, horrified by the turn
of events. Helplessness crept into her thoughts. She wasn’t able to
run or move. They were going to kill her. The car accident, Decker,
the magick …

She wasn’t dead yet.

“Lower abdomen,” Alexa said. “You don’t want
it over before Beck gets here, and the roads are probably blocked
by snow. We’ll let her bleed out slowly.”

“Thanks,” Autumn muttered.

“My pleasure.” Alexa smiled coldly.

Dawn’s gaze dropped to Autumn’s stomach.
Autumn couldn’t help thinking they’d picked the one part of her
body that hadn’t been scarred by the accident. Dawn moved closer
and gripped Autumn’s shoulder to brace herself.

Autumn breathed out just as Dawn shoved the
knife towards her. She cringed, expecting pain. The air magick
caught it the knife and held it a few inches from her stomach. Dawn
pushed harder, and Autumn prayed for the magick to hold.

The teen behind her chuckled. “Smart. This
one doesn’t want to die.”

This one.
They really had killed
Tanya. Autumn didn’t let his words distract her. At last, Dawn
wrenched the knife away in frustration. She paused then stabbed at
Autumn, this time towards her throat. Autumn barely reacted in
time. The air magick deflected the blow without blocking it, and
the knife slid into her shoulder, bringing with it hot pain.

It did the opposite of what she expected.
Instead of feeling more helpless, she grew angry. She knew pain.
They were friends. It was the reason she’d learned to control her
own body and mind. Right now, it sharpened her focus.

“See? Nothing happened,” Dawn said,
satisfied.

“You barely grazed her,” Alexa said in
amusement.

“Yeah, it didn’t hurt,” Autumn said. Autumn
didn’t grimace like she wanted to at the words. Dawn had sunk the
knife into her shoulder almost to the hilt. There was no
barely
about it. She wanted them to kill her fast, if her
magick wasn’t able to contain the knife. Beck wasn’t going to save
her this time, and she had little hope of leaving the field alive
tonight.

“Shut. Up,” Dawn breathed. “This is all your
fault. If not for you, I’d be marrying Beck and Alexa would have
Decker!”

“That is pure delusion,” Autumn said, almost
pitying the girl. “You got knocked up and the father realized
you’re a bitch and wants nothing to do with you. Now you have no
idea what to do. At least you’re getting a trust fund out of it. I
wonder if it was worth losing your modeling career?”

Dawn punched her, or tried to. Autumn
blocked the blow with air magick. Fury crossed Dawn’s face, and she
stabbed at her with the knife. Again, the air caught it before it
reached Autumn.

Stepping back, Dawn’s eyes flared. Air
magick lifted her hair, and Autumn realized she’d pushed the girl
too far. Autumn felt the magick gathering without knowing what Dawn
planned to do with it.

“Dawn, don’t do anything crazy,” Alexa
warned.

“Listen to her, Dawn! If you do anything to
bring Decker-” the guy behind Autumn released her.

Incensed, Dawn wasn’t listening. Wind
whipped around them, howling.

“Dawn, seriously. If you –“ Alexa grabbed
Dawn’s arms.

“Leave me alone!” Dawn shouted, trying to
push her away. Alexa refused to release her. Dawn lashed out with
the knife, and Autumn saw a line of red form across Alexa’s cheek.
Alexa didn’t let go of her wrist.

Autumn crept away, towards the tree line.
The guy was shoved away by air magick, and Autumn gasped as Dawn
broke free and ran after her. She braced herself to be knocked
down. Dawn’s air magick pushed ahead, and Autumn fell back, the
furious girl on top of her. Autumn’s air magick deflected the knife
aimed at her eye, and it landed in the hard ground beside her
ear.

Magick that wasn’t hers washed over her,
pinning her to the ground. She struggled to breathe and focused
what she was able to on channeling her air to keep the knife away
from her. Dawn cursed, and the sensation of being crushed by air
increased. Tunnel vision formed and her ears began to buzz,
distracting her. Pain tore through her side.

The pressure was gone suddenly, along with
Dawn’s weight. Autumn gasped, breathing deep and fast. She didn’t
have time to recover completely, not with Alexa and Dawn fighting
close enough to hit her.

She rolled onto her knees and pushed herself
up. The knife wound in her side burned, the blood warming her cold
skin. She had no idea if there was any organ it might’ve hit. It
wasn’t the kind of pain she was used to, but it wasn’t nearly as
bad, either. She faced the Dark boy, who stood between her and the
forest.

His eyes were on the two girls. Autumn
limped forward, shook out her leg then hedged past him.

He gasped and grew pale. “Dawn …”

Autumn didn’t want to look, but she did.
Black fog swirled around Dawn’s feet and crept up her body. Her
amulet flared white then turned dark. Alexa stepped back from her,
fear crossing her face.

Autumn watched as confusion then anger
registered in Dawn’s eyes. The blond girl looked up suddenly,
focused on Autumn with wildness that made her step away.

“You did this,” Dawn’s voice was a hiss.

“I’m getting out of here,” Alexa said.

Autumn silently agreed and wished she was
able to run. Dawn bent to grab the knife from the ground, and
Autumn knew before the charge what the girl planned to do. Her
magick stopped the knife but not Dawn’s body from plowing into her.
They rolled in the snow. Autumn was unable to track the position of
the knife and prayed she didn’t end up with it sticking out of her
neck. When they stopped moving, she pushed at Dawn with all her
strength. Dawn released her long enough for Autumn to clamber to
her feet.

“We need that knife!” the teen guy shouted.
“It’s got Tanya’s –“

His voice warbled. Autumn felt lightheaded.
She shook her head and checked herself for more wounds. The snow
was streaked with blood from where they’d rolled. She couldn’t tell
if she was hit again or not.

Alexa appeared torn, not moving forward
until the guy ran for Dawn. He shoved by Autumn. She caught her
balance before ending up in the snow. He struggled with Dawn, who
didn’t want to give it up. Finally, he punched her. Dawn lashed out
at him, but Alexa tackled her to the ground.

Dawn didn’t move.

Alexa pulled the knife free then rose and
ran. The teen guy glanced at Dawn then at Autumn, as if uncertain
whether or not to finish their business with her. Autumn felt the
heat of fire and cold shadows creep over her seconds before the
Master of Dark appeared.

The teen bolted.

Autumn stumbled forward to Dawn and sank
beside her. Black fog darted around her. Autumn checked for a
pulse. It was weak. Blood leaked from Dawn’s body into the
snow.

Autumn pulled the earth magic and pushed it
into Dawn, assessing what was wrong. The knife had sliced her
across the chest when they wrestled, and she’d hit her head against
a rock when she fell. The blood was from these two wounds, though
there was a lot of bruising in her limbs and back. Afraid of what
the earth might tell her, Autumn rested a hand on Dawn’s
abdomen.

The baby was okay.

She released a breath. Dawn needed to go to
the hospital, fast, before she lost too much blood.

A sickening crunch drew her attention to the
direction the boy had run. Autumn glanced up and froze.

Decker had lifted the teen off his feet then
snapped his neck. He dropped the Dark teen. Autumn’s throat
tightened so fast, she could hardly breathe. Shadows and fire
surrounded Decker in a pulsing halo, radiating power. He wasn’t
even trying to control it, and the hot-cold combination reached her
across the clearing.

The air was terrified. It made it even
harder for Autumn to breathe. She knew before she saw Decker’s face
that it wasn’t him. It was that thing, the Darkness, that possessed
his body.

Her eyes went to Dawn. He was here for
her.
The trio that tried to stab her and leave her was
child’s play compared to the Master of Dark. The earth was warm
beneath her as she urged it to comfort Dawn. Its distant grumble
was worried, and air magick clung to her, afraid and sensing her
danger.

“You need to leave, Autumn.”

She jerked, surprised. Beck crouched beside
her, gaze on the form of his twin across the clearing. His magick
was loose as well, and he glowed with white.

“Dawn needs help,” she replied.

“You can’t fight this battle.”

“I won’t. I’ll ask-“

“Autumn, Decker’s gone. Whatever that is,
it’s not him,” Beck said softly. He glanced at her before returning
his eyes to Decker. “He’s gone. You need to get out of here.”

His words hurt more than the wounds Dawn
caused. Beck had given up on Decker, but Autumn couldn’t. She’d
seen a part of him no one else had. She knew his pain and what he’d
done. It wasn’t too late. It couldn’t be!