Winter Fire (Witchling Series) (8 page)

The air was cold yet charged, and bonfires were set up every hundred feet or so. Fire magick called to her, as cheerful as the crowd.

“Ready?” Beck asked from the boardwalk.

Morgan faced him, as ensnared by the reflection of fire in his eyes as she was by the lights. He held out a hand. After a brief hesitation, she took it. His grip was strong and warm, much like the gentle earth magick drifting into her, settling her fire as it did. She had wondered why he was so strong; now knowing he was the Master of Light made sense of the powerful magick that so naturally surrounded him.

She grew hot from the inside out and hoped her face wasn’t red or she was glowing like she did sometimes. They walked slowly through the crowd, admiring the lights as they went. Morgan’s sense of anxiety of this being a real date faded. With her attention elsewhere, she didn’t notice Beck’s calming magick ease the tension and worry in her body.

“I’ve been waiting to see you smile.”

She glanced at him, not realizing she was, until he pointed it out. His eyes were on her.

“A little less Scroogey?” he asked.

“Maybe.”

“Look.” He tugged her towards a railing and released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder. He rested his other elbow on the railing and drew her into his body. Stunned by the warmth of his frame and his earthy scent, Morgan stared over the railing at the water below for a few long seconds, before she registered what it was he wanted her to see.

The lights lining the banks were reflected in the river, shimmering with the movement of water. All the way up and down the river, tiny lights danced.

“They look like fire,” she said, mesmerized.

“I thought so.” Beck’s baritone was as soft as his expensive sweater.

Morgan didn’t feel herself tense at his touch, but did feel the tension slip away as they stood, their sides pressed together and his strong arm around her shoulders. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Instead of seeing the lights, she found herself wondering what it would be like to rest her cheek against his chest or wrap her arms around him and sink into his earthy scent and warmth.

Terrified of the idea of such intimacy, she stayed where she was. His phone buzzed, and he reached for it without releasing her.

Morgan didn’t see the message, but she felt the impact of it. Beck stiffened. He put the phone away, and she looked up at him, resting her head in the crook of his arm.

“Are you okay?” she asked, sensitive to the mission Sam gave her.

Beck’s features were drawn, his eyes shadowed. For a moment, she wasn’t sure he heard her. He glanced down finally.

“Life ain’t always pretty,” he quipped.

“Don’t I know it,” she murmured.

He held her gaze, until she was way too self-conscious about standing so close to him. Morgan held out her hand, where a pink flame burned. She offered it to him.

“It’ll make you feel better,” she said.

“Really? How?”

“Trust me.”

Beck looked at her again. “I trust you, Morgan.”

He meant it. She didn’t know why the small admission made her fire dance. He accepted the flame, and they both watched it burn in his hand. It sank into his skin, and Beck smiled.

“I call them candy flames,” she explained. “They look pretty and make you happy. It’s like an energized hug.” She felt it counteract the phone call. Beck’s body relaxed as the warmth of fire magick worked through him.

“That’s really incredible, Morgan.”

“I have to take care of you.”

He tilted her chin up, so she could see his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to take care of me, though.”

“Someone does,” she countered, caught up in his beautiful eyes and masculine scent. She never noticed the smell of anyone else, even Connor. Something about Beck made her want to bury her face in his sweater, where she could breathe him in and soak up his warmth. Her fire magick responded to his earth magick, playfully pushing at the calmer element.

When Beck’s direct look grew too intense for her, Morgan ducked her head.

“Hey, Beck.”

Beck’s touch slid away as he turned, but he took her hand instinctively, as if not wanting to let her go. The couple approaching made Morgan look twice. The guy was almost identical to Beck, except his eyes were dark and his aura shadowed. She knew without asking it was his twin, the Master of Dark. The beautiful girl in his arms glowed with Light and happiness, her dark eyes dancing.

“Morgan, this is my brother, Decker, and his girl, Summer,” Beck said. “Decker, Summer, this is Morgan.”

Morgan caught the curious look Summer gave Beck and wondered why both seemed surprised to see Beck with anyone. Given what she had heard, he got around.

“Fire,” Decker said, his assessing gaze on Morgan.

She nodded and held out her hand, a pink candy flame in her palm. Summer glanced up at Decker, who released her with one arm to take the flame. He smiled faintly at its effect and passed it to Summer.

“She’ll keep you warm at night,” Decker said.

Morgan flushed. Beck winked at her, and Summer smiled.

“You got a minute?” Decker asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Beck answered.

Morgan glanced up at him then at Summer, who moved away from the Master of Dark.

“We’ll take a walk,” she said and held out her arm cheerfully. Something about the pretty girl made Morgan relax. She looped her arm through Summer’s, and they walked down the boardwalk, away from the twins.

Morgan took in the lights, comforted by Summer’s warm magick.

“I know I’ve seen you around, but you haven’t been here long, right?” Summer asked.

“About three weeks,” Morgan replied. “I got here with my brother, Connor.”

“I’ve met him in magick class.”

“Yeah, he’s the ideal student.”

“You don’t sound happy about that!”

“Apparently, I have issues adjusting.”

“You’re not what I expected.”

At the puzzled note in the girl’s voice, Morgan focused on her.

“Beck normally chooses stupidly,” Summer said and rolled her eyes. “But you’re … cool.”

Morgan laughed. “Because I’m not a hot model?”

“Oh, no,” Summer said quickly. “Because he swore off girls a few weeks ago, and he was serious this time.”

“Not that serious, if he’s here with me.”

“Morgan, his last girlfriend got killed.”

Morgan stopped walking with a gasp. She stared at Summer, not expecting the news.

“They weren’t serious. In fact, they just started dating,” Summer continued. “But there were some other circumstances behind what happened to her. He swore off all girls, so if he’s here with you…”

“He fell off the wagon,” Morgan said promptly, still panicked by the idea that this was a real date. One that meant something.

Summer smiled, but didn’t object. They started walking again, and curiosity drove Morgan to ask more even though she didn’t really want to.

“What happened?”

Summer hesitated. “It’s a rather long story. Do you know about Dawn?”

“The blonde girl he knocked up?”

She nodded.

“Not much,” Morgan admitted. “I overheard her threaten him when I arrived.”

“Yeah. She’s Dark. She’s bad, Morgan. She had something to do with Tanya’s death. I don’t want to say more. I think, if … when Beck is ready to tell you, he will.”

Morgan could hardly believe her ears. No wonder Sam wanted her to protect Beck. If his pregnant ex had something to do with hurting the girl he tried to date … he needed someone to protect him!

“I’ll take care of him,” she said. “I’m not afraid of her.”

“You should be afraid. She’s dangerous, Morgan.”

“There’s nothing she can do to me that hasn’t already been done,” Morgan replied. “I’m not afraid of people like that.”

At Summer’s quietness, Morgan glanced at her once more.

“Someone hurt you,” Summer murmured. “That’s why?”

“Doesn’t matter. He takes care of so many people. He should have someone to look after him, too.” Morgan shrugged, her defenses going up.

“I think I see why he likes you,” Summer said, the concern passing.

“I’m not convinced he does.”

“I know him. He does.”

Morgan looked away, flustered by the confirmation. It was just one silly date with some guy.

Why did it feel like more? Why did his touch reduce her fire magick to smoldering embers that made her blood burn for him in a way she never experienced before?

Chapter Six

Beck watched Morgan move away with Summer, eyes sweeping over the flame-haired girl’s sexy frame. Decker’s sharp gaze was on his Summer. As soon as she left his twin, his shadows sprang up around him, filling the air with Darkness. Summer’s effect on him – the stilling of his shadows – left with her touch.

“I thought you swore off girls,” Decker started.

“So did I,” Beck returned. “I can’t get this one out of my head.”

“It’s stupid, Beck. I delivered a not-so-subtle message to Dawn that if she gets near Summer, I’ll take her out, once your baby is born. I don’t think it’s enough; she went off the deep end. There’s no reasoning with her.”

Beck’s jaw clenched. He was torn on the topic; it wasn’t the first time it had come up. Their mother wanted a similar end to Dawn, and Beck wanted her out of his daughter’s life.

But he could never condone murder. It was the biggest gap between him and his best friend, Decker. Decker didn’t like killing, but he used it as one of the many tools in his arsenal to keep the Darkness – and Dark witchlings – in line. As the protector of Light, witchlings and everything good, Beck wasn’t able to tolerate the idea of killing.

Even if Dawn deserved it. Even if she was between him and his daughter.

His eyes went to Morgan. He could think of two reasons why he might turn the other cheek, if Decker decided to act. One was arm-in-arm with Summer. The other was not yet born.

“There’s something wrong with me,” he said. “I keep telling myself to walk away. If Dawn found out, Morgan might end up like Tanya, and yet by noon, I had asked her out.” Beck ran a hand through his hair. With Morgan’s warm fire magick fading, he felt edgy, anxious. Her touch made him feel as if he stood before a cozy bonfire.

“It’s like you can’t control it,” Decker guessed.

“Exactly.”

“Like it’s fate?”

“Something like that,” Beck agreed once more.

Decker’s laugh was dark and bitter. “Welcome to my world, Beck.”

Beck looked at his twin, startled. He considered what Decker was telling him and then shook his head.

“No way. It can’t be. I mean, for you it makes sense, because you have no ability to balance your magick, but there’s not a counterbalance for the Master of Light. I’m not going to destroy the world like you,” he said, shifting. “I mean, she’s not even … blonde …” He stopped. “My god. She’s not blonde.” Morgan was the opposite of every girl he ever dated, and yet, he couldn’t get her out of his mind or the effects of her magick out of his blood.

“I didn’t know until I turned eighteen. Mom told me I had a preordained match when she transferred the Master of Dark duties to me. You don’t have Aunt Nora to tell you whatever it is you’re supposed to know.” Decker reminded him. “I’d say, if one of us has a counterbalance, it only seems natural the other does as well.”

“Lame. There’s no way I’m ready for this!” Beck replied. He gave a growl of frustration. “Now? When I’ve got Dawn and the Light receding again? What the hell?”

“You said the Light’s receding?” Decker asked, frowning.

“Yeah. No idea why. Sometime in the past three weeks, something ate a foot of Light. I asked mother, and she said it wasn’t you or her, or the Darkness or even me failing to do my job,” Beck summarized. “Which leaves another source of Dark.”

Decker was thoughtful for a moment. “I wonder if it’s your girl being stuck between.”

“She and her brother both are. But I can’t see that causing a whole foot of Light to be lost in three weeks. Even you killing witchlings didn’t cause that in three months,” Beck said. “There’s no way I’m sending her to the Dark campus.”

“Yeah,” Decker agreed. “You don’t want Dawn finding out about this one, since she might be sticking around.”

“You are not funny.” Beck was starting to panic. Realizing he was attracted to a girl beyond his ability to control was one thing; having a pre-destined counterbalance was another. Not only could he not guarantee he was able to protect her from people like Dawn, but was he ready to settle for one girl for the rest of his life? He had been playing the field since he was thirteen.

“Anyway, I think there might be more to her,” Decker said, attention returning to the two girls. “Darkness clings to her.”

“I don’t sense it,” Beck said, studying Morgan’s shapely body. Her hands were in the pockets of a heavy down jacket. Her slender, toned legs were clad in leggings that hugged her curves and emphasized her perky bottom and rounded hips in a way that made his hands twitch to touch her.

“You wouldn’t, but I do,” his twin replied. “I don’t know what it is exactly. When she passed me the flame, I saw something.”

Beck tensed, not wanting to learn bad news already about the girl he wasn’t able to get out of his head. He and Decker were able to read the thoughts or emotions of another witchling with the same elements that they had. A fire element himself, Decker would be able to glimpse into Morgan’s mind if they were in contact, or if she shared a spell with him, like she did with the flame.

“What?” Beck asked when Decker was unusually reserved.

The Master of Dark hesitated. He seemed -- undecided.

“Dude, talk,” Beck said, pushing his brother’s shoulder. “If she’s another Dawn, and I’m totally missing the signs, you better tell me!”

“Nothing like that,” Decker assured him. “I’d say she’s the only decent girl you ever dated.”

Beck rolled his eyes, accustomed to his family’s digs at his choice of women. After Dawn, he now knew why they had been warning him to think twice before dating.

“Someone Dark hurt her,” Decker said deliberately. “I’m not going to say more. If she’s meant to be with you, then it’ll come up.”