Spring Rain

by Lizzy Ford

  Morgan pulled away from Beck, and he snagged her around the waist as she started to run. He wrapped both arms around her shaking frame. “It’s okay, Morgan,” he whispered, breathing in her scent.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry!” she gasped. She tugged at his grip.

  Beck forced himself to calm down so he could calm her as well and push soothing earth magick towards her, suppressing her out of control fire. He felt her yield and melt into him, panicking nonetheless, but trusting him to keep her together where she was ready to combust.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about,” Beck whispered and shifted her to face him. He hugged her hard.

  Morgan trembled in his arms. She didn’t speak for a long moment, and he simply held her, grateful she was safe and well.

  “Beck,” she said in a stricken whisper. “Gordon wanted me to kill you. He told me to put the soul stone at the heart of the Light.”

  He listened, Sam’s warning about the forces that wanted to overthrow the Light returning to his thoughts. Dawn’s cause had united a tiny faction of unhappy Dark witchlings. He began to think the storm coming wasn’t caused by one, but by the magick of several people like Gordon who wanted the Darkness to rule.

  “I was going to do it until I found out it was you,” she rushed on. “He said he’d kill my father. But when we met … when I …” Her words choked her, and she stopped.

  Her confession sparked both new anger at Gordon and a deeper understanding of the level of her suffering. Beck rested his chin on top of her head, unable to fathom what she had been through the past few years. “Morgan, I understand,” he said gently. “You did nothing wrong.”

  “But I was going to!”

  “But you didn’t,” he said with a small smile. “Is your father okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m proud of you, Morgan,” he whispered, aching for her. “You’re so strong, so sweet. So good.” He lifted her chin and gazed into her green eyes. There were tears on her cheeks, and the mask had slid away to reveal her pain. “I swear, on my soul and my life, no one will ever hurt you again.”

  Her lips parted in a soft sigh. “I believe you.”

  He kissed her gently then hugged her once more, uncertain if he had ever felt so blessed in his life. He held the heart and trust of the damaged, beautiful woman in his arms whose fire had driven him crazy since shortly after meeting.

  The distant rumble of thunder worried him. The storm was closing fast, and Morgan couldn’t cross onto the Light campus where she’d be safe. Gordon and Dawn were on the outside, and both had a reason to track her down.

  “I need to get you somewhere safe,” he said and called for his fog.

  “No.” Morgan drew a deep breath, struggling to steady herself. “Sam … Sam taught me how I can protect your baby, but I need you to help me. I think the same binding spell we use on the stone will work for your baby. Five elements, two Masters.”

  Beck gazed down at her, not expecting her to admit she needed him after her flat denials about protecting him. “You’re not safe here, Morgan.”

  “Together, Beck.” She searched his gaze. “You said we can do this together.”

  He smiled, touched by her willingness to help him, and cupped her cheek in his hand. It was dangerous for her to remain, dangerous for her if Dawn wasn’t dealt with. He didn’t know what was the smartest decision, but he knew he’d rather have Morgan close than risk someone finding her if he sent her away.

  And … he couldn’t lose her again. “Okay. Together.”

  She wiped her face with one hand. “Thank you for … Gordon.”

  “We protect each other, right?”

  “Right.” She drew a breath, her vulnerability replaced by determination. “Look.” Her magick surged. Instead of taming it, Beck let it flow through him, cautious of the moment when she lost control.

  She lifted one hand. It blazed blue then purple then pure, blinding light. She threw a flame into the air over their heads – and it soared back to the source of Light. He felt the tiny surge of magick as it dropped into the pool of Light beneath the school, a drop in a lake, but a drop large enough to cause ripples that moved through him.

  “Did you just …” Beck drifted off, staring first at the school then at her. “My god, Morgan.”

  She nodded. “But I can’t control it. Sam says only you can. I can burn hot enough to create Light, especially when I’m upset. Which is kind of often.”

  Beck kissed her, astonished by the ability he didn’t know existed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and surrendered instantly, her body molding to his and her fire magick accepting his earth without resistance.

  “Yo.” Connor sounded unhappy.

  Remembering they were in the middle of the driveway, Beck lifted his head without releasing Morgan. Breathing heavily, they rested their foreheads against one another.

  “I know you’re dating my sister and you are the Master of Light, Beck, but I’ll still kill you if you do anything to hurt her.”

  Beck smiled. “I won’t. I promise.”

  Morgan managed a smile in return, her trembling gone though he saw the troubled expression that hadn’t quite left her.

  Cold rain began to fall, and Beck looked up. The black clouds were at the edge of the driveway, closing in on the school.

  “I know where I can take you for now,” he said. “It’s close.” Without waiting for her to object, he swept them away with his white fog and took her to the tree house where he’d been staying during their separation. He released her when they materialized. Concern replaced all other emotion as he looked up. The cold rain was here, too, and where it hit the ground, puffs of black fog resembling Decker’s shadows popped up.

  “This isn’t natural,” Morgan said and bent to run her fingers through the fog.

  “It’s not,” he agreed. “I’m not sure how we’re supposed to take on Dawn or what this is.” Rain avoided him and the fog shied away as he walked, bending to his Light.

  “If we capture her, we can protect your baby.”

  “And Bartholomew?”

  Morgan hesitated. “Maybe we can cage him, too, with the soul stone then bind it to keep him there.”

  I don’t think it’ll work that way. He wasn’t able to reject or fully accept Sam’s insistence Dawn was gone and only Bartholomew remained in her body. If it were true, then there was no way to separate Bartholomew’s soul from Dawn’s, and both were too far gone to survive if Morgan tried to burn the Darkness out of them. “Where the hell is Decker?” he grumbled and pulled his phone free. His twin hadn’t responded to him yet, but he had a note from Summer and one from an unknown number whose identity he didn’t have to guess.

  I’ve got Decker and Biji. You want them to live? Come to Miner’s Drop.

  Biji’s in trouble, Summer texted.

  Beck paled. “I have to go.”

  “Beck, I can help!” Morgan insisted.

  “You will.” He touched her face once more. “But there are certain things only I can do. I promise to come back to get you when it’s our time to work together.”

  She was gazing up at him with the same odd expression he had twice seen on Amber’s face, as if she realized it was the Master talking and not him. Morgan kissed him lightly on the lips.

  “Together,” she reminded him. “Or you’re cut off.”

  He laughed, startled by her fiery claim. “Something tells me that’s not true.” He winked. “But I’ll be sure to obey you just in case.”

  “Go on. Leave me here in the forest with your pet bigfoot.” She stepped away.

  He had the urge to stay, to kiss her until she melted for him again. There was nothing more arousing than her complete surrender, the sweet-spicy mix of fire and trust that left him fevered. Everything about Morgan, from her challenging gaze to her small pout and the scent of both of them on his skin left him yearning for her with need he had never experienced before. He wanted … needed to claim all of he
r, her body, fire, soul.

  With difficulty, he shifted away. “I’ll be back.” His senses were too filled with her for him to manage anything more romantic. Before he changed his mind and stayed, Beck left.

  He materialized on the cliff where Summer had jumped last summer and crouched, taking in the situation below. Over a dozen Dark witchlings, Noah, Dawn … he didn’t see Biji or Decker from this angle, and he rose, backing away to search the surrounding area.

  This is it, he thought. This is where we either cage Bartholomew or lose the Light.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Morgan watched the fog sweep him away, not certain what exactly she felt. Gratitude, humiliation, anger and …

  Something warmer, deeper whenever she thought of Beck that replaced the negative emotions normally tormenting her. He was her peace and Light in a world she wanted to lock out. She didn’t understand how he was so calm in the face of someone like Gordon when her reaction was to crawl inside herself and shrivel up until it was over.

  The rain pelted her, and she retreated into the tree through the small opening of the trunk. Inside was warm, dry and clean. It smelled of Beck, and she sat in front of kindling in need of nothing more than a spark.

  Morgan lit the fire with her magick and sat back, torn between wanting to listen to Beck and remain where she was and feeling excluded when she knew she could help. She pulled the soul stone out of her pocket and placed it at the center of her hand. She summoned the magick and pushed it hotter and hotter, until the white fire appeared. Rather than float off towards the Light source, she did her best to keep it in place, to surround the soul stone so its coldness could no longer hurt anyone.

  She struggled. Sam had said her magick was too powerful for her to control without help, but she thought otherwise, that she was simply too weak. She envisioned it working and tried to recreate the feeling herself of being grounded and warm whenever Beck touched her.

  She burned hotter until she was sweating and molded the magick the best she could before releasing it with a sigh. The Whitefire floated out of the tree towards the school – except for a thin film that remained, clinging to the soul stone. She tested it. The stone remained cold but was no longer freezing.

  “All that effort …” she sighed. If she couldn’t shield a rock, how was she going to shield a baby that was much more susceptible to being burnt than the stone? Troubled, Morgan set the rock into the fire. The flames avoided it and dimmed, their heat stolen by the stone. “My curse, my companion.” She picked up the stone, disappointed in herself. Beck’s magick touched everyone around him and made them better, happier people.

  She envied him for more than this.

  Stoking the fire until the flames were purple, she replaced the stone in the center. This time, the flames could handle its coldness. The binding was working, at least a little, since it didn’t snuff out the fire.

  Eyes on the mesmerizing blaze, Morgan thought hard for another moment about how to help Beck. The buzz of her cell distracted her, and she pulled it out.

  You didn’t show last night.

  Morgan muttered a curse. She was supposed to meet Dawn and ended up turning her brother Light instead. She debated how to respond before texting the truth about where she’d been the night before.

  You did that?

  Morgan almost laughed, sensing either Dawn or Bartholomew was surprised. And then it hit her – Dawn already knew Noah was Light. Which meant …

  She pulled up Noah’s new contact information and texted him to see where he was.

  He’s with me, came the response from Dawn. Bartholomew taught me a few things. Like how to block Decker. How to block Beck. Noah and Biji are with me. How about a trade since no one else can help them? You for them? Find me at Miner’s Drop.

  Morgan’s heart fell. She hadn’t yet recovered from Gordon’s sudden appearance, and she feared running into him again if she did as Dawn wanted.

  But Biji … Noah …

  She was on her feet before she consciously made up her mind. Morgan stepped into the cold rain and drew on her magick to warm her before summoning a flame in her palm. She fed it until it was white then tossed it up in the air to watch which direction it flew. She had no other way to gauge where she was. It headed to the east and sparked lightning when it moved through the shield Beck had created. If she followed the perimeter of the shield, she’d be able to find the road.

  She hurried back into the tree to grab the stone out of the fire and paused, considering. As far as she knew, no other fire witchling could summon purple or white flames, which might also mean they couldn’t tolerate or control them. How would the fire stand up to other elements? If she dropped the stone into the middle of a white fire, would the white flames rebuke other magick?

  Pocketing the stone, she left the tree and made her way through the forest towards the shield. She bumped into it, bounced back a foot and trailed her fingers along the invisible barrier. It wasn’t just the rain soaking her clothing or the black fog at her feet that left her feeling cold but the sad acknowledgement she’d never be able to set foot on the Light campus. No amount of fire would purge the soul stone and she would never risk Beck or his Light by trying to find a means to take the rock onto the campus again.

  Wishing Sam was there to clear a path, Morgan moved as fast as she could through the trees, bramble and mud, using the shield as a guide. Her magick kept her warm, and her gaze was as much on the tiny fireworks caused by her touch on the shield as the gathering fog.

  The Darkness was getting thicker, its tendrils butting up against the Light and eliciting sparks and lightning. It was a solid blanket on the ground now, past her ankle and growing with the rain.

  Morgan glanced at the sky and the unusual black clouds billowing overhead. It was definitely not a natural storm, though what it was, she didn’t know.

  Half an hour later, she reached the driveway leading up to the school and stopped inside the forest.

  There were Dark witchlings everywhere on the driveway, their cars blocking the path to the school. More fog was here, and lightning shot off the shield as they tried to attack it.

  Her chest tightened at the thought of Beck facing them alone, even though she knew it was his duty as the Master of Light. It was unbearable to think she only had one night with him and today, they might lose to the Darkness once and for all.

  There must be a way to cage Bartholomew into the soul stone so we can bind him, without killing Dawn, she thought desperately and eased back from the road before anyone saw her. She walked parallel to the driveway towards the street leading into town. Her thoughts flew back to her classes, where she’d learned some of the history of the Masters and Mistresses of Dark and Light. The soul stone was created because of Bartholomew, to capture his soul initially after he unleashed Darkness. It worked once; it could work again.

  Morgan texted Beck to ask if he knew how to lure Bartholomew into the stone and then started down the road, keeping to the ditch despite the knee high Darkness and water gathering there. She sloshed towards the tiny town with its single gas station and the strip mall consisting of a small grocer’s, realtor’s, coffee shop-bakery, and auto repair shop. She wasn’t able to take a path through the school campus to reach Miner’s Drop and hoped there was a secondary road or path. Her mother was staying at the rustic, four room hotel down the street, and she had the urge to return to the room and hug her mother for support before she confronted Dawn. Her cell buzzed, and she checked it.

  Possible, but not sure, Beck had responded. Dawn has Decker, too.

  Morgan paused, uncertain how the Master of Dark was taken. Dawn’s claim of being able to block him made Morgan wonder if the Dark air witchling could do more than block. Decker’s capture was yet another reason why she needed to be at Miner’s Drop. She tucked the phone in her pocket and trudged onward to town, stopping at the top of hill overlooking the strip mall and gas station.

  Darkness filled the area behind the stores resembling smok
e from a massive fire. Morgan gazed at it, heart pounding and fear streaking through her. A large van was parked out front, but she saw no sign of anyone present.

  If there was one thing she knew, it was that the stone couldn’t fall into the hands of anyone who knew how to do harm with it. Beck’s life was at stake, along with all the Light in the world.

  But Decker, Biji … Noah … any other innocents who were caught in the crossfire.

  Morgan nibbled on her lip, wishing there was an alternative to letting others suffer but uncertain what that might be.

  “You didn’t wait.”

  Morgan gasped, not expecting to hear Beck’s soft voice. She turned to face him. He was dry, immune from the Darkness falling from the sky, while she was soaked. She studied his chiseled features, momentarily lost in the memories of last night, of how good he was, before she regained her senses.

  He was watching her, a touch of sadness in his gaze.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Dawn said she has Biji and Noah.” Morgan pointed. “I wanted … I don’t know. To help, I guess.” She braced herself and waited for him to send her away again.

  Beck took her hand, and she calmed. “Together?”

  Morgan met his gaze again, surprised.

  “I think …” He hesitated. “I think we need each other for this.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” His gaze was on their destination. “The school is protected for now. Do you want to help me protect the Light?”

  Morgan had never heard words that filled her with such happiness. “Yes,” she said. “A million times over! I’m going to help you save the world!”

  Beck squeezed her hand, worry on his features. “I can’t lose you again, Morgan.”

  “You won’t. I promise.”

  “Promise me you’ll trust me if I need to do something you don’t agree with.”

  She nodded eagerly, her fire dancing in anticipation and her excitement rising at being part of what he was.

  “Then let’s do this.” He started forward.