Spring Rain (31 page)

“I’m okay,” Morgan assured him. “Go save
your baby.”

The words terrified him. Beck released her,
paused to ensure she was really okay, then crossed to Dawn. He
picked her up carefully, allowing his healing magick to flow into
her, and looked once more at Morgan.

His counterbalance smiled. Summer was seated
beside her, and Beck summoned his fog to sweep them away.

Morgan watched him go and sagged when he had
disappeared.

“Is it holding?” Decker asked, eyeing her
hand.

She peered at the black stone visible
through her fingers. It felt … alive. Knowing it contained a soul,
she wasn’t about to let her magick settle, no matter how tired she
was. “I think so. What happens now?”

“No freakin’ idea,” he admitted. “Everyone
all right?”

Morgan blinked, aware of her surroundings
once more. Biji and Noah held hands and stood a couple of feet
away.

“A few more Dark
witchlings showed up. We detained them for you,” Noah pointed to
several Dark witchlings pinned against the canyon wall by ice and
air. “
Without
violence.” His gaze went to Biji.

She grinned. “You can be trained, I
suppose,” she allowed.

Morgan smiled. Biji was blushing while Noah
raised his eyebrows.

“Decker, you need to fix this rain,” Summer
murmured with a frown, gaze on the sky. The black fog had thinned
out, but the clouds were still pouring down Dark-infused rain.

“Biji, Noah, you guys wanna help?” Decker
asked, looking up.

“Yes!” both exclaimed.

Morgan watched them step away. Summer
appeared exhausted as well, and the two exchanged a long look.

“So … this is what it’s like to be part of
the family,” Morgan said somewhat awkwardly.

“Yeah.” Summer smiled. “How does it feel to
belong?”

“Good.” Morgan’s throat felt tight. She
cleared it. “You all were in my head.” She felt a little raw
realizing other people might have seen parts of her even she didn’t
know existed.

“Don’t worry. We didn’t learn any secrets.
We were trapped with you,” Summer said.

A tornado of Darkness whipped the air of
Miner’s Drop. They both turned to see the funnel created by Biji
and Noah darting from the canyon into the sky. It began to suck in
the clouds, swallowing them whole. Decker was at the center of the
funnel, barely visible through the swirling Dark.

“Is it always like this?” Morgan asked.

“No. Well, sometimes,” Summer replied. “I
think we should talk to Sam about the soul stone.” She pointed
towards the ridgeline, where a flash of auburn stood out among the
Dark and snow. “Can you walk?”

Morgan stood shakily. Her legs were wobbly.
The effort of maintaining fire magick around the soul stone was
draining her quickly. She and Summer hiked out of the center of the
ravine, away from the tornado gobbling up the clouds, and to the
ridgeline where Sam awaited them.

He offered a smile.
You did it.

Morgan sighed, and Summer nodded her
head.

Sam chortled.

“What do we do with this?” Morgan asked and
held out her hand.

Bound by five elements,
including a Light fire witchling on the equinox. The spell is
extremely powerful.
He observed it quietly
for a moment before reaching out to take the stone.
I feel it is better off with my kind than humans
this time around. This binding is solid. It will likely anger my
kind, but …
He shrugged.
… you all have earned peace. It is our turn to
step up and help balance things.

“You always help,” Morgan murmured.

“We know you have rules, too,” Summer
added.

Rules are no excuse for watching people I
care about suffer as you all have. Taking Bartholomew out of this
world may be the only thing I can ever do to help you.

“He’s hurt all of us,” Summer said.

Your generation will determine the fate of
Light and Dark and the witchlings as a whole. You have already
exceeded our expectations. It is only fair we step up to help.

Morgan smiled, touched by his concern. “If
you change your mind, I’m here.”

I will not. You deserve
peace, fireball.
He chuckled.

It dawned on her what he was really doing:
freeing her of the responsibility of the stone. Giving her the
ability to be with Beck in every way, even working with him on the
Light campus to help grow the Light.

“I love you, Sam!” she said and flung her
arms around him. His thick fur smelled of pine trees.

Summer giggled.

Go. Enjoy life. Tell the Masters to visit me
when they have a moment.

Morgan released him and
stepped away, her emotions somersaulting within her at the thought
of having a real life, a
good
life with the man she loved.

“It might be a while,” Summer said, eyes on
the cyclone at the center of Miner’s Drop.

Morgan sank down onto a boulder, mesmerized
by the scene and exhausted. Her heart ached to see Beck, to touch
him so she knew he was safe and sound. Summer perched on the
boulder beside her and together, they watched the Master of Dark
suck every last Dark cloud out of the sky, until the rain that fell
was normal.

Beck paced in the hallway near the nursery,
unable to leave the window where he could see his daughter yet
pretty well freaked out by the notion he had a daughter at all.

“Beck! You okay?” Morgan asked, appearing
from the direction of the hospital interior. Her gorgeous eyes were
lined with dark circles, and her fire magick was a whisper compared
to its usual roar. Even her fiery red hair was wet and dripping
from rain.

He hugged her in response, and his earth
magick swept into her, calming what remained of her fire. “Not
really,” he whispered into her hair. “I don’t feel remotely ready
for this.”

Morgan pushed candy flames into him, and he
melted against her, exhausted yet relieved to hold her again.

“I’m so happy to see you, Morgan.”

“Sorry it took so long. We had to wait for
Decker to clean up the Dark.”

Beck had spent a grueling four hours alone
at the hospital. Dawn was taken into emergency surgery minutes
after he arrived with news the baby was safe forty minutes
later.

“I thought I was going to lose both of you,”
he said, unable to shake the terror at his core even though Morgan
and his baby were safe.

“I told you. I can take care of both of
us.”

He laughed.

“Or … all three of us,” she added. Morgan
pulled away from him and went to the window. “Which one is
she?”

He pointed to the little girl in a bed near
the window lying on a pink blanket.

“She’s glowing.” Morgan smiled. “We’re still
protecting her.”

Beck followed her gaze, aware of the faint
glow of five elements around his daughter. “I’m so not ready for
this,” he said.

“I’ll help you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You better. Who else would you ask?” she
shot back, fire dancing to life in her eyes.

Beck wrapped an arm around her, calming her
agitated magick. In truth, he hadn’t thought about who was going to
help him. His mother, he assumed. “It doesn’t seem right asking you
to be with me when I have to raise a kid.”

“Counterbalance. You have no choice. I’m
helping you, whether you like it or not.”

He laughed. “This coming from the girl who
denied being my counterbalance a week or so ago?”

“Everything is different now,” she murmured.
“Sam took the soul stone back to his people. I can be with you
now.”

“Decker texted me. You have no idea how
awesome that sounds.”

They gazed at each other. Desire stirred
despite his exhaustion, and Morgan’s cheeks turned pink.

“So we’ll raise her together,” Morgan said.
“You and me. Right?”

“And us,” Summer said as she approached,
hand-in-hand with Decker. The two were as fatigued in expression as
Beck felt. “We’re a family.”

Any fear he had of how he was going to cope
began to fade. “I love you guys,” Beck said with a grin.

“You have a name picked out?” Morgan
asked.

Beck met Decker’s gaze. “I was thinking of
Nora.”

“I like that,” Decker said. “I wish we
could’ve met her.”

Morgan gave him a questioning look. “I’ll
explain later.”

“Could we talk, Beck?”

Beck tried not to tense. He already knew
what Decker was going to ask. He squeezed Morgan then shifted away
to talk to his brother.

“Dawn’s in a coma, and you need to make a
decision,” Decker said.

Beck’s gaze went from his twin towards his
daughter. Noah and Biji had joined Summer and Morgan. The three
girls were talking while Noah was at the glass, gazing at his
niece. As angry as he was about Dawn risking their child and trying
to kill Morgan, there was a part of Beck that still didn’t like the
idea of killing – or asking Decker to kill – the mother of his
child. He was the Protector of Light and all that was good.

“I can’t,” he said quietly.

Decker didn’t appear surprised. “She’s
broken every Law there is.”

“I know and you have every right to ignore
me and do what you do.”

“You’re my brother, Beck. I’m not going to
do this if you don’t want me to.”

Beck met Decker’s gaze. “I don’t want you
to.”

“I respect that.”

The two stood in comfortable silence. Decker
cocked his head to the side suddenly.

“I think you won’t have to worry about it
anyway,” he said.

Beck’s eyes went in the direction of Dawn’s
room. Several nurses were hurrying towards it. She’d been in bad
shape when he brought her there, barely clinging to life. He had
done what he could in the short time he was in contact with
her.

A short time later, a doctor approached the
four gathered at the window of the nursery.

“Noah?” he asked, approaching the bald
witchling. “Could we talk in private?”

Beck and Decker watched. The two spoke
briefly. Noah blanched, his mouth hanging open in shock as he
received the news.

Beck sneaked a glance at his brother. There
had been several times when he thought he was going to lose Decker,
and it tore him up. He didn’t want to know what Noah was going
through at the moment, but he pitied the water witchling.

Noah regained his composure and nodded at
something the doctor said. The physician retreated down the
hallway, and Noah caught himself against the wall. Biji hugged him
tight.

Morgan caught Beck’s gaze. He crossed to
her, uncertain what exactly he was feeling, but aware that none of
his emotions were rejoicing at the idea of losing Dawn. Tears were
in Morgan’s eyes, along with pain as she gazed at Noah. Beck
touched her to keep her fire from agitating him.

Noah went back to the window to gaze at his
niece. Summer took Beck’s other hand, and he glanced down at her
with a tight smile.

“She was helping me fight Bartholomew in the
end,” Morgan whispered. “She wanted to save Nora.”

“Good,” Noah managed. “I know this is for …
the best. Nora’s safe now. From Dawn, from Bartholomew.”

“She has all of us to protect her,” Beck
added.

“And the soul stone can’t hurt anyone else,”
Morgan said firmly. She slid her free hand into Noah’s. “She has a
good family, Noah.”

He forced a smile. “I know.” He met Beck’s
gaze.

“That includes you,” Beck said. “We want you
in her life, Noah.”

“Thanks. I plan to be there.”

The six of them gazed at baby Nora in
silence. With mixed feelings, Beck released Summer’s hand and
wrapped his arms around Morgan, grateful for those he cared about
to have survived his transition to the Master of Light.

“Hey,” Decker said.

Beck twisted his head and rested his cheek
on Morgan’s head.

“We did it.”

Beck held his gaze, understanding the depth
of his brother’s emotions without them being spoken. A nightmare
had started on their eighteenth birthday and ended with the defeat
of Bartholomew. Beck looked back at all that had happened with both
regret and appreciation for what they’d gone through. He had never
thought to ask his mother if a Master or Mistress of Light or Dark
had to go through a separate trial, but the past few months sure
felt like they had.

There had been moments when he thought
Decker would kill him and others when he expected his inability to
be a Master to condemn them all. Summer’s appearance and incredible
magick was followed by Morgan’s …

“Yeah, we did,” he murmured.

Morgan watched the emotional exchange
between the brothers, touched by it. Summer smiled at her, and she
smiled back. There was a lot to catch up on, a lot to tell her
mother and Connor, a lot left to learn about being a Light
witchling and helping Beck.

And there was her new family, to include
Nora. Warmth bloomed within her, and she rested her head against
Beck’s shoulder. She had arrived at the witchling boarding school
with no hope of fitting in and every intention of running away. She
never dreamt her life would take this turn, but she was grateful
for it.

“Mom’s gonna shit when we tell her she’s
officially old now and a grandma,” Decker said, amused.

“We’ll have to warn Nora never to piss off
that grandparent,” Beck added.

Morgan smiled. “Hey, can we talk for a
minute?” she asked, peering up at him.

“Sure. You okay?” Beck met her gaze. While
exhausted, he remained the most handsome person she’d ever
seen.

“Yeah.”

Beck took her hand, and she led him away, to
a quiet area away from everyone. Her fire danced out of nervousness
and excitement. She faced him and for a moment, wasn’t able to form
a single word when she realized she was looking up at the best man
in the world, who just so happened to be hers.