Autumn Storm (The Witchling #2)(69)
“He hurt too many innocents. He hurt you.”
“I know. But I know he can do it. He just needed to know there’s another way out.”
“What way?”
She hesitated. “With me. We’ll walk it together, like we did the driveway.”
“It’s not too late for … me?” His hand dropped from her throat. He was struggling. She felt his body trembling.
“I’ll help you, Decker, if you let me,” she said.
“How can you say such a thing after tonight?” This voice was purely Decker’s: Hushed, low, husky. “I could’ve killed you.”
“That wasn’t you. I knew if I could reach you, you’d come back.”
“You were a fool to stand up to the Darkness.”
“What happens to me doesn’t matter. I chose you” she fought back tears of relief “long before tonight.”
“I know.” He took her face in his hands and wiped her cheeks. “It scared me. It still does.”
“Me, too.” She closed her eyes at the light caress of his thumbs. He was warm, and she was so cold. He wrapped his arms around her.
“What happens to you does matter. I lost someone once …” His words were barely audible, even whispered next to her ear. “This … thing between us…”
“I know.” She sank into him. He was solid, warm and strong, his scent and heat filling her senses with nothing but him. His body shook from his internal battle. She didn’t resist his shadows this time. “One day at a time.” Silently, she thanked Michael Turner for the advice. “Right now, Beck and Dawn need to go to the hospital.”
“So do you.”
“They’re in much worse shape. Please, Decker. Take them first. Beck and his baby are in danger. I’m tough.”
He hesitated. Though she didn’t want to, she leaned away from him.
“You won’t lose anyone else, Decker, if you hurry. I’m not going anywhere.”
He kissed her forehead. “Didn’t I tell you I’d keep you, if I found you in my forest after dark again?”
“I made you a deal.”
“I intend to collect,” he assured her.
She gave a half-laugh, half-sob. The idea of belonging with him … to him was overwhelming. Could she really help him walk out of the Darkness? He was taking the first step, but she knew from experience that the true test of his willpower was yet to come. It was how he dealt with failure that would determine if he was able to recover.
But she wanted him to. She needed him to. She didn’t know who she was before her accident, but she knew they were meant to walk the path together.
“Decker, you have to keep fighting. It’s not going to get easier,” she said. “Please, keep fighting.”
“I’ll do my best. I’m not sure ... Autumn, I can’t do it alone.”
The raw emotion in his voice tore at her. She understood that feeling. She’d fought her way back from a wall of pain that wanted to consume her as much as his Darkness did him.
“We’ll help you,” she said. “Beck and I and your father and Grandpa Louis.”
“It might take all of you.” Decker kissed her forehead again, rose and stepped away, his warmth going with him. Autumn opened her eyes and watched him approach Dawn. He paused for a long moment before kneeling and lifting the unconscious girl.
His shadows closed around him, and he disappeared.
Autumn slumped. She huddled the best she could with an injured body numbed from cold and exhaustion. Her gaze went to Beck. A few minutes later, Decker returned to heft his brother over his shoulders.
When he’d gone again, she gripped her head. She was dizzy from blood loss and pain. A migraine was coming on fast. The amulet grew warm against her chest. She glanced down, surprised to see the amber glowing, but her head hurt too much for her to focus. The last of her strength gave. She sank into the snow and closed her eyes.
“Stay with me, sweetheart.” A woman’s voice pierced the blackness settling in her mind.
The words were familiar. Autumn had heard them before. A moment before fire tore through her, she almost remembered where.
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Witchling Trilogy
Dark Summer (August 2012; Available from Smashwords)
Summer Night (Novelette – Nov 2012; Available from Smashwords)
Autumn Storm (Nov 2012)
Autumn Night (Novelette – Feb 2013)
Winter Kiss (2013)
Excerpt of Masquerade
Excerpt of Masquerade
By Cambria Hebert
Chapter One
Heven
The street was dark and deserted. I wished, not for the first time, that I had a car. But I didn’t, and I’d spent too long in the library, so now I had to walk home in the dark. It was a clear night, and there were a million stars nestled in the sky, twinkling brightly alongside the moon. I was nearly home, my street just yards away. The night was quiet, exaggerating the sound my heels were making on the pavement. Usually, I liked the clicking sound; it made me feel womanly, and it announced my arrival. However, at this moment, it seemed I shouldn’t announce my presence. I slowed slightly, gentling my steps and glanced to my right at a wooded, overgrown lot. I imagined something hiding in the brush, watching. I laughed a little at my silliness, but quickened my pace. This time, allowing my heels to slap loudly on the pavement, hoping the sound would ward off any animals that might be around. Behind me I sensed movement and whirled around to confront it.