Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(35)

“What threat does Morgan really pose? Aside from having the soul stone?” he whispered aloud. Almost instantly, the souls in his head went silent. If there was historical knowledge about the family of fire witchlings charged with protecting the soul stone, none of his predecessors knew it. Part of him suspected the exclusion of information was purposeful. Until him, Bartholomew had been in his mind, along with all the other souls of the Dark Masters and Dark Mistresses preceding him. Upon becoming Master of Dark at the age of eighteen, Decker had inherited the souls. Any Master of Dark worth his title would know to prevent the dangerous soul from uncovering a way to escape back to the human world and unleash hell.

Whatever the reasoning, Morgan was as important as the stone.

With another look around, Decker left the hotel and returned to his cozy, warm room, where the woman he loved was sleeping soundly in his bed. He observed her for a long moment, recalling what he had felt when he thought he lost her.

He wasn’t going to let Beck go through that again, but he was at a loss as to what Bartholomew wanted or planned with Dawn’s help.

“Come on, Beck. Figure this shit out,” he willed his brother.

“Decker?” Summer murmured sleepily.

“I’m here, baby.”

Tired and needing some peace from his magick and the Dark souls in his head, Decker stripped down to a boxer and t-shirt and slid into bed with Summer, gathering her warm, soft body into his arms and sighing deeply before he fell asleep next to her.





Chapter Thirteen





From the shadows of an enclave down the hall from her former room, Dawn held her breath and waited. Decker was gone, but she wasn’t about to leave her safe spot and risk him suddenly returning. After all, Bartholomew could hide her from his Dark magic, not make her invisible.

The discomfort of her pregnancy was worse today; there was actual pain stemming from somewhere inside her. She had half a mind to go to the hospital, but doing so put her – and their plan – at risk.

You failed again, Dawn, Bartholomew said.

“I didn’t fail,” she muttered.

You didn’t catch or kill Morgan, and your brother turned you in to Decker. Tell me how that’s not failing.

She didn’t have a response. Her head was throbbing, and she felt less well than usual.

I can make this right.

She pressed her forehead to the cool wall beside her, exhausted and upset. “So I misjudged a few things. Kinda hard to think when you’re about to pop.”

All the more reason why I need to be in charge.

At the moment, it sounded like a good idea. She’d have to manipulate someone else so she had a place to sleep this night, and she didn’t even feel up to that. Her attempt to grab Morgan had been foiled by Noah, and she was left with pretty much one option.

“We need to go back to Miner’s Drop. Build up more Dark magic,” she murmured. “We can make them come to us.”

We can. What we can’t do is let Morgan live.

“Again with this,” Dawn said with a sigh. “I hate her, too, but come on! You can face Decker. What’s one stupid witchling? I want her and Beck both to suffer before they die.”

It’s possible that Morgan can stop us.

“Wait, what?” she asked, straightening. “Is this another stupid lie?”

No. If she’s powerful enough to be the first Light witchling in such a long dry spell of Light fire witchlings, it’s possible she can stop us.

“How?”

By burning me out of existence, the way my son did many years ago.

Dawn listened, intrigued by the story. For the first time, Bartholomew was revealing something almost personal or at least, something more personal than he normally did. “If you’d told me that, I’d have made sure she died in the fire!”

I told you enough.

The man was an * dead. She didn’t want to know how bad he really was alive.

That’s why I need your body. To take the stone and stop her.

“I’m afraid … I’m not going to standup to flames or a fight.” Dawn shifted and grimaced. The flash of pain blinded her, and she sucked in a breath, freezing in place for a moment. When it faded, she released the breath through gritted teeth. “I think something’s wrong.” She touched her stomach. “I need to go to the hospital before we go to Idaho.”

There’s no time. The equinox is coming.

“And our power is magnified. I know. But this isn’t right. I’m going to the hospital now.” She started down the hallway towards the elevators.

I didn’t want it to be this way, Dawn. I wanted us to be partners.

“We are.”

Suddenly, she was falling … and then not. The sensation was less physical and more like she’d been dropped into herself. Aware of her body, she wasn’t able to control it. She was in a cool, dark, quiet place.

“Bartholomew! What happened?” she cried and reached out. Her hands met a wall. She followed it around in the dark to a corner, then around to another. The room was three meters by three meters with no door she could feel.

I’m taking over.

“No! You swore!”

It is necessary for my survival.

His survival. Not hers. Not her child’s.

“But … but what about me?” she stuttered.