Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(44)

There was a long pause, and she guessed Noah was weighing the seriousness of her statement. He had to be thinking of Dawn or maybe, about Biji, who he wanted a shot with, but was afraid to approach. She expected a question or two at least or maybe an initial refusal and held her breath.

Okay. Was his short answer.

Morgan blinked, barely believing he’d all but blindly agreed.

If anything, it made her feel worse for him. It meant he was hurting, willing to do whatever it took, even blindly trusting an unstable fire witchling known for her temper and the danger in her pocket.





Chapter Sixteen





Two days later, Morgan left her mother at a hotel in town and then took the taxi to the driveway of the school. She had him drop her off and trotted towards the buildings.

Part of her doubted he would show, but Noah was waiting halfway up the driveway to the boarding school in the chilly spring drizzle. Morgan approached, uncertain why he chose a random spot such as this to greet her. His motorcycle was on the side of the road, and he was staring towards the school.

She eyed him curiously as she reached him and paused. “You, uh, waiting for me?” she asked.

“Try it.”

“Try what?”

“Getting to the school.”

She looked down the open driveway between them and the log building. Noah’s blue eyes went to her, and she shook her head, suspecting Dawn had scrambled her brother’s brain.

Morgan took two steps – and smacked into an invisible wall that gave off faint sparks at the impact. “What the hell is this?” she asked and reached out. Her hand met the wall.

“I’ve been testing it for ten minutes. I called a friend, who told me Beck sealed off the Light campus to everyone but Light students.”

“Because Dawn wants to destroy him and the Light,” Morgan said. “Smart.” A tremble of shame went through her, and she reached into the pocket not holding the soul stone to touch her amulet. It was … cloudy. Neither Light nor Dark but something in between.

She’d been lumped in with the Dark students and locked out of Beck’s warmth as well.

Too much had happened for the exclusion from the Light to hurt her. She was tired of being ashamed of what she was and helpless to balance duty and her heart. “I had wanted to use the stone near the stream,” she said and turned away. “We can find someplace similar.”

“You wanna tell me what we’re doing?”

“Well.” She drew a breath and prepared for him to run away screaming once she revealed her intention. “According to family legend, my ancestor was able to turn a Dark witchling Light using purple flames that burned so hot, they turned white. My mother says no one in our family can create these flames except me.” She focused her magick until a flame of purple-blue blazed in her palm. “We need someplace where I won’t burn things down, preferably a rock or platform in a stream.”

“You’re going to burn the Dark out of me?” Noah asked, crossing his arms. He studied her. “That’s the plan?”

“Yes.” She met his gaze. “If it works, and I turn you Light, then maybe I can do the same for Dawn.”

“And if you don’t … I get burnt.”

“You’re a water witchling. Your defenses are naturally more capable of handling an onslaught of fire than anyone else.” I think.

He wasn’t laughing or running away from her. If anything, Noah appeared to be considering her offer of burning him alive in the hopes of ridding him of the Darkness.

“This will hurt, won’t it?” he asked and shoved his hands into his pocket.

“Probably. I’ll call Beck to heal you,” she offered and held her breath.

“Why am I even thinking about trying it?” He paced a short distance away. “How confident are you this might work?”

She shrugged. “I can’t think of any other alternative that will save your sister and her baby. Darkness makes her weak to Bartholomew. If it’s gone, then –”

“- we might have a chance to save her.”

Morgan nodded. When he was quiet, she added, “And you get your chance with Biji.”

“You’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

She waited, hopeful he’d give it a go yet also a little queasy at the prospect of burning someone the way she intended to do him.

“I’ll do it,” he said finally. “God help me, Morgan, this better be worth me being barbequed.”

When it had been an idea, it didn’t seem so bad. The way he looked at her, though, with a combination of fear and hope, left her wondering if this was the worst thing she could ever do. Would it damn her to Darkness after she burned him to death? Could she control her magick enough not to kill him?

Could she live with herself if she failed and crippled him in the process?

I have to try. Despair filled her at the thought of never finding her path to Beck. Decker thought there was something she should be doing, and this was all she could think of that might help Beck in some way, if it worked.

“We better do it now, before either of us loses our nerve,” Noah said and went to his motorcycle. He slung his leg over and held out the helmet to her.

She climbed on back while he started it.

They tore out of the gravel driveway and away from town, toward the lake where they’d attempted to fake her death months ago.