Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(50)
He didn’t dare voice the concern aloud.
Morgan was gazing at him. “I won’t hurt you?”
“I never cared if you did,” he replied.
She rolled her eyes. With some hesitation, Morgan then slid her arms around him and hugged him. Beck sighed deeply. He had never experienced a hug that was this sweet, this long in coming. He nuzzled her hair and breathed in her scent, enjoying the warmth of her magick as it fluttered along his skin and sank into him to the bone. Her body fit against his perfectly, her plump breasts pressed to his chest and her face nestled into the muscle between his arm and chest.
“Will you let me take care of you?” he whispered. “I promise, I won’t touch you if you don’t want. I want to make sure you sleep and are safe.”
Morgan was silent for a long moment, the fingers of one hand tapping his chest as she thought. He knew they had some way to go before she’d trust him for more than a kiss and hug, and he was happy to wait and ecstatic to think they’d be together until that moment came when she was ready.
“Just for one night,” he added. “Stay with me tonight and rest.”
“Okay,” she whispered finally. “I brought my mom back with me. I have to let her know I’m okay.”
“Text her. You’re in no shape to go anywhere, but to sleep.”
She grumbled something he didn’t hear before saying more loudly, “Then tomorrow, I go back to taking care of you.”
He chuckled. “Fine. Sam, later,” he called to the yeti. Without waiting for a response, he whisked them both away to his room at his parent’s cabin. The fire was low, and the bedchamber smelled of the cookies waiting for him by the fire.
Easing back, Beck peered down at Morgan’s face. She appeared exhausted, pale and weak. He pushed red curls away from her features and resisted the urge to do more, to touch her more, instead, releasing her. His earth magick remained strong within her, settling her fire. Morgan still clutched her amulet in one hand and watched him step away.
“Shower’s through there. I’ll set out clothes and get more food,” he said with some awkwardness, wanting the distance and all the emotions and worry between them gone. “I can sleep on the floor or in Decker’s room.” He didn’t wait for her to agree but left quickly, the idea of Morgan naked in his shower a little too much after his taxing day.
Beck made his way down to the kitchen, unaware of the effect of his night until his unsteady hands went to retrieve something from the fridge. He closed the door and watched the trembling. He wasn’t entirely certain what emotion was the strongest right now: profound relief, his remaining fear, the warmth stirred by Morgan’s fire.
He had the answers to some of his most gut-twisting problems and none to others. It wasn’t a full victory to know Morgan was Light and if anything, it felt a little like defeat. She had bloomed overnight while he was no closer to figuring out how they were going to defeat Dawn or be together.
He stood before the bank of windows overlooking the lake. It was starting to thaw in the spring weather, with the middle black and the edges frosted greys and white. Rain pelted the windows while the below freezing nights turned the melted snow and slush into ice. Frozen branches of trees sparkled in the light given off by the veranda, and puffy grey clouds covered the sky. Extinguished candles under protective covers outlined the two pentagrams – one black, one white – where his parents meditated daily.
Shaking away the darker thoughts, he microwaved leftovers for Morgan and returned to his room.
Dressed in his t-shirt, sweatshirt and sweatpants, she was seated beside the fire, her red curls wet and her face tucked in the crook of the arms wrapped around her knees. Her magick was sad, and he sensed rather than heard her tears. She glowed this night, and he was able to see her Light. It gave her subtle sultriness a flare of innocence, a combination that stirred his blood and interest in too many ways for him to give her the peace she probably needed.
Beck set the food down and went to her immediately, knowing how much she’d been through since arriving at the school four months before. He sat down beside her, shoulder to shoulder. “Hey,” he said and nudged her.
She said nothing. Unable to resist, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his body. She gave without a fight this time, her frame shaking and breathing uneven. He steadied her magick automatically and did his best to buffer himself against the fiery, playful invasion touching her brought. He fantasized about the day when he didn’t have to throw up his guards, when he could let his fire melt him from the inside and dare her to unleash everything she could, then make love to her until they couldn’t move.
The potential for a physical relationship beyond anything he could imagine was there. He had tasted it whenever they kissed, and he grappled with his yearning to remember she was damaged and needed time while desire born of hormones and lust quickened his blood.
She calmed in his arms, and he shifted to lean back against the heavy armchair near the fire so he could support her better. Beck held her, breathing in the scent of his shampoo in her hair and trying hard not to notice how her supple, perfect body reclined against his. This was the first night of them, and he feared ruining it.
“Did you call your mom?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
Beck didn’t quite know what else to say.
“I thought being Light would change everything,” she whispered at last. “I thought I’d … I don’t know. Forget all the bad things and know what to do next.”