Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(77)

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.





Chapter Twenty Six





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.”