Winter Fire (The Witchling #3)(3)

Summer shook her head to clear the thought and ran down the driveway to her boyfriend, best friend – her world. She stopped in front of him and gazed up at him, searching his face for signs of the Darkness.

It wasn’t there, but there was blood on his jeans, a dark splash in the moonlight.

“Rough night,” he said in a gruff voice.

“It’s okay, Decker,” she whispered. “You’re here now.” Summer instinctively took his face in her hands.

He shuddered, his arms circling her to pull her into his body. He was strong and athletic, his body honed by the hundreds of laps a week he swam. A triple element – fire, water, spirit – his magick kept him from feeling the cold of winter the way she did. It swirled through her, a combination of warm and cool, before his fire magick pushed away her chill. His fire magick was capable of more than warmth; it lit the desire already swirling in her blood.

“Behave,” she said with a smile.

“Fine.”

His fire retreated, warming her without arousing her. She sensed his distress and hugged him closer, aware that only she was able to still the voices in his head and keep the Darkness from consuming him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, lifting her head.

Decker met her gaze. His eyes were brown, his chiseled cheekbones and dark complexion marking his mixed background. The tightness around his eyes and mouth softened.

“I am now,” he replied. “You know, if we were together every night …”

“We will be,” she promised. “But not yet.”

“I know.” He nuzzled her neck.

Summer giggled. It was a deal they made when they’d reunited three weeks before: to take things slow. She was still trying to recover from the three month trial she’d gone through to return to the Light from the Dark, and it was something of a shock to learn what the Master of Fire and Night had done in that short time span. The girls, the dead witchlings.

The Darkness.

Summer traced his face with her fingers, marveling at Decker’s stunning features. There was a part of her that wasn’t ready yet to take their relationship to where it had been, before she went Dark and spent three months recovering her soul.

“I love you,” she murmured.

“I know,” he said again, this time smiling.

“There’s blood on your jeans.”

“Yeah.”

She searched his face.

“I had to, Summer. He broke the Dark Laws. He was getting ready to hurt someone else.”

The hardest part of her being the counterbalance to the Master of Dark was not fearing what he was. Summer kissed him. Decker responded hungrily, his warm lips and hot kisses lighting her blood on fire. He pulled away before they went too far for either to stop.

“I love you, too,” he whispered. “You are my everything.”

Summer sighed. Decker was trying hard to respect the boundary she’d established. Every time his hands started roaming her body, he stopped them. Whenever their kissing grew too heavy, he withdrew.

She loved him for giving her the space she needed.

His arms tightened around her, and she breathed in his scent.

“What is it, Beck?” Decker growled.

Summer lifted her head from Decker’s chest, not sensing his twin, the Master of Light.

“Just out for a walk,” Beck said.

Decker’s grip on Summer loosened as he twisted to see his brother. Summer smiled at Beck, who grinned back. The twins were almost identical in appearances with the exception of their eye color. Outgoing and cheerful, Beck’s eyes were teal and his magick glowed white around him. White fog floated over his feet.

Summer studied Beck, noting the circles under his eyes. He’d been gone for most of the past three weeks, dealing with courts and police.

“At midnight?” Decker asked.

“Yeah,” Beck replied. “DNA results came in Friday afternoon. Haven’t had much motivation to sleep.”

“The baby’s yours?” Summer asked.

He nodded.

“We’ll talk,” Decker said in a tone that told Summer his plan of taking out the mother of Beck’s child was still an option.

Summer was torn. Though his poor judgment had resulted in a child with a Dark girl, Beck had proven his ability to be the Master of Light during the time she was struggling to win back her soul. He was learning his role as the protector of witchlings. She knew Beck would make an awesome father and leader for the Light witchlings, but the baby’s mother …

Dawn was Dark and had tried to kill Summer twice, not to mention the Dark girl had been involved in the death of Beck’s last girlfriend. Beck would be involved with her for the rest of his life, and Summer wished with all her heart that wasn’t the case. Beck had a good heart that he wasted on the wrong girl. He didn’t deserve to spend his life tormented by one bad decision.

“You’ll make an incredible father, Beck,” she said.

“I’ll take care of my little girl.” His smile was quick but she saw his worry.

“We’ll help you,” she offered.

“Decker will have to leave the knife behind,” Beck said.

“I’ll teach her to take care of herself. No one will mess with her,” Decker promised.

“You guys are sweet.”