Winter Fire (The Witchling #3)(55)

“Yeah,” she replied, recalling he’d asked her a question.

“Good.”

“Beck,” she said then hesitated. “Can we … can we take it slow?” She held her breath, afraid of his response.

He kissed the tip of her nose. “As slow as you want.”

“Thank you,” she repeated.

“As much as I hate to say this, we gotta get going,” he said grudgingly. “I got a text from my dad, saying I need to check in before I go to school.”

Morgan pushed herself up. Beck moved with her, his touch never leaving her body.

“Promise me something,” Beck said. The serious note in his voice drew her attention. “My uncle is going to take you to the campus. Stay on campus this morning.”

“You think that girl is coming back?” she asked.

“I know she will,” he said, a dangerous note in his voice. “Please. Stay on campus.”

Morgan tried hard not to smile. He really cared about her. She wasn’t used to the idea, but she liked it.

She nodded. He seemed relieved but also more tense this morning than last night. She wondered if something was wrong at home that he had to go deal with. Standing, Beck pulled her to her feet and took her hand. She felt his gaze and glanced up. The way he looked at her made her glow brighter.

“You’re okay?” he asked again.

“You keep asking me. I think you’d know if I wasn’t,” she replied.

He laughed. “I want to be sure. Just … you know. I want to be good for you.”

Morgan eyed him. She sensed it again, the idea that he somehow knew about her past. She didn’t think she was ready to open that door, though.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Especially when you’re pissed at me or about to be.”

She smiled. They started walking towards a truck at the edge of the clearing.

“You probably shouldn’t wrestle with the boys anymore. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off you,” he advised. “You clearly need to learn to dance.”

“I would’ve beat you, if you hadn’t cheated,” she retorted.

“Right. Like you didn’t cheat to win with the others.”

“It’s okay if I do it.”

“I’ll give you another shot to beat me at a wrestling match,” he said with a wink.

Beck laughed at her gasp. He wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug and kissed her forehead. Morgan’s magick leapt to life in response.

He opened the door to the truck for her, and she climbed in. The truck was already running and the interior warm. Beck released her hand reluctantly.

“Straight there, Uncle Ben,” he directed his uncle. “No leaving campus, Morgan.”

“Yes, sir,” the two of them chorused.

Beck rolled his eyes. Morgan smiled at him. This time, he didn’t hide the side of him that she liked. He didn’t flip back into the aloof jokester; he stayed open and warm and confident, a combination that made her swoon inside.

“I’ll see you later,” Beck said. “Lunch?”

“Definitely,” she replied.

He closed the door and stepped back from the car.

“He’s got it bad,” Ben said.

Morgan grinned. She was tired – but wired, her body zipping with adrenaline. She waved at Beck as Ben pulled away.

He dropped her off at the school, and she climbed the stairs. The air smelled of last night’s bonfire in the Square. Too distracted by thoughts of Beck, she didn’t realize how quiet the main floor was, until she stood at the top of the stairwell leading to the girls’ dorm rooms.

She turned then. The whole school smelled of breakfast, but none of the students were milling in the dining room or waiting in the living area.

Morgan shook her head and went to her room. She may not be able to dance, but she found herself waltzing across her room to the bathroom, humming and daydreaming about another night spent in Beck’s arms.

An ugly thought prodded her. What would he think when he found out about The Incident? What happened in two weeks, when she turned eighteen and Gordon got there? She wasn’t staying.

She pushed the thoughts away and stripped out of her clothing to take a shower.

Morgan dressed quickly, aware she was already running late for class. She trotted down the stairs, her mood the best it had been in years.

The ground floor was still empty of students. Morgan paused, puzzled by the lack of activity in what was usually the busiest area of the school in the morning. The dining table was set but there were no dirty plates indicating anyone had been down.

It almost felt like the world had ended, and no one told her.

She heard a shout from the direction of the back door that led to the Square. Morgan went to the door and froze.





Chapter Fourteen


The students and teachers were all in the square, seated or standing, with many covered in ash. For a moment, all she saw was the remains of the Christmas tree. It had been burnt to the ground and was nothing but a black skeleton. Her eyes moved from there to the boys’ dorms opposite the gravel road. The roof was charred, and the trees behind it had caught fire as well.

Stunned by the scene in the Square, she stepped outside to see the damage to the forest and was horrified to see how far the fire spread, before it was put out. Pine trees were blackened as far as she could see in a long, neat row. The fire had been carefully created and contained, no wider than four trees. It wasn’t a natural burn. Fire wasn’t picky about what direction it went, which meant someone had been guiding it.