Spring Rain Read Free

of belonging, the sad instinct that begged
her to return to the Master of Light who somehow branded her
soul.
    Morgan typed the response
she always gave Decker. You know this is
the right thing to do. Pressing send, she
did her best to convince herself it was true.
    He responded
immediately. You’re Beck’s counterbalance,
like it or not. Why aren’t you trying to help us with the
Light? He had typed.
    “If we ever meet again, Decker, I’ll do more
than set your shoes on fire,” Morgan muttered under her breath.
    She didn’t understand fully what a
counterbalance was supposed to do and why he assumed she was one.
True, she couldn’t explain the bond with Beck that wasn’t growing
weaker the way it should be if they had a normal relationship.
    Glaring at Decker’s response, she had to
force herself not to send him an angry response. He was the brother
of the man she cared about and had helped her, albeit
reluctantly.
    Maybe we could use the
soul stone to capture Bartholomew, he
texted next.
    “That’s it, Decker.” Morgan sent him a
scathing response and tapped send, not caring if she pissed him
off. The stone had been in her family for a thousand years. If it
was meant to be used, it wouldn’t be a secret! And the best – and
only thing – she knew to do to protect Beck and help him with the
Light was to keep as far away as possible.
    “Red, you’re up!” called a smiling brunette
from behind the counter.
    Red was her nickname, and she’d made up a
name for her employment forms. Irked, Morgan stood and tucked her
phone away before approaching. The barista just leaving her shift
handed over an apron, and Morgan tied it around her waist before
placing her fiery red hair into a ponytail.
    Not patient enough for customer service, she
took up her position at the espresso machine and breathed in the
stimulating, rich mix of coffee and milk. It had quickly become her
favorite scent and clung to her when she left her shift every day.
Her hair smelled of espresso no matter how many times she washed
it.
    “Hey, Red.” The guy at the drive thru window
called to her. “Someone came by earlier looking for you.”
    “One of my customers?” she asked, wiping
down the machine. There were at least fourteen people who came in
periodically and requested her, which was five times as many as any
other barista who worked at the cafe. She suspected her fire magick
added a little more warmth or kick to their drinks, because she
followed the drinks’ preparation instructions exactly.
    “No.” He rolled his eyes as he joined
her.
    She glanced up, then away quickly. Before
Beck, she never would’ve thought she’d meet another man’s gaze let
alone take a chance on anyone, given her history of abuse at the
hands of her uncle. After Beck, all she could think about was never
letting down her guard again, that the emotional pain caused by
losing him was much worse than the physical pain inflicted by her
uncle.
    “Real pretty blonde lady. Looked like a
model. Pregnant.”
    Dawn.
    Morgan’s hands paused in
her cleanup duty. It’s not
possible. As far as she knew, no witchling
could track her. She was neither Light nor Dark but stuck between,
which meant neither Beck nor Decker was able to trace her. Add to
that the fact she had successfully faked her own death, was in a
different state and never wore the cloudy amulet marking her as a
witchling, it seemed impossible for anyone to have discovered where
she was hiding out.
    Reminding herself of this, she began working
again.
    “Said she’d be back later,” Stu added. “You,
uh …” he lowered his voice and looked around. “… you know. Think
about maybe going out with me this weekend?”
    “Nope,” she replied firmly. “As usual.”
    “Puh-lease? Even to help me win the pool? I
know I’m your favorite.”
    She pinned him with a cold look.
    “Okay, so your least un-favorite,” he added
hopefully.
    “Nope. Your light’s on.” She motioned to the
flickering red