Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) (18 page)

“Actually, I think they’re what keep me sane,” I shot back. “Boys, have a nice … whatever it is you’re doing here. I hope to never see you again.”

“Before you go, please tell me that Winters got fat,” Will begged.

“He’s even buffer and hotter than the last time you saw him,” I said, patting Will on the head. “I’ll try not to hate every memory I have of you. You weren’t always evil.”

“Oh, come on! He has to be a little fat,” Will complained.

“Okay, maybe you were always evil and I just never noticed it. Have a good afterlife, boys. The real world beckons. I know exactly what I have to do now.”

W
hen I woke
, Aric’s arms were wrapped around me, his face relaxed in sleep. I watched him for a moment, curious what he dreamed about. Something told me Blake and Will didn’t invade his dreams.

“Am I drooling or something?” Aric murmured.

I scowled. “How do you always do that?”

“What?”

“Know when I wake up,” I said. “Sometimes I wake and find you watching me. I can never watch you because you always know when I open my eyes. It isn’t fair. Is that some wolf thing?”

“Are you asking whether I can smell sleep like Eddie could lies?”

“No. I … how?”

“You sleep hard, Zoe,” Aric answered. “Your whole body is heavy when you’re asleep. I always know what you’re dreaming about – or at least have an idea where your head is – by the way you react in your sleep.

“When you’re dreaming about me, you cuddle closer,” he continued. “When you add one of those hunky Chris actors you like to fantasize about, you get really close. I try to pretend not to notice.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“When you’re having a bad dream your body is lighter but your head is heavier,” Aric said. “You had a bad dream last night.”

“It wasn’t really a bad dream.” I told him about my conversation with Blake and Will. “I think it was a way for me to figure some stuff out,” I finished.

“Will wanted me to be fat?” Aric was incredulous. “If that little ferret wasn’t already dead … .”

I pursed my lips. “It wasn’t really Will,” I reminded him. “It was my version of Will.”

“That doesn’t mean you want me fat, does it?”

“Absolutely not,” I said. “I like you buff and lean. That way I can lord your body over all of those women who stare at you every Wednesday when we go into town for ice cream.”

Aric chuckled, the sound warming me. These were the last few minutes of peace we could enjoy before … well, before peace ceased to exist. “I’ll take my shirt off and flex for them next time we’re there.”

“That will create a stampede.”

“Well, I have you to fight them off for me,” Aric said, his eyes turning serious. “What did you figure out?”

“I’m going to use the book.”

“How?”

“I’m going to absorb it.”

Aric frowned. “I … what does that mean?”

“The book has power,” I said. “If I absorb the power, no one can ever use it. It will just be a book after that.”

“And what happens to you?”

“I … nothing.” I shrugged. “I’m the same person. I’ll have more powers that I don’t use unless jackasses come after the people I love.”

“I don’t know, Zoe,” Aric said, running a hand through his hair as he tightened an arm around my shoulder. “We don’t know what that would do to you.”

“It might do nothing.”

“It might take you over,” Aric challenged. “Do you want to risk that? I’m going to be honest; I don’t want to risk you to something like that.”

“You think I’ll go crazy and try to kill everyone – including you – don’t you?”

“Zoe, I don’t worry for a second that you’ll ever hurt me,” Aric said. “Stop worrying about that. We have no idea what that book’s true … nature … is. We know it was created to kill mages and then it disappeared for centuries. We have no idea what happened to it during those intervening years.”

“I’ve already messed around with it,” I reminded him. “It seems to like me.”

“Or it seems to hate you and want to throw lightning bolts at you,” Aric argued.

“If you don’t want me to do it, I won’t,” I said. “I thought it was the best way to make sure no one could ever use the book for something else. I’m taking it out of the equation.”

“I didn’t say that I didn’t want you to do it,” Aric said, frustration bubbling up. “How do you even know you can accomplish what you’re suggesting?”

“Because when I touched the book back at the house it felt like … something was trying to climb inside of me.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Aric deadpanned.

“I didn’t let it. It was easy to push it away,” I offered, my mind busy with the possibilities.

“And now you want to let it in?”

“Now I want to win while spilling as little blood as possible in the process,” I replied. “I killed eight wolves at our house and another ten last night without missing a beat. I don’t want that to become my life.”

“Oh, baby.” Aric kissed my cheek. “I’m with you no matter what you want … always. If you think this is the best way, then we’ll do it.”

“Thank you.”

Aric grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. “I never worry that you’re going to hurt me … not on purpose or accidentally. Never.”

“Thank you.”

“I love you, Zoe.”

“I love you, too.”

We exchanged a sweet kiss before separating.

“Does this mean I get my ring the second we get back home?” I asked.

“I’m going to swallow that ring and you’re never going to see it again.”

“It’s your fault for buying the world’s most perfect ring.”

“Get up so we can eat breakfast,” Aric snapped. “You sure know how to ruin a mood.”

“
W
E’RE
here
,” Paris whispered, dropping her pack behind a clump of trees and sinking to the ground to catch her breath.

Aric set a torturous pace for the last few miles of our trek, and my face was glistening and red when I dropped to the ground next to Paris. “This is the reason I refuse to go to the gym with him.”

Aric scanned the compound as he dug in his pack for bottles of water. He tossed two at Paris and me without looking in our direction. “You don’t go to the gym with me because you claim that only people looking to hook up go to the gym.”

“And that’s why I’m suspicious of you going to the gym.” I downed half of my bottle in three gulps, gasping when I was done.

“Good grief, Zoe,” Aric said. “Don’t choke yourself.”

“That was a hard walk.”

“I’m not even sweating,” Aric said.

He wasn’t. It was annoying. “Paris is tired, too,” I pointed out.

“Don’t drag me into this,” Paris grumbled. “You two can verbally copulate on your own time.”

“Excuse me?” I lifted a challenging eyebrow.

“That’s what you two are doing when you snipe at each other,” Paris said. “Don’t tell me you don’t realize that.”

“I … huh.”

“It’s all verbal foreplay for when you’re alone,” Paris said. “Messing with one another turns you on.”

“I think you’re inferring that we’re kinky perverts.”

“If that’s the way you take it,” Paris replied.

“I can live with that,” Aric said, squatting on the ground next to me. “Okay, I see the watchtower Paris told us about. I know you want to try to do this peacefully, but I still think that taking out the watchtower at the start is our best option.”

“There will probably be only one person – two at most – there,” Paris said, siding with Aric. “If you set it on fire instead of blowing it up, they might be able to get out alive. It might be enough to scare a few others off before you throw down with Quinn.”

“And Teague,” I muttered. “Don’t forget Teague. I know it sounds weird, but I’m almost angrier with Teague.”

“I think that makes sense,” Aric said. “You’ve known Teague since you were a kid. You never knew he was a threat. When he found out you were one, he did nothing but talk down to you – and me by extension. We’re going to beat the crap out of him.”

“Are you offended on my behalf or yours?” I asked.

“Both.”

Aric pulled his pack in front of him and rummaged around until he found the book. He glanced at it a moment, fear flitting across his face, and then dropped it on the ground in front of me. “It’s your show now.”

“I don’t have to do this,” I reminded him. “We can destroy the book.”

“You have never been wrong when you go with your gut,” Aric said. “I trust you. If your gut is telling you to absorb the book, then do it. No matter what happens, I’ll always be right beside you.”

I nodded at him, an unspoken exchange of love passing between us, and then turned to Paris. “Can you think of any reason I shouldn’t absorb the book?”

“I didn’t even know you could do that,” Paris admitted. “I think as long as the book exists there’s always going to be someone looking for it because they want to use it to do bad things. If you can absorb the book and render it pointless … I don’t see the harm in it.”

“Aric is worried it will consume me.”

“Aric loves you more than anything in this world,” Paris replied. “He’s always going to worry where you’re concerned.”

“Are you worried?”

“I’m worried you’ll never forgive me,” Paris said. “I’m not worried you’ll absorb this book and go on a crazy murder spree. I don’t think this book is capable of changing who you are.”

That bolstered me, although I had no idea why. “Okay … here we go.”

I rested my hands on the book, closing my eyes and listening as it whispered to me. The book didn’t communicate with words or pictures, yet I got the feeling it was trying to tell me something. It was almost as if someone was knocking at the door to my head. I opened it and let the book in.

There was no form when the presence entered my head. There were no sharp edges. Only white light greeted me, and it seemed excited. I hoped that was a good sign.

“What is that?” Aric asked, his voice ragged. “I … what is that?”

I opened my eyes, my hands still connected to the book, and stared as black words crawled from the pages of the book and moved up my arms. The book was climbing inside of me.

“Does that hurt?” Aric asked.

I shook my head. “It feels … tingly. Like right after we … .”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Zoe,” Paris ordered. “I’ve had all the sexy talk and flirting from you two that I can take. I’m jealous and bitter. I can’t help it.”

“I was going to say it felt tingly like right after we got that couple’s massage at that resort last year,” I said, making a face as I regarded Paris. “You clearly need to get some from a guy who isn’t crazy or old.”

“Oh.” Paris blushed. “I’m sorry.”

“That really could have gone either way,” Aric said. “Don’t blame yourself.”

After spiraling the entire length of my arms and disappearing under my shirt, the words continued to spin across my skin.

“How do you feel?” Aric asked, his inner mother hen coming out to play. “If this is going bad, we can stop it right now.”

“I don’t feel any different,” I said. “I … it’s weird. I feel smarter.”

“Oh, good grief,” Aric said. “If you’re trying to tell me that book increased your IQ I’m going to fall over from laughing so hard. The maps in that book were old. They don’t even line up with current geography.”

“Not like that,” I scoffed. I knew he was trying to keep things light despite the fact that he was on edge. “It’s going to be okay, Aric. I … .” I didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence. The words finished crawling out of the book, making their inevitable climb up my arms, and then disappeared. “I think it’s done.”

“Can I look inside the book?” Paris asked, glancing at Aric for permission. “I only want to see if anything is different.”

Aric nodded, his eyes never leaving my face. I moved my hands from the book and studied my fingertips. Other than a minor bout of numbness, I felt exactly the same. I had no idea whether that was good or bad.

“You don’t feel murderous, do you?” Aric asked.

“No more than usual. I’m glad PMS is still two weeks out, though, if you must know.”

“You don’t feel weak, do you?” Aric’s voice lowered. “It’s not killing you, is it?”

“I feel the same,” I said, mildly disappointed. “I thought I would feel powerful, maybe even indestructible. Now that it’s over with, though, all I feel is hungry.”

Aric snorted. “I will buy you three of your favorite dinners tonight if you come out of this unscathed,” he offered. “I … can I touch you?”

I made a face. “You can always touch me.”

Aric grabbed my hand with one of his and used the other to roam over my body. “You feel the same. You’re not overly hot – other than all the sweating from the walk – and you’re not cold either. That’s good, right?” He turned to Paris for reassurance.

“I have no idea,” Paris replied, her eyes wide. “All I know is that the book is empty now.” She flipped through the pages so Aric and I could see the blank pages. “You definitely absorbed the book. It was … amazing.”

“Really? I thought it was a bit of a letdown,” I admitted. “I thought the lightning would come back, and we’d be able to scare Quinn and Teague with a weather show.”

“Not to scare you or anything, baby, but I think you are the lightning now,” Aric said.

That was an interesting thought. “Does that mean I’m Storm, like in X-Men?”

Aric shrugged, although a smile curled the corners of his mouth. “If we’re playing that game, I’m Wolverine. I’ve always wanted to be Wolverine.”

“That makes me Jean Grey,” Paris said, flipping through the book one more time to convince herself that all the pages were blank. “She’s always been my favorite.”

“The Hulk has always been my favorite,” I admitted. “I don’t think Aric would find that hot, though.”

“We can have this really disturbing conversation later,” Aric said, getting to his feet and pulling me to a standing position next to him. “It’s time to play another game now, though. Are you ready? Do you think you can do this?”

“I don’t think that matters,” I said. “I’ve never been someone who debates about whether I can do something before I attempt to do it. If something needs to be done, it needs to be done. This needs to be done.”

“That is one of the reasons I love you,” Aric said, brushing a flyaway strand of hair from my face. “I’ll be right beside you through all of this. Don’t forget that.”

“I could never forget that,” I said, forcing a smile for his benefit. “You’re too hot to forget.”

Aric kissed me, cupping the back of my head and staring into my eyes for a full minute before pushing himself to his feet. “Okay. It’s time. We’ll leave our packs here. I’m not sure we’ll need them again.”

“Should I bring the book?” Paris asked.

Aric nodded. “We might need it. If we can trade the book for Ted and Nancy, we will. Quinn won’t like finding out the book is empty, but it will be a lot easier to defend against his rage if we have our group together when it lands.”