Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) (3 page)

A
fter an uncomfortable start to dinner
, one in which I pretended I hadn’t been listening to their conversation, and Paris and Aric acted as if nothing transpired between them, we settled into old patterns and chatted amiably on the deck.

Aric lit citronella candles to ward off the bugs. In my opinion it didn’t do much other than tick them off, but I was used to being eaten alive by mosquitoes when the weather is warm. It’s part of the charm of living in the middle of nowhere.

“How did you guys decide to settle here?” Paris asked, sipping her glass of wine and leaning back in her chair.

Aric rubbed idle circles on my knuckles with one hand as he nursed a beer with the other. “I wanted a place where I could shift without worrying about neighbors,” he answered. “I also wanted a place where Zoe could be herself without prying eyes.”

“Be herself?” Paris wrinkled her forehead, confused. “Isn’t Zoe herself wherever she goes?”

“Zoe is herself twenty-four hours a day,” Aric replied, squeezing my hand. “I didn’t know whether her powers would continue to manifest, though. If they did, I wanted her to have a place where she could practice controlling them without fear of killing people.”

“He was afraid my eyes would start glowing again. At least out here no one would ever notice,” I added, going for levity. After a particularly brutal fight my junior year, one in which I used my mage magic to set a person ablaze – yes, literally – my eyes burned so brightly they cast an ominous blue glow. Thankfully, after a full night’s sleep, the phenomenon dissipated. I knew Aric still worried about covering that up should it happen again.

“I thought the eye thing was kind of cool,” Aric argued.

“You did not,” I scoffed. “You were trying to figure out how you were going to explain my wearing sunglasses indoors.”

“I already had that figured out,” Aric said. “I was going to tell people you were a pretentious poser who was so good in bed I had no choice but to stay with you even though you wore sunglasses indoors.”

“Nice.”

“Hey, that makes you sound like the type of woman every man wants,” Aric said. “I was doing you a favor.”

I rolled my eyes and focused on the view. It was dark, but the moon was full and the ambient light was sufficient to put the high tree line on display. I love this time of year.

“Have you developed more powers?” Paris asked.

Aric stiffened beside me, uncomfortable with the question. I squeezed his hand to reassure him.

“No,” I said. That wasn’t technically true. There had been a few … mishaps … during the past few years. None of them were on purpose, though, and Aric and I had agreed never to tell anyone about them. That was the only way we could be completely sure the truth about me never leaked out.

Paris didn’t look convinced. “Not at all? Toward the end there you were starting to do some amazing things. I can’t believe it stopped so suddenly.”

“Zoe is amazing without the powers,” Aric said. “She doesn’t need the powers. They’re not who she is. They’re things she can do. They’re not important.”

“Aric, it’s okay,” I murmured.

“I didn’t say she wasn’t amazing without her powers,” Paris said, her eyes widening. “Good grief. You guys are so sensitive.”

“Aric is just protective,” I said. “It’s one of the things I love most about him.”

Aric exhaled heavily and when he turned to me his smile was genuine. “You know what? Paris is right. I’m crabby. I think it has to do with the time of the month. It’s a full moon. I don’t mean to be rude. I’m sorry, Paris.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Paris said, waving off the apology. “I didn’t even think about it being a full moon. If you need to go run naked in the woods I understand. I’ll stay here and keep Zoe company. We can catch up.”

“I don’t run naked in the woods,” Aric countered.

“He’s usually covered with fur,” I said, nodding sagely.

Aric poked my stomach. “I don’t make you watch, do I?”

“No. You know that would kill our sex life.”

Paris giggled. “You still haven’t seen him shift? Come on.”

“I’ve seen him shift,” I replied. “It’s actually kind of fascinating. It also freaks me out, and if I watch it I can’t touch him for hours because I feel like one of those creepy animal hoarders who loves animals so much they want to marry them.”

I realized what I said when it was too late to pull the words back. Why did I bring up marriage? I sometimes wonder whether I’m a mental klutz.

“I mean … I … .”

Aric dropped my hand and slipped his arm around my shoulders. “You don’t have to watch me shift, Trouble,” he said. “I’m not keen on doing it in front of you as it is. You make these weird faces that aren’t exactly a turn-on for me either.”

“So what do you do while Aric is out running around in wolf form during a full moon?” Paris asked.

“I sit in the hot tub and wait for him to come back,” I replied.

“You guys have a hot tub?” Paris lifted her eyebrows, intrigued.

I pointed toward the ground. “It’s under the deck eave at the far side of the house.”

“So, what, Aric strips and runs around the woods in nothing but his fur suit, and you strip and wait for him to come back in the hot tub wearing nothing but your birthday suit?”

That was a pretty good guess. “We have a Jacuzzi tub in our master bedroom, and when it’s cold I wait there for him.”

“Thank you for sharing that, baby,” Aric said, getting to his feet. “Not that I’m not enjoying this conversation, but I think I’m going to give you two a little time alone and take a run.”

“Will you be naked?” Paris asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Not that you’ll see,” Aric replied. He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “I won’t be gone long.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Run as long as you want. Paris and I need to gossip and that takes us a long time, as you well remember.”

“Yes, I used to love to listen to your gossip sessions,” Aric agreed. “I never had insomnia.”

I scowled, but it didn’t last long when he pressed another kiss to my forehead.

“I love you, Zoe,” he said. I knew it was his way of making sure there were no hard feelings regarding the earlier conversation. “I’ll be back soon. Should I look for you in the hot tub, or are you two going to get drunk up here and gossip for the rest of the night?”

“I can’t get drunk,” Paris said. “I have a hotel room in town. I have to drive there yet and, no offense, your driveway is treacherous when it’s light out. It’s very … windy. I wouldn’t want to take it on if I had more than one glass of wine.”

“The ditch also moves,” I said.

“The ditch moves?” Paris was confused.

Aric tugged on a hank of my hair. “I didn’t buy that story then and I certainly don’t buy it now,” he said. “Paris, if you want to drink, we have a guestroom. You can stay here. It might be fun for you and Zoe to spend the morning together. It’s not a problem.”

“I … .” Paris broke off, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “Are you sure you want me to spend the night in your house?”

Aric sighed, resigned. “I know I haven’t been the most gracious host,” he said. “I’m not proud of it, if that’s any consolation. You’re Zoe’s friend. Heck, you’re my friend. I go a little crazy when it comes to Zoe’s safety. I can’t deny it.

“You’re still important to us,” he continued. “Zoe has been smiling like crazy for most of the night. I always want her smiling. Stay the night. I’ll cook you omelets in the morning You two can even drink wine in the hot tub tonight if you agree to stay.”

“You’re not going to join us naked, are you?” Paris teased.

“I’ll try to refrain,” Aric replied, grinning widely before turning to me. “The security fence is going to be down for a little bit. If you’re going to be in the yard you need to be extra careful.”

“Aren’t I always?” I challenged.

“Not even close,” Aric said. “Have fun gossiping. I don’t care if you two want to get into the hot tub naked together, but take some towels out there so I don’t accidentally see Paris when I come back. That would be uncomfortable for all of us.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Do you honestly think I’m going to climb into the hot tub so I can be naked with another woman?”

“I keep hoping.” Aric kissed me softly. “Don’t get so drunk you have a hangover in the morning. You’re a bear when you’re sick.”

“I am delightful when I’m sick,” I grumbled.

“We’ll agree to disagree on that one tonight. Have fun.”

A
RIC
wasn’t gone
for more than ten minutes when Paris’ phone rang. We were in my bedroom searching for bathing suits. I had a few – even though I couldn’t remember the last time I wore one.

Paris glanced at her cell phone screen and frowned. “I’m sorry. This is work. I have to take it.”

“Someone is calling you this late for work? You need to get another job.”

“It’s a job I already turned in,” Paris replied. “They might have a change.”

“You can take the phone call in the bathroom if you want,” I said, pointing. “I’ll leave a bathing suit here for you and go down and get the cover off the hot tub. Grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen on your way down. I’ll meet you there.”

Paris already had the phone pressed to her ear, but she nodded and shot me an enthusiastic thumbs-up before disappearing in the bathroom. I couldn’t hear what she said, but it sounded like a standard business call so I left her to her work.

I quickly changed into a bathing suit, tugging on a pair of Aric’s boxer shorts and a T-shirt to cover myself for the walk down to the hot tub.

I was lost in thought as I descended the stairs, a howl in the night finally breaking my concentration and dragging my attention to the heavy trees. Aric often howled while he was out running. I liked to think he did it to reassure me he’d soon return. That probably wasn’t the reason, but I told myself it was anyway.

The hot tub cover is heavy. Aric usually takes it off for me. I can manage, but it takes a lot of effort. Once I got the top off, the sound of steps descending the hill caused me to turn. Paris was heading in my direction. She hadn’t bothered to cover up and it didn’t escape my attention that she looked better in my bikini than I did. If she wasn’t such a good friend I would hate her.

“I grabbed a bottle of this pink wine,” Paris said. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Aric isn’t going to drink it. He buys it for me.”

“How long will he be out there?” Paris asked, moving to my side and testing the water temperature with her finger. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“He won’t be gone for long,” I replied, hitting the light switch behind the tub and turning on the mood lights. They were purple. Aric purposely bought them because they were soft and romantic. “He’s too worried about the security system being down for long periods of time.”

“What kind of security system is it?”

“Some underground fence thing he developed with his father,” I answered. “It’s like sonic fencing for dogs. This zaps a lot harder, though. It will also zap monsters and vampires. It doesn’t care what walks over it. It’s zap happy.”

“What about animals?”

“They learn to stay away pretty quickly,” I replied. “Okay. I think we’re ready. I hate how good you look in my bikini, by the way.”

“Oh, give it up,” Paris shot back. “We both know your body is just as good as mine.”

“That’s what I’m going to keep telling myself,” I said. “I … .”

A low growl split the night, drawing my attention to the expansive lawn. A pair of yellowish eyes popped out of the darkness, and even though the moon afforded me only a limited sight line, I knew I was in trouble.

“Is that Aric?” Paris asked, following my gaze.

I shook my head. “That’s not Aric.”

“Do you know him?”

“No. I … .” It took me a second to realize what I saw. It wasn’t merely one wolf creeping up my lawn. There were multiple sets of lupine eyes flaring to life. There had to be at least ten wolves, and they were all crawling in our direction.

“That’s not normal, right?” Paris was about to panic. I could hear it in her voice.

“Sonovabitch!” Aric was going to be ticked off. He was never going to leave the house again. If I thought he hovered before, he was going to go crazy now.

“What do we do?” Paris asked.

There wasn’t a lot we could do. We were surrounded. We had to fight or die. Of course, a little backup never hurt. There was one thing I could do to even the odds.

“Aric!”

“
O
h
, my … Goddess.” Paris gasped as she whirled in every direction, scanning the descending wolves with a petrified look on her face. “There has to be at least ten of them. What are we going to do?”

I knew Aric was coming. But I didn’t know how soon he would arrive – or how terrible his anger would be when he did. Aric’s appearance wouldn’t be enough to save us. He couldn’t take on ten wolves himself. That wouldn’t stop him from trying. I wouldn’t allow him to die in the effort.

I had to level the playing field.

“Hello, fuzzball,” I muttered, focusing on the nearest face. It was a big animal, large yellow eyes bulging from dark fur. “Were you waiting for Aric to go out? Have you been hiding?”

Even as I asked the questions I knew there had to be something else behind the story. If wolves were close – even in their human form – Aric would have picked up their scent. They had to come from somewhere else.

“Were you hiding in vehicles on the road until you knew it was safe?” I asked.

The wolf growled in response. I guess I shouldn’t have expected more. Aric couldn’t speak in wolf form either. He never had a problem getting his point across, though, especially when he wanted a belly rub.

“I know why you’re here,” I said, focusing on the same wolf as it circled. I had no idea whether he was the leader. If I spent too much time watching all of them I’d lose sight of everything. I could only focus on my immediate surroundings. Aric drilled that into my head every chance he got. He was terrified the fight would come to us, and I would be alone when it happened. This was going to gut him. “Tell me what you want.”

“Do you really think arguing with them is the way to go?” Paris asked, her tone shrill. “Fry them!”

“Fry them?”

“Burn them like you did when we were at school,” Paris ordered. “I don’t want to be a wolf snack.”

That was a great suggestion. There was only one problem. “I don’t really do that anymore,” I said, narrowing my eyes at the nearest wolf. “It tends to get a little out of hand when I try to … control my impulses.”

That was an understatement. In an effort to help me control my powers, Aric spent a year putting me through drills. After his pants caught fire three different times … and a load of lumber … and his truck … we put the training on hold. We always found a reason to delay the training. I think Aric feared I would hurt myself, and I was terrified I would hurt him. I never broached the subject.

“Who cares?” Paris screeched, hopping to the side as a wolf snapped at her. “It’s better for things to get out of hand than be gnawed to death.”

That was easy for her to say. Still … . That’s when I realized the wolf pack was geared toward attack. It wasn’t focused in my direction, though. Two outliers paced to cut me off from Paris. The rest focused on Paris. I realized I wasn’t their main target after all.

That was interesting … and annoying.

“Hey, you pack of mangy mutts need to go,” I snapped. “You’re not welcome here. If you stay I can’t make any guarantees about what will happen to you.”

“Oh, well, that was terrifying,” Paris muttered.

I ignored her. “I said I didn’t want to start burning things,” I threatened. “That doesn’t mean I won’t.”

The wolves didn’t appear to care about my words, or my presence. They focused on Paris, and that was the direction they advanced. I was dying to know why, but now wasn’t the time for a question-and-answer session.

“This is your last warning,” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “I’m terrifying and mean. I do horrible things to animals. You should hear what I wanted to do to a bunch of bees just this afternoon. This is your last chance.”

“Stop threatening them and do something!” Paris screeched as one of the wolves lunged at her.

I reacted out of instinct, lifting my hand and arcing a bolt of searing energy in the direction of the wolf. I meant for it to be a warning, but I was out of practice. There was enough power in the bolt to incinerate the wolf in mid leap at Paris.

The wolf didn’t even get a chance to howl, instead hitting the ground hard and exploding into ash.

“That was impressive,” Paris said, exhaling heavily. “Do it to the rest of them.”

I hadn’t meant to do it to the first one. I hoped to set his tail on fire and send him yapping into the woods. Well … crap. “Go!” I was hoping the other wolves would see the display of power as a warning and leave. It didn’t work.

“Stop being a complete and total idiot,” Paris hissed. “Kill them!”

I glanced at her, surprised by her bloodthirsty pronouncement. “I … .”

Aric’s howl echoed through the woods, announcing his arrival, and I shifted my attention to the line of trees at the far edge of our property. I wasn’t surprised when the huge black wolf raced into the yard. The other wolves probably expected him, but they were still grappling with their toasted comrade when Aric arrived.

Aric threw himself on the first wolf he saw, snarls and ripping flesh signifying he wasn’t dallying … or playing games. The other wolves turned from Paris and focused on Aric. He was the immediate threat, so they would try to tear him apart first.

“Don’t even think about it,” I hissed, anger coursing through me. “Aric, move!”

He didn’t acknowledge my order. He was too busy fighting. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was enjoying himself. Even though the light was dim, I could see the blood on his snout. The first wolf he attacked lay unmoving on the ground. I had no doubt it was dead.

Aric was already moving to another menacing form. This one was almost as big as he was. I didn’t like this one bit. Aric was ready to take on the remaining eight wolves himself. I was afraid to use my powers. I glanced over my shoulder to find Paris edging up the hill toward the house. Was she running?

I was already angry, but that realization sent me over the edge. They were here for her, not us. She brought a threat to our house and she was slinking away.

Without giving any thought to what I was doing I, pulsed out two energy beams, one catching the wolf closest to me and the other snagging the one following Paris as she retreated. Both wolves reared back, the sickening sound of cracking bones filling the crisp air before they crumpled to the ground. They weren’t dead, but they were incapacitated. They flailed about, whimpering and scratching in an attempt to get back to their feet. I’d broken their backs, snapping their spines without a second thought. They would never walk again – not as wolves or humans. They clawed at the ground with their front paws, but their hind legs lay limp. The realization sent them both into howling fits.

Paris was almost to the house. I opened my mouth to yell every hateful word I knew on the tip of my tongue, but my attention was drawn to my right by Aric’s pain-filled yowl. He was on the ground, three wolves on top of him fighting to rip his throat out.

I reacted the only way I could: with fire.

Rage is an interesting thing. It’s uncontrollable in the best of times. This was not the best of times. Between my anger and fear, it was too late. I knew that when I unleashed the torrent of fire from my hands, hurling all three wolves off of Aric. I didn’t stop to see whether he was okay, instead stalking after the canine offenders.

“I warned you,” I seethed. “I told you what would happen. This isn’t my fault!”

On the ground behind me Aric transformed to human, cradling his side and rolling as he tried to get to his feet. He was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his face grimy and grim. He was obviously in a great deal of pain, yet he fought to get to me.

“Zoe, wait!”

I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t stop myself. The three wolves already burned by my anger raced toward the trees under limited strength as the three untouched wolves tried to slink away to my left.

I knew I wasn’t going to let any of them out alive. I gathered my power again, sending out fiery flames in both directions. Both groups of wolves were engulfed simultaneously. Their howls and dying cries brought me back to reality.

Aric tentatively reached out with his hand, resting it on my elbow. When I turned to him, the concern on his face was for me – not what I’d done. “Baby, don’t start me on fire,” he warned.

I burst into tears at his admonishment, anger seeping out of me as I realized he was terrified I would hurt him. Aric reached for me, pulling my shaking body against his chest.

“It’s okay. You did what you had to do. It’s okay.”

I buried my face in the hollow between his neck and chest, sobbing as he rocked me and repeated over and over again that things would be fine.

After a few minutes I managed to collect myself. I pulled back and scanned his beaten body, realizing he was naked and bleeding. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m okay,” Aric said, brushing his hand down the back of my head. “I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re both okay.”

Were we?

“Baby, look at me,” Aric ordered.

I snapped my eyes to his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t … I tried not to set them on fire and then I didn’t know what else to do.”

The sound of the two injured wolves whimpering behind me caused me to swivel, anger briefly flaring.

“What did you do there?” Aric asked, his voice gentle as he gripped the back of my neck and gently turned my face back toward him. “It’s okay. Whatever you did, it’s fine.”

“I snapped their spines,” I answered, my voice wavering. “I … what should I do? Do I call an ambulance?”

Aric’s dark eyes were mournful. “You know we can’t do that,” he said. “I need you to get my cell phone from the table inside the back door and bring it to me. While you’re in there, I need you to reset the security system. Can you do that?”

I nodded. He was talking to me as if I was a child and would break at any second. I didn’t blame him.

“Bring me a pair of shorts to wear, too,” Aric instructed. “It’s going to be okay, Zoe.”

I let him kiss me before I started moving. I was mired in a dreamlike state as I trudged to the house, the past ten minutes replaying through my mind over and over again. How did this happen?

B
Y THE
time
I got back to Aric I was steadier. I wouldn’t call myself calm and collected, but I wasn’t a mess. I wordlessly handed him his phone and started rummaging through the first aid kit I had grabbed from inside.

Aric’s words were a blur. I knew without asking that he was talking to his father. He was ordering a cleanup team. He was covering up my actions, as he always did. When he disconnected, he studied me as I tended the gaping wound across his ribcage.

“You should probably get stitches,” I said, refusing to meet the worried gaze boring into me. “I ... I could’ve really hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Aric said gruffly. “You saved me. You saved yourself. You saved Paris. You did what you had to do. Don’t ever apologize for saving yourself.”

“I … .”

“Zoe, look at me.” Aric’s voice was soft, his eyes full of concern when I risked a glance at his handsome face. There was a scratch on his cheek, but it was already crusting over. His advanced healing would have him looking better than ever by morning, I reminded myself. He was okay – no thanks to me. “You did the right thing, baby.”

“You’re not safe around me,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound as pathetic as I felt. “You’d be better off without me.”

“Don’t ever say that,” Aric snapped, grabbing my wrist and pulling me between his legs so he could crush me with a fervent hug. “Don’t ever say that again, Zoe. I love you. We’re in this together.”

“I … .” I bit my bottom lip, unsure of what to say.

“I know you’re upset,” Aric said, his mouth warm against my ear. “You didn’t want to have to do anything like that ever again. You had to. You didn’t have a choice. I’m the one who is sorry. I shouldn’t have left.”

“You’re not to blame,” I said, resting my face against his shoulder. “You should be able to run naked in the woods whenever you want. You didn’t do this.”

“You didn’t do it either,” Aric said, rubbing soothing circles on my back. “We knew that eventually someone would come looking for you. This doesn’t change anything. You sent a clear message tonight. No one is going to be stupid enough to mess with you again – not anytime soon, at least.”

That rekindled a memory. I pulled back from Aric, although he wouldn’t let me put too much distance between us. He wanted me close. I could see it on his face. The sight of my anger took him by surprise.

“What?”

“They weren’t here for me,” I said, regret turning back to rage. “They weren’t here for either of us.”

“What do you mean?” Aric ran his thumb down my tear-streaked cheek. “Who were they here for?”

I glanced at the door Paris disappeared through in the thick of the fight. “They were here for Paris.”

Aric followed my gaze with his own, fury replacing worry as he did. “Are you sure?”

“They weren’t interested in me other than making sure I didn’t try to stop them from going after Paris,” I replied. “They were here for her. They were focused on Paris.”

“I knew it,” Aric muttered, pulling my body back against his. “I knew she was up to something.”