Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

“Huh?”

“I forgot how ignorant you are when it comes to history,” Paris grumbled.

“Hey!”

“You’re the smartest person in the world, Trouble,” Aric said, not missing a beat. “I bow down in front of your vast knowledge every day.”

“Don’t placate me,” I muttered.

“An archimage is a great wizard or magician,” Paris explained. “The word has fallen out of usage. The Archimage as a book, though, is something else entirely.”

“I’m not going to like the fact that the word ‘mage’ is in it, am I?”

“No,” Paris replied, shaking her head. “The Archimage is a magical book that’s … well, it’s beyond measure. It’s the one book everyone wants to get their hands on. People claim that it holds enough strength to bring down the most powerful person in the world.”

“Meaning Zoe,” Aric interjected. “You’re saying this book can kill Zoe. That’s what you’re getting at, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know,” Paris said, her eyes clouding with fear. “I can’t read it. It’s not classical Latin. I did recognize the book for what it was, though. I knew I had to get it away from my coven. I … they might know about you.”

Aric tightened his arms around my waist and scowled. “You told them about her? Why?”

“I was drunk one night and it slipped out,” Paris said, refusing to cower. “I’m so sorry. They know about Zoe’s power. I never told them her name. They know I used to be friends with a mage, though. It wouldn’t be hard for someone to go through my background and find Zoe’s name.”

“It would be harder than you think,” Aric shot back. “My father paid a lot of money to have Zoe’s name scrubbed from as many public documents as possible. As far as anyone knows, Zoe never went to Covenant College. She was never your roommate.”

Paris’ eyebrows flew up her forehead. “Seriously?”

“I’m not messing around with Zoe’s safety,” Aric snapped. “We did what we had to do.”

“I still couldn’t leave the book with them,” Paris said. “The problem is … they realized what the book was after I took and hid it. They came after me two weeks ago. I’ve been on the run and in hiding since then.”

“That’s why you came to us,” I mused. “You knew the only way you could keep yourself safe was by bringing the death book to us.”

“I was hoping you could help me,” Paris clarified. “I … I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“Well, it did,” Aric snapped. “I want that book, and I want you out of this house right now.”

Paris blinked rapidly, her face draining of color. “But … .”

“You can’t do that,” I protested, shooting him a look. “If we don’t help her, they’ll kill her. Even if she doesn’t have the book, that won’t stop them from torturing her until they get our location.”

Aric rubbed the back of his neck as he considered my words. I could tell he hadn’t thought that far ahead. He pushed me to a standing position and followed suit, stepping in front of Paris and planting his hands on his narrow hips as he scorched her with a dark look. Even dressed in nothing but boxer shorts, he was a terrifying sight.

“Have you told us everything?” Aric asked.

“Yes.” Paris’ voice was weak.

“Where is the book?”

“It’s in my bag.”

“I want it,” Aric said. “I want it locked in the safe overnight. You can stay here while I think about this. I’m not promising anything until I’ve had a good night’s sleep, though.”

I let out a relieved sigh. That would give me time to think, too.

Paris left the room long enough to get her bag from the rug by the front door. She wordlessly handed the book to Aric. He didn’t even glance at it.

“There’s a guestroom at the end of that hall,” Aric said, pointing. “I suggest you go there now and get some sleep. If you hear anyone in the yard, don’t worry about it. There will be a team here working through the night to clean up the bodies.”

“What happens then?” Paris asked, licking her lips.

“I have no idea,” Aric replied. “I’m sore. I’m tired. I want to take Zoe to bed. Those are the only things I know right now.”

Paris opened her mouth to press him further, but I shook my head to still her. She wisely snapped her mouth shut and nodded. “I’ll go to bed.”

“Great,” Aric muttered.

I slipped my hand into Aric’s and led him toward our bedroom, casting a rueful look in Paris’ direction. “We’ll talk again in the morning.”

Paris nodded, morose and mute.

“If you try to leave this house while we’re sleeping, I will hunt you down and kill you,” Aric warned. “Don’t you dare think of betraying us again. You won’t like what happens if you do.”

I
left
Aric with his thoughts for the rest of the night. I could see his mind busily working on the problem, but I didn’t want to push him when he wasn’t ready to talk. I’d lived with him long enough to know when he needed quiet time. I’m not a quiet person by nature, but poking him when he’s uneasy is a horrible idea. It would lead to a fight, and that was the last thing I wanted.

We took a subdued shower together, one that didn’t lead to wandering hands for a change, and then we went to bed. I drifted off quickly, the knowledge that Aric would never let anyone get close enough to us in our sleep making me feel safe enough to nod off. I thought Aric did the same, but I was wrong.

I woke long after midnight, Aric’s cool spot in the bed making my heart thud as I rolled over. He stood at the window, his back to me, intent on whatever was transpiring outside. I crawled out of bed and joined him, letting him wrap his arm around my shoulders as he watched his father’s men work.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“I’m thinking that I did a really crummy job of keeping you safe yesterday.”

“Aric … .”

“It’s the truth,” Aric said, cutting me off. “If I hadn’t felt you calling for me, what would have happened?”

“Probably the exact same thing,” I replied, unruffled. “I would’ve fried the werewolves and then waited for you to come back and clean up the mess. You know I hate housework. There’s no way I could’ve handled that alone.”

Aric chuckled, the sound light despite the pall in our bedroom. “I keep worrying that I won’t be able to keep you safe, yet you’re the one who keeps coming through and saving my life. There’s a little bit of irony in there.”

“Do you feel emasculated?”

Aric shifted his eyes to mine. “Should I?”

“Well, you were saved by a lowly girl,” I said, poking him in the side to let him know I was kidding. “I would think in wolf circles that would make you quite the mongrel.”

“Oh, I love it when you use dog words to talk about my heritage,” Aric deadpanned, although his eyes twinkled. “Why are you up? You usually sleep so deep I have to tickle you awake.”

“I missed you.”

“How could you miss me? You were asleep.”

I shrugged. “I felt your absence,” I said. “When I woke up your side of the bed was cool. You run hot. I’m used to that. I just … felt … you weren’t there.”

“I’m sorry,” Aric said, rubbing my neck. “I heard movement out here and I wanted to watch them clean up. I guess I lost track of time.”

“What about the two wolves who were still alive?” I was almost afraid to ask the question.

“They’re gone now, Zoe,” Aric replied. “You know we couldn’t let them live in case they got a message back to anyone looking for this book. It’s better this way. Ten wolves disappearing will give the people who want the book reason to pause. That will give us time to figure out a plan of attack.”

“You’re including Paris is that ‘us,’ right?”

Aric scowled.

“She’s still my friend,” I said. “She made a mistake. She was lonely. Part of this is my fault.”

“Don’t even go there, Zoe,” Aric snapped. “Paris did this on her own.”

“She could have left the book with them and then where would we be?”

Aric didn’t answer, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the workers. They were almost done.

“She tipped us off, Aric,” I pressed. “Now we know the threat is out there and we have what they want. That puts us ahead of the game. That has to count for something.”

“Zoe, the only reason she’s still alive is because you don’t have a scratch on you,” Aric replied. “If you had been hurt … .”

“I wasn’t.”

“You could’ve been.”

“But I wasn’t,” I reminded him. “She was taken because of me once. Don’t forget that. I owe her this. We have to help.”

Aric didn’t respond, but I could feel the emanating from him.

“I love you more than I ever thought possible, Aric,” I said. “Please don’t ask me to abandon her.”

“If I asked you to abandon her, would you?”

It was a pointed question. “I … yes.”

Aric sighed and ran a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. “Then I won’t ask you to abandon her,” he said. “You’re not to go anywhere alone with her, though. She’s going to follow my rules while she’s under this roof.”

“Okay.”

“I can’t believe you’re not going to argue with me about this,” Aric muttered.

“Maybe tomorrow,” I said. “I was thinking that tonight I could distract you with nudity and make us both feel better.”

Aric arched an eyebrow, his eyes glinting under the filtered moonlight. “How much distraction are we talking about here?”

“Come back to bed and find out.”

W
HEN
I woke again
I found Aric’s side of the bed empty. I knew darned well I’d tired him out the night before, the sound of his heavy breathing lulling me to sleep as his mouth pressed against my ear and his body melded to mine from behind.

Where the heck was he? Please tell me he didn’t sneak out of bed to murder Paris.

I heard a low voice in the bathroom and swung my legs over the side of the mattress, reaching down and searching for something to throw over my head and cover my nudity before investigating the noise. When I found the floor bare, I remembered we’d stripped in the bathroom and not bothered to put anything on before going to bed.

I moved to the bathroom door quietly and pressed my ear to it. Yes, eavesdropping is wrong. If he didn’t want me to do it, though, he should’ve called whomever he was calling from a different room. I can’t be blamed for my curiosity.

“Thanks for sending the team,” Aric said. “They worked late. The yard is completely bare this morning. I’m going to go outside and double check as soon as Zoe is up, but it looks good.”

Aric pleasantly conversed with his father. That wasn’t nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.

“She was impressive,” Aric said. I knew he was talking about me. “She could have easily killed all of them on her own. She was upset after it was all over, but I think some of that was dealing with the knowledge that Paris left her there to die.”

Sometimes I think Aric fancies himself an amateur psychologist.

“We talked about it a little bit,” Aric said. “I didn’t ask her too many questions, and she didn’t volunteer a lot of information. In the immediate aftermath … I think she was in shock. She focused on me and let the rest of it go until she got a hold of herself.”

There was a pause as Aric listened to his father talk.

“I’m not doing that, Dad,” Aric said. “She kicked some major ass. I’m not going to try to train her again. I don’t care what you say. She doesn’t like it and it makes her unhappy. That makes me unhappy. Her body and powers seem to know exactly how to work in a crisis. You can’t fight genetics.”

I wrinkled my nose. If James Winters thought I was going through training again, he was crazy.

“I am not whipped,” Aric snapped, causing me to smile. “Fine. Go ahead and call me that all you want. If loving Zoe and wanting her to be happy makes me whipped, then I guess I’m whipped. Oh, whatever … you’re more whipped where Mom is concerned than I am.”

He was so cute sometimes. I liked that he was whipped.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do about Paris,” Aric admitted, causing my shoulders to stiffen. “I can’t kill her. Zoe would never forgive me. She’s got it in her head that we have to help Paris because she owes her. I’m not arguing with her about it. We’re going to help Paris, and that’s the end of it.”

My heart swelled at his words. I should distract him again before breakfast. He clearly deserved a reward.

“That’s not the reason I called,” Aric said, his voice weary. “I called to thank you for sending the team and to ask if you’ll come up here and take a look at this book. I have no idea what I’m looking at. It’s in Latin … and maybe some other language I don’t recognize. You will know how dangerous it is more than I do.”

I tugged a hand through my messy hair, smoothing it so I could distract him the second he walked back into our bedroom.

“Thank you for agreeing to come,” Aric said. “I appreciate it. I have a feeling we’re in over our heads here. You’ll be a calming force in this house. I … um … need you to do something else for me, though.”

Aric listened again. I could practically see him making a face through the door when he growled.

“Yes, you’re always doing me favors,” Aric conceded. “This one is an easy one. I need you to bring that … thing … I have in your safe with you when you come.”

What thing?

“Yes, I’m sure,” Aric said. “It’s been time to tell her for a long time. I know now isn’t the perfect moment, but we might never get that. I want it. I’ll handle the rest when it’s time.”

What the heck was that about?

“Thank you,” Aric said. “We’ll see you tonight.”

Aric was already pulling the door open before I had time to race to the bed and pretend I’d been there the whole time. Aric pulled up short when he saw me, glancing around the bedroom and taking in my naked body with a studied look. “Good morning, Trouble. Were you just eavesdropping?”

“That’s a horrible thing to say,” I said, mustering as much outrage as I could manage in an effort to put him on the defensive. “I had to go to the bathroom. I didn’t know anyone was in there until you walked out.”

Aric narrowed his eyes. “I think you’re lying.”

Crap. “I think you’re casting aspersions on my character when I haven’t earned it,” I countered. That would show him.

“I think it’s cute when you turn our conversations into a scene from one of your romance novels,” Aric said. “I still think you were eavesdropping. It’s okay. I wasn’t saying anything I wouldn’t have said if you were around.”

Except for the part about the “thing.” I didn’t bring that up, though. I was still trying to pretend I hadn’t been eavesdropping. “And who were you talking to?”

“You know very well I was talking to my father,” Aric replied, his gaze pointed. “He’ll be here in time for dinner. That means I’m going to have to run to the store. Are you okay staying here with Paris for an hour while I’m gone?”

“I’ll be fine,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “It’s not as if she’s going to jump me and try to slit my throat while you’re out picking up steaks.”

“I’m getting crab legs, too,” Aric replied. “I thought I would add corn on the cob and potatoes. Do you want anything else?”

This was a rather mundane conversation given the big “thing” that he wasn’t talking about. “That’s fine,” I said. “I … is that all you said to your dad?”

“I thanked him for the cleanup crew and told him you were a total badass,” Aric said, moving past me and dropping a kiss on my forehead. “What do you want for breakfast?”

How did this conversation get away from me? “I was going to distract you again before eating,” I said, finally finding a train of thought to glom onto. “I thought we would distract each other and then eat breakfast.”

“How about we compromise,” Aric suggested, smirking at my discomfort. “How about we shower while distracting each other? I can’t help but feel I missed out on a prime opportunity last night because we were so distracted.”

“Then what?”

“Then I will make you and Paris breakfast and run into town,” Aric said. “That will give you guys an hour to talk without me watching over you, and it will give me an hour to load up on alcohol and food.”

“You’re being really easy to get along with this morning,” I said.

“I’m easy to get along with every morning,” Aric shot back. “You’re the grumpy one in the morning.”

“I … .” Seriously, how did this conversation get away from me? I want to know about the “thing.”

“Come on, Trouble,” Aric said, patting my bare rear end. “Let’s get to this distracting you promised me. I’ll start the shower.”

One of these days I’m going to figure out exactly how he bamboozled me. Whatever he did, it was a masterful feat. I’m not sure he even realized he was doing it.