Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) (4 page)

“
W
here are
the boxers I asked you to bring me?” Aric asked, scanning my empty hands.

“I forgot.”

“So you brought the first aid kit I didn’t need and forgot the shorts I did need to cover myself?”

He was furious. I knew it wasn’t directed at me, yet it chafed. “Well, excuse me for trying to take care of the man I love. Why don’t you just flog me and get it over?”

Instead of apologizing as I expected, Aric shot me a small grin. “There’s my troublesome terror.” He leaned forward so he could give me a kiss and another brief hug. “I love you, Zoe. Don’t ever forget that,” he whispered in my ear. “No matter what, I will always love you. Don’t second-guess yourself in situations like this. You always do the right thing. I have faith in you. Try having faith in yourself for a change.”

My mouth dropped open. “How can you go from arguing about shorts to that?”

“I like multi-tasking,” Aric said, looking me up and down. “Are you naked under those boxers?”

“No, I have my bathing suit on,” I replied. “I know it’s a male fantasy for two women to get into a hot tub naked together, but that’s never going to happen with me. If you’re expecting that, you should pick someone else.”

“I’ll stick with you,” Aric said, moving in closer. I thought he was going to hug me again, but instead his hands were busy at my waist, stripping off the boxer shorts. “I’ll wear these.”

“What about me?”

“You’re wearing a bathing suit,” Aric replied, unruffled. “Besides, I like seeing you naked. I’m not sure you want Paris to see me naked.”

Reality smacked me in the face. He was getting dressed so he could go after Paris. “You’re not going to kill her, are you?”

Aric glanced at me, his face unreadable as he shimmied into the shorts. “What if I am?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, restlessly hopping from one foot to the other as I considered the question. “Let me talk to her.”

“We’re both going to talk to her, Zoe,” Aric said. “Then we’re both going to decide what to do. Together.”

“I can’t kill her. You know that.”

“I do know that,” Aric said, his thumb gentle as it rubbed against my cheek. “I wasn’t actually planning to kill her. We can banish her from here, though. I’m not ruling that out. First, I want to know what she’s doing here.”

“You were suspicious from the beginning, weren’t you?”

Aric cleared his throat as he decided how to answer. “I thought there was something odd about her showing up,” he said finally. “I want you to be happy more than anything else in this world. You were thrilled when you saw her. I let myself believe that she was really here because she missed you.”

“She didn’t miss me at all, did she?”

“I think she probably did,” Aric replied. “I know that no one can know you and not miss you. It’s impossible for me. I miss you every time I walk down to the mailbox.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my smile. “You’re officially the hottest and most romantic man in the world,” I said. “Don’t lay it on so thick.”

“I only wanted to see that smile one more time before we blow the roof off the house – and not in the way we usually do,” Aric said. “You need to promise you’ll let me ask all the questions I want to ask without jumping in to protect her.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Aric arched an eyebrow, suspicious.

“The truth is that … well … I got so angry because I saw her sneaking into the house and leaving us behind,” I replied. “I was going to go after her until I heard you cry out. She’s the reason I lost it.”

Aric scanned the yard, taking in the still bodies and still-whimpering wolves a few feet away. “Baby, you make losing it look good,” he said. “You did an amazing job here tonight.”

“When is your father’s cleanup team going to get here?”

“Soon,” Aric said. “I gave them the code to get onto the property. They’ll get in and get the bodies out of here without us even noticing. By morning, you won’t ever know anything happened.”

“I’ll know. This was supposed to be our happy place.”

“As long as we’re together we will always be in our happy place,” Aric replied, not embarrassed in the least to spout the schmaltzy words. “Now, come on,” he said, extending his hand. “We have a hard conversation ahead. We’ll do it together, though.”

I took his hand, squeezing it to show my appreciation. “Did you hear me call you out in the woods?” I asked, falling into step next to him.

“I felt you call me,” Aric replied. “I could feel your terror. I didn’t hear you. I was too far out.”

“I … you felt me?” I was confused. “Are you telling me we’re so codependent now that you can feel my moods?”

Aric chuckled hoarsely. “I guess so.”

“That’s going to make PMS really rough for you.”

“Don’t ever change, Zoe.”

P
ARIS’
hand was
on the front door handle as she quietly tried to sneak out of the house. Aric stealthily moved in behind her, keeping my hand snugly encased in his as he watched her.

“Going somewhere?”

Paris jumped at the sound of his voice, swiveling quickly and pasting an innocent look on her face. “I was coming to check on you guys.”

“Well, we’re right here.”

I could read the tone of Aric’s voice. It was the one he used for business – right before he hammered someone and forced them into a deal they didn’t want to make. I felt a little sorry for Paris. Okay, not really. She had it coming. His anger was going to be easier to face than mine. My mood might leave her literally broken if I didn’t keep myself in check.

“I thought you guys were behind me when I came in the house,” Paris said, twisting her hands nervously. “I didn’t realize you were still outside.”

“Really? You didn’t realize that Zoe and I were still fighting the six wolves out there while you hid in here? I find that hard to believe.” Aric’s bare chest heaved, drawing my attention to the wound on his ribcage. I absentmindedly ran my fingers over it. I’d cleaned but forgotten to wrap it during my mini meltdown. Aric captured my fingers and brought them to his lips for a quick kiss. “I’m fine. You won’t even be able to tell anything happened in a few hours. Don’t worry about it.”

I couldn’t help but worry. Now wasn’t the time for that, though. “I was just checking it.”

“I know. We need to focus on this now, though.” Aric shifted his attention back to Paris. “Is there something you want to tell us?”

“I … no,” Paris replied, squaring her shoulders. “I think you guys did an amazing job fighting off those wolves. I wish I could have been more help.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Aric said. “Don’t get me wrong, though. The fact that you left Zoe out there to fend for herself doesn’t make me happy. It also doesn’t remind me of the woman I knew when we were at school. That Paris would’ve died for Zoe. This Paris left her out there to die alone.”

Paris’ eyes widened as her mouth fell open. “I did not leave Zoe to die!”

“You could’ve fooled me,” Aric hissed, all pretense of calm falling away. “You left your friend and the one thing in this world I can’t live without alone to fight off monsters. What the hell is the matter with you?”

I’d been expecting the words – or something very close to them – but Aric’s fury was beyond anything I had seen in a long time. He wasn’t messing around.

“I would never leave Zoe to die,” Paris protested, her eyes filling with tears. “How can you even say something like that to me?”

“Because while Zoe and I were fighting for our lives you were sneaking away without giving our survival a second thought,” Aric snapped. “What’s really funny about this situation is that the wolves were here for you!”

Paris reared back, disbelief and confusion flitting across her features. “How … what … how do you know that?”

I wasn’t sure until I saw her reaction – not completely anyway. I wanted to believe Paris didn’t know the wolves were there for her and that she panicked. I knew it was a fool’s bet, but I was still wagering on the friend I knew in college. That trust and belief was waning.

“The wolves weren’t interested in me,” I said. “They only cared about keeping us separated. There were two wolves near me. The other eight were after you.”

“I want to know why,” Aric pressed. “I want to know why you brought danger into my house so it could threaten my woman!”

I cocked an eyebrow, pursing my lips as I tried to control my mouth. It didn’t work. “Your woman?”

“Don’t push me, Zoe,” Aric growled.

“I wasn’t running away,” Paris said, resigned. “I was coming inside to make sure they didn’t get the book. That’s the most important thing. If they get the book, they can destroy a lot more than your precious yard.”

Aric and I exchanged a look. I shrugged at his unasked question. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“What book?” Aric asked, tugging on his patience so he didn’t accidentally rip off Paris’ head before we had the all-important answers he wanted.

Paris shuffled back and forth in front of the door. “It’s a really long story.”

“I think we have time,” Aric shot back.

“I … you’re probably not going to like me much after you hear it,” Paris added, her voice low.

“I’m not thrilled with you right now, so you have nowhere to go but up,” Aric replied.

Paris exhaled heavily and ran a hand through her hair. She was still dressed in my bikini, though she’d tugged her pants over the bottoms. “I guess you have a right to know.”

“I’m all ears.”

W
E
settled
in the living room, Aric pulling me onto his lap in one of the large armchairs at the side of the room while Paris sat on the couch and faced us. It was truth time, and she looked as if she dreaded the process more than I. Would I ever be able to look at her the same way again? I hoped so. I don’t make friends easily. I gave her up years ago to keep us all safe. Losing her this way would be … crushing.

“After we lost touch, I was … upset,” Paris began, resting her hands on her knees as she launched into her story. “I thought you chose Aric over the rest of us. Before you start arguing, I get it. You two are building a life together. It still hurt.

“Kelsey and I talked from time to time, but it wasn’t the same,” she continued. “She has a business mind and her life is very structured. I don’t do well in structured environments. I always thought that’s why you and I got along so well.”

“I always thought it was because I was the center of the universe and everything revolved around me,” I said, going for levity.

Aric pinched my side to silence me. “Go on,” he said, his face cold. He gave the appearance of being relaxed, yet I could tell he was poised to strike should Paris make a move he didn’t like.

“I’ve always been interested in magic,” Paris said. “You know that. My mother believes in the principles of Wicca and I’ve embraced them, too. I wanted to go beyond that, though. I wanted to learn as much about pagan culture as possible.”

I didn’t like where this was heading.

“I met a few people through some online forums,” Paris continued. “Most of the people in those groups are wannabes. They’re not true practitioners. In most cases, even if they wanted to be true practitioners they don’t have the power to do it.”

“You joined a coven, didn’t you?” The words were out of my mouth before I realized I was saying them.

Aric stiffened beneath me and shifted my body so my back rested against his chest.

“I did,” Paris conceded, lowering her eyes in shame. “I know I shouldn’t have, but … I was lost. I felt abandoned. Whether it was purposeful or not, you walked out on our friendship.”

“I was trying to do the right thing for everyone,” I countered. “You were safer away from me. You know that. Even after we took down the hierarchy at Covenant College, the remnants of that organization were never going to stop looking for me. It wasn’t fair to put you in danger.”

“You let Aric hang around,” Paris pointed out.

I glanced at him, love washing over me. “I can’t seem to shake him.”

“And you never will,” Aric grunted, rubbing small circles on my back as he kept his gaze fixed on Paris. “Where is this coven located?”

“We held most of our meetings at various houses in northern Kent County,” Paris replied. “That’s where I moved after … well, after everything. I opened my own magic shop. Before you fly off the handle, it was mostly kitschy herbs and incense. There was nothing dangerous.

“Things shifted once I formed the coven, though,” Paris said.

“How could you even think of doing something like that after Laura?” I asked, wrinkling my nose at the name of my former roommate. Laura had been seduced by dark power and joined a coven masquerading as a sorority during our sophomore year at Covenant College. That coven was intent on stealing my powers until I ended Laura’s murder attempt in spectacular fashion on the lawn of a sorority house – one that bore a strange resemblance to a vagina. No, I’m not making it up, and I have no idea why it popped into my head now. “You were the one that pointed out the dark path Laura was going down. Why would you follow her?”

“I wasn’t following her,” Paris argued. “When I first envisioned the coven, I thought it was going to be basic spells and sisterhood. I only wanted some people to hang around with who understood about magic and weren’t afraid of it.”

“That’s not what you got, though, is it?” Aric asked.

“Things got out of hand before I realized what was happening,” Paris admitted. “We kept trying more and more complex spells. Most of them were still harmless but … .” She broke off, biting her lip. “Things got out of control.”

“Why did you come here?” Aric asked.

“One day one of the women in the group brought me a book she found at an estate sale of all places,” Paris said. “She thought it was cool. It was bound in leather – or so she thought – and it contained old spells. They were in Latin, so she couldn’t read them. She still wanted to try them.”

“What was the book,” Aric asked, leaning forward slightly and resting his chin on my shoulder.

“It was The Archimage.” Paris made the pronouncement in dramatic fashion. Unfortunately, I had no idea what that meant.