Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

“
T
hat’s it
, baby … just like that … oh, right … oh … that’s my girl.”

Aric’s enthusiastic reaction to his favorite thing was loud this evening.

“That’s your favorite thing?” Paris asked, making a face as she watched me rub Aric’s back. “I thought you two were into some freaky sex game or something.”

“We do that, too,” I said, not missing a beat. “Aric doesn’t make as much noise during those encounters, though. I’m starting to get a complex.”

Aric, who sat on the floor, positioned between my legs as I sat in a chair, groaned. “Keep doing that.”

I sighed and dug my fingers into his sore back, letting a little healing magic escape with the motion. I’d first learned I had the power to heal in college. Aric was injured in a fight and I managed to erase his wounds with a mere touch. Six months later a vampire threw me into a truck, and Aric was adamant about taking me to the hospital until I healed myself. Of all of the powers I manifest, healing is my favorite.

“I’ve never loved you more,” Aric moaned.

It was Aric’s favorite, too.

“I feel dirty just watching you,” Paris said.

“He’s sore from the fight last night,” I said, grinding into the spot between his shoulder blades with my thumb. “He’s earned it. Besides, I promised I would do it twice. I’ve got to get this first one in before we go to bed. The second one is going to be … a little different.”

Paris wrinkled her nose. “Sick.”

“Our social graces have declined a bit since we spend most of our time alone,” I said, leaning forward so I could drop a kiss on Aric’s forehead. “Two more minutes and then we have to start cooking dinner.”

“You just started,” Aric protested.

“I’ve been doing this for a half hour,” I countered. “Your father will be here in forty-five minutes, and we both know he’s always early. If he hears you carrying on like this … .”

“Then he’ll think I’m a lucky man,” Aric finished for me. “Move your fingers, woman.”

I rolled my eyes but kept rubbing. Truth be told, I liked massaging him. He makes cute noises, and when he really lets go he occasionally barks. I have no idea why I find it so endearing.

“Do you think your father is going to know anything about the book?” Paris asked.

“Shh.” Aric didn’t bother opening his eyes. “Be quiet until Zoe is done rubbing me.”

Paris glanced at me, uncertain whether Aric was teasing. I smiled and shook my head. It was best to give him what he wanted when he was in the mood for a good rubdown.

I watched the clock, making sure to give him an extra minute before removing my hands. “To be continued,” I whispered into his ear.

Aric reached up and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me down for an intense kiss. “You bet your cute little rear end we’re going to continue this,” he said, pushing himself up from the floor. “Okay, let’s focus on dinner.”

Paris jumped to her feet. “I can help.”

Aric glanced at her, his expression unreadable. “You don’t have to,” he said finally.

“I want to.”

“It’s not necessary.”

“I want to,” Paris pressed. “Please, let me help you.”

Aric opened his mouth, ready to shut her down, and then snapped it shut. “You can handle the corn and potatoes.”

Paris nodded, relief flooding her face. “That sounds great. Do you have any rosemary? That goes great on potatoes.”

“There’s some fresh bunches in the refrigerator,” Aric said, striding into the kitchen. “Go nuts.” He glanced at me for approval and I rolled up on the balls of my feet and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re going to owe me a better kiss than that later,” he whispered.

“Don’t be gross when I have nowhere to hide,” Paris warned.

I grinned. “I’m sorry,” I said, moving away from Aric. “What do you want me to do?”

Aric’s face was blank. “What do you mean?”

“You marinated the steaks and getting ready to grill them,” I replied. “Paris is doing the potatoes and corn. What do you want me to do?”

“You can sit there and look pretty,” Aric replied.

“But … don’t you want me to help you cook?”

“You hate cooking,” Aric shot back. “You know it. I know it. I think you’re pretending that you like to cook for Paris’ benefit, but she knows you hate cooking, too. Don’t bother.”

I made a face. I was pretty sure an insult was buried somewhere in there. “I don’t hate to cook,” I argued. “You enjoy cooking so much that I let you do it because I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“You decided to cook breakfast last week and didn’t bother looking at the expiration date on the eggs,” Aric reminded me. “Do you remember what happened?”

“You threw up.”

“That was the first time you even attempted to cook in the past year,” Aric said. “I say we go another year before you try again.”

“You were going to let me make strawberry shortcake last night.” I decided to try a different tactic. “Why is tonight different?”

“Strawberry shortcake involves cutting up strawberries that I know are fresh because I bought them and then dumping some sugar on top and sticking the bowl in the refrigerator,” Aric said. “That’s not cooking.”

“Well, what are we having for dessert tonight?” I asked.

Aric smirked. “It’s a surprise.”

I hate surprises. “What is it?”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”

“Come on.”

“You two should have your own television show,” Paris said, reaching for the cutting board on the counter and dumping the bag of potatoes out on top of it. “If you’re willing to do it on camera you could make millions with all of the sexual chemistry oozing around this place.”

Aric grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me up on the counter, ignoring Paris’ comment. “Trouble, if you don’t touch any of the food I’ll make it worth your while later,” he said. “Just sit there and entertain me with that talented mouth of yours.”

Paris jerked her head up and Aric realized what he said when it was too late to take it back.

“I’m just glad I didn’t say that in front of my father,” he grumbled.

“Why?” I rolled my eyes. “He would’ve patted you on the back and said, ‘Go get her, sport,’ and you two would have high-fived and complimented each other on your machismo.”

The corners of Aric’s mouth tipped up as he fought to keep from smiling. Finally, he gave in. “Is that what you think men do when they hang out together?”

“Yup.”

“Why is it you can have fantasies like that, but I can’t have fantasies about you being naked in the hot tub with another woman?”

“Wait, am I the other woman in this scenario?” Paris asked.

“You were until I found out you were trying to sacrifice my girlfriend,” Aric replied, keeping his eyes glued on me.

I blew out a frustrated sigh and grabbed his chin, forcing his gaze to remain on me. “Let her off the hook.”

“No.”

“She knows she did the wrong thing but she’s been trying really hard to make up for it,” I said.

“How?” Aric was incredulous. “As far as I can tell all she’s done is offer to make potatoes and corn, and watch you get struck by lightning eighty times. That’s still creepy, by the way.”

I made a face.

“Zoe, I don’t understand how you can expect me to forgive the woman who brought danger into our home,” Aric argued. “This is where we are supposed to be safe. This is where I promised to keep you safe. I officially broke my promise last night. Don’t you understand that?”

I didn’t, not until he said the words. I knew something was bothering him in addition to the lightning. He was trying so hard to be brave that I missed the other emotions roiling through him, even though they floated at the surface.

“Maybe that was a promise you could never keep,” I suggested.

“That doesn’t matter,” Aric seethed. “She brought danger into our home. You could’ve been killed.”

“I wasn’t. You weren’t either. She made a mistake.” I tightened my grip on his chin so he couldn’t jerk away. “We’ve both made mistakes. We gave each other second chances. Paris knows she did the wrong thing. She was trying to do the right thing when she came here.”

“I know,” Aric said, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “I need more time. I’m working hard on it, Zoe. I felt how afraid you were last night, though. It almost knocked me over. I’m not ready to let it go yet.”

“He shouldn’t have to let it go,” Paris said. “This is your home and I … brought danger into your lives.”

“I once got you kidnapped and tortured by crazy werewolves who wanted to feed you to a feral vampire,” I reminded her. “You didn’t hold a grudge against me for that.”

“Yes, I did,” Paris argued.

I furrowed my brow and released Aric’s chin. He turned his head so he could rest his forehead against my temple and still watch Paris.

“I … you weren’t angry with me,” I said. “I remember. I kept thinking you were going to scream and yell – I really expected it – but you never did.”

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t angry,” Paris said. “I was incredibly angry. I knew it was irrational, though, so I hid it. After a few days the anger went away. I really didn’t blame you after that. I knew what happened was an accident.

“You have to look at this from Aric’s point of view,” she continued. “He’s worked his tail off to keep you safe for five years. Oh, that’s kind of funny because he actually does have a tail when he shifts. That didn’t occur to me until just now.”

Aric growled, the sound low and menacing.

“Oh, right,” Paris said, returning to the topic at hand. “I was really upset with you, Zoe. I got over it. It took me a few days, though. I know you didn’t realize I was angry, but when you think back to that time, what do you remember?”

That was a good question. “I … .” Huh. I didn’t remember much else besides hunkering down in Aric’s apartment for three days. We barely came up for air.

“Yeah, I remember that, too,” Aric said, kissing my cheek.

“I was a horrible friend,” I said, realization washing over me. “You almost died, and after we got you out I walked away for three days. I had no idea what you were feeling because I was too busy … .”

“Feeling me,” Aric finished, gracing Paris with the first real smile he’d managed to muster since she showed up in our driveway.

“That was probably for the best,” Paris said. “If you had been around those days we probably would’ve had a big fight. As it was, by the time you two were done playing … whatever freaky games you like to play … I was done being furious.

“You can’t ask Aric to get over something this big in less than a day,” she continued. “I think it’s unfair. You’re setting unrealistic expectations.”

Was I? So what? After Paris’ admission, I felt guilty. No one wants that. “You have to forgive Paris,” I said, grabbing the front of Aric’s T-shirt so he couldn’t pull away. “You have to.”

“Zoe … .” The tone of Aric’s voice told me I’d already won.

“I’ll do your second favorite thing while I’m doing your first favorite thing when we’re alone tonight if you do,” I promised.

Aric’s eyes lit up.

“I am officially grossed out,” Paris muttered.

“You’ve got a deal,” Aric said, kissing the corner of my mouth before turning to Paris. “I’m going to forgive you. I don’t want you thinking that I’m doing it just for Zoe, though. I was going to do it this afternoon.

“I thought about it while I was shopping and I realized how frightened you must have been when you got here,” he continued. “What you did was wrong. I believe you know that, though. None of us can make any claims to perfection. We’ve all done stupid things. We’ve all managed to come back from them. I think you will, too.

“I reserve the right to revoke my forgiveness should you do anything that gets Zoe hurt, though,” he said. “I love her enough to do anything to protect her – and that includes sacrificing you.”

Paris swallowed hard, nodding as she studied him. “I think that’s fair.”

“Good,” Aric said, straightening. “Get back to cooking.”

“What can I do to help?” I asked.

Aric smiled. “You’re going to have plenty to do tonight,” he said. “Rest up for that.”

“But … .”

“If you touch the food I’ll spank you until you beg for mercy,” Aric warned, extending a finger.

“Yeah, you guys need to spend a little more time with other people and a little less time fixated on each other,” Paris said. “You’ve forgotten what’s appropriate to talk about in public.”

“We haven’t forgotten,” Aric said.

“He’s right,” I added. “We just don’t care.”

“Sick, sick, sick.”

B
y the time
James Winters arrived, Aric and Paris were amiably chatting away as if the past five years and one day had never occurred. Paris conveniently forgot that Aric threatened to kill her, and Aric opted to put Paris abandoning me on the lawn out of his mind.

At least they both pretended that was the case. For now, I was willing to take it.

Since James knew the code to the perimeter fence he let himself in and joined us in the kitchen shortly before seven. He greeted me with a friendly hug and kiss on the cheek, and then exchanged the stiff “dude hug” with Aric. They loved each other a great deal, but men can’t hug if anyone is around to witness it. I have no idea why. Of course, I’m not big on hugging either. Sure, I hugged Paris when I saw her, but that’s the expected greeting when you haven’t seen someone in a long time. The only person I ever really want to hug is Aric. I wonder why.

Aric snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Where did you just go?”

“What?”

“Where were you?” Aric asked. “We were having a perfectly nice conversation, and then you zoned out.”

There was no way I could tell him the truth. I would look like an idiot. “I was thinking about the wolves last night,” I lied. I’d been thinking about them earlier, and I was worried about their body disposal. “What happens when someone reports them missing?”

“That most likely won’t happen,” James said, accepting the beer Aric slipped into his hand with a small nod. “I’m sure their loved ones knew where they were going – and exactly what they were doing. When they don’t come home … ,” he shrugged.

I hadn’t thought about the wolves beyond the initial guilt after frying them alive. The idea of them never returning to wives, children and parents made me feel inexplicably sad. As if reading my mind, Aric slipped his arm around my waist. “You had no choice, Zoe,” he said. “They would’ve killed you to get the book. Don’t forget that.”

“Aric is exactly right,” James said, his dark eyes kind as they landed on me. Looking at James Winters gives me hope that Aric will be just as handsome as his father as he ages. They both share the same strong build and broad shoulders. James’ hair is graying at the temples, but he’s still a striking man. Aric is already striking, but I have a feeling he’s going to look distinguished as he ages. “You can’t go around worrying about this, Zoe. You did what you had to do.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it when I was doing it,” I admitted. “The first one … well, I was actually trying to set his tail on fire so he would run away.”

“Is that the one you turned into ash?” Paris asked, wrinkling her nose.

I nodded. “After it happened, I hoped the rest of the wolves would run away out of fear. It didn’t happen.”

James took a swig from his beer as he studied me. “Tell me about the two who were still alive when the cleaners showed up.”

I pursed my lips, my cheeks burning for some inexplicable reason.

“It’s okay, Zoe,” Aric said, rubbing his hand up and down my back. “No one blames you for that. You’re not the one who put them down.”

“I knew I wanted to hurt them,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “I … was angry. I lashed out. I heard their spines break. I don’t remember trying to do that. It kind of just happened.”

“I know I’m about to get shot down for suggesting this, but … .” James broke off, tilting his head to the side so he could crack his neck.

“Then don’t suggest it,” Aric said, his voice low.

“I have to,” James countered. “Zoe, we need to train you. Your powers are … terrifying. You can’t control them. You could’ve hurt Aric last night.”

I lowered my gaze, hanging my head as I let his words wash over me. He was right. “I … .”

“No,” Aric interjected. “Every time we’ve tried to train her something blew up. Literally. Now, I don’t care about the lawn and the trees – although the truck was something of a disappointment – but she gets stressed out when she tries to rein herself in.”

“That doesn’t mean she should ignore the training,” James said. “Son, I know you love her. I love her, too. She’s special. She’s also powerful. She could wipe out an entire town if she loses her temper one day. Do you want to live with that? More importantly, do you want her to live with that?”

James’ words made a lot of sense. I expected Aric to give in. I was wrong.

“Have you ever considered that something inside of her knows exactly how to react?” Aric argued. “Every single time she’s faced down an enemy she’s done exactly the right thing. The only time things have truly gotten out of control is when we try to control her. Maybe there’s a reason for that. Maybe she’s not meant to be controlled.”

“I’m not going to argue that point because I can’t,” James said. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about her going nuclear, though. We know she can burn things to a crisp.”

“We also know she can heal,” Aric pointed out.

“I should have healed you last night,” I said. “Why didn’t I?”

“Because you were in shock,” Aric replied, not missing a beat. “If I needed healing, I would have asked for it. You were kind of … out of it.”

“I got a first aid kid, and it never occurred to me to heal you instead,” I mused. “Don’t you think that’s odd?”

“I think your head was all over the place last night and you still managed to do the right thing,” Aric said. “You laid down the law. You sent a message, and that message was … swift and painful. Anyone who comes after us isn’t coming back. That’s a pretty good message to send, baby.”

“Maybe your father is right,” I said. “Maybe we should try some training again.”

“Do you really want that or are you just saying it because you feel guilty?” Aric asked.

“I … .” That was a good question. I had no idea how to answer it.

“Why don’t we table this conversation for the rest of the evening,” James suggested. “I can see emotions are running high here. This might not be the best time to talk about it. How about we do that again tomorrow?”

I nodded as Aric pulled me against his side.

“If she doesn’t want to talk about it tomorrow, she doesn’t have to,” Aric warned.

“Good grief, you’re like a rabid dog where she’s concerned,” James muttered.

“Oh, that’s funny, because he turns into a wolf,” Paris said.

James glanced at her, his expression serious. “And how are you feeling after everything that happened?”

“I feel better now that Aric and I have talked, and I’ll feel great after I finally get a good night’s sleep tonight,” Paris replied, unruffled by James’ tone. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I was too worried.”

“And you and Aric are fine now?” James’ gaze bounced between the two of them.

“We’re good,” Aric said. “It will still probably be a few days before we’re great, but we’re definitely better than we were.”

“And how did that happen?” James pressed. “Last time I talked to you, son, you wanted to kill her.”

Huh. I didn’t hear that part of their bathroom conversation this morning. That reminded me … James was supposed to have a “thing” for Aric. I was still dying to find out what that was.

“That was before we all had a talk while making dinner,” Aric said. “We’re … well, we’re not fine, but we are better.”

“I see,” James said. “I can’t say I’m not glad to hear it, but I expected to walk in on a war zone when I got here. I’m relieved that’s not the case.”

“It probably would still be a war zone if Zoe hadn’t gotten struck by lightning and given Aric a really loud back massage this afternoon,” Paris said.

James furrowed his brow, confused. “Zoe got struck by lightning?”

Aric explained about the book, casting an occasional look in my direction for confirmation he was telling the story correctly. When he was done, instead of being flabbergasted, James was intrigued.

“How did the book react to you, Aric?”

“It didn’t react to me at all.”

James glanced at Paris. “And you?”

“It didn’t react to me either.”

“Hmm.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “What does that mean? I figured the book liked magical people, so it was drawn to me.”

“Zoe, I forget how little you know about your own heritage sometimes,” James said, tapping the middle of my forehead for emphasis. “Instead of writing romance novels for the past three years you should have been studying the history of mages and honing your skills.”

Paris’ mouth dropped open. “You write romance novels?”

My cheeks burned, this time for an entirely different reason. “Thanks, James,” I muttered.

“I apologize. I had no idea it was a secret.”

“Actual romance novels?” Paris was beside herself. “Are they full of kinky sex scenes? Is that the promise you made to Aric? Are you going to do something from one of your books tonight?”

“I don’t even want to know what that means,” James said.

“Focus on The Archimage, Paris,” Aric chided. “You can grill Zoe about the romance books tomorrow. When she won’t talk about them, come back to me. I have a set you can read.”

I punched him in the arm. “When I gave those to you it was with the understanding that you would never show them to anyone. You promised.”

“I lied,” Aric said, his tone even. “I don’t see why you’re so upset. You’re very talented. I had no idea some of those positions even existed until you enlightened me.”

“That’s on you, not me,” I snapped.

Aric made a face. “I’m going to be on you later,” he muttered. He turned his attention back to his father. “Weren’t you going to explain something about The Archimage to us?”

“I don’t know,” James replied. “I’m a little emotionally scarred picturing you and Zoe doing some of the things in her books.”

“How do you know about them?” I was officially scandalized.

“My wife reads them,” James said. “I told her not to, but she’s fascinated. It’s a little disturbing.”

“I’m definitely disturbed,” Aric said. “I can’t believe you just brought up Mom. Now my whole night is ruined.”

Paris snickered. “I’m guessing doing your second favorite thing while finishing your first favorite thing isn’t something you want to do with your mother in your head.”

“Shut up, Paris,” Aric griped.

“Let’s go back to talking about The Archimage,” I suggested. This conversation really had taken an ugly turn.

“I think we should have a history lesson about the book when dinner isn’t hanging over our heads,” James said. “It’s a long story. I’m going to give you some highlights now, though.

“The Archimage has been in existence for five hundred years,” he said. “The vampires created it. Does anyone want to guess why?”

“To wipe out the mages,” I answered. “Mages were created to keep the paranormal population in check. The vampires didn’t like that. They wanted a way to take out the mages, and this was their answer.”

James flicked my forehead. “I don’t know why more people don’t bow to your superior intellect.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Aric interjected. “If the vampires created the book, why didn’t they use it?”

“Someone infiltrated their ranks and stole it,” James said.

“Who?” I asked.

“No one knows,” James replied. “There are a lot of stories about that time period. All we know is that The Archimage went missing before it could be implemented. It fell completely off the radar. We have no idea who took it, and we have no idea how it ended up at a Michigan estate sale. That’s one of the things we’ll research while I’m here.”

“If The Archimage was designed to destroy mages, why does it react positively to me?” I asked.

“Is lightning positive?” James arched a challenging eyebrow.

“If the book wanted to hurt me, I would feel pain when I was struck by lighting and my hands started to smoke,” I pointed out. “The book protects me.”

James glanced at Aric for confirmation. When his son nodded, James merely shook his head. “I can’t answer that. Maybe we can test a few other things with the book.”

“I think we should destroy the book,” Aric announced.

“No way,” I argued. “I want to see what other weird stuff I can do with it. I’ve always wanted to fly. Maybe the book will let me do that.”

“It also might be important down the line,” Paris pointed out. “What happens if we destroy it now and need it later?”

Aric apparently didn’t care. “You guys destroyed the resurrection stone, and that might have come in handy a time or two.” He was referring to another magical artifact Paris and I destroyed because we didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands.

I hate it when he uses logic against me. “But … I want to see what I can do with it,” I whined.

“You do plenty of freaky things without the book,” Aric argued. “You’re going to do some of them when we’re alone tonight.”

“All right,” James growled. “That will be enough of that. Every time I come here you two are too free with the sexual innuendo.”

“We’re adults,” Aric said. “We can do what we want, when we want. That includes talking about it.”

“I don’t want to destroy the book yet,” I said. “I’m not ruling it out down the line. You have to be curious. Don’t you want to see if I can … I don’t know … control the world with it?”

Aric snorted. “Trouble, I love you more than life itself. If you ruled the world, though, I would have to kill you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, pouting. “That was … hurtful.”

“Living under your reign of terror would be hurtful, too,” Aric pointed out. “No bee would be safe.”

“Those bees are still alive,” I grumbled. “Last night would have been a perfect excuse to burn them. I didn’t even think about it.”

“See,” Aric said, wrinkling his forehead. “You’re not meant to lead, sweetie. You’re already a tiny despot in the making.”

“And you’re her willing servant,” Paris whispered under her breath.

“I heard that.”

“I still don’t want to destroy the book,” I said. “Not yet. Give it a few days.”

Aric sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “Zoe, what happens if factions start getting desperate to get their hands on the book?”

“They can’t get in here as long as the security is in place.”

“Not everyone we care about is here,” Aric reminded me. “What about Mom? What about Kelsey? Heck, what about your parents? Using your parents as bait would be a smart move in a situation like this.”