Sami’s mouth dropped open, outright incredulity washing over her features. “Excuse me?”
“You heard your father,” I said. “You’re supposed to knock. Of course, this wouldn’t have been an issue if someone locked the door last night like he said he was going to.”
“I did lock it,” Aric argued. “I swear I did.”
I wasn’t so sure. I knew he walked in the direction of the door, but we got ahead of ourselves pretty quickly when I turned on the sex music to drown out our actions. “It doesn’t matter now,” I said. “It’s over and done with.”
“I’m scarred for life,” Sami spat. “I hope you know that. I’m going to have nightmares. This is worse than the time when I was little and you told me you were planning to audition for the WWE.”
“That was him,” I said, pointing at Aric. “I wanted to tell you we were trying out for figure skating in the Olympics and our costumes weren’t ready.”
“What is wrong with you?” Helen asked, horrified.
“Nothing is wrong with us,” Aric replied. “We were minding our own business – which is what Little Miss Sami should’ve been doing when she approached our room. She should’ve knocked.”
“They were naked,” Sami said. “I saw everything. It was terrible, Grandma.”
“It sounds terrible, dear,” Helen said, patting Sami’s shoulder in a show of solace. “It sounds very disturbing.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly.
“That’s what you get for being naked in front of your child,” Helen chided.
James, who was strolling into the kitchen newspaper in hand, pulled up short. “What?”
“I walked in on Mom and Dad … doing it … this morning,” Sami sniffed. “My life is officially ruined now. I hope everyone is happy.”
“Oh.” James didn’t even bother hiding his smile. “Those things happen. You’ll get over it.”
“Those things happen?” Helen was irked. “Those things don’t just happen. You don’t randomly decide to be naked in front of your child and … do things.”
“Technically there was a sheet,” Aric interjected.
“Which wasn’t covering anything,” Sami challenged. “I saw everything.”
“Then knock next time,” Aric shot back. “You won’t have to worry about seeing anything ever again if you follow that rule.”
“Aric!” Helen slapped her son’s arm with the spatula. “You’re corrupting a minor.”
“Oh, she’ll be fine,” James said, chuckling. I was surprised he wasn’t admonishing us, too. “I think you’ve forgotten that time Aric walked in on us Christmas morning that one year, Helen. We told him we were looking for a few gifts Santa put in the wrong place.”
Aric wrinkled his nose as he tilted is head to the side. His eyes widened when he realized what they were referring to. “Holy crap! I forgot about Santa hiding gifts in weird places that year. You gave me a pair of shoes I already owned as one of them. You guys are sick.”
I laughed as I moved closer to Aric and ripped the end off his sausage link. “See, Sami, it’s not a random occurrence in this family. It’s a rite of passage.”
“Don’t stand so close to Dad,” Sami gritted out. “I want to see everyone’s hands … and not on one another.”
“I can’t believe you just said that, James,” Helen said, swatting her husband’s arm. “He didn’t remember. Now that’s all he’s going to think about.”
“Trust me. I’m not interested in thinking about that,” Aric deadpanned.
“Now you know how I feel,” Sami said.
“Stop being a snot,” Aric ordered. “It’s not our fault you didn’t knock. We weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“I’ll never live down the shame,” Sami said, letting loose a dramatic sigh. “I think I was almost blinded by what I saw.”
Aric shot me a look. “That right there … she gets that from you.”
“Sami, we’ll do pedicures with Paris later to take your mind off things,” Helen offered. “I brought some nice new polishes. We’ll make an afternoon out of it.”
“That’s not going to stop my eyes from burning,” Sami complained.
“What do you want us to do about this?” James was always pragmatic. “We can’t go back in time. How should we fix it?”
“Punish them,” Sami replied, not missing a beat. “They always punish me when I do something wrong. I want them punished.”
“You know what?” Aric’s tone reflected annoyance. “You’re right. We should be punished.” He grabbed the plate of sausage from the counter and lifted the bowl of hash browns from his mother’s hand before inclining his chin in a manner suggesting I should follow him. “We’re retiring to our room to think about what we’ve done.”
“Ugh!” Sami made an incredulous face. “That’s not punishment!”
“Don’t you dare come into that room without knocking,” Aric called over his shoulder. “If you want to see punishment, try that a second time in one day.”
THREE HOURS later Sami sat on the living room floor in front of Paris, studiously painting her toenails a bright green. She was intent on her task as Helen leaned back in a chair with a fan pointed at her feet. I was still trying to pick out nail polish – black to match my mood or red to match what I was going to do when I caught the people messing with us – and didn’t immediately notice Aric and James weren’t in the room. It was only when Heath brought Paris a glass of lemonade that things slipped into place.
“Where are the Winters men?”
Sami lifted her head and glowered in my direction. “Why do you want Dad? Haven’t you done enough of that?”
“Sami, I’m not looking to get naked every time I ask where your father is.”
Sami had the grace to look abashed.
“I’m only looking to get naked half of the time,” I added. “Sometimes we don’t even bother to take off all of our clothes. It’s fun that way, too.”
“Zoe!” Helen slapped her hand down on the arm of the chair. “Do you think that’s helpful?”
I shrugged. I honestly didn’t care. “I think I’m sick of her digs and that she needs to let it go,” I replied. “She should’ve knocked. We weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“You stole all of the sausage,” Paris pointed out. “That was definitely wrong. The baby wanted sausage.”
“You should’ve knocked on the door. We would’ve shared.”
“Sami said you were busy doing things no human should have to see, so I decided to go without,” Paris said, her eyes twinkling. “Helen cooked ham, so it was all good in the end.”
“Unless you saw the … sex,” Sami hissed.
“I have no idea how I raised such a prude, but I think we should watch an entire afternoon of chick flicks to force you to get over it,” I said. “I’m thinking Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman and The Notebook.”
Sami made a disgusted face. “So now I’m being punished twice?”
“I could make you watch old Little House on the Prairie episodes if you’re not careful,” I warned.
“Is that the show with the girls running down the hill where everyone dies of some horrible plague?” Sami asked.
I nodded.
To my surprise, she nodded. “I like it when people die from plagues. We can watch that.”
“She definitely gets that from you,” Paris said, laughing as the sliding glass door opened to allow James and Aric entrance.
I glanced over my shoulder, locking gazes with Aric as he sat on the floor next to me. He took the black nail polish and grabbed my foot without saying a word. That wasn’t going to work on me.
“What are you two planning?”
“I’m planning to paint your toenails,” Aric replied. “I haven’t done that since you were pregnant with Sami and were too big to see your feet.”
“Yes, thank you for reminding me of that,” I deadpanned. He was trying to distract me. That wasn’t going to work. “What are you and your father planning?�
�
Aric blew out a frustrated sigh before focusing on me. “You’re like a dog with a bone.”
“You’ll be like a dog without a bone if you don’t tell me.”
“Oh, just tell her,” James said. “She’ll find out anyway. We’ll need her to hold down the fort while we’re gone.”
I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. “Where are you going?”
“We thought we would shift and run the woods after dark,” Aric replied. “We can cover more ground in our wolf forms, and it’s easier for us to follow scent trails. We might be able to find someone out there.”
“And what happens if you do?”
“We try to take them alive so we can question them.”
“And what if they use magic and something happens to you?” I challenged.
“Then I’ll call out so you can ride to my rescue,” Aric answered, unruffled. “I’m a big boy, Zoe. I know how to take care of myself. If you remember correctly, I wasn’t keen on letting you out of my sight to search for Sami the other night, but I did it because it was the best move for all of us. This is the best move for tonight.”
I wasn’t convinced. “What if I come with you?”
“Then that leaves Mom and Heath to protect a pregnant woman who can’t waddle out of harm’s way and our daughter, who happens to be the primary target,” Aric shot back. “That’s not going to work. I need to know Sami is safe. You’re the best shot at doing that.”
I made a disgusted sound in the back of my throat. I didn’t like it, but what he suggested made sense. We couldn’t stay trapped in the house forever, and we needed a hostage to get answers. “Okay.”
“Good.” Aric kissed my cheek. “So do you want black to match your mood or red to match the blood you’re going to spill?”
He knows me too well. “Surprise me.”
“Oh, I’m going to do that when we get sent to our rooms after lunch this afternoon,” Aric said. “How about blue to match your eyes?”
“You guys are so sick,” Sami muttered.
“We’re fine with that,” Aric said. “I can guarantee you’ll remember to knock from here on out, so it’s a bonus for all of us.”
Twenty-Three
“You’ll be careful, right?”
I stood next to the security control panel just as the sun started setting and watched Aric strip off his shirt. Shifting brought to mind all things Hulk, and Aric preferred not ruining his clothes when he did it. James did the same behind him, but I studiously kept my eyes on Aric because I was afraid of seeing anything that would give me nightmares. I guess now I knew how Sami felt.
“I’ll be careful, Zoe,” Aric said, grabbing my hand and pressing it to the spot above his heart. “This is our best option right now. We’re prisoners in our own house because we can’t risk leaving with Sami. We need to be more proactive.”
I didn’t disagree, but I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him running around the woods without me watching his back. I pulled my hand away as he unsnapped his jeans and dropped them to the ground, leaving only his boxer shorts in place.
Sami picked that moment to join us. “Oh, seriously?”
“What are you doing out here?” I asked, swiveling. “You’re supposed to stay close to the bonfire with Paris, Heath and your grandmother.”
“I wanted to see Dad shift,” Sami groused, making a face. “You never let me.”
“Because it’s freaky and weird.”
“Thanks,” James said dryly. “It’s always good to know that our genetic makeup is freaky and weird.”
If he expected me to apologize he was going to be bitterly disappointed. “Your dad has to get naked to do it,” I said, trying a different tactic. “I thought you were traumatized by seeing that.”
Sami wrinkled her nose and slapped a hand over her eyes. “Why did you remind me? Now it’s all I can see in my head again.”
“You’ll live,” I said, tugging on my limited patience so I wouldn’t snap at her. Everyone was on edge, and it wasn’t her fault this was happening. “Now give your dad a kiss and tell him if he gets hurt we’re eating all of the candy from his secret stash in the garage.”
Aric narrowed his eyes. “What secret stash?”
“Don’t bother,” I said. “Hiding it around tools was a good idea. We both know the only thing I want to do with a hammer is bash someone’s head in. I needed nails to hang that canvas we bought a few months ago, though, and I found it.”
“Have you been stealing from it?”
“Of course not.”
Aric didn’t look as if he believed me.
“We’re married,” I added. “Everything you own is already mine. It’s not stealing.”
“I knew that pile looked lighter,” Aric muttered, although he opened his arms to accept Sami’s hug and kiss.
“Stay safe, Dad,” Sami said, her voice hitching. “I … .”
Aric took pity on his struggling daughter. “I love you, Sami. I’ll be perfectly fine. While I’m gone, though, you need to do what your mother tells you to do. That means everything. Do you understand?”
Sami mutely nodded and took a step back.
“Go back to Grandma,” I instructed. “I’ll be there in two minutes.”
I watched Sami disappear into the night, waiting until Aric tracked her with his stellar eyesight and acknowledged she was back at the fire before focusing on him. “Don’t get hurt,” I said. “That will make our punishments a lot less fun if you do.”
“It’s going to be okay, Zoe,” Aric said, cupping the back of my head and giving me a kiss. “Eat some s’mores, drink some wine and complain about men for a few hours. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I only hoped that was true.
“SAMI, tell me the ghost story Katie told at the party,” Paris instructed an hour later, dollops of chocolate from multiple s’mores crusted at the corners of her mouth. “I want to hear it. Do you remember it?”
Sami sat in her canvas chair, Trouble asleep on her lap, and nodded. “I think I remember most of it. Why? Is it important?”
“I won’t know until you tell me,” Paris said. “We’re stuck here anyway, and your mother needs a distraction.”
I would’ve argued with the assessment but I couldn’t drag my eyes from the wooded area surrounding the house. I wasn’t worried only about Aric – although that was a big part of my unease – I also couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out there.
“Should I?” Sami asked, turning her eyes to me. “Dad said I had to listen to you.”
She rarely listened to either of us, so this was a nice change of pace. “Sure,” I said. “Go for it.”
“Okay.” Sami licked her lips. “She said this land was haunted by the ghost of a sad woman in a tall hat.”
I finally tore my gaze from the trees and focused on Sami. “A woman in a tall hat? Like a witch hat?”
Sami shrugged. “She said that people were scared to settle in these woods for years until you and Dad bought the land. Everyone in town knew there was a legend about a skull witch haunting these woods.”
“What’s a skull witch?” Helen asked, curious.
“Like a sugar skull? Like what’s on that bottle of tequila we bought?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Sami said. “I didn’t ask. She said the skull witch haunted the area and killed men and buried them. Then she climbed into the bodies of women and stayed there until their souls burned up.”
“What a lovely story,” Helen said. “I’m so glad children were talking about that at a slumber party.”
“They’re tweens,” I shot back. “They weren’t interested in a rousing reading of Where the Wild Things Are. Sue me.”
“That’s a tempting offer, but I’ll pass for now,” Helen deadpanned. “Why didn’t you and Aric didn’t hear that story when they were telling it?”
“Because we were banished for being geeks.”
“Not geeks,” Sami corrected. “They were banished
for being sex fiends. Dad kept kissing Mom and … touching her. All of my friends have crushes on him – and it’s so gross.”
Helen pursed her lips to keep from laughing. “That sounds horrible, dear. I’m sure your father finds it equally gross.”
“He puffs out his chest and winks at the girls,” I said. “He likes that they all have crushes on him. Last summer Sami had two friends who came around every single Thursday to hang out. I couldn’t figure out why they were setting a schedule until I realized that was the day Aric mowed the lawn.”
“Why is that important?”
“He does it shirtless.”
“Oh, well ... .” Helen smirked. “Was that all to the story, Sami?”
“No. I mean she mentioned two guys going camping and the skull witch killing them and then killing the cops who came looking for them. I think that’s it,” Sami said. “Everyone thought it was a scary story, but since we were all together no one freaked out or anything.”
“Have any cops gone missing around this area?” Paris asked, genuinely curious. “That might be something we can look for on the computer.”
“I have no idea,” I said. “It is interesting that she brought up the legend, though. When Aric found this property he thought it was a steal for the price. He asked the real estate agent if there was something wrong with the property – she has to disclose that – and she kind of brushed off the question. She said the locals thought it was haunted.
“Because we are who we are, Aric asked for more information. She just said that there was a legend about a female ghost messing with hunters,” I continued. “Aric was fine with that answer because he thought for sure it was something local hunters told people because they weren’t bagging deer in the fall.”
“It could be a mixture of both,” Paris said. “I … Zoe?”
Paris’ face flooded with concern as I bent over at the waist, pain coursing through me. My stomach felt as if it was on fire and a cold sweat broke out over my forehead as my heart hammered relentlessly.
“Zoe?” Helen hopped to her feet and moved to my side, pushing Sami out of the way to get closer. “What’s wrong?”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 20