Corinne scowled. “You’re acting crazy. I … you’re not making any sense.”
“I see you have a conundrum before you,” I pronounced. “You didn’t want to come in because you thought I might suss out what you were. You wanted Becca to get close to Sami because you thought there might be a way for her to absorb Sami’s powers. Zach thought the same thing about me. He never got the chance.”
Corinne’s eyes flashed as the façade finally faded. “He is dead then. We never knew.”
“I’m assuming he’s dead,” I replied. “He was taken into custody. I never checked on him after.”
“How magnanimous of you,” Corinne sneered.
“Why should I be magnanimous?” I challenged. “He tried to kill me. He did kill a bunch of other girls. He was a complete and total jackass. I feel no sympathy for him.”
“He was my cousin, although somewhat distant.”
Corinne’s statement was simple, but if she thought it would elicit a change in my attitude, she was severely mistaken. “Well, he’s dead. You will be, too, in a few minutes. I’m not going to bother taking you into custody because it serves no real purpose.”
“So … you’re just going to kill me?” Corinne didn’t appear frightened, although she edged closer to the sliding glass doors.
I saw no point in lying. “Yes.”
“And what about Becca?”
That was a good question. “I won’t kill her,” I answered after a beat. “I’ll let her be taken into custody. I can’t guarantee what they’ll do to her, but I don’t want to kill a child … even one that will grow up to be evil one day.”
Corinne snorted. “Listen to you. You’re so full of yourself. Do you really think you can just kill me and get away with it?”
“It won’t be the first time I’ve been faced with this situation.”
“Cissy Dolloway?”
“Among others.” I sipped my tea as I regarded her. “I have a few questions if you want to prolong your life.”
“Questions?” Corinne was dumbfounded. “You want to ask me questions?”
“I’m a curious sort.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Well, for starters, did you move to this area simply so your daughter could get close to Sami?” I asked. “You had to know we’d be watching for that. This is hardly our first issue with crazy stalkers.”
“And yet you’re so calm,” Corinne mused. “In your position, I’d be terrified. I’m a sphinx. I’m stronger than you.”
“You’re not.”
Corinne swallowed hard. The fact that I wasn’t panicking clearly made her nervous. She expected a different reaction. “I really should be going,” she said after a few uncomfortable moments. “Becca and I will be leaving and … we won’t bother you. You don’t have to worry about us.”
That was quite the change in sentiment. “I’m not worried about you.” My voice was flat. “And you’re not going.”
“Do you really think you can kill me?” Corinne sneered. “It won’t happen.”
“Let’s find out, shall we?”
Corinne squared her shoulders, resigned. “Let’s do it.”
Three
Corinne snarled, baring her teeth as she launched herself at me. I didn’t bother moving. She wasn’t a threat. Had I known then what I did now, I wouldn’t have needed Aric to save me from Zach all of those years ago.
The second Corinne’s hand reached for my neck I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and let loose with my magic. Years ago I absorbed a magic book, The Archimage, and it increased my powers exponentially. Learning to control them was a bit of a challenge, but I was comfortable in my own skin these days. As for Corinne, her skin burned where I touched it and she screamed in agony. She was anything but comfortable.
“What … I … no!”
I risked a glance to the yard and saw Becca’s blank eyes focused on the house. They’d gone black. “Can your daughter sense you?”
“Let me go!” Corinne clawed at my wrist. I didn’t release my grip, barely glancing in her direction when she clawed at my face. I could heal later.
“Can Becca sense you?” I repeated, my heart rolling as the girl’s shoulders squared and she focused on Sami, whose back was to her. “I may have been a little premature when I made that promise to you. I apologize.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Corinne sputtered, smacking weakly at my hands as charred flesh traveled up her arm. It originated at the wrist and spread quickly. “I … you’re killing me!”
“I warned you it would happen.” I remained deathly calm as I watched Becca launch herself at an unsuspecting Sami. Aric was there to catch her before she could land. He slammed her to the ground with one hand, the ax he used to chop wood still in his other hand.
“What?” Corinne’s eyes widened when she realized what was happening outside. She couldn’t see it – which was probably a blessing – but she knew. I read the utter panic on her features. “Don’t! That’s my daughter!”
That’s when I finally snapped and hopped to my feet, using my free hand to grab Corinne around the neck and wrestle her to the table. “And that’s my daughter,” I snarled. “Why do you people keep thinking it’s all right to come after my child?”
Corinne’s eyes filled with tears as her neck turned black and her knees buckled. “Please,” she gasped. “We’ll go away. We won’t come back.”
“It’s far too late for that,” I said, recovering some of my earlier cool when Aric lifted the ax. I didn’t see what he did to Becca, but Sami’s anguished wail told me it wasn’t good. “I’ve taken a no-tolerance approach to those going after my family.”
Corinne managed a wrecked scream as Becca died on the grass next to the downstairs patio. Aric, the ax gripped in his hand, jerked his eyes up to the window. We were too far away to lock gazes but I knew Sami was safe when she raced to him, slamming her hand against his bare chest. He barely registered her presence.
“Becca is gone.” The words were harsh, but I couldn’t help but revel in them a bit as the light left Corinne’s eyes and her face began to flake away. “So are you. Go with … whatever it is you believe in.”
CORINNE WAS nothing but a pile of ash on the kitchen floor when Aric, Sami tucked under one arm, burst in through the back sliding glass doors. His eyes widened when they landed on me. I could do nothing but sip my tea and stare back.
“Are you okay?” Aric asked, releasing Sami and moving in my direction.
“Is she okay?” Sami was beside herself. “You just chopped my new friend’s head off with an ax!”
“Shut up, Sami,” Aric ordered, shaking his head. “She was evil.”
“They were sphinxes,” I supplied. “Corinne was Zach’s cousin, if you can believe that.”
Aric arched an eyebrow. “I don’t know what to say about that.”
“Who’s Zach?” Sami was barely hanging on to a limited form of sanity as she gripped her hands into angry fists at her side. “What is going on?”
“They were after you, Sami,” I answered, forcing my voice to remain calm. “They wanted your powers. They thought they could absorb them. There was another sphinx – his name was Zach – when we were in college. He thought the same thing about me.”
Sami wasn’t placated by the information. “So … you killed him?”
“I … .” I still didn’t know how to answer that question.
“He’s been dead for a long time,” Aric offered. “Your grandfather’s men took him into custody, and he’s been dead since a short time after that. He’s gone.”
“But … I liked Becca.” Tears filled Sami’s eyes, forcing me to finally face her. “She was my friend.”
“She wasn’t your friend,” Aric argued. “She was your enemy. She was attacking when I grabbed her. I was chopping wood and her eyes turned black and I saw her moving. I reacted before I gave it much thought. Maybe I should’ve kept her alive.”
“For what purpo
se?” I asked. “She would’ve merely spread information about us to others. We sent a message … again. Maybe one of these days people will listen to that message.”
Aric’s eyes filled with concern when they met mine. “Zoe, are you okay?”
I pressed my lips together and nodded. “I’m fine.”
“There’s blood on your face.”
“She scratched me.”
“Okay, I … okay.” Aric heaved out a sigh and turned his full attention to Sami. He’s a man who likes a plan and he approaches problems in a pragmatic nature. “Sami, you need to take Trouble into your room and don’t come out until we come to get you.”
Sami looked less than thrilled with the suggestion. “But … .”
“Do it,” Aric ordered, his voice darkening. “That’s an order, Sami. I’m not messing around.”
“Fine!” Sami turned on her heel, slamming her foot against the floor in a dramatic stomp before racing toward her bedroom with Trouble at her side. “I hate you both!”
“You’ll get over it,” Aric called back. He waited until he heard the bedroom door slam to move closer to me. “Baby, are you okay?”
“I said I was fine.”
Aric’s finger was gentle as he placed it against my chin and forced my eyes to him. “You seem dazed.”
Hmm. Was I? I felt a little dazed. No, that wasn’t the right word. I felt … something else. “I’m numb,” I admitted after a beat. “I’m numb and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“You saved yourself,” Aric argued. “You figured out there was a problem and you saved yourself. That’s the most important thing.”
“Is it?” I wasn’t so sure. “I knew she was something dangerous pretty quickly and I sat with her and had tea.”
“I … .”
“Tea!”
Aric jolted as I exploded. “You were trying to figure out what she wanted,” he said. “You fought her when it came time. You handled the situation like a pro. You always do.”
“Doesn’t that worry you?”
Aric shook his head. “Should it?”
“I think I knew from the moment I saw her in the driveway,” I admitted after a moment. “There was something off about her even though she went through all of the motions to act like a normal human.
“She acted shy, impressed with the house, and I didn’t sense evil magic when I shook her hand. She practically drooled all over you like everyone does,” I continued. “She did everything right, yet part of me still knew. I expected her to turn on us.”
“Baby, I … .” Aric looked lost as he rubbed his thumb over my cheek, taking a few minutes to collect himself before making a decision. “Maybe you should rest for a few minutes, huh? I need to call my father, because we need to get Becca’s body out of here. We also need a cleanup crew in the yard and kitchen.”
“Don’t forget the car,” I prodded. “It’s parked in front of the house.”
“Yeah, I’m going to dispose of that, too.” Aric was conflicted as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We’ll talk about what’s bothering you as soon as I get back. I promise.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re pretty far from fine, but I need to get moving on the calls so I’m going to give you a few minutes to drink your tea. We’ll pick this up again later, okay?”
I nodded and mechanically reached for my mug. “Do you think it will always be like this? Will every new person we meet be coming for us?”
“No, Zoe.” Aric pressed his lips to mine. “No. It’s going to be okay.”
I was tying up his valuable time. I knew that. Something slipped back into place and I forced a smile. “I’ll finish my tea and get a broom and dustpan to clean up the rest of Corinne. I’m okay.”
“You aren’t yet, but you will be.” Aric tugged me close for a fierce hug. “I love you.”
The words had a soothing effect as I patted his shoulder. “I love you, too.”
“WE’VE GOT everything handled but the car,” Aric announced a few hours later, giving his mother a firm nod as she hovered in the doorway, and turning to me as I stood in the driveway and stared at the final piece of evidence that could get us in trouble with local cops.
“What’ll we do with the car?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Should we drive it to the lake and dump it?”
Aric shook his head. “If it’s ever found it could be traced back to us. Dad has a facility two towns over. The workers there will break the car down for parts. In twenty-four hours it will be completely gone.”
That was odd … and a bit sobering. “Like a chop shop?”
“It’s a garage that does body repairs, but yeah.”
I blew out a sigh. “Okay. Let’s get rid of the car.”
Aric widened his eyes as he regarded me. “You want to get rid of the car yourself?”
“I’m not particularly thrilled about it, but I’m curious to see the operation,” I admitted. “I can take it.”
“Well, I’m going, too.” Aric rested his hand on my shoulder as he shifted his eyes to his mother. Helen Winters had arrived an hour after Aric placed the call. She’d busied herself watching Sami during the intervening hours. “Can you stay with Sami?”
Helen nodded. She didn’t appear bothered by the fact that I had burned a woman alive – and Aric had chopped off her daughter’s head – in the least. “James is on his way and will get here in a few hours. I’ll be fine.”
“The security system on the yard has been activated,” Aric supplied. “Dad’s men have taken the body so there’s nothing being left behind. Lock the house and engage that security system while Zoe and I are gone.”
“I will.” Helen flashed a smile as I moved toward the passenger seat of the car. “It will be all right, dear. You did well today.”
“Yes, I’m thinking of throwing myself a celebratory party,” I deadpanned, ignoring the dark look Aric darted in my direction as he climbed in beside me. “Take me to the chop shop.”
Aric was silent for the duration of the drive down the country road that led to the main highway. He waited until we were among numerous other cars to speak. “I know you’re upset … .”
I cut him off with a wave of my hand. “I’m sorry about earlier,” I offered. “I didn’t mean to fall apart on you. It’s just … how did this become our life?”
“I don’t think our life is so bad,” Aric countered, choosing his words carefully. “In fact, I’m rather fond of our life.”
“That’s because you didn’t burn a woman alive.”
“No, I simply chopped off a child’s head with an ax. It was a good day for me.”
That’s when I realized I was taking out my anxiety on my husband, and he didn’t deserve it. “I’m so sorry.” I instinctively reached over and grabbed his hand, resting it on my thigh so I could absorb his warmth. “I didn’t mean that. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“We’ve been through a lot over the past few months, Zoe.” Aric kept his eyes on the road as he squeezed my knee. “It’s only human to fall apart occasionally. You’re so strong that I sometimes forget you need a minor breakdown here and there, too. It’s okay.”
“But it’s not okay. I’m not human. If I were human we wouldn’t be having these issues.”
“Well, I guess that’s a fair point. You are human, though. You have feelings … and emotions … and you still take my breath away after all these years. I guess that makes you superhuman in some respects.”
The words were sweet and so was the sentiment behind them. For the first time in hours I felt some of the stress leave my body. I heaved a sigh as I rested my head against the back of the seat. “I needed this.”
“A drive in a stolen car?” Aric was going for levity and I flashed a smile to let him know the effort wasn’t wasted.
“No, this.” I clasped his hand between mine. “I needed you.”
“Oh, Zoe, you’ll always have me. It’s okay to have a meltdown every once in a whi
le. It’s expected. It’s okay.”
We lapsed into comfortable silence for a few moments. I was finally the one to break it. “What are we going to say to Sami?”
“I don’t know what we should say,” Aric replied. “She saw me kill that girl. I didn’t hesitate … and it was bloody. We can’t coddle her to the point where she isn’t aware of the situation. She shouldn’t have turned her back on that girl today, yet she did.”
“I don’t want her entire childhood to be running and fighting.”
“I don’t either. She’s had a good childhood. She’ll continue to have the best childhood we can give her.”
“Even though I burned a woman alive in our kitchen and you beheaded a child in the backyard?”
Aric shrugged. “Nothing is perfect.”
A deranged laugh bubbled up and I felt better when it escaped. “Holy crap! That was terrible … and yet funny.”
“Gallows humor always saves the day.” Aric rubbed his thumb over my thigh as we settled in for the ride. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”
“I just wish we didn’t always have to.”
“I do, too, baby. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything, though. You’re my heart and soul. I’m even fond of the kid most days.”
I snickered, amused.
“We can’t choose our lives, Zoe, but we can do our best to live them to the fullest,” Aric said. “That’s how I get through each day.”
It was a nice sentiment. “Can we stop for ice cream on the way back? I need some sugar.”
Aric smiled. “Absolutely. That sounds like the perfect end to an eventful day.”
At least we had that going for us.
Four
The house was quiet when we got back. Too quiet. James arranged via phone for us to get a ride back to the house, and when we entered I couldn’t help but be nervous.
“We should check on Sami.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 56