Aric opened his mouth to argue, but I quieted him with a shake of the head and my fingers on his wrist. Sami wasn’t in the mood to be handled. “Sami, both Corinne and Becca could sense one another. Whether that means they could communicate telepathically, I don’t know.
“I told Corinne before she ever ran at me that I knew she was dangerous and wouldn’t let her leave the house,” I continued. “She wanted to, but … I couldn’t risk that. I also told her I would make sure Becca was taken into custody and that we wouldn’t kill her. That was before she attacked you, though.
“Don’t open your mouth,” I warned, wagging a finger. “I saw you guys in the yard from up here. Your father is right. Becca was moving to attack you. It was very obvious. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but … well … we did what we had to do.”
“You had to make Becca’s mother attack and then burn her alive?” Sami obviously wasn’t convinced.
“We have a no-tolerance policy in this house,” Aric reminded her. “If someone attacks, we don’t tolerate it. We kill first and ask questions later. I’m sorry you’re upset about what happened to Becca, but you’re alive because your mother acted so quickly.”
“No, she’s alive because you acted so quickly and handled Becca,” I corrected.
“He chopped her head off!” Sami grew shrill as James attempted to comfort her with a hand on the shoulder. “He could’ve knocked her out or something. He didn’t need to cut off her head.”
“That’s a fair point,” Aric conceded. “I didn’t know what she was. I had to act quickly to protect you.”
“If you knew … if you realized she was a sphinx … would you have let her live?” Sami was legitimately curious.
Aric considered the question a full twenty seconds before answering. “No, kid, I wouldn’t have let her live. I’m sorry. She was a danger, and I had no idea what was going on inside of the house. I didn’t know if your mother was okay … or unconscious … or in mortal danger. I couldn’t leave Becca to do her worst on the lawn and check on your mother at the same time.”
“But Mom was obviously fine,” Sami spat. “She killed Corinne in the middle of our kitchen.” She jerked her thumb toward the table. “She killed her right there and never stopped drinking her tea.”
James’ eyes widened. “You never stopped drinking your tea?”
I shrugged. “I was thirsty.” And numb to the experience, but I had no intention of admitting that. “She attacked me and I handled it. I told her we would take Becca into custody and not immediately kill her, but that changed when Becca attacked Sami.”
“Did she know?” Sami lowered her voice, her lip quivering. “Did she know Becca was dead before … you finished it?”
I nodded. I wasn’t about to start lying now. Sami needed to understand the situation, accept it, and then move on. “She knew. She was upset and bitter. She was resigned to her death. There was nothing she could do, and she knew it.”
Sami swallowed hard. “Becca only wanted to be friends with me because of what I am.”
There it was. The moment of realization. She hadn’t reached acceptance yet, but she saw the hurtful truth. “Probably,” I confirmed. “You can’t know what was going through Becca’s mind. Her mother was clearly controlling things. Maybe she really liked you.”
“Is that important?” James asked, an eyebrow winging up. He clearly didn’t understand tween girls.
“It’s important.” I wet my lips. “Sami, you’re a good girl … most of the time … and people genuinely like you. You have many fine qualities. That doesn’t mean you can let your guard down and ignore the people who might come after us. We can’t allow that.”
“And neither can you,” Aric added. “I’m sorry things didn’t go the way you wanted them to, but … you’re alive, kid. You have your dog. You have your mother. You have me, the best and buffest father in the world.”
Sami scowled, although this time it was for an entirely different reason. “You have a really big head. Not everyone who sees you falls in love with you.”
Aric feigned outrage. “I think she’s trying to hurt my feelings, Zoe.”
I stroked his forearm. “You’ll live. I fall in love with you all over again whenever I see you.”
It was meant to be jovial, a lightening of the mood, but Aric’s expression was earnest as he leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Right back at you,” he whispered.
“Oh, gross,” Sami complained. “Now they’re going to do it.”
James shot us a dark look as he led Sami to the other end of the kitchen island. “They’re not going to do it. You need to stop saying things like that. You’re far too young to know about things like that.”
“I’m not too young,” Sami argued. “Everyone my age knows about that stuff.”
James was flummoxed. “How?”
“Ask her about Outlander,” I suggested, sipping my juice as Aric growled and Helen grinned.
“Outlander?” James furrowed his brow. “Is that the sex show with the guy in a kilt? Helen watches that all of the time.”
“It’s not about sex!” Sami slapped her hand down on the counter, mortified. “It’s about history.”
“It is about history,” I conceded. “The history of hot men in kilts having a lot of sex.”
“I can’t even.” Sami turned her eyes to the ceiling. “I’m done talking to all of you.”
“That’s good,” Aric said, shifting his attention to James. “What did you get for us? I’m guessing you were so late because you got some interesting information.”
“I did.” James slid his eyes toward Sami, his unspoken comment obvious. “Perhaps we should take this in the other room.”
I immediately started shaking my head. “She’s part of this. She could’ve died because of these people. She gets to hear what you have.”
James turned to Aric. “Are you okay with that?”
“Am I speaking to hear myself speak?” I complained.
“Most of the time,” Aric answered, rubbing the back of my neck. “As for what Zoe said, yeah, I’m okay with it. Sami needs to be part of this particular conversation.”
“But she’s a child,” Helen argued. “Surely this is something she should be protected from.”
“She watched me behead her new friend on the lawn yesterday,” Aric pointed out. “She watched her mother finish off that friend’s mother.”
James heaved a sigh. “Fine.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Helen pour him a mug of coffee. “So, Corinne Waters moved to this area exactly six weeks ago. I had a team go through her house in the wee hours of the night to make sure there was nothing inside tying her to you.”
My eyebrows arched. “You did? What if someone else had been in the house?”
“It was empty, but if someone had been there the team would’ve handled it,” James answered. “There wasn’t much to find. The house was sparse and the furniture rented.”
I shifted on my stool. “That means it wasn’t their permanent base. They moved to the area to get close to us, and planned to leave again.”
“That would be my guess.” James bobbed his head. “There were very few personal items inside, only a few outfits and a handful of photographs in frames around the house.”
“As if they were putting on a show in case someone stopped by for a visit,” Aric mused. “That was probably their plan. They wanted to convince people they were a normal mother and daughter, worm their way into our lives and then potentially lure Sami over for a sleepover. That would’ve been the end of it.”
“And then what?” Sami asked, her eyes accusatory. “Would they have tried to eat me or something?”
“Sphinxes absorb power,” I supplied. “Zach wanted my power. He killed a bunch of girls to suck their essence in an effort to prolong his life, but he thought I’d provide a larger power boost. Apparently Corinne thought Sami could do the same.”
“Do you remember much of what he told you?” Aric asked. “I came
in late to that one, so I wasn’t there for any conversation.”
“No, you just beat the crap out of him. You saved Paris and me that night. That’s when I knew.”
“Knew what?” Aric tucked a strand of hair behind my ear so he could focus on my features.
“That I wasn’t going to get away from you without losing my heart.” I flashed a wan smile at his smirk. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Aric rubbed his cheek as he twisted back and forth on the stool. “Did you find out where Corinne and Becca were from originally?”
“I did.”
James’ answer was so succinct I couldn’t help but be surprised. “Do you want to tell us where they were from?”
“No.”
Aric and I exchanged a wary look. James was usually all about talking to hear himself talk. He liked telling a story, sharing information. He absolutely loved lording his knowledge of other beings over us.
“I think you need to tell us,” Aric prodded. “There could be more sphinxes out there waiting to attack.”
“There could,” James agreed. “When I tell you where Corinne and Becca came from, however, I’m afraid you’ll fly off the handle and do something stupid.”
I already knew. I realized that when my stomach twisted and I was forced to press my eyes shut to remain centered. Aric hadn’t quite caught up, though, and continued arguing with his father.
“Tell us where they’re from,” Aric ordered. “We can’t make an informed decision without all of the information.”
“I would rather not until you two have had some time to decompress,” James hedged.
“Tell me now!” Aric barked, his temper getting the better of him.
I couldn’t let this go on, so I grabbed his fingers to still him. “They’re from Covenant College, or at least the area surrounding the college.”
James licked his lips. “How do you know that?”
Aric exhaled heavily as he absorbed the information, letting me handle our end of the conversation for the time being.
“Because it only makes sense,” I answered. “Zach was at Covenant College. We ended his reign of terror there. I got the impression he was alone at the time, but perhaps someone went looking for him … like a cousin.”
“Just for the record, I don’t believe Corinne Waters was Zach’s biological cousin,” James offered. “We questioned Zach for a long time before … well, before it was over. He said he was the only one left in his biological family. Either Corinne Waters was a distant relative or she was his cousin in name only.”
Aric finally broke his extended silence. “Did she have ties to the college?”
James nodded. “She worked in the administration office, and still owns a house on the outskirts of town.”
“So her base is there.” Aric turned his eyes to me, contemplative. I could already tell what he was thinking, and I hated the idea.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Sure about what?” Helen asked, confused.
“I don’t see where we have much choice,” Aric replied. “It seems our life together started there and we keep getting drawn back. Do you want to leave this to chance? What if there’s an entire nest of sphinxes there? The college is only a few hours away. They could come looking for their brethren.”
“I know, but … .”
“You’re the one who always says we need to stay on the offensive, Zoe,” Aric reminded me. “I think we need to at least check it out.”
“Check what out?” Sami was confused. “Are we going somewhere?”
I stared into the fathomless depths of Aric’s eyes for what felt like forever before nodding. “We are. We’re going back to where it all began.”
Sami was still confused. “The backyard? Or, wait, do you mean you’re going to Becca’s house to burn it down or something? I’m not sure I’m okay with that.”
“No, we’re going back further than that,” I answered, mustering a smile. “We’re going back to Covenant College.”
“And you’re going with us,” Aric added, cutting off his parents before they could object. “This is a family trip, and this family will not be separated at this time. Don’t bother arguing.”
“Why would I argue?” Sami obviously missed the dejected looks on her grandparents’ faces. “I get to go to college. There will be hot guys everywhere. I can’t wait. In fact … I’ll start packing now.”
She hopped down from her stool and moved toward her bedroom, seemingly happy.
“None of the guys at the college will be wearing kilts,” I called after her.
“Somehow I think I’ll survive,” she shot back.
“That reminds me,” Aric muttered. “I totally need to change the password on the parental controls before we go. I cannot take one more second of kilt talk.”
“Oh, well, don’t be hasty.” I gripped his knee. “I want to watch that wedding episode again before you lock me out of the television.”
“I’ll tell you the password.”
“Yes, but we both know if it’s not my name I won’t remember it.”
Aric fought the urge to smile … and lost. “Fine. That episode always puts you in the mood. I guess I can live with it.”
And just like that we were resigned to our new fate. The past was about to become the future, and we were in unchartered territory … again.
Covenant College, here we come.
Six
“I don’t want to leave Trouble with Grandma and Grandpa.”
Sami was firm as she stood in the doorway to our bedroom and watched us pack. Once the excitement died down and she realized the logistics of the trip were different than she imagined, her attitude shifted – and not in a good way.
“Sami, we’ll be busy while we’re there,” Aric said, adopting a pragmatic tone. “We won’t be able to see to Trouble’s needs in a timely fashion, and that’s not fair to him. He’ll be safe with Grandma and Grandpa. I promise they won’t let anything happen to him.”
“That’s right,” I added, my eyes landing on my cell phone as it rested on the nightstand. I had a few calls to make, but couldn’t make them in front of Sami. Heck, I wasn’t sure I wanted to make them in front of Aric in case he disagreed with my decision. That wouldn’t stop me, of course. “Grandma and Grandpa promised to take good care of Trouble while we’re gone. Do you think they’re lying to you?”
“I don’t know.”
I waited for her to expand on her argument.
“I’m going to miss him,” Sami added after a beat. “He’s the only friend I have who doesn’t try to kill me whenever I turn my back.”
Aric’s face expressed sympathy as he turned toward her. “I know you’ll miss him, but he’ll be safer here. Do you want to put him in danger?”
“No.”
“Then … what do you want?” Aric planted his hands on his hips. “Do you want to stay with your grandparents, too?”
Now it was my turn to balk. “Wait a second … .”
Aric held up his hand to silence me. “Is that what you want, Sami?” he repeated.
“I … .” Sami looked conflicted as she glanced around. Finally she took a long step inside the room and shut the door so no one could eavesdrop. “What’s going to happen there?”
“We don’t know yet,” I replied, sitting on the corner of the bed. “We’ll do some investigating. If we feel that things are dangerous, we’ll turn around and leave.”
“You mean you’ll turn around and drop me off with Grandma and Grandpa before going back and setting the entire place on fire,” Sami muttered, rolling her neck back and forth. It was something she picked up from Aric, a way to loosen her muscles. I found her resemblance to her father adorable when she did it. I’m not sure Aric realized how much she looked like him when they stood so close and mimicked each other’s stances.
“That’s a distinct possibility,” Aric said, refusing to lie. “Covenant College is where all of this started.
If we can end it there – if we can ensure your safety for a good long while by tearing it down – we’ll do it.”
Sami widened her eyes. “What about the people who go there?”
“We’re not murderers. We’ll make sure we don’t endanger innocent people.”
Sami made an exaggerated “well, duh” face. “But what if they’re all monsters? I’ve heard some of the stories you guys tell. It seems you were always in danger when you were there. Why will it be different now?”
“We weren’t always in danger,” Aric clarified, sitting on the arm of the chair closest to the door. “I know it probably sounds like a horrible place, but I have a lot of great memories of that campus.”
“Because that’s where you met Mom?”
Aric nodded. “My life changed there. It changed for the better. I got everything I ever wanted and a few things I never knew I wanted because that’s where I met your mom.”
“We’re not going to be walking into a place where everyone we see is trying to kill us,” I offered. “Most of the people won’t realize who we are. That doesn’t mean that Covenant College isn’t a threat, or that we can ignore it.”
“We want you with us because we feel better when we’re the ones protecting you,” Aric added. “If you’re not comfortable with that, you can go with your grandparents.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Aric silenced me with a look. I didn’t like the possibility of being separated from Sami given the circumstances. When we weren’t being hunted I was more than happy to send her off with Helen and James for an extended weekend so Aric and I could have some alone time. This was a vastly different scenario.
“You’d really let me go?” Sami sucked in a breath, surprised by the offer. “I don’t want to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. I want to go with you. I want to see this place. It’s the whole reason I exist, after all.”
Aric smirked. “I like to believe that your mother and I were destined to find each other no matter what, that even if we didn’t slam into each other one day at the University Center that we would’ve found each other someplace else. I understand what you mean, though.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 58