“The only person you would know is Scott,” Aric answered.
“The boy who was good with computers?” Rafael asked, knitting his eyebrows. “I never liked him. He had a crush on Zoe.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“I wouldn’t go there,” Aric warned. “I was mean to him right before he died and I’m not feeling too good about it. His girlfriend tracked Mark down for us.”
“Well, I suppose I can adjust my thinking now that he’s dead,” Rafael said, although he didn’t put a lot of effort into the statement.
“How magnanimous of you,” I deadpanned.
“I wouldn’t push her,” Aric said. “She may look and sound the same, but she has a few new tricks up her sleeve, and her temper is a thing to behold these days.”
Rafael was intrigued. “Do tell.”
Aric did just that, launching into a short tale encompassing the past five years. When he got to the part where I absorbed a magical book and went on a killing rampage, Rafael was officially impressed.
“I heard about the siege on the compound, but I had no idea it was Zoe,” Rafael said. “That makes sense. The wolves have been whispering about an angel of death. I guess that’s you.”
“I’m not surprised the wolf chatter spread,” Aric said. “Zoe wiped most of them out, but we strategically kept a few standing to spread the word. How did you find out about Mark?”
“I’ve been in Europe,” Rafael explained. “I still have contacts in the area. When I heard Mark Doyle was here I ignored the tidbits as idle gossip as long as I could. I was convinced he was either incarcerated or dead, so my informants must be mistaken.”
“Were you with Fiona in Europe?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. Fiona was his girlfriend last time I checked.
“I was,” Rafael confirmed. “She’s still there dealing with a family squabble, but she’ll return here shortly. She’s as concerned about the ramifications of Mark’s resurfacing as I am.”
“Why didn’t you contact with us when you found out Mark was back?” Aric asked.
“I tried,” Rafael said. “You have no listed phone numbers, and I wasn’t comfortable calling the senator outright. I did call his office and get an aide once, but the man would not put me through.”
“Well, we’ll make sure you have a way to get in contact with us in the future,” Aric said. “We’ve spent the past five years living under the radar … for obvious reasons. That didn’t stop people from coming after us. We’re not hiding any longer.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you getting married now?” Rafael asked.
“Because I love her,” Aric replied, unruffled.
“That’s not what I meant,” Rafael said, smirking. “I’ve known you loved her from the beginning. My mistake was thinking I could love her the same way you did. At a certain point I knew that was impossible. Still, I would’ve thought you two would mate right after graduation.”
I made a face. “Mate? Is that code for something dirty?”
“Your mind always goes to a dirty place where I’m concerned,” Aric said, resting his hand on top of mine. “He’s talking about marrying, not … the other thing.”
“Oh,” I said. “Aric bought a ring right after graduation and then hid it for five years. Blame him for us not … mating … right away.”
“Thank you for that, Zoe,” Aric muttered.
Rafael snickered. “I see the fire still burns. That’s good. What do you plan to do about Mark?”
“We need to talk about that,” Aric said. “Our initial plan was to stay under the radar and follow him. I want to know whether he’s trying to get the Academy up and running.”
“I have been following him for the same reason,” Rafael admitted. “He does not go near the building where the Academy was housed. That doesn’t mean he’s not trying to revive it. He could be doing it someplace else, or by different means than Blake employed. I simply don’t know.”
“Have you heard any whispers among the students?” Paris asked. “Kids that age can’t keep their mouths shut.”
“I make it a point to not engage with the students unless I’m absolutely desperate,” Rafael replied. “I find the older I get, the more annoying they get.”
“Join the club,” Aric said. “Some girl told me I reminded her of her father today, and that was after another girl asked Zoe and me if we were visiting our child on campus.”
“I didn’t feel old until then,” I said.
“I wouldn’t worry about being old,” Rafael said. “You’re still very … fresh looking.”
“Mine,” Aric said, narrowing his eyes.
“Oh, knock that off,” I ordered. “He’s not interested in me that way. He never was.”
“That is not entirely true,” Rafael clarified. “I was interested in you that way for quite some time. Then I spent months watching you pine for the wolf and party on a golf course. I realized then that we had absolutely nothing in common.”
“You’re not helping matters,” I said. “You’re supposed to tell him you never liked me that way.”
“I see no reason to lie to him,” Rafael said. “He had your heart a long time ago. I am neither bitter nor saddened by the turn of events. I have no doubt I would’ve strangled you in your sleep by now if the roles were reversed.”
Aric chuckled. “See. I am the perfect man. I haven’t considered strangling you even once.”
“You once told me that you thought about smothering me with a pillow when I wouldn’t shut up before bed,” I reminded him.
“Smothering is not strangling,” Aric said. “I could smother you until you pass out without killing you. I think that’s a fair reaction when I have to listen to hours upon end of idle chatter about why you hate the Kardashians and if you had your druthers you would shoot anyone who tries to remake a classic horror movie.”
“I’m with her on the Kardashians and the movies,” Paris interjected. “Both of those things are extremely annoying.”
“Well, great,” Aric said. “I’ll smother you when I get a chance, too.”
“I see even though things have changed in some ways, they are exactly the same in others,” Rafael said, his eyes sparkling. “I like that. I often wondered how your life was going. Things were dull around here without you.”
“They’re not going to be dull now,” Aric said. “We need to take the fight to Mark, and if he’s not going to lead us to the Academy, I think we have to force his hand.”
“What did you have in mind?” Rafael asked.
“Well … .”
“Wait a second,” I interrupted, holding up my hand to draw everyone’s attention. “How do we know Mark isn’t going to lead us to the Academy? We’ve only been following him for a few hours.”
“I have been following him for months,” Rafael argued. “He acts like a normal professor, one that doesn’t have a care in the world. He doesn’t project evil.”
“You can only follow him at night,” I reminded him. “He’s not stupid. He knows that. He probably visits the Academy during the day to cut down on spying. I’m going to bet that wherever he’s meeting his new recruits it’s out in the open because he doesn’t want to pique interest from those who would be opposed to his band of killing and skulking.”
“You have a way with words, honey,” Aric said, chuckling. “She has a point, though. Mark could very well be visiting his Academy members during the day. He might know you’re back in the area and is playing a part.”
“How would he know I’m back?” Rafael challenged. “I haven’t talked to anyone running in Covenant College circles.”
“That doesn’t mean he isn’t aware of your return,” Aric said. “I’m sure Mark has paranormal spies, just as Blake did. He won’t broadcast it, but he’d have no choice.”
“I hate to be the wet blanket, but how can we be sure Mark is actually putting the Academy back together?” Kelsey asked. “For all we know, he came back to make amends and work
as a professor.”
“He blew up my engagement party,” I reminded her. “Now, I didn’t want that party, but I certainly didn’t want anyone to die at it. I never even got to try the stuffed mushrooms and lobster tails I heard so much about.”
“I’ll buy you seafood tomorrow,” Aric said, rubbing the back of my neck. “That great restaurant you like is here.”
“What about us?” Paris asked.
“I’ll buy you seafood, too,” Aric said. “You have to sit at a different table and not talk to us, though. Seafood puts Zoe in the mood, and you guys will ruin that if we’re all together.”
“What’s your new idea about going after Mark?” I asked. “You said you wanted to change our approach.”
“I want to knock him off his game,” Aric answered. “I think the best way to do that is to let him know we’re here and that we’re watching him.”
“How?”
“We’ll follow him,” Aric said. “We’ll show up wherever he’s at. We’ll act nice and pleasant until he goes crazy. The important thing is not to call him out in front of everyone. It will be more fun if we act as if nothing is wrong.
“If we’re obnoxious in front of people he’ll have a reason to call security and get us tossed out,” he continued. “Now, I figure I can get around that with some well-timed donations to the school if it becomes necessary. I’m still a senator’s son, after all.”
“I think Zoe should go a step further,” Paris suggested. “Mark’s an English teacher. She’s a novelist. She should go to the head of the English Department and ask to speak about her journey to publication. That would really throw Mark off his game.”
I stilled, mortified at the thought. “I write sexy romance novels under a pen name,” I pointed out. “I don’t think that counts.”
“You write romance novels?” Rafael did something I’d only seen him do on rare occasions, bursting into raucous laughter. “Are we talking full sex scenes and erotic bodice ripping?”
“Get with the times,” I shot back. “No one rips bodices anymore.”
“There are a lot of panties being ripped off,” Aric supplied. “I make her read them to me on naked Sundays so we can reenact the scenes.”
“Don’t tell people that,” I hissed. “They’ll think I’m a deviant.”
“I have to read one of these books,” Rafael said.
“Really? I would think you’re more of a ‘War and Peace’ guy because you’re so much more mature than the rest of us,” I challenged, miffed at all the fun being had at my expense.
“I do like the classics,” Rafael confirmed. “I have to read one of your books, though. My life will be empty now that I know they exist.”
“Well, I’m not telling you what name I write under,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s a secret.”
“I’ll make sure you get copies of the books,” Aric offered. “I’ll even send you a list of pages that are really hot. They’re fun.”
“Can we focus on Mark?” My temper flared, causing the pizza box on the counter to flip.
Rafael lifted an eyebrow and glanced over my shoulder. “Did you do that?”
“That’s how she vents these days,” Aric explained. “She’s extremely powerful and has a tendency to lash out when she’s upset. Yesterday she blew up a flowerpot, and when I took her side she shaped the floating petals into a heart. It was kind of cute.”
“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Kelsey cooed.
“And schmaltzy,” Paris added.
“It was both,” Aric said. “She’s still doing a great job keeping things under control. I’m proud of her.”
“Oh, you’re still in trouble if you give those books to Rafael,” I warned. “I don’t care how cute you think you are.”
“We’ll find another way to unnerve Mark,” Aric said. “Seeing us in the hallways and on the sidewalks will be enough for the first day. I say we have daily meetings for progress reports.
“Rafael can’t go out during the day, so he’ll have to hear about our efforts after dark tomorrow,” he continued. “I know you hate the kids on the campus, but I need you to reach out to your contacts to see whether they’re hearing whispers about the Academy.
“I can’t believe he came back to Covenant College to be a professor, blow up our engagement party, and then leave things alone,” Aric said. “We need to figure out what his plan is, and then formulate one of our own. I want to be sure we do things right this time.”
“That sounds great,” I said, offering Aric a wan smile before turning to Rafael. “You can’t read those books. I’ll die of embarrassment.”
“Something tells me you’ll survive,” Rafael countered. “I will die if I don’t read those books. It’s a tradeoff.”
“This sucks.”
12
Twelve
“Okay, Mark has back-to-back classes,” Aric said the next morning as we stood in the parking lot outside of the English building. “He’s in his first one now. I want you to wait for it to end before you start the plan. Don’t barge into the room and threaten to set him on fire while I’m gone.”
I did my best to keep from scowling – and failed. I knew he wasn’t trying to be bossy, but sometimes he can’t help himself and it’s frustrating. “What do you think I’m going to do?” I already knew the answer to the question, but I wanted to see whether he’d admit it.
“I’m afraid you’re going to lose your temper in front of a bunch of people and out yourself as magical,” Aric replied, not missing a beat. “I’m afraid you’ll draw attention to yourself and cause even more people to go after you. I’m afraid someone will try to kill you because of it and actually succeed. I’m afraid because I know that will break me.”
His answer was so honest and earnest I couldn’t help but soften my stance. “How is it that you know exactly what to say to get me to do what you want?”
“I think that’s called love,” Aric said, his handsome face splitting with a wide grin as he cupped the back of my head and gave me a quick kiss. “Stick together and be careful. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Just so I’m clear, you basically want us to make sure Mark sees us but act as if we’re visiting the college and nothing is wrong, right?” Kelsey pressed.
“Yes,” Aric confirmed.
“What happens if he questions us directly?” Paris asked.
“Keep pretending you don’t know what he’s talking about. Tell him you’re just spending a week at the college as a reunion,” Aric instructed. “Don’t let him ruffle you. Keep in mind that confronting him is the same as letting him win.”
“You said that for my benefit, didn’t you?” I asked, scratching the side of my nose with my middle finger to prove just how juvenile the campus visit was making me.
“Cute,” Aric said, cupping my chin and giving me another kiss. “I know you want to win. This is how you’ll get under his skin. I trust you to be marvelous at it.”
“Oh, I’m going to get under his skin,” I said. “I just want to use a knife when I do it.”
Aric faltered. He wasn’t keen on my attitude when it turned bloodthirsty. “I know you want revenge, but I am not willing to lose you in the process,” he said. “We’re going to figure out how to take Mark down as a unit. I really would prefer you didn’t go crazy serial killer on me if at all possible.”
“I’ll be good,” I promised.
“What are you going to do?” Kelsey asked. “I know you said you were going to see the college president, but what do you hope to accomplish while you’re there?”
“I want to make sure he’s aware I’m in town and that I’m considering funding a new building,” Aric replied. “I want him to think that’s why we’re here. I’ll handle him while you guys make sure Mark is aware of our presence.
“Then, when Mark tries to complain to the president, he’ll be less likely to listen,” he continued. “Besides the dollar signs he’ll inevitably be seeing float through his head, I’
ll also lay the groundwork that you guys are looking around the buildings because you’re nostalgic.”
“You’re basically protecting us,” I supplied.
“Basically,” Aric said. “Now, I am begging the three of you to stick to the plan and don’t go overboard. I know it’s difficult, but show some restraint. Wait until I’m with you before you do that.”
“It’ll be fine,” I said. “Of all the things we’ve faced over the past few weeks – heck, the past few years – hanging around the hallway of the English building is pretty much the easiest task you’ve ever given me.”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m worried about things spiraling out of control,” Aric admitted. “You have a tendency to force the issue when you’re bored. Paris and Kelsey are here to make sure you don’t get bored.”
“I think you’re insinuating I have a short attention span – like a child.”
“I’m insinuating that I want to watch you in action because I love you,” Aric countered.
“Nice save.”
“I work well under pressure,” Aric said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Be good and have fun. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back.”
“I DON’T think the problem is that we look old,” Kelsey said, studying a group of girls as they walked through the building. “I think the problem is that they look too young.”
“That must be it,” Paris said dryly.
“I think it has something to do with hormones in our food,” Kelsey said. “These kids clearly have eaten too many hormones. It’s stunted their growth.”
That made absolutely no sense. “Have you ever considered that we looked just as young when we were that age, but that we have a different outlook now?” I asked.
“Does that mean our perception was skewed then or now?”
That was a really good question. “I have no idea,” I said. “I remember being eighteen and thinking I knew everything. Now I’m twenty-seven and I’m pretty sure I know absolutely nothing.”
“You and me both,” Paris said. “We could get away with doing dumb things when we were teenagers because we didn’t know any better. Now when we do dumb things we know better, so we look like idiots when we do them.”
Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 9