“I didn’t mean to upset her,” Paris said, her voice low.
I hid behind the grandfather clock on the far side of the window so I could listen through the open door without fear of detection.
“I know,” Aric replied. “I didn’t realize she would freak out like that either.”
“She didn’t freak out as much as shut down,” Paris countered. “I clearly caught her off guard, and she couldn’t get away fast enough. I have a feeling I stepped in something big. Have you guys been arguing about getting married?”
“We’ve never talked about it.” Aric’s tone was flat.
“You’ve never talked about it?” Paris asked shrilly, her voice rising to the point Aric shushed her. “How can you have never talked about it? You two have been living together for five years.”
“I’ve done the math, Paris,” Aric replied, unperturbed. “I don’t need your input on the situation.”
“Do you admit there’s a situation?”
“No,” Aric snapped. “We’re happy, Paris. This is the life we want. I know it’s not the life you’d choose, but this works for us. I don’t appreciate you coming here and messing everything up.”
“Hey, that wasn’t my intention,” Paris shot back. “I want Zoe happy as much as you do. I was stunned when I saw you two together and you weren’t wearing rings. I was ready to lay into you for making sure I missed the wedding.”
“Leave it alone, Paris,” Aric growled.
“No. She’s clearly upset. Why haven’t you asked her to marry you yet?”
My ears perked up at the question. Was he going to admit he hadn’t asked me because he didn’t see it in our future?
“It’s none of your concern, Paris,” Aric said. “Mind your own business on that front. You’re not entitled to inside information on our relationship. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that I love that mouthy pain in the ass more than anything in this world. Above and beyond that, butt out.”
“Good grief, Aric. I never once doubted your love for Zoe,” Paris countered, refusing to back down. “You showed her more loyalty and love than I’ve ever seen anyone show another human being. That’s why I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
“Let it go.” The words weren’t a warning; they were a plea. “Please. Don’t ruin this evening. Zoe was so excited to see you. She loves you. I didn’t realize until I saw the look on her face how much the isolation is affecting her.
“I don’t keep her here because I want to control her,” he continued. “I know you think that. Don’t bother lying. I can read it on your face. I am legitimately terrified that someone – or some monster, for that matter – will try to take her from me.
“I can’t live without her,” Aric said, his words warming my heart. “I’m doing the very best I can to give her the life she deserves without putting her at risk. I don’t need you second-guessing everything.”
Part of me didn’t care if he ever proposed. The other part of me was a still a little bitter. I’m not going to lie. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t deny that. I also wanted … more. That was a daunting thought.
“I’m not asking you to change your lives, Aric,” Paris said. “You’re already living together as though you’re married. You’ve already pledged your heart to her forever. I don’t understand why you haven’t taken the final step.”
“Let it go,” Aric said, slapping the spatula on the grill. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
“Okay,” Paris said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’ll let it go. It’s not my business. This is your home, and it’s your relationship.”
“Thank you.”
“I want Zoe to be happy, Aric,” Paris said. “She’ll be happy as long as she has you, but I don’t see why she can’t officially have you so the whole world knows you’re together forever.”
“We will be together forever,” Aric said. “Don’t ever doubt that.”
4
Four
After an uncomfortable start to dinner, one in which I pretended I hadn’t been listening to their conversation, and Paris and Aric acted as if nothing transpired between them, we settled into old patterns and chatted amiably on the deck.
Aric lit citronella candles to ward off the bugs. In my opinion it didn’t do much other than tick them off, but I was used to being eaten alive by mosquitoes when the weather is warm. It’s part of the charm of living in the middle of nowhere.
“How did you guys decide to settle here?” Paris asked, sipping her glass of wine and leaning back in her chair.
Aric rubbed idle circles on my knuckles with one hand as he nursed a beer with the other. “I wanted a place where I could shift without worrying about neighbors,” he answered. “I also wanted a place where Zoe could be herself without prying eyes.”
“Be herself?” Paris wrinkled her forehead, confused. “Isn’t Zoe herself wherever she goes?”
“Zoe is herself twenty-four hours a day,” Aric replied, squeezing my hand. “I didn’t know whether her powers would continue to manifest, though. If they did, I wanted her to have a place where she could practice controlling them without fear of killing people.”
“He was afraid my eyes would start glowing again. At least out here no one would ever notice,” I added, going for levity. After a particularly brutal fight my junior year, one in which I used my mage magic to set a person ablaze – yes, literally – my eyes burned so brightly they cast an ominous blue glow. Thankfully, after a full night’s sleep, the phenomenon dissipated. I knew Aric still worried about covering that up should it happen again.
“I thought the eye thing was kind of cool,” Aric argued.
“You did not,” I scoffed. “You were trying to figure out how you were going to explain my wearing sunglasses indoors.”
“I already had that figured out,” Aric said. “I was going to tell people you were a pretentious poser who was so good in bed I had no choice but to stay with you even though you wore sunglasses indoors.”
“Nice.”
“Hey, that makes you sound like the type of woman every man wants,” Aric said. “I was doing you a favor.”
I rolled my eyes and focused on the view. It was dark, but the moon was full and the ambient light was sufficient to put the high tree line on display. I love this time of year.
“Have you developed more powers?” Paris asked.
Aric stiffened beside me, uncomfortable with the question. I squeezed his hand to reassure him.
“No,” I said. That wasn’t technically true. There had been a few … mishaps … during the past few years. None of them were on purpose, though, and Aric and I had agreed never to tell anyone about them. That was the only way we could be completely sure the truth about me never leaked out.
Paris didn’t look convinced. “Not at all? Toward the end there you were starting to do some amazing things. I can’t believe it stopped so suddenly.”
“Zoe is amazing without the powers,” Aric said. “She doesn’t need the powers. They’re not who she is. They’re things she can do. They’re not important.”
“Aric, it’s okay,” I murmured.
“I didn’t say she wasn’t amazing without her powers,” Paris said, her eyes widening. “Good grief. You guys are so sensitive.”
“Aric is just protective,” I said. “It’s one of the things I love most about him.”
Aric exhaled heavily and when he turned to me his smile was genuine. “You know what? Paris is right. I’m crabby. I think it has to do with the time of the month. It’s a full moon. I don’t mean to be rude. I’m sorry, Paris.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Paris said, waving off the apology. “I didn’t even think about it being a full moon. If you need to go run naked in the woods I understand. I’ll stay here and keep Zoe company. We can catch up.”
“I don’t run naked in the woods,” Aric countered.
“He’s usually covered with fur,” I said, nodding sagely.
Aric poked my stomach. “I don’t make you watch, do I?”
“No. You know that would kill our sex life.”
Paris giggled. “You still haven’t seen him shift? Come on.”
“I’ve seen him shift,” I replied. “It’s actually kind of fascinating. It also freaks me out, and if I watch it I can’t touch him for hours because I feel like one of those creepy animal hoarders who loves animals so much they want to marry them.”
I realized what I said when it was too late to pull the words back. Why did I bring up marriage? I sometimes wonder whether I’m a mental klutz.
“I mean … I … .”
Aric dropped my hand and slipped his arm around my shoulders. “You don’t have to watch me shift, Trouble,” he said. “I’m not keen on doing it in front of you as it is. You make these weird faces that aren’t exactly a turn-on for me either.”
“So what do you do while Aric is out running around in wolf form during a full moon?” Paris asked.
“I sit in the hot tub and wait for him to come back,” I replied.
“You guys have a hot tub?” Paris lifted her eyebrows, intrigued.
I pointed toward the ground. “It’s under the deck eave at the far side of the house.”
“So, what, Aric strips and runs around the woods in nothing but his fur suit, and you strip and wait for him to come back in the hot tub wearing nothing but your birthday suit?”
That was a pretty good guess. “We have a Jacuzzi tub in our master bedroom, and when it’s cold I wait there for him.”
“Thank you for sharing that, baby,” Aric said, getting to his feet. “Not that I’m not enjoying this conversation, but I think I’m going to give you two a little time alone and take a run.”
“Will you be naked?” Paris asked, her eyes sparkling.
“Not that you’ll see,” Aric replied. He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “I won’t be gone long.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Run as long as you want. Paris and I need to gossip and that takes us a long time, as you well remember.”
“Yes, I used to love to listen to your gossip sessions,” Aric agreed. “I never had insomnia.”
I scowled, but it didn’t last long when he pressed another kiss to my forehead.
“I love you, Zoe,” he said. I knew it was his way of making sure there were no hard feelings regarding the earlier conversation. “I’ll be back soon. Should I look for you in the hot tub, or are you two going to get drunk up here and gossip for the rest of the night?”
“I can’t get drunk,” Paris said. “I have a hotel room in town. I have to drive there yet and, no offense, your driveway is treacherous when it’s light out. It’s very … windy. I wouldn’t want to take it on if I had more than one glass of wine.”
“The ditch also moves,” I said.
“The ditch moves?” Paris was confused.
Aric tugged on a hank of my hair. “I didn’t buy that story then and I certainly don’t buy it now,” he said. “Paris, if you want to drink, we have a guestroom. You can stay here. It might be fun for you and Zoe to spend the morning together. It’s not a problem.”
“I … .” Paris broke off, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “Are you sure you want me to spend the night in your house?”
Aric sighed, resigned. “I know I haven’t been the most gracious host,” he said. “I’m not proud of it, if that’s any consolation. You’re Zoe’s friend. Heck, you’re my friend. I go a little crazy when it comes to Zoe’s safety. I can’t deny it.
“You’re still important to us,” he continued. “Zoe has been smiling like crazy for most of the night. I always want her smiling. Stay the night. I’ll cook you omelets in the morning You two can even drink wine in the hot tub tonight if you agree to stay.”
“You’re not going to join us naked, are you?” Paris teased.
“I’ll try to refrain,” Aric replied, grinning widely before turning to me. “The security fence is going to be down for a little bit. If you’re going to be in the yard you need to be extra careful.”
“Aren’t I always?” I challenged.
“Not even close,” Aric said. “Have fun gossiping. I don’t care if you two want to get into the hot tub naked together, but take some towels out there so I don’t accidentally see Paris when I come back. That would be uncomfortable for all of us.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Do you honestly think I’m going to climb into the hot tub so I can be naked with another woman?”
“I keep hoping.” Aric kissed me softly. “Don’t get so drunk you have a hangover in the morning. You’re a bear when you’re sick.”
“I am delightful when I’m sick,” I grumbled.
“We’ll agree to disagree on that one tonight. Have fun.”
ARIC wasn’t gone for more than ten minutes when Paris’ phone rang. We were in my bedroom searching for bathing suits. I had a few – even though I couldn’t remember the last time I wore one.
Paris glanced at her cell phone screen and frowned. “I’m sorry. This is work. I have to take it.”
“Someone is calling you this late for work? You need to get another job.”
“It’s a job I already turned in,” Paris replied. “They might have a change.”
“You can take the phone call in the bathroom if you want,” I said, pointing. “I’ll leave a bathing suit here for you and go down and get the cover off the hot tub. Grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen on your way down. I’ll meet you there.”
Paris already had the phone pressed to her ear, but she nodded and shot me an enthusiastic thumbs-up before disappearing in the bathroom. I couldn’t hear what she said, but it sounded like a standard business call so I left her to her work.
I quickly changed into a bathing suit, tugging on a pair of Aric’s boxer shorts and a T-shirt to cover myself for the walk down to the hot tub.
I was lost in thought as I descended the stairs, a howl in the night finally breaking my concentration and dragging my attention to the heavy trees. Aric often howled while he was out running. I liked to think he did it to reassure me he’d soon return. That probably wasn’t the reason, but I told myself it was anyway.
The hot tub cover is heavy. Aric usually takes it off for me. I can manage, but it takes a lot of effort. Once I got the top off, the sound of steps descending the hill caused me to turn. Paris was heading in my direction. She hadn’t bothered to cover up and it didn’t escape my attention that she looked better in my bikini than I did. If she wasn’t such a good friend I would hate her.
“I grabbed a bottle of this pink wine,” Paris said. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Aric isn’t going to drink it. He buys it for me.”
“How long will he be out there?” Paris asked, moving to my side and testing the water temperature with her finger. “Oh, that’s nice.”
“He won’t be gone for long,” I replied, hitting the light switch behind the tub and turning on the mood lights. They were purple. Aric purposely bought them because they were soft and romantic. “He’s too worried about the security system being down for long periods of time.”
“What kind of security system is it?”
“Some underground fence thing he developed with his father,” I answered. “It’s like sonic fencing for dogs. This zaps a lot harder, though. It will also zap monsters and vampires. It doesn’t care what walks over it. It’s zap happy.”
“What about animals?”
“They learn to stay away pretty quickly,” I replied. “Okay. I think we’re ready. I hate how good you look in my bikini, by the way.”
“Oh, give it up,” Paris shot back. “We both know your body is just as good as mine.”
“That’s what I’m going to keep telling myself,” I said. “I … .”
A low growl split the night, drawing my attention to the expansive lawn. A pair of yellowish eyes popped out of the darkness, and even though the moon afforded me only a limited sight line, I knew I was in trouble.
I shook my head. “That’s not Aric.”
“Do you know him?”
“No. I … .” It took me a second to realize what I saw. It wasn’t merely one wolf creeping up my lawn. There were multiple sets of lupine eyes flaring to life. There had to be at least ten wolves, and they were all crawling in our direction.
“That’s not normal, right?” Paris was about to panic. I could hear it in her voice.
“Sonovabitch!” Aric was going to be ticked off. He was never going to leave the house again. If I thought he hovered before, he was going to go crazy now.
“What do we do?” Paris asked.
There wasn’t a lot we could do. We were surrounded. We had to fight or die. Of course, a little backup never hurt. There was one thing I could do to even the odds.
“Aric!”
5
Five
“Oh, my … Goddess.” Paris gasped as she whirled in every direction, scanning the descending wolves with a petrified look on her face. “There has to be at least ten of them. What are we going to do?”
I knew Aric was coming. But I didn’t know how soon he would arrive – or how terrible his anger would be when he did. Aric’s appearance wouldn’t be enough to save us. He couldn’t take on ten wolves himself. That wouldn’t stop him from trying. I wouldn’t allow him to die in the effort.
I had to level the playing field.
“Hello, fuzzball,” I muttered, focusing on the nearest face. It was a big animal, large yellow eyes bulging from dark fur. “Were you waiting for Aric to go out? Have you been hiding?”
Even as I asked the questions I knew there had to be something else behind the story. If wolves were close – even in their human form – Aric would have picked up their scent. They had to come from somewhere else.
“Were you hiding in vehicles on the road until you knew it was safe?” I asked.
Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) Page 3