“Once I realized what was happening I tried to sneak out,” Paris said. “That’s when you caught me by the door. I thought I could run with the book, and as long as you never activated it there would be no reason for Quinn to go after you.”
“Well, I’ve activated the book now,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose to ward off the oncoming headache. “I think the lightning proves that.”
“We should have destroyed the book from the beginning, like I wanted,” Aric said.
“That’s on me. I wanted to play with it. It’s all on me.”
“It’s not on you alone, Zoe,” Aric said. “Paris walked into our house with the express purpose of betraying us. You didn’t do that. Her friends are evil freaks. They did this.”
“Do you know what we’re walking into?” I asked, narrowing my eyes to dangerous slits as I focused on Paris. “How many people are we going to have to fight off to get to my parents?”
“Zoe, you have to understand, I never thought for a moment that Quinn would go after your parents,” Paris said, her voice shaking.
“And yet he did.”
“He has at least twenty wolves following him,” Paris said. “There are at least ten or twenty witches where we’re going, too.”
“And where is that?” Aric pressed.
“There’s a compound about ten miles north of here. That’s where he’ll be.”
“And he’ll be waiting, right?”
“I don’t know,” Paris said. “I have not been in contact with him since I arrived at your house. I knew I made a mistake when the wolves attacked. I’m trying to help you here, Zoe. I’m on your side.”
“I’m sure you’ll understand if we’re skeptical,” Aric said snidely.
“Please, Zoe, I’m on your side,” Paris said. “I promise. I’m … so sorry.”
I turned my back to her as I considered the ramifications of what she’d done. I wanted to believe this was a mistake. I wanted to believe this was an error in judgment. All the lies she told since reuniting with us weighed heavy on my shoulders.
“I don’t ever want to see you again,” I said. “Go.”
“What?”
“Go.”
“You can’t abandon me in the middle of the woods, Zoe,” Paris pleaded. “You need me if you hope to have any chance against Quinn. I’m the only one who can help you.”
“Go!”
22
Twenty-Two
The small tree next to me burst into flames.
Aric moved quickly and jerked me away, pushing me closer to the river, and then strode to his pack so he could rummage inside. He withdrew a small fire extinguisher and doused the flames.
“I came prepared,” he said, tossing the extinguisher back on his pack. “Are you going to do that again?”
I shook my head, ashamed my anger got the better of me.
“It was a small fire, Zoe,” Aric said. “At least it wasn’t Paris.”
I didn’t tell him it was almost her and that I changed my trajectory at the last second. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Zoe,” Aric said. “I’m angry, too. If I could start fires with my mind we’d be in a world of hurt right now.”
Paris stood a few feet away, her hand over her mouth, her eyes glued to the singed tree.
“You should go,” I said, forcing my voice to remain even. “That will be you next time.”
“I can’t go, Zoe,” Paris said, regaining a modicum of composure. “You know as well as I do that I can’t walk away in the middle of the woods.”
“She’s right,” Aric said.
My mouth dropped open as stunned disbelief washed over me. “What?”
“Loath as I am to admit it, we need her,” Aric said. “We can use her as a bargaining chip with Quinn if it comes down to it.”
“He’s already proved that he’ll kill her to get his hands on the book,” I pointed out. “He’s not going to trade my parents for her.”
“He won’t, ” Aric agreed. “If we convince him that she’s working with us, though, she’s another target.”
“I don’t trust her.”
“I don’t trust her either,” Aric said, rolling his eyes as Paris whimpered. “You and I will have our hands full with ten wolves and possibly twenty witches. Even if you start the whole compound on fire, we may need help getting your parents out of there. You know that as well as I do.”
Well, if he wanted to be rational … .
“If we cut her loose now, Quinn’s trackers will scoop her up and she’ll be another weapon for him to use against us,” Aric added.
“How will he use her against us?” I challenged. “I’m not going out of my way to save her. She’s on her own.”
“Zoe, please don’t say that,” Paris said, her voice cracking.
“They might not take her to Quinn at all,” Aric said. “They might kill her and leave her body here to rot. Can you live with that?”
“Yes.”
“Really?” Aric pressed.
Could I? “She betrayed us,” I said. “I think I knew. I think I knew you were right in the beginning. I didn’t want to believe you because that meant I wasn’t worth any loyalty. That was me betraying you.”
“Don’t get melodramatic,” Aric said. “I know part of you at least … suspected … she wasn’t telling the whole truth. I saw it on your face a few times. You pushed it out of your head because you didn’t want to believe it. That’s normal. You didn’t betray me.”
“I feel like an idiot.”
“You are the most loyal person I know, so when someone works against you in the manner Paris has it baffles you,” Aric said. “That doesn’t mean you’re an idiot. It means you’re human.”
“Zoe, I swear I would never have let Quinn hurt you,” Paris cried. “That was never part of the plan. You have to know I would never do that.”
“You need to stop talking now,” Aric snapped, pointing at Paris. “You’ve done quite enough. If you don’t stop, she’ll fry you right here, and you won’t have to worry about what Quinn is going to do to you.”
“I want to help you,” Paris said. “Why do you think I’m here?”
“I think you want the book,” Aric replied, not missing a beat. “I think you’ve been trying to figure out a way to grab it for days. You couldn’t right away because I locked it up. You thought you would have a chance before my father showed up, but he was so enamored with it he never let it out of his sight. Don’t play coy with me. I know what you were planning.”
“I was never going to take the book and give it to Quinn,” Paris argued. “I wanted it destroyed. After Quinn sent the wolves, I realized what he was. I realized he was … Mark … all over again.”
“You do have bleeding tragic taste in men,” I seethed.
“I don’t care what your intentions were,” Aric said. “I’m too tired to give it much thought. For now, you’re sticking with us. When this is all over, you can get out of our lives and never look back.”
“But … .”
“That’s the deal,” I said, cutting her off. “Take it or leave it.”
AFTER a tense lunch of fish and potato chips – which tasted nothing like beer-battered cod and French fries, no matter how Aric tried to spin it – we picked up our hike again.
If Paris was right, we could reach the compound by dark. Aric kept pace with me, staying close enough that I could feel his presence but giving me the emotional space I needed to think. It was sweet and grating at the same time.
“You don’t need to hover,” I said. “I’m not going to set anything on fire. I’m saving all of that for Quinn when I see him.”
“Well, that will be fun,” Aric said. “We’ll get to enjoy the fireworks of the Fourth of July a whole month early.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“I’m not sure,” Aric replied, opting for honesty. “I knew I was getting angrier with each step, and I was taking it out on you. That wasn’t fair.
I didn’t think things would blow up the way they did, but I can’t say I’m upset that you know. I am sorry for you, though.”
“I thought she was my friend.”
“Zoe, if it’s any consolation, I think she is your friend,” Aric said. “I’m not making excuses for what she did. Loneliness can paralyze people, though. Paris has always been looking for someone to love her. That’s how a guy like Quinn could move in and take advantage of her.”
“She let him take advantage of her.”
“Not everyone is as strong as you are,” Aric said. “I know you love me, but I don’t live under any illusions that you couldn’t live your life without me. I don’t think Paris is like that, though.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Paris is searching for something, and we can’t give her what she needs,” Aric said.
“Not about Paris,” I said. “You’re wrong about you and me. I knew a long time ago that you became necessary in my life. I’m still not sure how it happened, but it’s true. I don’t want to live my life without you. I … can’t.
“That’s why when I thought you were going to marry some other wolf and run off with her I thought my heart was going to explode,” I said. “It hurt. I couldn’t breathe.”
“Well, that’s one of the dumber things you’ve ever thought,” Aric said. “I guess we’re going to have to face the truth and admit we’re hopelessly co-dependent and addicted to one another.”
I didn’t want to smile, but I couldn’t help myself. “That was very romantic.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m still not calling you ‘my lord’ when we get married,” I said.
“I don’t expect you to,” Aric said, affectionately patting my rear end. “If you work it into your vows, though, that will be more than enough.”
“You’re dreaming if … .” I tilted my head, swiveling quickly when I realized Paris had stopped moving forward. Instead of an invisible threat moving in on her – or her moving against us – she stared at an open field about twenty feet away. “What are you looking at?”
Paris snapped her head in my direction, surprised I was addressing her after hours of silence. “I … do you know what that is?”
I glanced back at the field. “They look like white flowers. Do you want to pick them? Isn’t white the color for peace? You can offer them to Quinn when we get there and hope they’re enough to keep him from killing you.”
Paris swallowed hard, obviously terrified by my anger, but held her ground. “They’re not flowers. They’re mushrooms.”
“Do you want to make a pizza?”
“No,” Paris said, making a face. “Don’t you understand what that is?”
“It’s a field with mushrooms,” I said, stalking after Paris as she moved in the direction of the field. “Don’t go thinking that mushrooms are going to somehow make this better. I’m mad at you.”
“You have every right to be,” Paris said. “I’m an awful person and friend.”
“Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to work on me,” I said. “I don’t feel sorry for you. You’re a bad person, and you date horrible men.”
“I’m not arguing either of those points,” Paris said. She moved to the center of the field, kneeling next to a half-dead tree. “Don’t you see this?”
“Tell me what we’re looking at,” Aric prompted. “I must be missing it, too.”
“It’s a fairy ring,” Paris explained. “The tree even has a face.”
I glanced around the clearing. It looked like a dead tree that may or may not have a face in the middle of a circle of toadstools. “What the heck is a fairy ring?”
“Throughout history many people have considered it magical,” Paris answered. “In medieval times, people were convinced the mushrooms were formed by dragon fire rings.”
“Oh, well, great,” I said. “I think Smaug might come in handy. Where do you think we can find him?”
Aric poked me in the side and shook his head before turning back to Paris. “Why is this important?”
“They’re supposed to be a source of magic for good practitioners,” Paris replied. “They’re rare.”
“Can these mushrooms boost my power so I can fight off twenty people without getting my parents and Aric killed?”
“And you,” Aric interjected. “You’re walking out of this with us.”
“That’s a given. I love myself as much as you do.”
“I think it’s weird that a fairy ring just happens to be in the middle of the woods we’re walking through,” Paris said. “It has to be divine intervention.”
“Unless these fairies can make me a pizza with these mushrooms and kill evil wolves and … old guys … I don’t really care,” I said. “Let’s keep moving.”
“Wait a second,” Paris said. “Don’t you want to see if there’s magic here we can tap into?”
“No.”
“Zoe, if anyone can call power from a fairy ring, it has to be you,” Paris challenged. “Think about it. If this place can give you a power boost, don’t you want to at least try?”
“Not really,” I replied, my agitation getting the better of me. “I’m not Mario. There’s no way mushrooms are going to make me grow so I can squash my enemies by jumping on them.”
Aric furrowed his brow. “Mario?”
“The video game, dude. Keep up.”
“Don’t call me that,” Aric warned.
“Zoe, just … see if you can feel something here,” Paris pleaded. “I’ve always believed in the magic of a fairy ring. It can’t hurt to try.”
I glanced at Aric. “What do you think?”
“I think we have five minutes to spare but that’s it,” Aric said. “I’ve never heard of a fairy ring. I don’t see why you can’t try, though.”
I shrugged and moved into the center of the mushrooms, tilting my head as the buzzing caught my attention. “Are there bees here? You know I don’t like bees.”
“I don’t see any bees,” Aric said. “Bees won’t hurt you unless you give them a reason to do it. Don’t be a pain.”
“I still don’t like them,” I said. “I … don’t you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Paris’ face was eager as she leaned forward, keen to hear what I heard.
I dug my finger in my ear and moved it around. “Something is … buzzing. It has to be bees. It … .” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence because the small meadow disappeared as the ground opened up and swallowed me whole. “What the … ?”
“Zoe!”
I had no idea what just happened, but Aric’s howling led me to believe it wasn’t good. Oh, the overwhelming darkness I found myself mired in wasn’t a good sign either. Was I underground? How did that happen?
Well … crap!
23
Twenty-Three
“Well, this just bites the big one.”
I extended my hands, hoping to find a landmark to give me a hint as to where I was. I could still hear Aric howling, and even though I knew physically he wasn’t far away, the tinny tone of his voice told me something big was between us.
My hand brushed against something and I yanked it back, sucking in a breath as I realized I had no choice but to try again. If I touched a snake, all bets were off. I would burn the very ground that swallowed me to get out.
I reached out again and let my fingertips rest on the cold earth. I couldn’t see anything, yet I knew I was underground, perhaps in a cave.
“Okay, enough is enough,” I said. “I’m guessing that something tricky is going on because we were in a fairy ring – or a circle of mushrooms by a dead tree, as I like to call it – and because I’m me, that probably means I’m about to see something horrible.”
“You have an interesting way of looking at life.”
I jumped at the voice, hoping that squeaking sound I emitted was in my head. “Oh, well, good. There’s a strange voice in the dark with me. I think I’m in a cave. I might be underground. There’s a good
chance I’m buried alive. All of this is better than more hiking, though. So … where am I?”
“Where do you think you are?”
“Hell.”
The low voice chuckled, causing the dark space to fill with mirth. “Not quite, Zoe Lake.”
Oh, good, the strange voice in the dark knew my name. “I seem to be at a disadvantage,” I said. “You know who I am and I can’t even see you.”
“The darkness is in your mind,” the voice replied. “You have the ability to cut through it if you wish.”
“And how do I do that?”
“Use the power bestowed upon you by blood and birthright.”
“I hate voices that think they sound wise even though they have more in common with fortune cookies,” I muttered. Despite my discomfort, I reached out with my mind and pulsed a charge. Part of me hoped I would hit my new friend. Instead, flames jumped to life in the corner. I peered in the direction of the light source and realized I managed to ignite torches. It was a cavern, and while it wasn’t exactly bright, the torchlight was better than darkness.
I moved my eyes to my left and fought the urge to cringe when I saw who had been talking to me. He looked like a man – kind of. He was tall, his chest bare. His blond hair was wild and long, and his beard drifted down to his chest in a mass of waves. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as though flowers – or weeds – were snarled in there. Thankfully, I didn’t have to see the bottom half – I had a feeling that was filthy, too – because some sort of toga or skirt hung from his hips.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Cernunnos.”
“Yeah, I’m never going to remember that,” I said. “I’m going to call you Bob. What are you doing hiding in a hole in the ground, Bob?”
“Waiting for you.”
Oh, well, good. My day wasn’t weird enough. “You knew I would fall into a hole in the ground?”
“You did not fall, Zoe Lake,” Bob said. “You walked through a door.”
“I didn’t see a door.”
“Perhaps it saw you.”
This was getting me nowhere. “How far away is Aric? You need to get a message to him that I’m okay. He’s going to have a heart attack.”
Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) Page 17