“If he’s even human.”
“He’s human. I smelled him … or her. I’m still not sure about that, even though we keep referring to this individual as a male.”
“I’m going to let the fact that you said you smelled someone with such pride go – even though it’s akin to one dog sniffing another’s butt – and remind you that all we’ve ascertained is that a human was hanging around outside of our house,” I pointed out.
“And crisscrossing the woods surrounding our property.”
“And that,” I said. “We don’t know if he’s our enemy or if he was simply hired to watch us by someone else. Maybe whoever is doing this is tied to Sami in a manner we don’t understand and this guy in the woods isn’t the real threat.”
“Okay, I’m willing to play the ‘what if’ game,” Aric said, wetting his lips. “We need to start with the obvious question.”
“Which is?”
“Who would have information about Sami?”
“That’s a long list,” I replied. “We didn’t exactly keep her birth under wraps.”
“We didn’t broadcast it either,” Aric countered. “The circle who knew about her was small. My father employed only wolves he genuinely trusted to be there during your labor and what happened at the end … .”
“You mean when she shook the room and caused the lights to flicker?”
“Yes, that. Only a few people knew about that. Since then we’ve been so careful, Zoe. She has never manifested something big in front of others.”
“She’s set a few fires,” I reminded him. “We didn’t manage to stop her from doing that.”
“Yeah, but no one could say with absolute certainty that she set those fires instead of you,” Aric said. “That’s not proof.”
He had a point. Still … . “What are you getting at?”
“What if this isn’t about luring her away?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“What if this is about testing her?” Aric said. “Think about it, Zoe. We all expected her to have off-the-charts power and she surprised all of us by manifesting very limited powers. She hasn’t displayed any of your range. I thought for sure there was a chance she would be more powerful because of the wolf and mage blood mixing.
“So far she can basically set fires, infiltrate minds and do that cool projection thing she mastered in the womb. We can still play that game when we’re feeling nostalgic,” he continued. “Other people have probably been waiting for her to manifest, too. Twelve is the age of maturity of a wolf. Maybe they think she’s going to pop out an entire bag of tricks now that she’s hit that mark.”
“I guess that’s possible,” I said. “There is another possibility, though. Not about the people watching Sami, mind you, but about Sami herself.”
“What?”
“Maybe she’s not going to get stronger,” I replied. “Maybe this is it. Maybe her wolf genes and mage genes cancel each other out and she’s going to get a shot at a normal life.”
Aric cupped the back of my head as he swallowed his upper lip with his lower. I could tell he wanted to argue the point but was debating if he was in the mood for a potential argument. Finally, he gave in to the dark side. “I think that’s wishful thinking on your part,” he said, his voice soft. “I think you want that for her so badly that you don’t realize she wants the exact opposite.”
I jolted at the words. “What do you mean?”
“She wants to be you, Zoe,” Aric said. “I don’t think she cares about the wolf part of her heritage. Don’t get me wrong, she wants it in as much as she thinks it would please me and her grandparents, but she’s much more interested in being like you.
“I think you’re too close to the situation and don’t see how awestruck she is by you sometimes,” he continued. “The idea of having powers thrills her. It frightens her, too, I think. The excitement is bigger than the fear, though.
“She fights with you because she thinks she’s a disappointment,” he said. “She’s not what we expected and she thinks we’re upset by that, even though, in the end, it would probably be for the better. I didn’t realize the full scope of it until she mentioned it tonight. We built up her expectations, and when things didn’t happen the way she expected … .”
Realization washed over me. He was much more intuitive than I gave him credit for sometimes. “She’s afraid this trance thing is possibly a new power,” I said. “She’s hopeful and terrified at the same time, so she attacks because she doesn’t know what else to do. When in doubt … lash out.”
“She gets that from you,” Aric whispered, kissing my cheek as he hugged me closer. “I think the power is yet to come. You didn’t manifest bolts of lightning or healing powers at her age either. There’s still a lot of time for that to come.”
“So you think someone is testing her – maybe testing us at the same time – to see if she’s manifested and to test what we’ll do to protect her.”
“I think that makes the most sense,” Aric said. “We’re not changing our game plan. The motivations of the person coming after us don’t mean a thing. We’re still going to find him and crush him.”
“I’m going to burn him.” I sounded bloodthirsty, but I was okay with that.
“I’m going to help,” Aric said. “Tomorrow my father and I are going into the woods to follow the scent trail. I couldn’t risk doing that yesterday with Heath and Sami in tow. I don’t think anyone was out there at that time, though. The trail wasn’t fresh.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I was thinking you could check out the people at the school,” Aric said. “It’s spring break, so the building is mostly empty, but there are some secretaries around. You might be able to get some information from them. See if anyone has been particularly interested in Sami.”
“Do you think this is school-related?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Aric answered. “That seems the likeliest place to start. No matter what, Zoe, we won’t stop until we’re sure this is over.”
“And we’ve sent a message.”
“I definitely think it’s time to remind people what you’re capable of,” Aric said. He blew out a sigh as he rocked me back and forth for a moment. “Do you want to help me with these dishes? I’ll make it worth your while if you do.”
“You’re such a pervert.”
“I meant I would give you a massage,” Aric countered.
“Oh, well, that does sound good.”
“I’ll be perverted after that,” Aric teased, poking my side.
“I’m going to take the puppy to Sami and lock him in with her,” I said. “She might feel better if she can sleep with him.”
“You just don’t want to deal with him when you’re going to get a massage.”
“That, too,” I conceded. “I’ll set the alarm before coming back. That way you should have most of the dishes done because you know I hate housework.”
“Ah, you’re such a good wife.”
I scooped the sleeping dog from the floor and carried him toward Sami’s room. I considered knocking, but because my arms were full and she was going to be a pain anyway I opted against it.
The room was dark when I opened the door, causing me to furrow my brow as I glanced around. I lowered the puppy to the floor and whispered. “Sami?”
She didn’t answer.
“I have your puppy.” I tried again and got the same response. She was probably pouting.
I flipped on the light, readying myself for a screech or dirty look, but found the bed empty. My heart dropped to my stomach as I scanned the room, striding to the closet to check inside before hurrying back to the kitchen.
“Did you drop off Cuddles?” Aric asked. “You’re right. We can’t let her name him that. A dog needs a more dignified name. I was thinking we could call him Rock. You know, like the wrestler.”
“Sami isn’t in her room.” I barked out the words without taking a breath.
Aric fr
owned as he swiveled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean she’s not in her room.”
“Son of a … !”
Twelve
“Stay here and watch the dog.”
Paris and Heath, in their pajamas, perched at the bottom of the stairs in the great room, stricken looks on their faces.
“Are you sure?” Paris didn’t look convinced. “The more boots on the ground, the better.”
“No offense, but you’ll only slow us down,” I said, tugging on my tennis shoes and grabbing the flashlight Aric extended in my direction. “We’ll have our cell phones, so if she comes back or anyone calls … .”
“You don’t think someone took her for ransom, do you?” Helen looked sick to her stomach but determined to help with the search.
“Right now we don’t know if she walked out on her own because she was ticked off or if someone lured her out,” Aric replied. “I should’ve activated the security system while Zoe was outside with the dog. I didn’t think about it.”
“She didn’t leave through the back while we were out there,” I said. “That means someone either lured her out through the front because they knew where we were or … .”
“She left on her own to teach us a lesson,” Aric said grimly. “If she purposely walked out of this house I’m going to ground her until she’s thirty. I’m going to tie her to me. No, better, I’m going to tie her to you. If that’s not punishment, I don’t know what is.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly. Most mothers would have a panic attack in this situation. I was so angry I couldn’t muster the energy to panic.
“That’s not what I meant.” Aric’s expression softened. “We’ll find her.”
“And if she’s with someone I’m going to tear them limb from limb,” I muttered, moving toward the back door.
“This wouldn’t have happened at all if you’d let me put guards on her,” James intoned, falling into step behind me. “You should’ve listened to me.”
“That doesn’t help us now, does it?” I exploded, my power lashing out and shredding one of Sami’s teenybopper magazines as it rested on the coffee table. It exploded into a thousand pieces, all scattering in different directions and fluttering to the ground.
James was taken aback, but he didn’t back down. “You know I’m right. Why don’t you just admit it?”
He had balls. I had to give him that. “Because that doesn’t solve our current problem,” I seethed. “She’s gone now. We can’t go back in time and do what you want to do. That would cut down on your ‘I told you so’ attitude anyway. Nobody wants that.”
“Okay, you need to calm down and come with me,” Aric said, wrapping his arm around my waist and dragging me to the east side of the yard. “We’ll head this way. You guys go that way.”
James nodded curtly, his face unreadable. Either he was completely ticked off or reasonably abashed. I honestly didn’t care which.
“No,” I said, jerking away from Aric. “We’re splitting up.”
“We are not,” Aric shot back. “Mom and Dad are a team. You and I are a team.”
“We’ll cover more ground separately, Aric,” I argued. “She could be anywhere.”
“No.” Aric’s jaw was grim and set. “I will not risk losing both of you.”
His heart was breaking. I could practically see it. He blamed himself for not thinking ahead about the security system. As much as I wanted to comfort him, though, I couldn’t.
“Aric, this isn’t your fault,” I said. “It’s no one’s fault.” James cleared his throat and earned a scorching look from me. “We made a mistake. Odds are she left to teach us a lesson. We can’t watch her every second of every day. We just have to find her now.
“You and I are the strongest people here,” I continued, catching a slight eye-roll from James out of the corner of my eye and ignoring it. “We need to cover as much ground as possible. That means splitting up.”
Aric was stubborn, as usual. “What if you need me?”
“I pity anyone who gets in my way tonight, but if I do need you I have a feeling you’ll know it,” I said. “You’ve felt me before when I was afraid. I need you out there using that gift to sense Sami.”
Aric growled as he nodded, grabbing the front of my shirt and pulling me in for a quick kiss. “Be careful. If you do find someone out there, it might be better if we take them alive so we can question them.”
“I’m not making any promises.”
“I know,” Aric said. “If you kill them, make it hurt.”
“Oh, well, I was wrong,” I said, forcing a tight smile. “That is a promise.”
THE WOODS surrounding the house were dark. We had no neighbors for miles in any direction. Aric chose the property because it was isolated, and at the time he thought the best way to keep me safe – to keep someone from coming after me – was to hide. He changed his mind when evil found us anyway, deciding fear was a better motivator. It hadn’t always worked, but we’d remained safe for years. Until now.
I wasn’t as familiar with the woods as Aric and Sami were. Aric shifted several times a month just because he loved to run – and howl. I always knew he was out there enjoying himself because he would howl every once in a while to let me know he was safe. Sami never feared the woods. Aric taught her how to make forts, hunt for mushrooms and even track animals when her attention span allowed. Being in the woods after dark wouldn’t frighten her. The knowledge that we’d found her missing might, however.
I blew out a sigh as I opened my mind, letting my consciousness expand and drift in case Sami was close enough to sense. If she was afraid she might not be able to stop herself from trying to search for me, and if that happened I would have her.
Out of the corner of my left eye something dark flitted past. It didn’t make any noise, but I swear I saw something akin to streaming fringe. When I stared at the area, though, it was empty. The same thing happened on my right side a moment later, the exact black streak I was convinced I saw a moment earlier. When I snapped my head in that direction, though, I found nothing but trees.
Someone was clearly messing with me. Instead of being afraid, though, I was elated. I had to be on the right track if someone was trying to throw me off.
“You’re messing with the wrong person,” I said, my voice strong and clear. I couldn’t see anyone – or anything – moving in the immediate area. That didn’t mean I couldn’t sense something watching me. In fact, if the prickling on the back of my neck was any indication, I had several guests closing in. “You’re not going to like what will happen if you’re not careful.”
I tilted my head to the side as a small hiss, almost as if a snake was underfoot, hit my ears. I wasn’t keen on snakes – or bugs, especially bees, if you want to get right down to it – but I wouldn’t let something serpentine stop me from reclaiming what I came for.
“Do you guys think this is funny?” I loosened the vise grip I kept on my powers – er, the bad ones, that is – and sent an arcing bolt of fire to my right. A lone tree sitting on a small hill erupted into flames and I heard an unearthly scream as something behind it flailed about. I’d gotten more than one thing, which is what I was going for.
The figure floated out from behind the tree – and floated was the right word because I was fairly certain it didn’t have legs – flailing its arms as fire engulfed it. The shrouded entity went up like dry wood in the middle of a drought, the scream cutting off, and the being disintegrating until it was nothing but ash on the ground.
“One down,” I intoned. “Who wants to be next?”
I still couldn’t see anyone, but I swear I heard a low murmuring. I’d gotten their attention, but I still had multiple enemies surrounding me. If this many were rallying to stop me from moving in the direction I previously headed, that meant Sami had to be that way. She was close. I could feel her in my heart, if not my head.
“I’m not going to mess around with you guys,” I said, taking a bold step back on my original p
ath. The murmuring grew louder, but I still couldn’t see any enemy to fight and unleashing fire in multiple directions against trees that were close to larger groupings risked setting the entire area on fire. That could get everyone killed. I couldn’t burn a specific entity if I couldn’t see it. Or, well, maybe I could. In truth, every time I tried training myself so I could have better control over my powers it fell by the wayside after a day. “If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you all.”
My voice sounded chilling to my own ears and I could feel something opening up in the small clearing. The interlopers were backing off, but they weren’t retreating. That was just as well. As soon as I had my hands on Sami I was more than willing to try alternate forms of persuasion.
I strode back in the direction I was heading earlier, the murmuring following me at a safe distance. I increased my pace when something familiar brushed against my mind. At first I thought it was Aric, but then I realized it was Sami. She wasn’t projecting her normal thought pattern, and I realized quickly she hadn’t left the house of her own volition. She was in a trance … and lost in the dark. Someone was going to pay dearly for this.
I broke into a run as I crested a hill. I had no idea where I was, but finding my way home was a concern for later. In a worst-case scenario I could call out to Aric and let him find us. He always managed to sense me when it was important. Sometimes I thought he could sense me when it wasn’t important and I just wanted to complain and he ignored it, but that also wasn’t a worry for now.
At the top of the hill I pulled up short when I saw a ramshackle house sitting. The dwelling had seen better days, time and weather ravaging it. The front porch sagged low and the cedar shingles – where there were any – clung to the tattered roof. A faint glow illuminated the windows and a small silhouette moved in front of one of them.
“Sami!”
I raced toward the house, glancing over my shoulder as at least five shapes detached from the tree line and increased their pace. I ignored them as I took the steps two at a time and used my powers to blow the door off its hinges and I raced inside.
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 11
