Six
“What happened?”
James and Helen were alert when we walked through the door. Sami trailed us, her expression murderous, but her grandparents made the mistaken assumption that she was upset about being attacked.
“Oh, my poor girl,” Helen cooed, crushing Sami’s head against her chest. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
“They just stared at me,” Sami replied, wriggling away from her grandmother and tossing a defiant look in my direction. “I was fine.”
“Then why are you so upset?” James asked.
“Because they were spying on me!”
“Oh.” James pressed his lips together and for a moment I thought he was about to chastise us. Then I realized he was trying to hide his smile. “That’s what parents do, Sami. Your mother gave in, but she stayed behind to make sure you were safe. You can’t be upset about that.”
“Oh, I’m upset,” Sami seethed. “I’m so upset they’ll have to think of a new word for upset. I’m … furious. I’m … fupset. Yeah, that’s my new word. I’m fupset and it’s all her fault.”
“She definitely gets that from you,” Aric said dryly as he sat in his chair. “Sit your fupset behind down and shut up, Sami. The adults need to talk for a minute.”
If Aric thought that would help – which I definitely had my doubts about – he was sadly mistaken because Sami huffed out one of those sighs only a mother could tolerate without committing infanticide and threw herself on the couch.
“Nobody cares about my feelings,” she groused.
“We all care about your feelings,” Helen said. “How can you think that?”
“No, she’s right,” Aric said. “I don’t care about her feelings at all. Not one single bit. I care about her safety. If she wants to be fupset and whiny, that’s on her. I don’t care.”
“I care,” Helen said, reaching for Sami. She was trying to soothe the girl, but because Sami boasted half of my genes she was having none of that.
“You all make me crazy,” Sami declared. “Someday I’ll have my own house – and it’ll be better than this one – and I’ll do whatever I want. Not only that, but I’ll take photographs of me doing whatever I want and send them to you. How do you like that?”
I risked a look in Aric’s direction and found his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “This isn’t funny,” I said.
“She just channeled you, and I find that totally funny,” Aric said, dragging a hand through his hair as he reclined in his chair. “Crap! What are we going to do?”
“Your text was very short,” James said. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“Zoe and I were in the Explorer talking … .”
“They weren’t talking,” Sami said, whipping the panties she collected from the back seat in my direction. “They were naked.”
Helen was appalled when she saw the black thong land at my feet. “What is wrong with you two?”
“Nothing now,” Aric replied, completely unbothered by his mother’s tone. “I’m feeling relaxed and … frisky.”
“Very cute,” I said, grabbing the panties and shoving them in my pocket. “We were talking when I felt something kind of … move through my head.”
“What?” James was understandably confused.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” I offered. “I heard buzzing, and then it was like something slipped over my brain – kind of like a shower cap – and I couldn’t hear very well. Then I heard Aric’s voice and managed to refocus and pushed it away.”
“When we looked up, Sami was walking away from the table, and she appeared to be afraid,” Aric added. “The other girls were moving in tandem, kind of like a flock of birds.”
“But they weren’t zombies, right?” Helen asked.
“I’m fairly certain they were possessed,” I answered, lifting the Ouija board I took before fleeing and studying it. “I think this has something to do with it.”
“What? The board?” James was dubious. “You think a Ouija board possessed a bunch of a little girls? This isn’t a movie, Zoe.”
“No, but they were playing with this board the other night before the zombies came,” I said. “They were playing with it right before the incident today. I think it’s too much of a coincidence for it not to be involved.”
James snagged the board from me and flipped it over, his eyes reflecting curiosity. “This isn’t from a store. It’s handmade.”
“When we were in college and Laura and Matilda were fooling around with a homemade board, Paris told me that only the handmade ones have real power,” I said. “I’m not sure if that’s true.”
“Call Paris,” James suggested.
“Yes, call Aunt Paris,” Sami echoed. “She’ll listen to me and agree you guys are buttheads.”
“Paris has a new baby,” I reminded them. “She has to take care of him, and she’s not getting a lot of sleep. I promised to let her call me and not risk waking her unless it’s an emergency. The baby refuses to sleep through the night.”
“Why don’t you refer to him by his correct name?” Helen asked.
“Because I don’t think Alvis is a real name,” I replied. “That’s a made-up name. I think she should’ve called him Bob or something. Or Zoe. I don’t think the world has enough Zoes. I did deliver him, after all.”
“Zoe is a girl’s name,” Sami pointed out.
“Yes, well, I’d rather have a male Zoe than an Alvis. He’s bound to grow up to be a serial killer because of that name … or an Elvis impersonator or something. I’m keeping an eye on him.”
Aric made a weird face as he shook his head. “Let’s get back to the subject at hand,” he suggested. “Why did you insist on taking the board?”
“Stealing it,” Sami corrected.
“Because I felt we might need it and had only one shot of borrowing it,” I said, sticking my tongue out when Sami rolled her eyes at the word “borrowing.”
“Even though it’s homemade, it still looks like a normal board,” James pointed out. “I can’t see how the board has anything to do with what’s going on.”
“That’s because we have no idea what’s going on,” I said. “However, did you not look at the symbol on all four corners of the board and here in the center?”
“I … no.” James wrinkled his nose and studied it. Aric leaned forward, interested despite himself.
Aric saw what I was referring to first. “It’s the symbol we found in the house with the shades,” he said. “It’s the symbol the weird witches used in that journal.”
“It has something to do with that religion thing they were doing,” I said. “They believed they could get mage power and live forever. They had a prophecy. What if they weren’t the only ones? What if there are still members of the family out there?”
“That’s an interesting theory, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to base an entire investigation on,” James said. “I guess we can do some research.”
“I’m not doing anything else with my day,” I said. “We might as well hit the books. I’ve already peaked otherwise.” I offered Aric a saucy wink as he grinned.
“Omigod,” Sami muttered. “You are … so gross.”
“They’re definitely gross,” James said, patting the top of Sami’s head. “You know where we might find answers about this symbol, don’t you?”
Aric’s shoulders stiffened as I rolled my neck until it cracked. James was persistent. I had to give him that.
“The wolf council gathering?” I asked.
James nodded.
“What’s that?” Sami asked, curious.
“It’s nothing,” Aric answered. “Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s not nothing,” James corrected, grabbing Sami’s hand as he sat next to her. “There’s a wolf council gathering in the Upper Peninsula this week. I’ve been trying to talk your parents into going.”
“Why?”
“Because I think they might be able to offer answers to our
problem,” James replied. “It wouldn’t be all work, though. A bunch of kids your age will be there, and we have bonfires every night, and learn about wolf history and heritage.
“There’s wonderful food … and games … and new people to meet,” he continued. “How does that sound?”
“It sounds like a bunch of wolves get together, eat raw meat and beat their paws against their chests when they shift,” Sami replied. “I don’t shift.”
James scorched me with a murderous look. “She got that from you.”
“No, she got that from a little game we play when she’s supposed to be asleep,” Aric corrected, snickering. “Sami, how many times have we told you not to spy on us?”
“Oh, that’s just stupid coming from you right now,” Sami shot back. “You spied on me all morning.”
“And you wouldn’t have even known if you weren’t attacked,” I said. “From where I’m sitting, you have the best of both worlds. You got to have fun with your friends before they were possessed, and then your parents saved you. What more do you want?”
Sami narrowed her eyes to dangerous brown slits. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
I couldn’t decide, so I changed the subject. “Listen, I’m not against going to this wolf council if it can really help, but if it can’t and you’re wasting our time, I’m going to be really ticked off,” I said, focusing on James. “We can’t divert our attention when we have a threat so close. You know that as well as anyone.”
James bobbed his head. “I do know that. I think they can help. Would I really suggest anything that would put my granddaughter at risk?”
“Probably not,” I conceded, glancing at Aric. “I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want to do, but if this is about me not fitting in … .”
“We already talked about that,” Aric said, cutting me off. “I don’t care about any of that crap.”
“Do you care about keeping your family safe?” James challenged.
Aric growled in response, and James had the grace to look abashed.
“Does that mean you’re going?” Helen asked hopefully.
I locked gazes with Aric, something unsaid passing between us. “I guess we’re going.”
“Great,” James enthused, rubbing his hands together. “This is just great. I mean … this is great.”
I shifted my eyes to Sami, who looked less thrilled than Aric when it came to seeing other wolves. “You should probably pack.”
“What about Trouble?”
“He’s coming with us,” Aric replied. “The whole family is going together.”
“Okay,” Sami said, sighing as she pushed herself to her feet, “but the first person who tries to bite me or hump my leg is getting a kick in the nuts.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing as Aric slid his gaze toward me.
“She definitely gets that from you,” Aric said.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“WHAT ARE you doing?”
Aric stood in the doorway that separated our bedroom from the master bathroom. He was bare-chested, dressed in nothing but his boxer shorts, and he looked genuinely curious as he watched me pack.
“I’m trying to decide on clothes,” I said, grabbing a T-shirt and hoodie. “Does this say ‘tragic hipster who never grew up’ or ‘magical mage who will kick your ass if you look at her funny?’”
Aric snorted as he moved closer. “The clothes are fine,” he said, slipping his arm around my waist as he rested his chin on my shoulder. “Think of it as a giant camping trip. That’s how you dress. We’ll be outside a lot of the time.”
“I hate camping, unless it’s in our yard.”
“Uh-huh.” I couldn’t see Aric’s expression over my shoulder but I imagined the look on his face. He was about to make fun of me. “Why is it that you made this decision for all of us, and now I’m sensing you’re nervous?”
“Because I have numerous psychoses. Regretting my decisions two hours after making them is only one of them.”
“Okay.” Aric kept his voice even, treading lightly as he rubbed his cheek against mine. “You can change your mind. We don’t have to go.”
“I’m not changing my mind,” I said. “I don’t think that’s in Sami’s best interests if the council can really help, and … well … you saw your parents. They’re thrilled to finally be able to show off their granddaughter. I’m not taking that away from them.”
“You don’t have to do things to make my parents happy,” Aric pointed out. “You have a say in what happens. If you don’t want to go … .”
“We’re going.” I was firm. “We need to at least try. Besides that, maybe if we leave for a few days whoever’s after us will change their mind and leave the area. That’s worth a shot, right?”
“I think you’re dreaming if you believe that’s going to happen, but okay,” Aric replied. “I think it’s far more likely that trouble will follow us up there.”
“Well, at least we’ll be surrounded by strong wolves thumping their chests when it happens.”
“You might not say that if they’re the possessed ones chasing us,” Aric pointed out.
I hadn’t considered that. “How does this work?” I asked, trying to get a visual. “Will we be in a tent? Do we sleep on the ground and howl at the moon? Oh, wait, everyone doesn’t run around naked, do they?”
Aric barked out a laugh, delighted. “We’ll have our own cabin. Dad already secured one right next to his. He asked if we wanted to share a cabin, but I politely declined.”
“I’m glad he mentioned it to you, because I wouldn’t have been polite.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Aric said. “The cabin has two bedrooms so we won’t be on top of each other. It won’t exactly be big, but it won’t be tiny. We’ll only be in there to sleep anyway.”
“And hide from the other wolves when they annoy me,” I added.
“I’m glad to see your mind is in a good place,” Aric said, kissing my cheek.
“Fine. I’m nervous.” It was hard to admit, but if I couldn’t say the words to him I would never be able to utter them to anyone.
“There’s no reason to be nervous, Zoe,” Aric said. “You’ll earn a bunch of stares because everyone has heard about the magical mage from the Midwest, but no one will attack you or anything. They’re too afraid.”
“Oh, well, that’s comforting.”
Aric tugged me down so I was sitting on his lap, and rested his hands on my hips. “You’re going to be a curiosity,” he said. “Sami will be, too. A few people might say things, but it’s no worse than what we’ve already been through. I’ll do my best to deflect.
“I want to remind you that this was your idea,” he continued. “I would’ve been happy to forego it. You’ve committed us to this path, so you’ll have to suck it up and deal with the fallout.”
“That sounds nothing like me,” I muttered. “I would rather whine and complain the entire trip. I’m going to blame your father the first time there’s an issue … and there will be issues. You know me.”
I felt Aric’s smile against my cheek. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
I took a moment to bask in his warmth before leaning forward. “We have to get up early. I should probably finish packing.”
“You could do that,” Aric said. “I think a better idea is to go to bed with me and then pack like a madwoman in the morning, like you usually do.”
“Oh, yeah? How does that sound like a good idea?”
“I’ll rub your back.”
“Sold.” I was always such a pushover when it came to a massage. “You have to take the heat if your dad gives me grief in the morning, though.”
“That’s what husbands are for.”
“And I thought you were here to beat your chest and howl at the moon.”
“That, too.”
“Well, if this is our last night in our home for a few days, I guess we should make it worthwhile,” I said,
turning in his arms and planting a smacking kiss on his lips. “Ravish me, you beast.”
Aric snorted. “Finally, something I want to do.”
Seven
“I think we should all ride in the same vehicle.” James was confused as he watched Aric pack the back of our Explorer. “I thought I could give everyone a rundown on events planned for the week.”
“Yes, well, they might not be full wolves, but Zoe and Sami can recognize what games look like,” Aric said. “As for riding together, that sounds like an interesting psychological experiment. I don’t think it’s conducive to family unity, though.”
“I have no idea what you mean by that.” James was either being purposely obtuse or belligerent. I had a feeling it was the latter.
“I mean that one vehicle is too small for everyone,” Aric said, tilting his head to the side as I handed him two duffel bags. “What’s in these?”
“Camping stuff.” I averted my eyes. “You know, stuff that will make camping easier.”
“What’s really in them?”
“Chips, candy, juice and gossip magazines,” Sami answered. She stood in the nearby bushes watching Trouble do his business.
“Oh, well, at least this will shut you up,” Aric said, tossing the bags in the back of the Explorer without complaint. “I packed the dog’s food, bowls and a nylon rope so we can keep him close to the cabin if we get distracted. Does everyone have what they need?”
I nodded.
“Did you go to the bathroom?” Aric asked.
“I’m hardly twelve,” I pointed out. “I don’t need to be reminded to go to the bathroom.”
“Speaking of that, Sami, did you go to the bathroom?” Aric asked, glancing over my shoulder.
“Whoops.” Sami’s grin was sheepish as she hurried toward the door.
“Yes, whoops,” Aric muttered, shaking his head. “That right there is why you don’t want to ride with us, Dad. I’ll have to stop eight times between now and when we get up there, because Zoe and Sami have bladders like infants.”
“I take offense to that statement,” I huffed. “I only make you stop once or twice.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 32
