“I won’t be much help because I have no idea what to expect or do, but I’ll be cheering you on,” I continued. “We can only do what we can do. We won’t be able to deal with the outcome until it happens, so there’s no sense getting worked up about it.”
Sami pressed her lips together and nodded. “So … we’re going to play Capture the Flag and try to bully the council into sharing information. What if that doesn’t work?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“We always do,” Aric added. “We promise to keep you safe, Sami. That’s the only thing we know for sure right now. You believe us, don’t you?”
“I believe you most of the time,” Sami replied after a pause. “I still don’t believe that sound Mom makes when you shower together is her singing.”
James was appalled as my cheeks burned. “What is wrong with you two?”
Aric shrugged. “She needs to learn to knock.”
“That’s hardly the most important lesson here,” James snapped.
“Oh, it was a lesson,” Sami said. “Mom’s tone deaf and Dad makes barking sounds. I’m scarred for life. I won’t ever go in their bathroom again. I don’t want to have war flashbacks.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I grabbed her hand. “Are you ready to play a game?”
Sami shrugged. “I guess so,” she answered. “I just hope you get what you want when we win.”
“How do you know we’re going to win?” Aric asked, genuinely curious.
“Because I’ve never seen you lose.”
As far as answers go, it was a good one.
“Come on,” I said, getting to my feet. “Let’s show these people what winners look like.”
“Can we have ice cream when we’re done?” Sami asked. “I have a feeling ice cream will make my nerves about shifting go away.”
Aric chuckled. “And that she gets from you, Zoe. No matter the situation, there’s nothing that can’t be fixed with ice cream.”
“Well, she’s not wrong.”
“Let’s do this,” Aric said, slinging his arm over my shoulder. “Even if we don’t get what we want out of the situation, we’ll still go out on top.”
“Oh, gross,” Sami muttered. “Now I’m remembering what I saw in the shower again.”
“You two need to be locked up,” James groused. “I’m going to do it and throw away the key.”
I’d heard worse suggestions.
“ARE YOU sure about this?”
James wasn’t thrilled about being included on our Capture the Flag team, but I had no intention of leaving him behind. I wanted him to be part of what we were doing, even if he would end up angered by the outcome.
“I’m sure,” I said, moving to the center of the small clearing and glancing around. “Is everyone ready?”
It turns out the wolf way of playing Capture the Flag is vastly different from the one I learned as a child. Instead of two teams going at each other to steal the flag, everyone broke into smaller teams and carried individual family flags. Each team was issued one weapon – in this case a slingshot and a multitude of balloons filled with colored water. If a balloon left its mark, you were out of the game. I had no doubt that everyone’s first inclination would be to knock me out. I had no intention of letting that happen.
Teams dispersed into the woods to get into position. They were given fifteen minutes to come up with a game plan. With Aric and James present, that meant they would be able to scent incoming enemies while I focused on winning the game.
“This is cheating,” James complained, narrowing his eyes to dangerous slits as I raised my hands. “If you cover us with a dome, it’s cheating.”
“I can live with that,” I said, glancing at Aric. “Are you okay with that?”
“In theory,” Aric hedged. “How am I supposed to take out our enemies if we’re behind a dome, though.”
That was a very good question. “I’ll lower the dome at the appropriate time for you to take them out.”
“That’s definitely cheating,” James groused. “That’s not how the game is played.”
“Yes, but the game is rigged against me,” I pointed out. “I’m not as athletic as everyone else. I can’t scale trees or smell people when they get close.”
“Scent,” Aric automatically corrected. “I don’t walk around smelling people.”
“You smell me all of the time.”
“That’s because he’s in love,” Sami teased, her eyes sparkling. Even though she remained nervous about her imminent shift she seemed to be having a good time. That was worth staying in my book. Plus, we still had no idea where we should go once we left the campground. Leading our enemies back to our property seemed the wrong way to go. I didn’t want Sami constantly worrying about being safe in her own home. I wanted to take out this enemy on unfamiliar soil.
“Hey! I don’t smell her because I love her,” Aric clarified. “I smell her because she hides candy and cupcakes in her purse, and I love the smell of chocolate.”
I snorted as I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on,” I argued. “You love me and you know it. You think I smell like Twinkies, you love me so much.”
Aric pushed out his lips as he turned to his father. “I would argue, but she’s right.”
“You’re a sick man,” James said, shaking his head. “I still think this is cheating.”
“Oh, suck it up,” Sami said, taking me by surprise. “It’s not cheating when you use the gifts you have. That’s just good planning. If you don’t want to play with us, then you should probably go. I’m sure you’d be happy to play if I was a boy, but I’m over it.”
The sharp words cut James through the heart and his face fell. “Sami, you know I love you. You have to know that.”
“I know you would love a boy more,” Sami countered. “That’s what I know.”
James was caught. We all knew it. “I’m ready to play the game your way,” he offered, his voice shaking.
“Even if you consider it cheating?” I asked, surprised.
“Even if.”
“Good,” I said, smiling. “We’re going to cheat the crap out of these people. By the time we’re done they’ll be crying because we’re so good.”
“Competitiveness is not an attractive trait where you’re concerned, Zoe,” James admonished. “You know that, right?”
“Tell that to your son.”
James turned to Aric and frowned when he found his son smiling.
“What?” Aric asked, refusing to be embarrassed. “I think she’s adorable.”
“You two definitely make me sick to my stomach.”
“Join the club,” Sami said. “Of course, you probably don’t want to join my club because I’m a girl.”
Yeah, I was starting to believe she would never let that go.
“OKAY, BY my count that leaves only Tate and Claudette’s team,” Aric said two hours later, as he crouched beneath a tree and caught his breath. After we survived the initial blitz of wolves with the dome, I found that we didn’t need it to continue. Aric and James could scent an approach, and that allowed us to easily fight them off. I used my powers to deflect balloons a few times – causing one to explode on Debbie (and ruin her shirt in the process) before it even left her slingshot – but I was having a good time despite my fatigue.
“Where do you think they are?” I asked. “Will they wait for us to find them or come at us?”
“I’m honestly not sure,” Aric replied. “I was surprised when they teamed up, because they don’t really seem to like one another. Tate would wait us out. Claudette is far more likely to come after us. It depends on who’s calling the shots.”
“They’ll come after us,” I said. “As for the rest, they may not like each other, but they’re still hot for each other.”
“What makes you say that?” Aric asked.
“Because Tate got jealous every time Claudette talked to you, and Claudette got jealous every time Tate talked to me,” I replied. “They’ll probably ne
ver be friends, but I bet they hump each other’s legs after dark tonight.”
“All right,” James groused, making a face. “Must you resort to dog jokes every time?”
“Yes.”
Aric smirked. “Leave her alone,” he said. “She’s played phenomenally well. She kept up with us and everything. I believe you once said she would never be able to keep up.”
That was news to me. “And you, good sir, may bite me.”
James didn’t want to laugh, but he couldn’t refrain from chuckling. “All right,” he said. “We’re near the end. If they come looking for us, we should get ready.”
“Oh, I’m ready,” Sami said, wiggling her butt with anticipation. Every time we took down another family her ego grew. That had to be the wolf in her. Aric obviously noticed it, too. Instead of being worried, though, he appeared proud. I couldn’t help but hope Sami really did shift tonight. It would be something for them to bond over, even though the timing couldn’t possibly be worse. “I want to be the one to take out Joshua.”
“I think you want to kiss Joshua, but if that’s your story,” I teased.
James and Aric growled in unison. “She is twelve!”
“Oh, good grief,” Sami said, rolling her eyes. “What are you going to do when I bring home a real boyfriend?”
“Kill him and bury the body in the woods,” Aric answered, not missing a beat. “You’ll probably cry for a few hours, but one day you’ll understand.”
“Mom, he’s being annoying,” Sami whined.
“You’re both being annoying,” I countered, lifting my head when I felt a strange sensation wash over my spine. “They’re almost here.”
Aric lifted his nose to the air for a moment and then focused on me. “They are close. How did you know that?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I felt them. I can’t explain it.”
“I hope I can do that one day,” Sami said, her expression wistful. “It’s so much better than sniffing people’s butts.”
“Oh, not you, too,” James whined.
“I was just kidding,” Sami said. “I wanted to see if I could make Grandpa cry. He made me cry, after all.”
The kid was a master manipulator. She knew exactly what she was doing each time she twisted the knife in James’ stomach.
“Sami, I’m so sorry,” James said. “I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”
“Except a boy.” Sami clearly wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. She hopped to her feet and snapped her head to the side. “They’re here.”
“How do you know that?” Aric asked, impressed. “Did you scent them?”
“I … .” Sami looked unsure. “Kind of. It’s more that my head told me I could scent them. Does that make sense?”
Aric glanced at me, unsure. “I guess it kind of does. You’re going to be a special kind of wolf, kid.”
“I know,” Sami said. “I couldn’t be anything but special with you as a father.”
Warmth washed over me at the admission, and I smiled as Aric cleared his throat. His eyes looked glassy.
“Let’s finish this,” I said. “I’m hungry for lunch. And I want to see if this plays out the way I expect with the council elders when we get back.”
“Okay,” Aric said, cocking his head to the side when he caught sight of Joshua poking his head through the brush. He handed the slingshot to Sami and smiled. “Let him have it, kid.”
“Finally,” Sami said, grabbing the slingshot. “I can’t wait to be the star.”
Aric’s grin was so wide it almost swallowed his entire face when he glanced at me. “She gets that from both of us.”
I returned the smile. “She does indeed.”
Twenty-Seven
“I told you we would win.”
“Yes, you’re beautiful and a marvelous winner,” Aric teased, kissing my cheek as he sat down at the picnic table to eat his lunch.
Taking down Tate and Claudette turned out to be harder than I imagined – mostly because Claudette hated to lose as much as me – but after twenty minutes of hijinks we finally prevailed. We were the ultimate winners, taking more flags than anyone before us. That was mostly because everyone was desperate to get me, though, and they ignored each other. I wasn’t going to complain.
“What now?” Sami asked, biting into her sandwich and talking as she chewed. “When will you meet with the council elders again?”
Aric made a face as he watched her eat. “Do you have to talk with your mouth full?”
“Mom does.”
“Yes, well, your mother is cute when she does it,” Aric said. “She does it as part of a game. She knows proper manners.”
He was giving me far too much credit. “Just try to remember to swallow first, Sami,” I said. “We’re both geniuses, so our minds often work faster than our ability to swallow. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Oh, whatever.” Aric rolled his eyes.
We lapsed into comfortable silence and I was so focused on my meal I didn’t realize Claudette and Tate were approaching until they were already at the table.
“Do you mind if we sit?” Claudette asked. She looked uncertain.
“Make yourself comfortable,” I said, making sure to swallow my mouthful of potato chips before speaking. “Sorry we had to beat you, but … we kind of needed it.”
“Tate explained after the fact,” Claudette said, gracing Sami with a kind smile as she settled next to her. “He says you’re going to approach the council again.”
I slid a sidelong look in Aric’s direction as he shifted uncomfortably and refused to make eye contact. “Oh, yeah? Where did Tate hear that?”
“I’m sorry, man,” Tate offered, shooting Aric an apologetic look. “I didn’t know it was a secret.”
“It’s fine,” I said, waving off the apology. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t plan to go in front of the council anyway.”
“Oh?” Tate seemed surprised. “The way Aric described it, that’s exactly what you plan to do.”
“Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I plan to make them come to me.”
Claudette snorted. “Good luck with that.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” I said, glancing over her shoulder to find Lincoln sitting in a chair next to the bonfire. His eyes were trained on me. “I have a feeling things will work out the way I want them to in the end.”
“Yes, well, you’re supposed to get a special gift from the council for winning the game,” Tate said. “They’ll definitely be down here together.”
“That’s what I’m banking on.” I used my napkin to wipe the corner of my mouth before leaning back. “So, does anyone want to tell me what to expect tonight when you all go native and shift together?”
Aric choked on his sandwich as Tate chuckled. Claudette didn’t seem amused.
“I know you don’t get it because you’re not a wolf, but this is a big deal for us,” Claudette explained. “When we shift we feel free of the things that plague us when we’re in our human forms. It’s the best experience in the world. Er, well, other than sex.”
I shifted my eyes to Aric. “Is that true?”
“It’s true I will pick sex over shifting any day of the week,” Aric teased. “As for the rest … yeah. I like shifting. I like being one with nature. I don’t know if it’s the best experience in the world, though.”
“What’s better?” Claudette challenged.
Aric shrugged. “I’m partial to climbing on a lounge chair with my wife and listening to her bitch and moan about the bees being on a crusade to kill her.”
“Ha, ha,” I intoned, wrinkling my nose. “I did that once.”
“You do that at least once a week,” Aric corrected. “I still enjoy it. I’m also fond of Hot Tub Sundays and any night Sami’s grandparents take her for a sleepover.”
“Thanks,” Sami deadpanned. “Do you want to know what I’m thankful for?”
“Not really,” Aric replied.
; Sami ignored him. “I’m thankful you put a better lock on your bathroom door and that you at least pretend you’re not groping each other when I’m around.”
“We don’t pretend,” I said. “We just wait until your head is turned. There’s a difference.”
“You are so gross,” Sami said, shaking her head. “So very gross.”
“Yes, well … we live to make you happy.”
Aric grinned as he idly rubbed my back. “What about you guys? Will you go home tomorrow?”
Tate nodded. “We’ll have breakfast with everyone,” he answered. “It’s my week with the boys, so they’ll come with me.”
“What about you, Claudette?” I asked. “What will you do by yourself for the entire week?”
“I have no idea yet,” Claudette answered. “I can’t see beyond the big shift tonight. I’m guessing it will involve wine, though.”
“That sounds like a plan,” I said, chuckling. I narrowed my eyes when I noticed the other elders closing in on Lincoln. They were making a big show of being happy and jovial, but I didn’t miss the occasional glances they darted in my direction. “It looks as if the gang is all here.”
Aric followed my gaze. “I don’t think they’re happy that we won.”
“I don’t think they’re happy that you cheated,” Claudette clarified. “We all know you wouldn’t have won if you didn’t cheat.”
“It’s not cheating if you use your gifts,” Sami countered. “You don’t think it’s cheating because you’re more athletic than Mom. Why is she cheating when she uses the things she’s better at?”
“Oh, I taught you so well, Sami,” I said, smirking. “You’re my favorite daughter. Did I ever tell you that?”
“I’m your only daughter, so that doesn’t seem like much of a win to me. Thank you, though.”
“You’re more than welcome.”
“I’m sorry, but I think it was cheating,” Claudette persisted. “But I won’t argue with you. I understand that you’re trying to force the council’s hand, and I don’t blame you for what you’re doing. Them keeping information from you that could potentially keep your family safe is wrong.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 50
