Sami whimpered, but made the nodding gesture again.
Aric dropped a kiss on my mouth, his smile wide. “I promise I won’t keep her out too long.”
“Keep her out as long as she needs,” I said, pulling the shorts from Sami’s furry rear end. “This is the first night of her new world. She should live it up right.”
I WATCHED Sami and Aric race off into the woods, their cute barks causing me to smile as they disappeared into the night. In truth, I was uneasy, but it wasn’t because I didn’t trust Aric. For some reason something didn’t feel right, and it had nothing to do with my husband and child.
By the time I reached the bonfire area it was almost deserted. Helen sat in a chair with a cold beer in her hand and smiled as I joined her.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you would be running in the woods with the big dogs.”
“I’m not especially happy with James right now, so I sent him off to run with his friends,” Helen replied. “I don’t want to shift tonight. I’m too grouchy.”
I smirked. She rarely owned up to things like that. “Are you angry with James because of how he tried to manipulate us?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to forgive him?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to make him beg first?”
A small smile played at the corner of Helen’s mouth. “I might make him buy me a new pair of earrings, too.”
“Good job,” I said, leaning back in the chair and staring up at the night sky. “Sami shifted.”
“I know. We watched from afar. We wanted to be closer, but … James feels extremely guilty for upsetting her and didn’t want to ruin her big night.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. “She was a bundle of nerves. Aric was so excited and proud I thought he might explode.”
“I know it doesn’t mean anything to you, but it’s a big deal for us,” Helen said. “Sami is a woman now.”
“I wouldn’t say that to Aric,” I warned. “To him she’s still a baby. I wouldn’t mind keeping her a little while longer either. I have to say, though, she was a cute little wolf. I thought she would look like Aric – he’s all big and black and everything – but she looks different.”
“That’s because she’s half you,” Helen said. “I thought she was beautiful. I can’t wait until I get a chance to run with her one day. I know it won’t be this trip, but maybe next month when things have settled down we’ll be able to work something out.”
“If they’re settled down. We’re still no closer to knowing what that symbol means and why the attacks are coming.”
“I know, and I’m not happy about that either,” Helen said. “I had a long talk with Chester this afternoon after your argument. I told him he was being a jackass and I didn’t appreciate it. I think a lot of people told him he was being a jackass.”
“He’s certainly a jackass,” I said, shifting my eyes to my right when Debbie approached. She seemed cautious, but had a friendly smile on her face as she handed me a beer. “Oh, no thank you,” I said, waving her off. “I don’t want to drink tonight. I want to be on top of my game.”
“They’ll be out there running for a long time,” Debbie said, waving the beer in my face. “One won’t kill you.”
“Probably not, but I still don’t want it,” I said. “Thank you anyway.”
Debbie bit her lip as she glanced around. “You really should take it, Zoe. It’s seriously going to be a long night.”
She was acting odd … even for her. I took the beer and put it in the canvas chair’s drink holder. “Happy?”
“You should drink it,” Debbie repeated.
I lowered my eyes to gather my patience and frowned when I saw a flash of ink on Debbie’s arm. Instinctively I reached up and grabbed her wrist so I could see the tattoo clearer. She fought my efforts, but I added a little magic to the mix and singed the hair on her arm.
My heart dropped when I recognized the tattoo, and Debbie yelped as she took a step back. I hopped to my feet and narrowed my eyes, glaring at the woman as I reached out with my senses in the hope of tripping over an imminent threat. I found nothing.
“What is that tattoo?” I asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Debbie lied, averting her gaze.
“What’s going on, Zoe?” Helen asked, confused. “Is something wrong?”
“She has the tattoo,” I replied. “It’s the symbol from the house … and the Ouija board … and the dead wolf’s arm. She has the same symbol on the inside of her wrist.”
“What?” Helen was ashen as she got to her feet. “That can’t be right. Debbie was born into this pack.”
“And yet she seems to have divided loyalties,” I gritted out, narrowing my eyes. “What does that symbol mean? Where are your friends?”
“It’s too late,” Debbie said, her eyes wide as she took an exaggerated step away from me. “Half of the wolves are in the forest tracking Aric and Sami even as we speak. The other half are already here.”
I shifted my gaze to the right and frowned as two large silhouettes padded into the clearing. The large wolves snarled when they caught sight of me. Helen gasped as she stared in the opposite direction, and I knew I could expect more of the same.
“What do you want?” I snapped, freezing Debbie with a murderous look before she could slink away into the night. “What is it you think you’ll get out of this?”
“You’re an abomination,” Debbie spat. “You’re not a wolf. You don’t belong in this pack. You don’t belong in this state. Heck, you don’t belong in this world. We’re here to rectify the mistake of your birth.”
She sounded cold and calculating, yet I couldn’t muster much terror at her words. She didn’t frighten me. “You know I’ll kill you all, right?”
“You can try.”
That sounded like a challenge to me. Instead of uttering a threat, though, I decided to act without words. I unleashed my fire magic without hesitation, sending it out in a sweeping arc. The wolves to my right ignited almost immediately, howls filling the air. I did the same with the wolves on my left. Even as they tried to run they caught fire.
The howling was so loud I was positive they would hear it in the woods.
“I’m done playing around with you sick heathens,” I said, releasing the tight grip I kept on my magic and letting a magical golden strip escape. It lashed Debbie across the face and caused her to drop to her knees as she cried out. “Helen, keep your eyes on the trees. If you sense more strange wolves coming in … .”
“I’ll tell you,” Helen said, cutting me off. “You need to be careful, Zoe. Our pack wolves will have heard the cries from the forest. They might come investigating.”
“That’s why I need you to figure out who is friend or foe,” I said, kneeling next to Debbie. “Who are you working for?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Debbie cried, cupping her cheek as she tried to staunch the flow of blood. “We’re not working for anybody.”
“Debbie, you’re going to die tonight,” I threatened. “You don’t have a say in that. I obviously need to send a message, and I’m going to kill everyone who comes after my family. You do have a say in how you go, though. It can be quick and painless or long and drawn out. Make your choice.”
“Screw you,” Debbie seethed. “You’re a monster.”
“Long and painful it is,” I said, straightening. I waved my hands and caused twin green branches to descend from a nearby tree. The wisps wrapped around Debbie’s arms and slammed her into the closest tree, locking her there as she screamed and tried to escape.
“Zoe!” Helen’s voice caused me to snap my head to the left. Two wolves emerged from the shadows, looking hesitant as they approached. One – the smaller one – took time to sniff one of the burning wolf corpses before locking gazes with me.
“That’s Claudette,” I said. I had no idea how I recognized her, but I did. “I wonder if she’s a
friend or a foe.”
“She’s a friend,” Claudette said, shifting to human form and glancing around. She didn’t make a move to cover her nudity. I couldn’t really blame her, because her body was gorgeous. “What’s going on?”
“Wolves attacked and Debbie has one of the tattoos,” I answered. “How often do you work out?”
Claudette smirked. “Often enough,” she said, shaking her head. “What are we going to do now?”
“Get ready for an attack,” I replied. “Debbie said that half the wolves were attacking here and the other half were in the woods. That means there’s more out there.”
“Joshua is out there,” Tate said, shifting to human form next to Debbie. “We have to find him.”
“Aric and Sami are out there, too,” I said. “We can’t find them in the woods. The best we can do is draw them to us.”
“How do you suggest that?”
I smirked as I shifted my eyes to Debbie. “I think we need some live bait.”
Twenty-Nine
“What are you going to do?”
Helen looked nervous when I stalked to the spot next to Debbie. She was suspended in the air about two feet off the ground, so she was above me but completely unable to move.
“I’m going to torture her for information.” I was unnaturally calm as I stared at my prey.
Debbie’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Really?” I was at my limit. “You’ve threatened my child and husband. You’ve threatened innocent people. You know my reputation. Do you honestly think torture is beneath me?”
“I … no,” Debbie said, her eyes furtive as they moved in the direction of the trees. She was waiting for backup, I realized. She was telling me things without saying a word. “I think you’re just saying that to get a rise out of me, though.”
I kept my expression neutral as I stared her down. “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong,” I said. “I made a decision a long time ago that I could never make empty threats. I knew word would get out if it happened. That’s why I only make honest threats. I have to send a message, after all.”
“And what message is that?” Debbie asked.
“That if you mess with my family … well … I’ll kill you.” The words were chilling on their own, but I punctuated them with a magic whip of pain and allowed it to smack Debbie across the face, drawing blood.
Debbie cried out as she tried to touch her face, but the magical bindings I put on her to secure her to the tree wouldn’t allow that. “What are you doing?”
“I’m ending you,” I replied. I knew I sounded cold – the look on Helen’s face made me realize she was terrified about what I would do as much as she feared the encroaching enemy – but I didn’t care. I would do whatever it took to keep Aric and Sami safe. Whatever message I sent today had to be dark and final.
“You can’t do this,” Debbie sputtered. “It’s murder.”
“Going after an innocent child is murder,” I countered. “Going after the person trying to murder my child is expected, even rewarded at times. I feel no guilt about killing you.”
“You’re an abomination!” Debbie screeched.
Instead of yelling back, I opened my mind and released a bigger burst of magic. This one was an angry yellow flash and it zinged in Debbie’s direction, impaling her thigh and causing an agonizing yelp as it slid beneath her skin and began burning her from the inside.
“Use all the threatening words you want,” I said. “You’re going to die tonight. I wasn’t lying when I said that. I can make it quick, though. You probably need a few minutes to consider your options. I’ll leave you with your pain while I have a talk with everyone else.”
I flashed a bright smile as I moved to Helen’s side, cocking my head when I realized Claudette and Tate had yanked on clothing when I wasn’t looking. I had no idea where they found it.
“I’m relieved you’re no longer naked.”
“Why?” Tate’s eyes were teasing even though I could tell he was nervous. “Are you afraid that seeing my awesome body has ruined your sex life with Aric forever?”
“No. I’m afraid that when Aric returns he’s going to see Claudette naked and that will ruin our sex life forever.”
Claudette snorted out a laugh as she stared at Debbie. She looked conflicted. “What are you going to do with her?”
“I’m going to kill her. That wasn’t a lie.”
“She might know something,” Tate argued. “She might have answers.”
“Then she’ll have a few minutes to deliver them. I can’t let her live. She’s a threat to my family.”
“Speaking of family,” Helen said, inclining her head in the direction of the woods. “Isn’t that Aric and Sami?”
My heart soared when I saw them. They were still in their wolf forms and Aric nudged Sami with his shoulder as he glanced around at the charred wolf carcasses. He shifted back into human form relatively quickly, and I couldn’t help but notice that Claudette seemed fixated on his … um … little wolf.
“Knock that off,” I warned. “I’m not so distracted I won’t kick your ass.”
Claudette shrugged, sheepish. “I forgot how good he looked naked.”
“Everyone forget about me being naked,” Aric said, grabbing a pair of boxer shorts from the picnic table – I had stacked his and Sami’s clothes there when they left – and slipped into them. “What is going on? Why is Debbie magically tethered to a tree?”
“Oh, I’m torturing her,” I said, resting my hand on top of Sami’s wolf head. “She needs to shift.”
“She’s not going to do it in front of everyone,” Aric said. “She’s okay for now. Why are you torturing Debbie?”
“Because after you guys left she tried to make me drink a beer.”
Aric cocked a dubious eyebrow. “And?”
“And I’m pretty sure it was drugged … or maybe even poisoned,” I replied. “Then I noticed the tattoo on her wrist. It’s the same as the ones on the wolves who attacked Sami in the woods. It’s the same as the mark on the Ouija board.”
“Oh.” Aric’s expression darkened as he stared down Debbie. “Has she said anything?”
“Only that I’m an abomination.”
“Why is she so sweaty?” Claudette asked. “She looks as if she’s going through menopause on the tree.”
“Oh, I put a pain bolt in her leg and it’s digging through her insides.” I was purposely blasé. “I have no idea how it feels because I’ve never had it happen to me, but I’m pretty sure it hurts. She’s trying to keep from answering my questions.”
“So you really are torturing her,” Aric mused, running his hand down the back of my head. “Good girl.” He kissed my forehead before glancing around. “What’s with the dead wolves?”
“They attacked after I called out Debbie,” I answered. “I burned them. Tate and Claudette heard the noise and ran in this direction.”
“That’s the reason we came back, too,” Aric said. “I knew you were in trouble. I felt it.”
“You usually do.”
“I do,” Aric confirmed. “I didn’t sense fear this time, though. I sensed determination. It was weird.”
“Well, I’m determined to kick some ass, so we’ve definitely got that going for us,” I said, lowering my eyes to Sami. “I’m sorry your first night of shifting was ruined. I hope you at least had some fun before this happened.”
Sami wagged her tail – yeah, there’s a sentence I never thought I would think – and flashed a sloppy wolf grin.
“She had a good time.” Aric smiled fondly at our little wolf. “This will be a part of her life for the foreseeable future, so there’s no reason to get worked up. She’ll have plenty of chances to shift.”
“I know,” I said, turning to Debbie. “We still have work to do, though. Debbie said there are more wolves in the woods. I’m guessing they were looking for you and Sami.”
“I thought I scented strange wolves behind us, but I was so intent on
getting back to you I didn’t stop to investigate,” Aric said. “Now I’m glad I didn’t. That would’ve put Sami in a bad position if I was outnumbered.”
“We’re still in a bad position,” I said, my forehead creasing as I stared into the trees. I could make out the dim shadows of two large wolves as they bolted in our direction. “Here we go.”
Aric followed my gaze and grabbed my arm a split second before I could fry the newcomers. “Zoe, wait! That’s Lincoln and Chester.”
I made a face when I saw them shift. No one needed to see two men naked when they were constantly overcompensating for something.
“Oh, man,” I complained. “I want to be blind.”
“Ha, ha,” Chester snapped, making a face. “There are strange wolves in the woods.”
“I noticed,” I said dryly.
“Debbie is hanging from a tree,” Chester added.
“I noticed that, too.”
“What’s going on?” Lincoln asked. “Are we under attack?”
“Yes,” I replied, faux sweetness dripping off my tongue. “The enemy you refused to tell us about is here, and now I have to burn the world to get us out of this. I hope you’re happy.”
Lincoln’s expression was almost comical. “Are you honestly blaming us for this?”
“Who else would I blame?” I challenged. “You could’ve helped, but you didn’t. Now I have to wipe out whatever is out there, kill Debbie and then find someone to clean up the mess, because I’m certainly not going to do it. That’s all on you.”
Chester’s eyes flashed. “Now you listen to me, young lady!” he bellowed. He didn’t get a chance to finish his diatribe, because I caught movement in the woods to his left.
Aric followed my gaze and answered my unasked question almost instantly. “That’s not one of us!”
I waved my hands and sent a huge fire bolt in the direction of the dark wolf, igniting its fur almost instantaneously. Chester jolted as the wolf caught fire and fell to the ground behind him and Debbie increased her whimpering in the tree.
“That was impressive, baby.” Aric slipped his arm around my shoulders. “You showed nice control and didn’t accidentally burn Chester in the process. I’m very proud of you.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 52
