“I’m back to help my friends,” Rafael explained. “I will not be staying any longer than necessary.”
“Then he’s coming home with us,” Sami offered. “He’s going to share my room.”
“Don’t push it.” Aric tapped the end of her nose with his finger. “If you keep saying things like that I’ll be forced to murder your new boyfriend.”
“Can we not use that word?” Rafael shifted uncomfortably. “It makes me feel dirty.”
I ignored the happy conversation, which I knew Rafael and Aric engaged in to relax Sami, and focused on Perkins. He could be an important source of information and I didn’t want to pass that up. “What can you tell me about The Academy?”
Perkins stilled, surprised. “You’ve been busy.”
“I’ve been inside.”
Perkins jolted, shifting so he could stare me down. “How?”
“That’s a little hard to explain,” I hedged. “Suffice to say that I’ve been inside and did a little eavesdropping. Some guy named Martin is running things and he’s recruiting students.”
“Martin?” Perkins cocked an eyebrow. “Did you get a last name?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t have time. That’s on my to-do list for tomorrow, though.” I flicked a gaze to Sami. “Right after I find a safe place for my kid to sleep.”
“I’ve already handled that,” Aric said, rubbing his fingers over the tight muscles in my neck. “We’re going into the same hotel that Kelsey and Paris are staying at. My father has arranged everything.”
“I guess that’s something.” I focused on Rafael. “Are you staying with us?”
I was almost afraid to ask the question and put him on the spot, but Rafael immediately started nodding. “I am. You’ll have extra security, so there’s no reason to work yourself up.”
Surprisingly, that was some comfort given the day. “Thank you.”
Rafael’s smile was warm. “Don’t thank me. I’ve become rather fond of the munchkin.”
“I’m not a munchkin,” Sami snapped.
“Close enough.” Rafael tousled her hair.
I leaned back in my chair as I fixed Perkins with a pointed look. “What do you know about what’s going on around here?”
“Not a lot,” Perkins replied. “I’ve recognized the signs of trouble for a bit, but had no idea what to do about it. Then we heard whispers about The Academy returning and … well … I knew the good times were over.”
“Do you know who’s behind all of this? Do you know why?”
Perkins shook his head. “All I know is that we’re dealing with a new breed of monster hunters, and whatever they have planned can’t be good. This place has been quiet for almost twenty years. I liked that about it. I want it to go back to that.”
“I don’t care about this place,” I said, my voice chilly. “But I do like the idea of quiet. We’re willing to share information when we get it.”
“As am I.” Perkins bobbed his head. “I’ll give you what I can. It’s not much right now. You have to realize that.”
“Right now we’ll take whatever we can get.”
Twenty-Two
“This isn’t too bad.”
I dropped the duffel bags in the middle of the hotel suite, stretching my arms as Aric, Rafael and Sami trailed behind. After her ice cream extravaganza, Sami appeared to be hopped up on sugar and over her dramatic night.
“This is much better than that crappy apartment,” Sami announced, throwing herself on the couch and reaching for the remote control. “If that’s how all college apartments look, I’ve decided I’m not going. I’d rather stay home with you two forever.”
Aric arched an eyebrow as he snagged me around the waist and tugged me to his lap on one of the chairs. “I don’t believe we invited you to stay with us forever.”
Sami made an exaggerated face. “Oh, you’ll cry if I ever leave. We both know it.”
“She gets that from you, Zoe,” Rafael announced, prowling from one end of the room to the other as he checked windows and doors.
I smirked as I watched him work. “She gets a lot of her attitude from me. I don’t particularly think it’s a good thing.”
“Me either,” Aric teased, poking my side. “I think she should be more like me.”
I rested my head against his shoulder, simply happy for a quiet moment to regain my bearings. “I’m pretty sure she was channeling you when she had the freakout about dying during the fire.”
“That’s not true,” Aric protested. “If anything, she got that from you.”
I was fairly certain I should be insulted. “When do I panic in the face of danger? When?”
“I … .” Aric screwed up his face in concentration. “Fine. You don’t panic in the face of danger. I don’t panic in the face of danger either.”
“No, you don’t,” I conceded. “You tend to be more of a worrier, though.”
“That’s only because you never worry about anything. Everyone looks like a worrier compared to you.”
“Oh, whatever!” I was too tired to climb off of Aric’s lap, but if I had more energy I would have given it some serious thought.
“Are they always like this?” Rafael asked Sami, taking the seat next to her and watching as she rummaged through her bag.
Sami shrugged. “Most of the time they’re all touchy and kissy. They fight sometimes. I heard Grandpa talking to Grandma once and he said it was foreplay. I Googled the word ‘foreplay’ because I thought I knew what it meant. It turned out I did know what it meant, but I don’t know why Mom and Dad arguing would be considered foreplay.”
Aric’s mouth dropped open as I stifled a giggle.
“You Googled the word ‘foreplay?’” Aric was horrified. “Sami, I … what kinds of things popped up when you did that?”
Sami didn’t seem embarrassed by the question. “Naked people. One of them had a blindfold. Oh, and a feather.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as Aric growled his unhappiness.
“I definitely need to check the child filters on everything,” he muttered. “First the dude in the kilt and now this? I’m clearly a terrible parent.”
“There’s nothing wrong with her lusting after the guy in the kilt,” I offered. “It’s normal for her to have a crush. Good grief. Do you have any idea how many television stars I lusted after when I was twelve?”
“The answer better be zero,” Aric fired back. “I like to pretend I’m the only one you’ve ever lusted after.”
“Even though she dated Rafael?” Sami asked, her eyes keen.
“She didn’t date Rafael!” Aric gripped my hips tighter. “Tell her you didn’t date Rafael, Zoe.”
“I didn’t date Rafael,” I automatically answered. “He hung around and helped when I was at a low period. We kissed, and that was it.”
“How long after you kissed did you make up with Dad?”
“I … .” Huh. That was a good question. I searched my memory and came up with a smile. “Not long. We built to the kiss for a long time, but … well … it wasn’t long after the kiss that I realized I couldn’t live without your father, and we got back together.”
Like most wolves, Sami was a big fan of stories. She crossed her legs and leaned forward. “How did you get back together?”
“What do you mean?”
“How did you make up?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You want specifics? Okay, maybe we should ban Outlander from any television she has access to. It needs to stay on mine, though.”
Aric snickered. “It’s not so funny now, is it?”
“That’s not what I mean,” Sami snapped, scandalized. “Gross! How can you think I want to know about that?”
“Because that’s your father’s favorite part of the memory,” I teased. “He likes to relive it over and over.” That wasn’t an exaggeration. Sometimes, when we shared memories with one another in sleep, Aric enjoyed returning to our reunion. He said that it was the happiest momen
t of his life, and somehow I always believed him.
“It is my favorite part,” Aric agreed. “Not for the reason you guttersnipes think, though.”
“Oh, yeah? Why is it your favorite part?”
“Because that’s the moment I knew we could survive anything,” Aric replied firmly. “I knew if you could forgive what I did, if you could love me despite everything, we would survive no matter what.”
“Oh, that’s kind of sweet,” I teased, shifting so I could stare at his face.
“Yeah? You were kind of sweet that night, too.” Aric’s lips curved as he slipped into the memory. “We didn’t even technically get back together that night. But I knew we would. You were quiet, and we talked for the first time in what felt like forever. I sensed you were softening. Then you put me to bed and I knew we would make it.”
“And yet that was before you were tortured on the library lawn and I had to come to your rescue,” I reminded him. “If I remember correctly, I saved both of you that night.”
“Now wait a second,” Rafael protested. “I found you that night and told you Aric was in trouble. If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have reunited at all.”
“Yes, and then right after you found me some of Blake’s goons grabbed you and I had to save both of you,” I pressed. “I kicked ass that night.”
Aric chuckled as Rafael frowned. “You did indeed, baby. You healed me for the first time, you killed someone with your bare hands for the first time, and you scared the crap out of The Academy members. It was a good night, other than your eyes burning blue and me worrying how I was ever going to take you out in public again if I couldn’t get your eyes to stop glowing.”
“Ha, ha.”
“Wait, you burned someone and healed someone the same night?” Sami asked.
I nodded. “I discovered both abilities that night. I think I had them before then, but that was the night I really figured out how to wield them.”
“I can burn people.” Sami’s statement was simple, but I didn’t miss the look Rafael slid in her direction. We’d been purposely vague about her abilities because we didn’t want Rafael to be frightened of her.
“You can.” I nodded my head. “You burned Cissy that night at the house. That wasn’t wrong. You mustn’t think it was. You did what you had to do to protect me.”
“I burned you, too.”
Rafael jerked up his head, surprised. “She burned you?”
“Not on purpose,” I cautioned. “It was a fluid night. There were a few area witches trying to lure Sami outside of the house through her dreams. They got her one night, and Aric and I followed. Sami did what she had to do to protect herself.”
“I’m not saying she didn’t,” Rafael said, flashing a reassuring smile for Sami’s benefit. “I’m trying to picture the incident.”
“Cissy and her daughter were both witches,” I supplied. “They were part of a family that killed off the men, forcing them to be protective shades while they waited for the birth of a prophesized mage.”
Rafael’s eyebrows flew up his forehead as he focused on Sami. “I see.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal.” I adopted a breezy tone even though the memory still caused my stomach to clench. “I fought Cissy … and killed the smaller witch after she bit me, the little monster … and Sami tried to help me with Cissy. She burned Cissy during the fight and accidentally got my arm in the process. It turned out to be fine once I healed myself.”
Aric cleared his throat to get Rafael’s attention. “It scared Sami, but it turned out okay in the end. Zoe is obviously fine.”
“Yes, well … .” Rafael licked his lips. “Have you tried healing anyone?”
Sami nodded. “I mostly practice on myself when I have small scrapes or something. It doesn’t work.”
Rafael glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the first time you healed yourself it wasn’t on purpose, was it?”
“I … no.” I couldn’t figure out where he was going.
“Your emotions got the better of you,” Rafael pressed. “You were injured, and while Aric fought off the threat you healed yourself accidentally. Have you considered that it might be the same for Sami? It sounds as if she discovered her burning power in the same manner.”
“She also figured out how to glamour people today after watching Zoe do it,” Aric mused, his eyes drifting to Sami. “He has a point. You’ve been upset because you haven’t been able to heal anyone, but you’ve only tried on yourself, and for injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
“The first time your mother healed herself she was hit in the head and I was trying to figure out how I was going to get her in the truck and drive her to the hospital while fighting off a vampire,” he continued. “She did it herself without even realizing it.”
“So you think I can do it already?” Sami visibly brightened at the possibility.
“I think you probably can,” Aric replied, smiling. “You put too much pressure on yourself, Sami. We’ll figure this out. We picked up another ally today. Captain Perkins will get us any information he can on The Academy.”
“But how does that help?” Sami looked legitimately curious. “How are we going to fix this if they keep coming at us? When are we going to get to sleep without being afraid again?”
I thought my heart might break at the plaintive look on her face. “I … .”
Aric squeezed me as he tightened his grip. “Kid, I don’t know if we have an answer to that question. You asked why we only had one child. This is the reason. We knew you would be hunted because of what you are.”
“But you had me anyway,” Sami mused. “Do you ever wish you didn’t?”
“Absolutely not,” I snapped, taking everyone by surprise with my vehemence as I rolled off Aric’s lap and ran to Sami. I knelt in front of her, shoving her hair away from her face so she would have no choice but to look at me. “We were frightened when we found out you were coming. I won’t lie about that.”
Sami bit her lip and nodded.
“But we wanted you,” I said. “We’ve never regretted bringing you into this world, and we’ll fight until the end to keep you in it.”
“But your lives would’ve been easier without me,” Sami noted, her eyes glassy as she fought back tears. “You would’ve been able to live in peace because people were afraid of you. The only reason they’re coming now is because they’re not afraid of me.”
“That’s true,” I said. “People weren’t always afraid of me, though. I had to earn my reputation. You’ll have to do the same. I wish a hundred different futures for you, but that’s the one you’ll have to embrace.”
“When? When am I going to have to make people afraid of me?”
I hated the way she phrased her question. I hated how resigned she sounded. I refused to lie to her despite that. She had to prepare herself for what would come, and the mental part would be harder than the physical part. “Probably soon,” I replied. “Maybe before we leave this place.”
“You mean I’ll have to kill more people, don’t you?”
“I don’t want you to ever have to kill anyone, but I don’t see how you’ll make it through life without doing it.” I swallowed hard as my voice cracked. “The Academy people are afraid of me because of the messages I’ve been sending while protecting you. We need them to fear you, because they won’t dare approach if they are afraid of you.”
“And, while your life will probably never be completely boring or quiet, you’ll be able to live a more relaxed life after that,” Aric added, kneeling at my side. “Your mother and I had a few quiet years when you were younger because she sent out some very pointed messages right after your birth.”
Sami’s expression reflected surprise. “She did? I didn’t know that.”
“The first two weeks of your life were hectic,” Aric said, smiling at the memory. “You wouldn’t stop crying and your mother was convinced you hated her. Both of your grandmothers stayed at the
house to help us. People kept trying to cross the security fence to kidnap you. It was a freaking mess.”
“How did you stop it?”
“One day we were lying in bed,” Aric answered, his lips twitching. “Your mother was almost asleep, and you were swaddled in a little basket between us. We thought if we could get one hour of uninterrupted sleep that everything would be better.
“You see, we knew having a baby would be rough but we had no idea how rough,” he continued. “You were more work than we envisioned. Because you’re your mother’s daughter, we should’ve anticipated that. We didn’t.
“The security alarm went off right when we were about to pass out,” he said. “You started screaming, your grandmothers started freaking out and your mother raced out of the room. I was caught because I didn’t want to leave you, but I knew Mom was exhausted and needed help. I was wrong on that front.
“By the time I hit the backyard, your mother had already fried five enemies and was preparing to burn down the woods to get the rest of them,” Aric said. “She didn’t take any prisoners that day … and she left one person standing to spread the message. Funnily enough, despite the pile of bodies in the backyard when she was done, we slept like babies ourselves that night.”
“I stopped crying?” Sami asked, intrigued.
“You did.” Aric bobbed his head. “I put you on my chest and your mother put her head right here.” He patted his shoulder as the memory washed over me. “You tangled your hand in your mother’s hair and we slept for five straight hours. It was pretty much the best thing that had happened to us in days.”
Sami pursed her lips. “So I need to send a message like Mom did that day, huh?”
“Yes, but we haven’t decided where or when yet,” I cautioned. “We need to do it when we can inflict maximum damage, but only on those people who deserve it. Do you understand?”
Sami nodded. “I’m going to have to fight.”
“You will.” I wished I could tell her otherwise, but there was no sense lying. “You won’t be alone. Your father and I will be with you all of the way.”
“Me, too,” Rafael added, grinning. “You won’t be able to get rid of me until the message is sent and you’re safe. I promise you that.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 72
