“Perhaps.” Rafael narrowed his eyes. “We’ll probably have a chance to do it again if it becomes necessary. Shall we approach Martin’s puppets instead? They look as if they’re about to rabbit.”
“I don’t see why not.” I purposely strode toward Alan and Christy, watching as the duo exchanged terrified glances before shifting their attention to the street behind them. They were readying to run when I called out. “If you run, we’ll chase you down and things will be worse.”
Christy swallowed hard as I approached, sweat running down her forehead. Alan looked cooler, more collected, but I could practically feel the panic washing over him.
“I know who you are,” I said, stopping in front of them. “You’re part of The Academy’s newest recruits.”
“We know who you are, too,” Alan shot back. “We know that you’re evil.”
“Oh, honey, you have no idea how evil I am,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I surveyed them up close. “I’m especially evil when it comes to protecting my family.”
“A family you shouldn’t even have.” Alan positively dripped with disdain as he defiantly met my gaze. “You’re an abomination. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Don’t you ever say that!” Aric snarled, grabbing him by the throat.
Christy cringed as Alan gurgled for oxygen, but I remained a statue as I met her gaze. She was clearly more open to conversation than her friend.
“Martin has filled your head with a lot of hogwash,” I offered, working overtime to ignore Alan’s kicking as Aric lifted him from the ground. “I am not some soulless beast who goes around murdering humans.”
“You have a soul?” Christy’s eyes flashed with surprise.
“I hope so,” I answered, opting for honesty. “I know the difference between love and hate, right and wrong.”
“She has a soul,” Aric growled. “The next person who says she doesn’t is going to die. I freaking swear it!”
I heaved a sigh as I watched Christy wring her hands. I decided to lay it all out there for her consumption. “Sam Blake was not an oracle or a hero. He was a disgruntled wolf hybrid who wanted to be like his father, Kennedy Reagan, but he couldn’t shift.”
Christy’s mouth dropped open. “Kennedy Reagan was Sam Blake’s father? But … he was a wolf? I don’t understand.”
“Kennedy Reagan was a wolf who thought he was greater than man,” I clarified. “He thought he was better than everyone around him. He thought he could control the masses and force the wolf population to breed a certain way. He wanted pure lines, even though he apparently planted his wolf sausage in any McMuffin he could find.”
“Oh, that wasn’t almost poetic,” Rafael intoned.
I pretended I didn’t hear him. “Kennedy Reagan did not take care of his children. Sam Blake was desperate for his approval, so he started the original Academy,” I explained. “Kennedy didn’t care about Sam, and used him as a puppet. They both died together eighteen years ago.
“The Academy was supposed to die with them, but Martin Bishop just couldn’t let that happen,” I continued. “Do you want to know what else Martin can’t let go of? His father. In case you’re wondering, Kennedy Reagan was his father, too. Martin is a hybrid, and he’s trying to get you to hunt down his enemies. He’s not doing anything for the greater good.”
“You lie.” Spittle formed at the corners of Alan’s mouth as his eyes dimmed.
“Aric, he’s about to die,” I pointed out.
“I know.” Aric was blasé. “I’m considering letting him die.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make you aware.” I wet my lips as I turned back to Christy. “I will protect my family with everything I have. You need to be aware of that. You don’t have to be my enemy, but if you side with Martin, I will kill you.”
“But … we have to protect the humans,” Christy said. “They’re in danger.”
“The only thing the human race is in danger from is itself,” I argued. “I’m not here to debate what’s right or wrong. I think you know in your heart what that is. I am here to show you what will happen if you choose to fight me.”
I nodded at Aric and he lowered Alan to the ground, keeping his hand around the boy’s neck as I grabbed one side of Alan’s head and knocked it against Christy’s. “Take a good long look, because this will happen to you if you don’t wise up.”
I poured the same memories I used to frighten Martin into Christy and Alan, feeling a momentary sense of triumph when Christy swooned and fell to one knee. That feeling lasted only for a few moments because Alan retaliated by throwing up at my feet.
“Oh, gross.” I wrinkled my nose as I took a step back. “Way to be a badass,” I muttered, stepping off the curb and heading for the Explorer. “Remember what I said. I’ll kill you, and I won’t feel bad about it in the least.”
JAMES SAT at the dining table with Sami when we returned to our suite, an open bag of Twizzlers on the table and a new iPad in my daughter’s hands. I made an exaggerated face when I saw the huge bag of loot sitting next to the door.
“Really? She already has an iPad.”
“It burned in the fire,” Sami said. “It was under the coffee table and it wasn’t in my bag, so I don’t think you grabbed it before we jumped off the balcony.”
“Oh, well … fine.”
“Way to be strong,” Aric teased, poking my side as I shuffled toward the table. “She’s got you on the ropes now.”
I shrugged, unbothered. “I like playing Candy Crush after she goes to bed. Sue me.”
“How did things go on your end?” James asked, reclining in his chair and turning his attention to me. “One of my men called and said you did something to a student that made him throw up in front of Martin Bishop’s house. Oh, that was after my son almost strangled him, of course.”
“He had it coming,” Aric said, dropping a kiss on top of Sami’s head and moving to the small refrigerator so he could grab a soda. “I would’ve killed him if we hadn’t been in the middle of the street.”
“It was Alan,” I supplied for Kelsey and Paris’ benefit. “He and Christy stopped by their professor’s house for a visit.”
“Oh, wow! Did they recognize you?” Kelsey asked.
I nodded. “They knew who I was. They knew who Aric was, too. I think Rafael threw them off. Martin had no idea Rafael could walk in the sun. It completely caused him to melt down.”
“That’s a good threat to keep in your pocket,” Rafael noted. “You could say you’re going to raise an army of vampires who can walk during daylight hours. I’ll bet that would’ve made Martin crap his pants.”
“You need to let that go,” I chided. “We did the best we could. Maybe he doesn’t have enough roughage in his diet.”
“Do I even want to know what you are talking about?” James asked.
“Probably not,” Aric answered, shoving a Diet Coke in my direction. “We questioned Martin about his relationship with Kennedy. He wasn’t exactly forthcoming and denied any ties to Blake and Kennedy. Then Zoe threatened him in a terrifying way and used her magic to show Martin every terrible thing she’s ever done.”
“Really?” James’ eyes lit up. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
“I wasn’t sure I could either,” I admitted. “It was worth a shot, and it worked like a charm. I did the same with Christy and Alan as we left. I thought three people spreading the word would be more effective than one, especially if Martin is half the zealot we believe him to be.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” James agreed. “What’s the next part of your plan?”
I shrugged. I’d been wondering about that myself. “Aric said you have people watching Martin.”
“That’s correct.”
“I think we need to sit tight and let them do their job,” I said. “For the next twenty-four hours I want to watch and learn. I want to know who Martin is in league with, because I guarantee he’s not alone. I want to know if there are other students involved, too.”
&nbs
p; “That actually sounds like a very pragmatic plan,” James acknowledged. “We’ve tapped Martin’s home and office phones, but it’s doubtful he’ll conduct business on them. We’ve enabled special listening equipment should he attempt to use his cell phone, but it’s not always effective.”
“You can only do what you can do.”
“For now, we’re in a holding pattern,” James said. “I think we’re safe in the hotel. Martin and his associates would have to be idiots to attack.”
“They’re not going to attack tonight regardless,” Aric interjected. “Zoe scared the crap out of them – although not literally, which is a great distraction to Rafael. They’re too terrified to move on us. They’ll regroup. I think it’s wise to sit back and see what Martin does.”
“You don’t think Zoe frightened him enough to get him to abandon his plans?” James asked.
Aric tilted his head to the side, considering. “No,” he answered finally. “Martin is a zealot. He wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps.”
“Perhaps we should let him,” James suggested. “We could kill him right now and be done with it.”
“That would only work if he’s alone in this,” I pointed out. “I feel as if someone else is involved. I think we should play it safe and wait. We can always kill him tomorrow. If we leave him alive tonight we might find who he’s working with.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” James flashed a smile at his granddaughter. “It will give me time to spend with Sami.”
I snorted. “She doesn’t care about you with this one hanging around.” I jerked my thumb in Rafael’s direction. “She’s found the great love of her life, James. Your future grandson-in-law is a vampire. I hope you can handle it.”
James’ mouth dropped open as Aric made a disgusted sound.
“Did you have to tell him that?” Aric complained. “Now he’ll be fixated on it.”
“I quite agree with your husband,” Rafael said, shifting uncomfortably when James scorched him with a dark look. “Not everyone shares your sense of humor, mage.”
Sami smiled adoringly at Rafael as she giggled over her grandfather’s murderous expression. “Does anyone want to watch Firestarter with me? I think it’s my new favorite movie.”
“I will,” Rafael said, mustering a smile. “I could use a break from all of the wolf pheromones bouncing around the room.”
I watched them retreat to the other side of the room before turning my attention to Paris, who appeared to be buried in a book and paying little heed to us. “What’s up with you?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m just looking at something.”
“What?”
“This.” Paris turned the book around and pointed. “This is one of those books they hand out to new students. It’s on the history of Covenant College.”
“Sounds boring,” I said. “We didn’t get anything like this when we started going here.”
“It’s a new thing,” Paris explained, “like a collector’s item.”
“Yeah, I’d rather have the matching witch and wizard Pez dispensers they promised me,” I said dryly. “What am I looking at here?”
“It’s an aerial photograph of Covenant College.”
“Okay. And?”
“Look at it,” Paris pressed.
I did as instructed, focusing on the box-like buildings and trees surrounding the campus. “I’m looking,” I said after a minute. “I’m not seeing anything.”
“That’s because you’re not looking hard enough.” Paris took back the book and grabbed one of Sami’s colored pencils, drawing a line between buildings. I watched her work, confused, and when she turned the book back around she had a triumphant look on her face. “Do you see it now?”
I focused on the page, leaning back so I could allow the lines to form a symbol in my head. I gasped when I realized what she was getting at, kicking my chair out from under me in my haste to stand. “Son of a … !”
“What is it?” Aric asked, looking over my shoulder. “I … no way!”
“It’s the symbol,” Paris supplied. “It’s the same symbol we saw in the house when the witches were trying to take Sami.”
“And the same one from the Ouija board,” I muttered. “Covenant College was built in conjunction with the symbol.”
“It was,” Paris agreed. “The athletic center is the middle mark, but look what’s at the north here.” She tapped on the page.
“I’m not sure what that is,” I admitted, squinting harder at the spot.
“It’s the football field,” Paris said. “The northernmost point of the symbol is located just a tad off the football field. You remember what’s there, right?”
I did. I remembered well. “The sphinx burial ground.”
“Yeah, but what if it wasn’t just a sphinx burial ground?” Paris pressed. “What if it was something else before that?”
“Huh.” I rubbed my chin, possibilities flooding my mind. “I guess there’s only one way to find out, huh?”
“Yup. We need to go back.”
“Well, great. I haven’t had a good walk through haunted woods in three months. I figure I’m about due. When should we leave?”
Twenty-Six
We waited until it was almost ten to leave the hotel. Sami was annoyed at being left behind again, but James promised to do some online shopping with her by way of distraction and I didn’t have the heart to admonish him regarding his spending habits. She was his only granddaughter. She would always be his only grandchild, and if he wanted to spoil her I didn’t have the energy to fight him.
Aric, Rafael, Paris and I made our way to the burial plot under cover of darkness. Aric parked on the side of the road, trying to remind himself exactly where the plot was located before picking a spot where he could leave the Explorer without drawing attention.
I slipped my hand in his as he picked his way into the trees, earning a reassuring smile as he squeezed my fingers and then focused on the dark pathway to … what? I had no idea what to expect. I hadn’t been here since freshman year, when Zach chased me into the woods with the intention of adding me to his body collection. Aric showed up that night to save me. I had no idea at the time that I could save myself, but I’d often wondered if he did.
The trees closed in, making me feel claustrophobic, and even though I worried that talking might draw attention to our small group as we searched for the location of the graveyard, I couldn’t stop myself from starting a conversation.
“Did you know that night?”
“What?” Aric asked, keeping his eyes on the space in front of him as he picked a path that wouldn’t cause me to trip. “Did I know that I loved you when I came out here to get you? I’m not sure. I knew I cared, but I don’t think the notion of love had entered my mind just yet.”
I snorted. “Not that. I definitely don’t think you loved me that night. That’s not what I was asking.”
“Don’t dismiss how I felt about you,” Aric retorted. “I knew I felt something big. Love was something I’m not sure I understood at the time. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel it.”
He was so earnest I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “The moment I saw you I knew it was going to be okay.”
Aric cocked an eyebrow. “That’s good. I had no idea what I was fighting that night. I wasn’t sure anything was going to be okay again.”
“That was before we trusted one another.”
“I guess.” Aric shot me a contemplative look. “If you weren’t asking if I loved you, what were you asking?”
“Whether or not you knew I could take care of myself if it came to it.”
Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Aric’s eyebrows flew up as his mouth twisted. “Oh. Are we back to that?”
“Back to what?”
“Zoe, I thought we were a team in this.” Aric didn’t bother to hide the ice in his voice as he released my hand. “I thought we were working together.”
“We are working together. I don’t un
derstand why you’re so upset.”
“You just told me that you could’ve taken care of yourself the night I raced out here and practically killed myself to get to you,” Aric barked. “You don’t understand why I’m upset? Being told you’re not needed is upsetting.”
“That’s not what I said,” I protested. “I always need you. I just … it’s hard for me to remember a time when I wasn’t supposed to kill first and ask questions later. I didn’t even know that I could kill that night. When you raced through the woods to get to me … when I saw the look on your face … I knew everything would be okay. That’s all I was saying.”
Aric heaved out a sigh as he dragged a restless hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. That might not have been all you. I think part of that was me. You didn’t deserve it. I apologize.”
I tugged on my bottom lip as I regarded him, my gaze roaming his strong back as we cut through the trees. He was struggling, I realized. Part of me already knew it. The other part opted to ignore it because I could only deal with so much on any given day. Obviously this needed to be dealt with now rather than waiting.
“Do you really think I don’t need you?” I kept my voice low even though I knew Rafael and Paris could hear every word. There was nothing I could do about that. They were part of the team and needed to visit the site. They were hardly oblivious to our issues anyway.
“It’s hard, Zoe,” Aric admitted, holding a branch so I could duck under it. “I’m supposed to be the man, the one who protects you. More often than not you protect me. That’s certainly what happened at the frat house, isn’t it?”
That’s what was eating at him. “You couldn’t have known,” I prodded. “We had no idea what we were dealing with that night. They could’ve been innocent, and you were woefully outnumbered.”
“I love that I have a wife who uses ‘woefully’ in conversations,” Aric muttered. “As for the rest … you’re right. I couldn’t have known. I should’ve known, though. Everything on this campus has mirrored our life here. Why would the fraternity be any different?”
“It is a little strange how everything is moving full circle,” I admitted, grabbing his index finger and wrapping my hand around it. “Another thing that’s the same is the fact that you’re still my hero.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 75
