“Oh, I don’t know.” Paris rolled her eyes, reminding me of my tween daughter’s reaction to my embarrassing antics. “You want to do your little ‘I told you so’ dance. You want to wiggle your butt and jump on the couch and point and laugh. You want to tell me I was wrong and you were right. Well, Zoe, I’m waiting. You can do all of that. I deserve it.”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at her, the fact that she was near tears causing my stomach to lurch. That’s when I realized we all had insecurities we were fighting. I was jealous of my best friend because she got to spend time with my kid while I was out threatening people and spying for the cause. She was insecure because she stood up for Brittany, and not because she was lying but because she really believed it. Brittany’s betrayal hurt Paris more than it hurt me because I expected it.
“It’s not fun to do a dance when you’re already dancing all over your own ego,” I said, earning a small lip purse from Aric as he sat in one of the chairs and reassuringly patted my thigh. If he worried during the ride back to the hotel that I might explode all over Paris, he no longer held on to that fear. Instead he merely looked tired as he rubbed his forehead.
“So she admitted it?” James asked, removing the pillow.
“Not in so many words,” I replied. “She kept denying it and then slipping. She never was a good liar.”
“As she was saying that stuff to you, all I could think was that I was dreaming and that this had to be a nightmare,” Paris admitted, pouring a mug of coffee in the small kitchenette before sitting at the table. “I don’t understand how this happened.”
“It was a perfect storm of events,” I supplied. “She was a mousy kid who had big dreams of college. She thought she was going to get the perfect grades … and find the perfect man … and get the perfect roommates who she could be friends with forever. Instead she got me.”
“You can’t blame yourself for this,” Aric chided, his expression darkening. “You didn’t force her to do anything.”
“I didn’t.” I nodded. “I helped create the monster, though. We can’t pretend otherwise.”
“Oh, that’s such a load of crap.” Aric slammed his hand down on the arm of his chair to get my attention, causing Sami to widen her eyes. “I’m sorry, kid.” Aric was instantly apologetic and held up his hands. “Your mother is frustrating me, and I feel the need to vent.”
“I don’t think you should yell at her,” Sami argued. “She looks tired.”
“She does look tired,” Aric agreed. “So do you. Why don’t you go into your bedroom and take that nap you told your grandfather you were going to take. How does that sound?”
Sami’s face shifted from mischievous to innocent in one second. She knew how to play her father. “I’m not tired, Daddy. I’m also afraid and don’t want to be left alone. What if someone attacks?”
Aric stared at her a moment, his mouth working but no sound coming out, as if waging an internal debate. “You’re full of crap,” he said finally. “You want to hear what happened at breakfast, yell at your mother for not killing Brittany and then pitch a righteous fit until you con your grandfather into buying you a gift. None of that is going to happen.”
Instead of being abashed, or even apologetic, Sami widened her eyes to comical proportions and even managed to muster a lone tear. “You’re so mean to me!”
“Knock that off!” Aric wagged a finger in her face, grabbing the sleeve of her shirt so he could force her to lock gazes with him. “This is a big deal. Your mother is dealing with some humongous stuff, and while you’re the most important thing in the world to us you’re not the only person in the world.
“We need to discuss the Brittany situation with calm heads,” he continued. “We have a lot to discuss. Your mother dropped a huge threat about us handling the enemy today, so we’re dealing with a bit of a clock if we expect to be able to back up her threat.”
James shot me a dirty look. “You threatened them with death and devastation by the end of the day?”
I shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t use those words.”
“But … I want to listen,” Sami complained. “I want to be part of this.”
“You are part of this,” I offered. “You’re the biggest part. You’re the reason we’re doing this. That doesn’t mean you get to vote. You’re too young. We’re going to handle this situation – I promise you that – but we need to talk first.”
Sami stared at me a moment, her expression dark and accusatory. “I’m not a child.”
“You’re our child,” Aric clarified. “You’ll always be our child. We’ll always protect you. I know you don’t think you’re a child, but you are.”
I knew Aric thought he was doing the right thing by putting his foot down, but the expression on Sami’s face told me she was taking his words as a challenge. I opted for a different tactic. “You’re the smartest person in the room, Sami. Once we come up with a plan, we need you to listen to it and tell us if we’re making the right decision. We can’t do that until we brainstorm out loud, and it’s daunting to do it in front of you.”
Sami stared at me a moment, the lines of her face unmoving. She reminded me so much of Aric in that moment, even more so when she opened her mouth. “You’re so full of crap you should have brown eyes instead of blue. Don’t bother lying to me!”
Sami stomped her feet as she stormed toward her bedroom.
“Where are you going?” James called to her back.
“I’m going into my bedroom to suck my thumb,” Sami replied. “I might even poop in my diaper or something.”
I met her challenging gaze with an even one of my own. “Make sure to wipe your bottom if you do that. You don’t want to get butt zits. The kids in your gym class will notice and you’ll never get over the shame.”
Sami’s mouth dropped open as sheer incredulity washed over her features. “I can’t believe you said that!” She slammed her bedroom door as hard as she could as I stared at the wooden rectangle, waiting to see if she would open it again and toss another parting shot in our direction. If I were in her position I would.
“I can’t believe you said that either,” Aric admitted, his lips twitching. “Even I was grossed out and embarrassed by that little insult.”
I shrugged, unbothered. “At least I didn’t do it in front of her friends.”
“Now we have something to look forward to,” Aric teased, grabbing me around the waist and tumbling me into his lap so he could kiss my cheek. “I know you’re upset because she’s upset, Zoe, but keeping her safe is more important than catering to her every whim right now. We can only do one thing at a time. She’ll be okay.”
“I know.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as Aric rubbed my temple. “We need to decide how we’re going to do this. I have no problem going into The Academy and burning it down. In fact, I think we should do that. We need to figure out a way to get the kids out of that building before we do it.”
“More than that, we need to figure out a way to get the kids off this campus before you do it,” Paris corrected. “Don’t forget, the campus is arranged in that symbol for a reason. It’s always going to be a threat … unless you remove the threat.”
“And that means you have to take out the entire school,” Aric added. “If you leave part of it standing, they’ll rebuild.”
I knew he was right. The amount of death and destruction I would have to wreak to end this was staggering. “On the bright side, if I do eradicate the school that should be a powerful enough message to convince anyone that approaching us – approaching Sami specifically – is a bad idea.”
Aric pressed a kiss to my cheek. “You’ve got that right. Let’s start tossing about some ideas. How are we going to empty this campus?”
FIVE HOURS later we had a plan. Sort of. We had the framework for a plan. That’s when we called Dale Perkins to the hotel room so we could have a chat.
Sami remained in her room, pouting. That was probably for the best considering our conv
ersation.
“Thanks for calling,” Perkins said, offering a wan smile as he walked into the suite. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d keep me in the loop or not.”
“We said we would,” I gestured to one of the chairs on the far end of the living room area. “Have a seat.”
“You seem grim,” Perkins noted, crossing one leg over his knee. “Is something bad about to happen?”
“Something bad is definitely about to happen.” I nodded my head to anchor the point. “We’re going to burn down the school.”
I expected Perkins to yell, gnash his teeth, maybe even pull his gun and threaten me. He did none of those things. Instead he merely rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the aerial map of the school. “Do you think you can do that?”
I arched an eyebrow, surprised. “I thought you would try to talk us out of this.”
“Part of me wants to do just that,” Perkins admitted. “The other part knows you’re right. Evil keeps popping up here. It won’t stop. Can you take out the school without massacring the students?”
“That’s exactly what we’ve been talking about,” Aric replied, his fingertips light as they moved up and down my spine. “We think we have an idea for evacuating the campus. It’s not a hundred percent. Some of the students – especially the idiots who remain behind because they don’t believe the warnings apply to them – could get hurt.”
“That’s where you come in,” James added. “I have more wolves on the way. They’ll help us move students away from the campus. I was hoping you’d be able to muster some campus security and police officers as well.”
“And what? We scare the kids off campus while the blonde burns it down?” Perkins jerked his thumb in my direction. “Is she powerful enough to do that?”
“She’s powerful enough to do anything,” Aric answered. “She can burn down the school. It will take a lot out of her, but with the rest of us running interference with The Academy members, it should be something we can do … and within a few hours.”
“Well, that’s just … terrifying.” Perkins heaved out a sigh. “I can gather men and get the students off campus. How will you alert the majority of the student body to run?”
“We’re going to fake a tornado.”
Perkins jerked his head in my direction. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. We’re going to fake a tornado and direct all of the kids to off-campus safety zones. We should only have to deal with the kids who remain behind because they’re idiots. There could, of course, still be casualties. We’ve been over it a dozen times. There is no guaranteed way to get every student off this campus.”
Perkins looked resigned. “Is there no other way?”
I shook my head. “We have to end them now. They’re amassing students to act as soldiers. The Alpha Chi wolves are growing in strength again, although I hobbled that little insurrection a few days ago.”
“That was you?” Perkins’ eyebrows flew up his forehead. “I guess I should’ve realized that was you. It makes sense … in hindsight.”
“I’ll take out the other house on the way out of town,” I offered. “We have to start with the athletic building. That’s the heart of it. We can’t only take out that building, though. They’ll simply rebuild if we do.”
Perkins bit his lip. I knew it was hard for him to accept this. He was a man of duty, a man who pledged himself to protect his charges. There were no other options. “Okay. What time do you want to start?”
“Dusk,” I answered, “but that reminds me, ….” I turned to Kelsey. “We’ll need you to take Sami out of town. You don’t have to go far, but we want you to head one town over. James has already arranged a room for you.”
Kelsey didn’t appear thrilled with the suggestion, but she merely nodded. “I get it. You don’t want her to be a distraction.”
“We want her safe,” Aric corrected.
“We want you safe, too,” I added. “You can’t fight because you don’t have any magic. That doesn’t mean you’re not important. You’ll be watching the most important thing in our lives.”
Kelsey’s expression softened. “No offense, but I’m happy I don’t have to fight.” She got to her feet and moved toward the bedroom. “I’ll tell Sami to pack.”
I watched her go, relief washing over me. Kelsey got it. She understood the importance of getting Sami out of town. We considered keeping her with us. She had to send a message, after all. In the end it seemed too dangerous because we had no way of knowing exactly how many soldiers Brittany and Martin could amass. Sami would be safer out of the danger zone. Once we started tearing down Covenant College we wouldn’t stop until it was done. Then we’d leave town … and never return. This was it.
Kelsey returned to the living room suite seconds later, her face white. She looked distraught.
“What’s wrong?” Aric asked, hopping to his feet.
“Sami isn’t in her room,” Kelsey replied. “She’s not in her bathroom either.”
“But how?” James moved to search the room himself, frustrated. “Did she go to the vending machines or something? She has her own private entrance.”
“She left a note.” Kelsey’s hand shook as he handed me a sheet of paper from one of Sami’s notebooks.
“A note?” My heart rolled at the expression on Kelsey’s face. I snapped the paper from her hand, my stomach twisting as my legs threatened to give out beneath me.
“What is it?” Aric asked, his voice ragged.
“She’s gone to the athletic center,” I gritted out. “She heard us talking and she’s decided to end things herself.”
“But … why?” Aric almost howled the question.
“Because she’s decided to go all Firestarter on their asses,” Paris surmised, her gaze locking with mine. “She wants to be the hero.”
“She’s going to get herself killed,” James protested.
Something inside of me broke as rampant determination washed over me. “She is not going to get herself killed,” I spat. “The plan remains the same. We’re just moving it up a bit.”
“When?” Perkins asked.
“Now. We’re moving now. It’s time to end Covenant College … and now we get to add saving Sami to the mix. Oh, happy day.”
Thirty
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Rafael met us in the athletic building’s parking lot, his expression grave.
“I don’t see where we have much choice,” I replied, my hands clenched into fists at my side. “Sami is inside. We have to get her out.”
“Not that.” Rafael made an exasperated face. “Burning this place to the ground. Are you sure you’re ready?”
“I’ve been ready for eighteen years. I should’ve done it back then.”
“Well, then, let’s do it.” Rafael shifted his gaze to the back of the Explorer, which was empty. “Where are Paris and Kelsey?”
“They’re on the road.” Aric pointed to the four-door sedan parked on the street across the way. The engine was running, and Paris and Kelsey sat, white faced, watching us. “Once we get Sami we’re shoving her in that car and letting them take her to the next town. Then we’re finishing up without her.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Rafael lifted his head when the tornado warning system began wailing. “What’s that?”
“Perkins,” I answered. “He’s evacuating the students to off-campus buildings. We’re trying to save as many lives as we can. It won’t be all of them, though.”
“So are you going to blow the doors off The Academy to get inside? The building appears to be on lockdown.”
“Lockdown won’t stop me,” I gritted out. “Nothing will stop me.”
“No, nothing will,” Aric agreed, resting his hands on my shoulders before offering me a soft kiss. “It’s time, baby. We need to move now.”
I was already prepared when I turned to face the building. “Then let’s move.”
Aric and Rafael exchanged a look as they too
k up positions on either side of me. The time for discussion was over.
We strode together toward the door. I already heard The Archimage’s familiar dark whispering, glee practically tainting the words. I wouldn’t tamp down on the bloodthirsty book’s impulses today. No, today I would let the magic do whatever it wanted to do.
I blew off the back door with minimal effort, wood splintering in terrific fashion as I strode into the hallway and spared half a glance for the stunned-looking students on the other side. “Get out.”
The nearest student, a boy with brown hair and slim shoulders, shot me a defiant look. “I’m calling the cops.”
“Get out!” The magic curled in my stomach before causing the lights to flicker, exploding a few bulbs down the way and causing the boy to jolt.
“Get off this campus,” Aric ordered. “Don’t go back to your room to get your things. Don’t try to warn your friends. Run. Just … run!”
The boy managed one more comment. “This is our school!”
“Not anymore,” I seethed, exploding one of the cheap benches along the wall, sending a pile of fluff and metal in a hundred different directions. “It’s not anything anymore. It’s all coming down.”
I focused my magic on the security panel that led to the basement, causing sparks to fly as it disintegrated. Rafael calmly kicked open the door, allowing me to step through before him as I made my way into the bowels of The Academy.
I heard voices when I hit the cement hallway. I decided to make my presence known, unleashing a screaming torrent of power that blew every door off its hinges. At the far end of the hallway, where the office we visited a few days ago was located, a head poked out of the opening. Brittany looked terrified.
“You can’t say I didn’t warn you,” I intoned.
“And I can’t say you haven’t earned this,” Brittany snapped, ducking back inside the office. I heard her talking to someone on the other side of the threshold, and I strode in that direction without bothering to glance in any of the other classrooms.
Now that we were on the same level I could feel Sami. Her terror washed over me as I worked to tamp down my own fear. She was here … and she was in that office.
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 79
