Haunted Covenant (Dying Covenant Trilogy Book 1)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I’m not a wolf,” Sami countered. “I’m a mutt.”

  “Don’t say that,” I chided, shaking my head.

  “That’s what I am,” Sami said. “I’m not a wolf and I’m not like you. What does that make me?”

  “Right now you’re annoying,” Aric said, handing the puppy the steak bone from his plate before sitting again. “Eat your dinner and then say goodnight to your grandparents because you’re going to bed early.”

  “Oh, that sounds great,” Sami muttered, viciously stabbing her fork into her meat and plopping a huge bite into her mouth. She proceeded to chew with exaggerated slowness, allowing everyone to see flashes of the masticated food.

  “So why were you going through her things again?” Helen asked. “I’ve never had a daughter, but that sounds like a gross invasion of privacy.”

  “Why don’t you shove some steak in your mouth and chew it, too, Helen,” I suggested, causing Paris to bite off a laugh and Heath to stare at his plate.

  Helen was incensed. “Excuse me?”

  “She said shut up and eat, Mom,” Aric said, draping his arm over the back of my chair. “Good grief. Can’t we have five minutes of peace?”

  “We were totally peaceful until nosy Mommy Zoe got into my stuff,” Sami grumbled.

  “Okay. I’m done.” Aric hopped up from his chair and moved around to the other side of the table. Sami balked, although I didn’t think she was worried Aric would hurt her. She was more surprised by his actions than anything else. He grabbed her around the waist with one hand, balancing her on his hip, and then grabbed her plate with the other. “Say goodnight, Sami. You’re officially in timeout. You should be proud. We haven’t had to do this since you were five.”

  “Put me down!”

  Aric ignored her vociferous complaints as he hauled her out of the room. The puppy tilted his head to the side, confused, and stared at my plate.

  “Oh, well, you’re going to be spoiled, too, huh?” I handed him a piece of my steak and ran my hand over his soft fur. He was a cute little thing. He was still going to be a lot of work.

  “Do you want to tell us what’s going on?” James asked, gripping his silverware tightly. “That display right there was … .”

  “Partially your fault,” Aric finished, striding back into the room. “She’s in there crying. I told her to put the plate outside the door when she was done, but that I didn’t want to see her for the rest of the night.”

  “That’s some solid parenting,” Helen commented. “Have you ever considered listening to her complaints and solving them as a family?”

  “No, because we don’t live in La-La Land,” I replied, tipping my plate so I could shove the rest of my mushrooms onto Aric’s half-finished plate. He spent hours collecting the mushrooms. I figured he should enjoy them. “She’s never going to be happy with my answer, so there’s nothing to talk about right now. She just needs to sleep on it and calm down.”

  “Why were you in her room, though?” Helen pressed.

  “Because Paris believes Sami was in a trance last night, not sleepwalking,” I replied. “She also believes someone was trying to control her and get her out of the house. The easiest way to do that is by enchanting an object. We were hoping to find the object and be able to track the source without freaking out Sami. That did not happen … mostly because Paris is a neat freak.”

  “I said I was sorry,” Paris groused. “Those mushrooms are gross, by the way. They taste like dirt.”

  “I like them,” Heath said, smiling. He was amiable no matter what. I was starting to think he was on uppers or something.

  “If someone is really trying to grab her, we need to be proactive,” James said. “I can place a call right now and have this place surrounded by guards within the hour.”

  “Absolutely not,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Why not?” Aric asked. “I don’t think that’s such a bad idea.”

  “Because I don’t want Sami thinking she’s living in a police state,” I replied. “There are six adults in this house. We should be able to keep track of one kid. Sure, she’s a rotten kid right now, but she’s still just one kid.”

  “I think you’re playing this the wrong way, Zoe,” James argued. “Shouldn’t we do what’s best for Sami?”

  “I am doing what’s best for Sami,” I shot back. “There is something else to consider, though, and that’s the fact that whoever is trying to lure her out of the house is close enough to see what’s going on. Right now added guests look as if we’re celebrating Sami’s birthday. Guards will tip off whoever it is and he might run.

  “That means he could come back when our guard is down,” I continued. “Right now we know he’s out there and he’s not worried enough to run yet. That means we have the advantage.”

  “That’s a good point,” Aric said. “Zoe is right. No guards.” He glanced at my plate. “Baby, you need to eat.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, you’re eating,” Aric said, grabbing a baked potato and plopping it on my plate. “The last thing I need is a sick wife. We already have a dog we weren’t planning on. I can only take so much upheaval in one night.”

  “Speaking of that, someone will need to walk him.”

  “I nominate you,” Aric said. “There are baggies in the drawer to pick up his … you know. Don’t leave it around in case someone steps in it.”

  “I am not bagging that dog’s poop,” I said. “Don’t think for a second that’s going to happen.”

  “I’ll bag it,” Paris said, struggling to get to her feet as her large stomach bumped against the table. “We’ll take the dog for a walk together.”

  “I think Heath should go, too,” Aric said.

  I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. “Why?”

  “Because you women need watching,” Aric answered. “If something happens, Heath can get Paris back to the house while you incinerate any trespassers.”

  That sounded like a fair tradeoff. “Sold.”

  “Try not to kill the dog if that happens,” Aric added.

  “No promises if he poops big piles,” I said, smiling at the puppy’s adorable face. Crap. I was already falling in love with the thing. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise. I love things of the canine variety. “We won’t be gone long.”

  “Give me fifteen minutes,” Aric said. “I need a few minutes alone with my parents while you take care of our new addition.”

  Realization washed over me. What Aric wasn’t saying was that things were about to get loud in our living room.

  “Sure.” I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Punish them by keeping the rest of the pie away from them. We can eat that in bed tonight.”

  Despite the serious nature of the conversation, Aric smiled. “I love the way your mind works.”

  “Hold that thought until after you lay down the law. Don’t cave this time.”

  “Oh, that’s not going to happen,” Aric said. “Not this time.”

  ELEVEN

  “A re things always that tense between you and your in-laws?”

  I picked a spot close to the deck so I wasn’t too far from the house and was so lost in my eavesdropping efforts I didn’t initially realize Paris was talking. “What?”

  Paris heaved an exasperated sigh but repeated the question.

  “Oh, no,” I replied, shaking my head. “We get along fine. I like both of them. They just have a tendency to coddle Sami, and Aric is a big wuss when they show up.”

  “Helen seemed agitated with you,” Paris pointed out.

  “Helen thinks Aric is one halo short of sainthood and she’s still disappointed we didn’t have another child,” I explained. “James is, too, although he hides his emotions better. They really wanted a boy to carry on the family name.”

  “Did you ever consider another child?” Heath asked, genuinely curious.

  “No. We both knew that keeping Sami safe would be a full-time job. Another child would’ve split our efforts
. It might’ve done Sami some good to have a sibling, but we could’ve lost her by being stretched too thin.”

  “Aric doesn’t seem to care that he doesn’t have a son,” Paris pointed out. “He seems happy with your family … er, happy when Sami is being cute instead of incorrigible, that is.”

  “I worried for a long time that he was only pretending to be happy, but I don’t worry any longer,” I said. “I can crawl into his brain whenever I feel like it because we inadvertently share dreams most nights – heck, I can do it without tipping him off – and he’s happy.”

  “What about you?”

  “I think one is more than enough.”

  Paris snorted as she bent down to pet the puppy. “Well, you kind of have a second child now. I can’t believe they brought a puppy without telling you.”

  “I want to be surprised, but I’m really not,” I said. “They’re not wrong about me saying no. She’s wanted a puppy for as long as she could talk, but we always pushed it off for fear that if there was an attack the animal would be a target.”

  “I think you have a lot of fears, Zoe,” Paris said. “You handle them remarkably well, though.”

  “I think you have to say that because you’re my best friend,” I said, chuckling harshly. “I don’t think I’ve been handling anything particularly well over the past few days.”

  “Sami will get over this.”

  “She shouldn’t have to,” I said. “I did invade her privacy. It wasn’t right or fair.”

  “You still had to do it.”

  “Maybe, but … I’m starting to feel overwhelmed,” I admitted. “This is the first time I’ve felt a real threat since her birth. The other times were minor and so easy to deal with. I don’t feel in control here … and I really hate that.”

  “I remember,” Paris said dryly. “You used to exert control in really obnoxious ways when this happened back in the day.”

  “That was easy because I knew who the enemy was,” I said. “Even though I didn’t realize the depth of Blake’s evil nature, I knew something was wrong with him. I knew that he had to be watched.

  “We’re at a disadvantage here,” I continued. “We have no idea who is after us. Our old enemies are long gone. Whoever is out there now is someone new … and I’m starting to get the feeling he’s been watching us for a long time, preparing for whatever this is.”

  “And watching you is a violation of your family,” Paris surmised. “I think you’re over-identifying on a lot of different levels.”

  “Maybe,” I conceded. “I can feel something closing in on us, though. I haven’t felt this way since … .”

  “The witches?”

  “No, Mark.” I hadn’t said his name in years. I hadn’t allowed his face to enter my memory during that time either. He was long gone, our former friend-turned-enemy, who attacked at my engagement party, killing an old friend. We tracked him down, let James’ men take him into custody and then … well … I wasn’t sure how he died. Aric confirmed it was over two weeks later, but I didn’t ask for details. I hadn’t felt this worried since then. Even when the witches attacked I wasn’t afraid until they almost killed Aric. After that I was merely ticked off. What I felt now was something else. It was absolute terror.

  “It’s going to be okay, Zoe,” Paris said. “This isn’t another Mark situation. No one is going to sneak into your house and set off a bomb.”

  I forced a smile for her benefit and nodded, but I didn’t give voice to what I really felt. What if someone had already set the bomb and it was inside my daughter?

  “HOW DID things go with your parents?”

  I found Aric in the kitchen washing the dishes. Heath and Paris said their goodnights to me in the foyer before retiring. Paris was dead on her feet. She wasn’t used to this much activity – or yelling. I didn’t blame them for wanting some time alone.

  “They’re offended by my tone.” Aric leaned against the counter and opened his arms. “I’m depressed and need a hug.”

  I couldn’t even muster the energy to roll my eyes, instead stepping into his embrace and resting my head against his chest. He stroked the back of my head as he kissed my forehead.

  “I can’t believe we have a dog.”

  It was supposed to be a moment of quiet contemplation and soothing. Instead Aric’s chest shook with silent laughter as he tightened his arms around me. “I can’t believe it either. Did you pick up his mess?”

  “No.”

  “Did Paris?”

  “She’s too fat to bend over, so Heath did it,” I replied. “We should make them move in to the basement room so he can do it for the next twelve years, which is how long we’re going to have that dog.”

  “Well, Sami will be gone by then, so it won’t be so bad.”

  It wasn’t funny, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “What are we going to do with her?”

  “I’m not ruling out giving her up for adoption.”

  “No, I’m serious.”

  “So am I.”

  I rested my chin on his chest and tilted up my face so I could study his somber eyes. “You’re as worried as I am. I can see it every time you think no one is looking. Don’t bother denying it.”

  “I am worried, Zoe,” Aric said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as he swayed back and forth. It was almost as if we were dancing without music. “I don’t know how to alleviate that worry, though, so I’m choosing to be an optimist.”

  “Oh, that sounds fun,” I drawled. “Can I play?”

  “Of course you can,” Aric said. “It wouldn’t be a good game without you.”

  “How do we do it?”

  “Well, I start out by reminding myself that you’re the strongest person I know and you’ve never failed me,” Aric said. “Then I pity the person who would dare come near this house and mess with our kid, because he’ll be a husk of a human being by the time we’re done with him.”

  “If he’s even human.”

  “He’s human. I smelled him … or her. I’m still not sure about that, even though we keep referring to this individual as a male.”

  “I’m going to let the fact that you said you smelled someone with such pride go – even though it’s akin to one dog sniffing another’s butt – and remind you that all we’ve ascertained is that a human was hanging around outside of our house,” I pointed out.

  “And crisscrossing the woods surrounding our property.”

  “And that,” I said. “We don’t know if he’s our enemy or if he was simply hired to watch us by someone else. Maybe whoever is doing this is tied to Sami in a manner we don’t understand and this guy in the woods isn’t the real threat.”

  “Okay, I’m willing to play the ‘what if’ game,” Aric said, wetting his lips. “We need to start with the obvious question.”

  “Which is?”

  “Who would have information about Sami?”

  “That’s a long list,” I replied. “We didn’t exactly keep her birth under wraps.”

  “We didn’t broadcast it either,” Aric countered. “The circle who knew about her was small. My father employed only wolves he genuinely trusted to be there during your labor and what happened at the end … .”

  “You mean when she shook the room and caused the lights to flicker?”

  “Yes, that. Only a few people knew about that. Since then we’ve been so careful, Zoe. She has never manifested something big in front of others.”

  “She’s set a few fires,” I reminded him. “We didn’t manage to stop her from doing that.”

  “Yeah, but no one could say with absolute certainty that she set those fires instead of you,” Aric said. “That’s not proof.”

  He had a point. Still … . “What are you getting at?”

  “What if this isn’t about luring her away?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “What if this is about testing her?” Aric said. “Think about it, Zoe. We all expected her to have off-the-charts power and she surprise
d all of us by manifesting very limited powers. She hasn’t displayed any of your range. I thought for sure there was a chance she would be more powerful because of the wolf and mage blood mixing.

  “So far she can basically set fires, infiltrate minds and do that cool projection thing she mastered in the womb. We can still play that game when we’re feeling nostalgic,” he continued. “Other people have probably been waiting for her to manifest, too. Twelve is the age of maturity of a wolf. Maybe they think she’s going to pop out an entire bag of tricks now that she’s hit that mark.”

  “I guess that’s possible,” I said. “There is another possibility, though. Not about the people watching Sami, mind you, but about Sami herself.”

  “What?”

  “Maybe she’s not going to get stronger,” I replied. “Maybe this is it. Maybe her wolf genes and mage genes cancel each other out and she’s going to get a shot at a normal life.”

  Aric cupped the back of my head as he swallowed his upper lip with his lower. I could tell he wanted to argue the point but was debating if he was in the mood for a potential argument. Finally, he gave in to the dark side. “I think that’s wishful thinking on your part,” he said, his voice soft. “I think you want that for her so badly that you don’t realize she wants the exact opposite.”

  I jolted at the words. “What do you mean?”

  “She wants to be you, Zoe,” Aric said. “I don’t think she cares about the wolf part of her heritage. Don’t get me wrong, she wants it in as much as she thinks it would please me and her grandparents, but she’s much more interested in being like you.

  “I think you’re too close to the situation and don’t see how awestruck she is by you sometimes,” he continued. “The idea of having powers thrills her. It frightens her, too, I think. The excitement is bigger than the fear, though.

  “She fights with you because she thinks she’s a disappointment,” he said. “She’s not what we expected and she thinks we’re upset by that, even though, in the end, it would probably be for the better. I didn’t realize the full scope of it until she mentioned it tonight. We built up her expectations, and when things didn’t happen the way she expected … .”