Kelsey chuckled. “I guess some things never change, huh?”
“They’re even more disgusting now,” Paris said. “They paw at each other twenty-four hours a day.”
I frowned. We don’t “paw” at each other. That was a gross exaggeration.
“What are you doing?” Aric asked, moving into the hallway behind me and peering around the corner. “Are you spying on someone?”
I lifted my finger to my lips to quiet him. “Paris and Kelsey are talking about us,” I whispered.
“Are they saying anything good?”
“Paris says we paw at each other all the time.”
Aric pursed his lips. “I think that’s probably a fair assessment,” he said, squeezing my rear end for good measure before shoving me out into the living room. “Hello, ladies. Welcome to our home.”
Kelsey’s green eyes widened when she caught sight of us, and she hurried over to give me a hug. I was flustered thanks to Aric outing my location, but I returned the embrace.
“I missed you so much,” Kelsey said. “I’m so glad you guys aren’t hiding any longer. That was such a bummer.”
“We’re glad too,” Aric said, offering Kelsey a more muted hug. “Does anyone want a drink?”
“What time are we leaving for the party?” Paris asked, glancing around the house. “Are we the only ones here? I thought for sure your mother would be trying to put you in a horrendous dress.”
“She already tried,” I answered, following Aric into the kitchen. “It’s pink.”
Kelsey snorted. “I’m guessing that didn’t go over well.”
“I have no idea where she is,” I admitted, lifting my chin so I could scan the open floor plan. “Maybe I got lucky and she left.”
“You didn’t get that lucky, dear,” Mom said, breezing through the living room with a pair of dyed pink pumps in her hand. “I just had to run out to my car to retrieve your shoes.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not wearing those shoes.”
“They go with the dress,” Mom argued.
“I’m not wearing that dress either.”
“Yes, you are.” Mom used her best “you’re going to do it whether you like it or not” voice.
“That’s not going to work on me,” I challenged. “I’m not wearing that dress.” My temper ratcheted up a notch, causing the teapot on the stove to rattle.
“Zoe,” Aric warned, his voice low. “Don’t blow up the house.”
Maintaining control of my expanded powers was getting easier, but I still lost my grip occasionally. Aric preferred it when that happened outside – or when he had a fire extinguisher handy.
“Did you do that?” Kelsey asked, awed. “Paris said you were like a bomb ready to go off these days, but I thought she was exaggerating.”
I narrowed my eyes and shot Paris a dirty look. “You compared me to a bomb?”
“I only said that you were really powerful,” Paris hedged. “I … please don’t set me on fire!”
My heart sank at the momentary terror that flitted across her face. The last thing I want is for people to be frightened of my power. If they wanted to be frightened of me because of my attitude, that’s a whole other story. “I’m not going to set anyone on fire.”
“No, she’s not,” Aric agreed, resting his hand on my shoulder. “Nancy, I know you like that dress, but you’re going to have to let it go. Zoe isn’t wearing it … and it’s not just because she hates it. I hate it, too.”
Mom frowned. She wasn’t worried about my temper in the least. “That dress is beautiful!”
“I’m not marrying a woman who looks like something you take when you’re sick,” Aric countered. “That dress is the same color as Pepto-Bismol.”
“Hah!” I hopped up and down. “It’s ugly, Mom. Admit that dress is ugly and I’ll compromise with you. If you don’t admit it, I’ll wear cargo pants and flip-flops tonight.”
Those were fighting words if my mother’s expression was to be believed. She looked as if she was about to blow the roof off of the house. “What kind of compromise?”
Uh-oh. She had me. I realized too late what she was doing. I had backed myself into a corner. “You planned this.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Mom said, brushing imaginary lint from her top with a studied expression. “What compromise were you referring to, though?”
I licked my lips and exchanged a look with Aric. He seemed amused by the entire exchange. “I will wear a dress,” I said, resigned. “It will not be that pink thing. I have a black dress that I don’t … hate.” I don’t really like it either, but that’s another issue. “I will pick my own shoes … and they will be comfortable. There won’t be a hint of pink anywhere in my general vicinity.”
“The shoes had better not have laces,” Mom warned.
“They’re sandals with a heel,” I gritted out.
“As long as you wear your hair up and it doesn’t look scraggly, I will agree to your terms,” Mom said. “You shaved your legs, right?”
“Actually Aric did that for me in the shower,” I replied, enjoying the horrified look my mother shot me as Aric puffed out his chest.
“That’s not all I did,” Aric said, winking at my mother for good measure.
“If you think that bothers me, it doesn’t,” Mom countered. “The more of that you do, the sooner I’ll have grandchildren. Now, I have to go back to my house and get ready. You had better look presentable tonight, Zoe Lake. If you don’t … .”
She left the threat hanging in the ether as she gaily waved at Paris and Kelsey.
“It was nice to see you, Mrs. Lake,” Kelsey offered to Mom’s retreating back.
“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” she said. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up at the party tonight. I’ll be taking lots of photos of Zoe in her dress, and I expect you to be in quite a few of them.”
I watched her go, frustrated. “She tricked me. You know that, right?”
Aric chuckled. “Well, at least you didn’t shave your legs for nothing.”
“SO, are you excited for tonight?” Kelsey asked twenty minutes later, settling at our deck table as Aric poured drinks for everyone.
“I don’t know whether excited is the best way to describe it,” I hedged. “I’m not big on parties, although I’m glad to see the two of you.”
“Is anyone else coming?” Paris asked.
“James invited half the politicians and social butterflies in the state,” I said. “Does that count?”
Aric wrinkled his nose. “I still think we should run off and elope.”
“Zoe’s mother will be the one setting things on fire if you do that,” Kelsey chided. “You guys are getting married. You should celebrate it.”
“We’re not getting married for another month,” I reminded her. “This is merely a way to announce we’re getting married.”
“With presents,” Kelsey interjected. “Don’t forget all the presents you guys will get.”
“That’s true,” I said, sipping my wine. “What time is it?”
“You have a half hour before you have to get dressed,” Aric said. “I’m going to leave you guys to catch up, and run down and activate the security fence. Then I’m going to change into my suit.”
I faltered, surprised. Aric spent years being diligent about the fence. After I torched an entire compound to reclaim my kidnapped parents – and defeat an enemy bent on stealing my powers – Aric decided the fence was no longer necessary to keep us safe. He didn’t want to shut the world out by locking me in. “I thought … .”
“I’m not putting the fence back up full time,” Aric clarified. “We’re going to be out late tonight, though, and we’re going to be drunk when we get back. I want to be safe when I know we won’t be at our best. I promise it will come down tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t have to put it up if you don’t want it up,” Aric offered.
“Put it up,” I said. “We�
��re definitely getting drunk tonight. That’s the only way I’m going to be able to put up with both of our mothers.”
Aric snickered as he dropped a kiss on top of my head. “Have fun catching up. I hired a car to drive us to the restaurant and back, so we can drink as much as we want.”
“I see you were thinking ahead,” Paris teased.
“Politicians and out-of-control mothers are enough to make anyone want to drink,” Aric said. “Get all of your heavy gossip out of the way now. There will be no talking about Zoe’s magic in public tonight. I don’t want anyone overhearing something they shouldn’t.”
“Yes, sir,” Kelsey said, mock saluting.
“I forgot how funny you are,” Aric muttered. “That’s probably because you’re funny in a very irritating way.”
“You’ll get used to me again,” Kelsey said.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Aric said, grinning as he left the room.
Once it was just the three of us, Kelsey turned to me excitedly. “So, how powerful are you?”
I forced a smile for her benefit. Talking about my power boost wasn’t high on my favorite things list. “I can hold my own.”
Paris snorted. “She’s being modest,” she said. “She took out dozens of wolves on her own, and she scared the bejeezus out of a bunch of witches at the same time and sent them scurrying into the woods. They’re probably still hiding out there.”
“I accomplished all of that by setting people on fire,” I reminded her. “I don’t really want to talk about that.”
“I’m sorry,” Paris said, shifting uncomfortably. “I didn’t mean to bring that up tonight. This is supposed to be your night.”
“Unfortunately I think it’s going to be my mother’s night,” I said. “That is if she can wrest control from Aric’s mother. She’s the one who set up this entire shindig. She’s using it as a coming out party. I’m not sure I want to come out, though.”
“Aric seems less militant about keeping you hidden,” Paris pointed out. “That’s a good thing.”
“It is a good thing,” I agreed. “It’s also freaky. Now that we don’t have invisible walls hiding us, what’s to stop someone from coming after me?”
“I think that display you put on at Quinn’s compound is enough to frighten anyone away,” Paris said, referring to her ex-boyfriend with something akin to scorn and derision. “No one would dare go after you when they know you can … do that.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said. “I don’t think Aric can take more drama right now. He’s still getting used to the fact that my eyes turned black and I almost blew up everyone within a three-mile radius.”
“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration,” Paris chided. “You calmed yourself down.”
“Actually, he calmed me down,” I said. “If he hadn’t been there … .” We both knew what might have happened if Aric hadn’t been able to reach through the haze and snap me out of my rage trance.
“It’s over now,” Paris said. “This is the happiest time of your life. You should enjoy it.”
“Tell that to my mother.”
“I’m not telling your mother anything,” Paris said. “She’s scarier than you are.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. It felt good to be with old friends as I contemplated a night of new beginnings. “Drink up,” I said. “It’s going to be a long night, and alcohol is going to be our friend.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kelsey said. “How many people from college did you invite?”
“A few,” I answered. “I couldn’t find a lot of them, and I didn’t like most of the people I could find.”
“So, who is coming?”
“Scott. Tally. Kristy. I thought about inviting Kate, but I didn’t want to watch her drool over Aric all night.”
“What about Matilda?” Paris asked.
I shook my head. Matilda, a former roommate, joined a witch cabal bent on stealing my powers. She eventually saw the error of her ways, but the friendship was irretrievably broken. “I didn’t think that was a good idea,” I answered. “I think she’s better off living in her own corner of the world and leaving me to mine. Bad things happen when those worlds overlap.”
“Still, it should be fun,” Kelsey said. “I’m so excited.”
At least someone looked forward to the party. All I could think about was wearing a dress in public. Ugh. My mother really is a master at getting what she wants. She knew all I would see was pink when she showed me that dress. What? I’m bitter. She beat me and I hate it when I don’t win.
“We should get ready,” I said, pushing myself up from the table. “If I’m going to wear a dress, I’m going to need a little time to psych myself up for it.”
“One thing is still the same,” Kelsey said, chuckling. “You’re still the most dramatic person I know.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
3
Three
The restaurant was packed by the time we arrived, and I instinctively slipped my hand into Aric’s at the door. He cleaned up well, his black suit highlighting his broad shoulders. I felt out of place in my simple black dress.
Aric’s eyes were curious when they locked onto mine. “Are you going to be my shadow tonight?”
“I … no.” I moved to pull my hand from his but he didn’t let me.
“I think you should be my shadow,” Aric teased. “I’m looking forward to you draping yourself all over me once you have a few drinks. You’re affectionate when you drink.”
“I don’t need to be your shadow,” I shot back. “I just … .” What? Should I admit that a roomful of people made me nervous? We’d spent years isolating ourselves, so being around so many people crammed into one small room felt momentarily overwhelming.
“Stick with me, Trouble,” Aric said, lifting our joined hands and pressing a quick kiss to my knuckles. “You’ll get used to this faster than you realize.”
“You don’t seem nervous,” I pointed out.
“That’s because I’m a wolf, and nothing makes me nervous.”
“You made me catch the spider in the shower the other day because you were convinced it was giving you a dirty look,” I reminded him.
“You’re good for my ego, baby,” Aric said, tugging me in front of him. “You never let me get too full of myself. And, for the record, that spider was looking at me. It had big plans for world domination. I could see it.”
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself.”
I let Aric navigate, marveling as people automatically moved aside to give us a wide berth. It took me a moment to realize they were reacting to us as a couple rather than his standing in Michigan’s wolf hierarchy. “They’re looking at me.”
“Like the spider was looking at me?” Aric teased.
I shook my head. “They all know what I did.”
Aric pulled me closer and lowered his voice. “That’s a good thing, Zoe,” he said. “They respect you.”
“They’re afraid of me.”
“That’s still a good thing,” Aric said. “I know you don’t like it, but … it’s important that you’re safe. If people fear you, that means we’re safe.”
“Until some crazy person doesn’t fear me,” I said, smoothing the front of my dress in an effort to avoid eye contact with party guests.
“We can’t safeguard against everything,” Aric said. “If this is too much for you, we can go home. I’ll tell my parents you’re sick, and they’ll just have to deal with it.”
“It’s fine,” I said, flustered by the idea of looking weak. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Aric didn’t look convinced. “There are a lot of people you don’t know here. We’ve been on our own for a long time. If this makes you uncomfortable we can leave.”
“No, I don’t want to leave,” I said. “I … oh, look. It’s Scott.” I brightened considerably when I saw the familiar figure heading in my direction. While my demeanor shifted for the better, Aric
’s took a nosedive.
“Oh, man, you didn’t tell me you invited him,” Aric complained.
“What’s your problem with Scott?”
“He’s hot for you,” Aric replied, not missing a beat.
“Well, then I guess it’s good we’re announcing our engagement at this little gathering of close friends and mostly people I don’t know, because otherwise I would drop you right here and run into his arms,” I teased.
“See, I like this attitude better, but I find your words annoying,” Aric said, although he pasted what could pass as a friendly smile on his face as Scott approached. “Scott, it’s good to see you.”
The two shook hands as I fought the urge to laugh. Aric disliked Scott from the moment he met him. He was convinced he was interested in me – which he kind of was – but I liked the amiable computer geek almost from the start.
“It’s good to see you,” I said, offering Scott a hug and looking him over. He looked pretty much the same, although the suit was a step up from his former hipster wardrobe. His hair, which was long last time I saw him, was neatly trimmed and in place. He looked like he lived the corporate life these days. “I’m glad you could come.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” Scott said, gracing me with a genuine smile. “I was surprised when I got the invitation. I didn’t think you remembered me.”
“How could I forget you?” I teased. “You helped me bring down … .”
Aric cleared his throat to cut me off. “No talking about any of that out in the open,” he chided.
Scott’s computer prowess helped me bring down Covenant College’s elite monster-hunting academy. I was in his debt. Aric was right about the dangers associated with broadcasting our actions, though.
“This is a cause for celebration,” Scott said. “No Covenant College talk, other than all the times I got drunk with your girlfriend.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as Aric growled.
“Yes, well, I’m marrying her,” Aric said, tightening his grip on my hand.
“Stop marking your territory,” I said, relaxing as I realized that this party wouldn’t be as bad as I initially envisioned. “Scott is messing with you. He always liked messing with you.”
Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 2
