Aric chuckled. “I don’t care about any of that,” he said. “My father might care, but I don’t. Ultimately, we’re the ones who are going to have to raise a half-mage-half-wolf kid. I love you beyond reason, but I think that’s going to be a job in and of itself.
“Plus, look at how people come after you,” he continued. “If we have a kid, someone is always going to be trying to take it away from us. We have to prepare ourselves for that before we make any decisions.”
“You’re freaking me out with how serious you’re being,” I said. “How about we get married and leave the kid conversation until we’re in our thirties? We might be mature enough to handle it then.”
“Deal,” Aric said, kissing the tip of my nose. “Whatever this life throws at us, I’m prepared to embrace it as long as I have you. I don’t ever want to give up naked Sundays, though.”
“Maybe we can lock the kid in a cage on Sundays?” I suggested.
“Or we can con our parents into alternating Sundays with the kid and let them deal with it.”
“Even better,” I said, laughing. “You’re having a lot of deep thoughts today. I think that proves we should focus on taking down Mark and the wedding, and leave the rest of the stuff for a time when we’re more … mature.
“These kids might be making you feel old, but the truth is we’re still young,” I continued. “I don’t ever remember being this young, though.” I made a face when a squealing girl raced past us. “Ugh. Is it wrong that I want to trip her to see if she cries?”
Aric barked out a hoarse laugh. “Never change, Trouble. I want you to stay exactly like this for the rest of our lives.”
10
Ten
“Have you two been making out the whole time or were you watching for Mark, too?” Paris asked, making a face as I pulled away from Aric.
“We were watching,” I protested. “Aric is having deep thoughts, though, and I needed to take his mind off them.”
“Is this because he thinks he’s getting old?” Kelsey asked, reaching for her soda, which she’d left on top of the car.
“Don’t even think about drinking that,” Aric warned. “There will be no more bathroom breaks until after we follow Mark. I’m not joking.”
“You’re no fun when you’re in dad mode,” Kelsey muttered.
Aric and I exchanged a rueful look, the talk of kids giving Kelsey’s comment added weight.
“I think he’s always fun,” I countered. “In fact, I think we’re going to start adding naked Thursdays to our repertoire after the wedding.”
Aric visibly brightened. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“You guys are officially sick and twisted,” Kelsey said.
“We’re happy with our lot in life,” I said. “I … .” I broke off, narrowing my eyes as a familiar figure exited the front door of the English building. I would’ve recognized Mark anywhere despite the fact that his trademark hair had been shorn and he was dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt instead of his former slacker uniform. “There he is.”
Aric’s body tensed and he tightened his arm around my waist as he watched Mark stop and talk to a woman in front of the building. The conversation looked light and amiable. He was just another professor on the Covenant College campus. He had friends and a life, even though he was taking lives in his spare time. None of these people knew that, though.
“I’m not sure I would’ve recognized him if you didn’t point him out,” Aric said. “The last time I saw him he had straggly hair and a beard.”
“Wasn’t he a prisoner then?” Paris asked.
“That’s where he should’ve stayed,” Aric muttered. “Look at him. He’s acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world. He murdered people and tried to kill us, and yet he fancies himself king of the campus.”
Aric’s anger bubbled at the surface and I rubbed his lower back to calm him. “That’s not going to last very long,” I said. “Once we find out what he’s doing we’ll be able to confront him. He won’t be so smug then.”
“I wonder if he knows that he missed you guys with the bomb,” Kelsey mused. “I didn’t think to check whether there was any news coverage after everything happened. I was exhausted that night … and then things spiraled out of control pretty quickly yesterday.”
“The local news stations covered the explosion and it made national news,” Aric supplied. “He knows he didn’t kill us. He might not know we’ve been injured, though.”
“He knew about Zoe’s healing power,” Paris pointed out. “He was at the library the night she healed you the first time, Aric. He probably figures you guys are up and walking.”
“That doesn’t mean he knows that we suspect him,” I said. “I’m betting he thinks he got away with it.”
“That means he’s most likely plotting another attack,” Aric said. “I’m curious how he found out about the engagement party. We sent out invitations, but it’s not as though it was public knowledge.”
“I have no idea,” I said. “That will be one of the first things I ask him when I start ripping off his skin and feeding it to him to drown out his screams.”
“You’re starting to freak me out,” Kelsey said.
“She’s just keeping herself motivated,” Aric countered. “We all want a piece of Mark. That doesn’t mean we’re going to leave him in pieces, no matter how much we might want to rip him limb from limb.”
“Now you’re starting to freak me out, too,” Kelsey said.
“At least it’s not affecting your bladder,” I offered, smiling. “Come on. Mark is moving. Let’s see where he goes.”
“THIS has been a whole lot of … blah,” Kelsey said an hour later, frowning as we followed Mark down a nondescript residential street on the south side of town. Dusk waned into darkness and made watching Mark all the more difficult.
We lucked out that Mark’s vehicle was in the faculty parking lot, which was where Aric illegally parked. We managed to get in Aric’s Explorer without Mark seeing and follow him when he left campus. Unfortunately, he didn’t go anywhere interesting.
His first stop was the local big box store. Instead of risking the chance of him spotting us, we remained in the parking lot for a half hour while he shopped. The only thing of interest that happened during that time was Aric physically wrestling Kelsey’s bottle of water away from her and dumping it outside of the Explorer. Kelsey claimed she was dehydrated, but Aric wasn’t taking any chances.
After leaving the store, Mark drove down the main drag and stopped to buy wine at a liquor store before heading toward the outskirts of town. I was mildly disappointed that our spying excursion was so boring. With as much television as I watched, I expected something a lot more exciting.
“Where do you think he’s going?” Paris asked, her tone weary.
“Probably home,” Aric replied.
“Is anyone else disappointed he didn’t go to the athletics building?” I asked, opting for blunt honesty. During our tenure at the school, the monster-hunting academy was housed in the athletics building’s basement. If Mark stopped there I would have enough suspicion to smack the crap out of him and end things without having to continue with the subterfuge. I’m not good when it comes to exerting patience.
“Did you honestly think it would be that easy?” Aric asked. He was testy, his stomach growling every five minutes. I had to get some food into him before he exploded.
“We’ll see where he lives, and then take off,” I said. “We need dinner and a planning session. We can order pizza.”
“Don’t mention food,” Aric muttered. “If you mention food that’s all I’ll be able to think about.”
“I think that’s all you’re thinking about right now,” Kelsey said.
“Kelsey, I generally find you funny and I’m not sorry we invited you, but I need you to shut up right now,” Aric said. “I’m really close to losing it.”
“He’s crabby when he misses a meal,” I explained.
Aric slowed the Explorer when Mark engaged his turn signal, pulling onto the next street and parking in a spot that allowed us to watch Mark’s car disappear down a long driveway. I’d never been to the area before, and I was surprised by the size of the houses.
“This isn’t a student housing area,” I said.
“No,” Aric agreed. “This is where the town’s legitimate residents live. They don’t want to be associated with the school, so they move as far from the campus as possible.
“Did you notice how there are no bars around here?” Aric continued. “That’s by design. Residents don’t want to give students any reason to come into this area. There’s nothing that should entice a student to wander over here because everything is boring, quiet and residential.”
“If Mark is trying to put the Academy back together, wouldn’t he draw attention to himself by having kids meet him in this neighborhood?” I asked.
“In theory, yes,” Aric replied. “In practice, though, he’s probably better off having the neighbors hate him and keeping whatever underhanded crap he’s got planned away from the campus. He’s learning from Professor Blake’s mistakes.”
I frowned at the mention of my former instructor. Professor Sam Blake approached me not long after my arrival at Covenant College. He dropped vague hints about me being a mage – something I didn’t discover for quite some time thanks to my parents’ refusal to tell me what I was – and then he tried to recruit me for the Academy.
Things didn’t go well, and when they finally came to their inevitable conclusion right before graduation, we found out that Blake was a non-shifting half-wolf with a bad attitude. He died in the final fight, something that would’ve happened to Mark without my intervention. That decision was going to haunt me for a very long time.
“What do you want to do?” I asked.
“I want to get a better look at the house,” Aric replied. “We’re not going to be able to do anything tonight, so keep your hands and fiery thoughts to yourself, but I want to get the lay of the house really quick. You can come with me if you promise to behave.”
“I always behave.”
“Behave better than that,” Aric said, pushing open his door and glancing into the back seat. “Kelsey and Paris, I want you to stay here. Stay in the vehicle. Keep your eyes open. If you see anything suspicious, text Zoe. She’ll have her phone with her.”
“What happens if I have to go to the bathroom?” Kelsey asked.
“Then I’m going to have to kill you,” Aric replied, not missing a beat. “Come on, Zoe.”
I followed Aric up the sidewalk, slipping my hand into his. Old trees lined the street, offering us shadowy shelter. Aric was silent as we closed the distance.
In front of the house, he cocked his head to the side and lifted his nose. He was scenting the location to determine whether any wolves had recently been on the property. I recognized his efforts.
“Anything?” I whispered.
“I only smell humans,” Aric replied, keeping his voice low. “There’s something … familiar … here, although I can’t put a name to it.”
“Do you mean you smell a familiar human other than Mark?”
“I’m not sure,” Aric replied, rubbing his chin with his free hand. “It’s just … familiar. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“So, what next?”
Aric shook his head. “It looks like the back yard is closed off with a privacy fence. I’m not keen about trespassing before we know what’s going on. We can wait to check the yard when we know he’s in a class. Dad managed to get his schedule.”
“How nice of him,” I said, irritation bubbling up. “Too bad he couldn’t have gotten Mark’s schedule before he set off a bomb at our engagement party.”
“I don’t blame you for being angry, but you have to let that go eventually,” Aric said. “He screwed up. He knows he screwed up. You can’t keep beating him up over it. It’s not fair. We all had a hand in this.”
“Whatever,” I said, frowning when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “Aric … .” I swiveled quickly, peering into the darkness. We weren’t alone. I could feel it.
Aric scented our visitor seconds later, a loud growl tearing free from his throat as he moved to shove me behind him. “Vampire,” he hissed.
I pressed my eyes shut, reaching out with my mind. I brushed against something almost forgotten yet still familiar, and broke out into a wide grin as I pushed Aric to the side. “I know who it is,” I said. “I sense him.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Aric was frustrated by the darkness. He knew something was out there, but he couldn’t yet see our potential enemy.
“It means that she recognizes me after all this time.” I knew the voice even though I hadn’t yet seen the vampire.
Aric relaxed, if only marginally, and scowled. “Oh, well, great. If this isn’t the end to a perfect day, I don’t know what is.”
I was already smiling when the tan vampire stepped beneath the streetlight and shook his head, his long dark hair brushing his shoulders. He looked exactly the same. “Long time no see, wolf.”
“Rafael,” I said, jumping away from Aric and rushing to him to give him an enthusiastic hug. “I can’t believe you’re still here!”
11
Eleven
Rafael was stiff at first, but he ultimately gave in and returned the hug. He chuckled as I pulled away, shaking his head. He looked exactly the same, which made me feel old and strange at the same time.
“I almost didn’t believe my eyes when I saw you and the wolf walking down the sidewalk,” Rafael said. “For a moment I thought I traveled back in time.”
Aric moved up to my side, his eyes narrowed, and slipped his arm over my shoulder. “Mine.”
I stilled, surprised. “Did you just … ?”
Aric cut me off. “Shh.”
“Don’t you shush me!”
“I’m glad to see that you haven’t changed, wolf,” Rafael said, meeting Aric’s challenging gaze. “She was always yours. There’s no need to mark your territory.”
Aric grabbed my left hand and lifted it, arching his eyebrow for emphasis. “Mine.”
“Oh, you know what? Why don’t you pee on my leg to really make sure he understands?” I was beyond irritated.
“Don’t be gross,” Aric said, making a face as Rafael snorted. “That’s not what I was doing.”
“That’s exactly what you were doing,” I countered. “I feel like a chew toy.”
“I’ll chew on you later,” Aric said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure our reunion wasn’t drawing attention. “Do you remember where my old apartment is?”
Rafael nodded.
“Meet us there,” Aric instructed. “I have Paris and Kelsey in my Explorer. We need to talk. Despite what Zoe says, I’m actually happy to see you. Keeping the three of them out of trouble on my own was daunting before I knew you were around to ease the load.”
“You want me to babysit?” Rafael didn’t look thrilled with the suggestion.
“I want to know what you know,” Aric clarified. “We can’t do it here, though. Meet us at my apartment. We have a lot to catch up on.”
“I DON’T understand how you look exactly the same,” Kelsey said a half hour later, poking Rafael’s cheek. “With all the tanning you do, you should look fifty.”
Everyone sat around the small kitchen table munching on pizza. Well, except for Rafael. He doesn’t eat. He only drinks the blood of the innocent. What? He does. He generally glamours them before he does it so they don’t know what’s happening, but he’s a total blood sucker. Yeah, it grosses me out, too.
Rafael leaned back in his chair and fixed Kelsey with a dark look. “You’re exactly the same, too.”
Kelsey beamed. “Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
I snorted as I reached for another slice of
pizza. Aric had already wolfed down four slices and wasn’t slowing. He was hungrier than I realized.
“Have you been here this whole time?” I asked, turning my attention back to Rafael. “I thought you were leaving town.”
“I did leave town for several years,” Rafael replied. “I was done with this place until I heard a rumor.”
“Let me guess; you heard a rumor about Mark Doyle showing up on campus,” Aric said, wiping his hands with his napkin. “How long ago was that?”
“I’ve been back for six months,” Rafael said. “When I first heard the rumor I didn’t believe it. I was under the impression he was dead.”
My cheeks burned as I lowered my gaze. “I … .”
“We made a mistake where Mark was concerned,” Aric said, dropping his hand on my shoulder. “We kept him in custody for a year, and he was so pathetic we didn’t think he was a threat. We released him … and then lost track of him.”
“That’s a mighty big mistake,” Rafael said, his words laced with venom. “Perhaps if you had been locked up and starved for months you wouldn’t have made that mistake.”
“You’re probably right,” Aric conceded, keeping his gaze even. “It’s too late to undo it. We did it, and we’ve had to pay dearly for it.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Rafael asked, his gaze shifting to me.
“It’s my fault Mark is running free,” I volunteered, earning a disgusted sigh from Aric. “James wanted to kill him that day when we took down Blake and the rest of the Academy. I’m the one who told him to lock Mark up.”
“I see,” Rafael’s demeanor didn’t slip or shift. “How did you guys find out Mark was here if you lost him?”
“Someone detonated a bomb at our engagement party,” Aric replied. “Several people were killed. We saw Mark on the security video.”
Rafael’s expression softened. “I guess you have paid dearly,” he said. “Who died?”
Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 8
