“I’m confused,” Rafael said. “You’re basically saying someone at Covenant College fudged Mark’s graduation records so he could get this job. Who would do that?”
“I have no idea,” Aric said. “My father is going to look into it tomorrow. He has some friends on the board of regents. We’re going to get a list of people who work in the registrar’s office and start going through them.”
As if sensing me standing in the doorway, both men looked up.
“That’s much better,” Aric said. “Now you don’t look like a juvenile delinquent.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Did you find anything else in those files? You’ve been consumed with them all day. I’m starting to feel neglected.”
“You’ll live,” Aric said. “There’s not much else in here. He teaches several English classes and has only had minor complaints about grades.”
“And what are we going to do tonight? Spy on his house?”
“Yes,” Aric said. “I want to get a look at his back yard. He has that privacy fence for a reason. Everyone else in that neighborhood has metal fences that you can see through. His back yard is completely shrouded. I want to know what he’s hiding.”
“What if he sees us?”
“Then he’ll have to prove it was us. I don’t think he’s dumb enough to call the cops,” Aric said. “We’ll be quiet. That’s why I want Rafael with us. He’s stealthy.”
“Like a ninja,” I said.
“Let go of the ninja stuff,” Aric said, hopping to his feet and grabbing his keys from the coffee table. “Did you go to the bathroom?”
“Do you think I’m Kelsey or something?”
Aric cocked his head to the side and tapped his foot as he waited. Unfortunately, the second he did that my bladder started complaining.
“You did that on purpose,” I hissed, scampering toward the bathroom.
“I see she’s still a pain,” Rafael said.
“You should try living with her,” Aric shot back.
“I heard that!”
“WELL, this is unexpected,” Rafael said, leaning forward in the passenger seat of Aric’s car. I was used to riding shotgun, so I was a little bitter.
“Why am I in the back?”
“Because Rafael has longer legs than you,” Aric replied, scanning the line of cars parked along Mark’s street. “Do you think all these people are at Mark’s house?”
“It looks like it,” Rafael said, pointing to the house. “I see people moving on the other side of the drapes.”
“We’re supposed to be a team now that we’re getting married,” I reminded Aric. “I don’t like being in the back seat. It bugs me.”
“Shut up, Zoe,” Aric ordered, not bothering to turn around. “We’re never going to get into the back yard if he’s throwing a party.”
“Not necessarily,” Rafael said. “The neighbor’s house is dark. We could go into their back yard and either lift Zoe to look over the fence or remove one of the boards so we can see what’s going on.”
“That’s a good idea,” Aric said, killing his engine. “Let’s do that.” He turned back to me. “Put on your hat and cover your hair.”
“Not until you apologize for telling me to shut up.”
“Fine. Stay here.” Aric hopped out of the Explorer, easing the door shut. He moved in tandem with Rafael as they walked toward the sidewalk.
I watched them for a moment, frustrated, and then shoved the door open. I tugged my hair beneath the knit cap and followed them, pulling up short when I realized I’d lost sight of them. I opened my mouth to call for Aric and then snapped it shut. I couldn’t claim wild ninja skills if I started shouting when we were trying to spy on someone.
Aric’s hand shot out of the nearby bushes and he jerked me behind the scratchy shrubbery, shaking his head as Rafael opened the neighbor’s gate. Aric waited until the gate was shut before speaking.
“You drive me crazy. You know that, right?”
“Have you ever considered that you drive me crazy, too?” I challenged.
“What have I done to you?”
“You made me ride in the back seat.”
“You’ll be walking home if you don’t let this go,” Aric warned. “I’m serious.”
“I’m serious,” I mimicked, earning a smile from Rafael.
“Every time I think I’ve moved on from the teenage angst of Covenant College something happens to draw me back in,” Rafael said. “You make me feel old.”
“Aric feels old, too. It’s not just you.”
“You’re really pushing your luck, Zoe,” Aric said, tilting his head so he could listen inside the dark house before focusing his attention on the back fence. “I don’t hear anyone outside, but we need to be quiet anyway.”
“Yes, sir.” I clicked the back of my tennis shoes together and mock saluted. Instead of the frown I expected, the corners of Aric’s mouth tipped up. “That’s not supposed to turn you on.”
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“Maybe I can read your mind,” I said, blowing past him and moving to the privacy fence. It was wooden and tall, but there was a small hole in one of the knots that I could see through. I peered through it, studying Mark’s small yard before turning back to Aric and Rafael. “The yard is empty. Why don’t you have Rafael throw me over and I’ll look around?”
“Throw you over?” Aric didn’t look pleased with the suggestion. “You want me to let another guy throw you over a fence?”
“You can throw me over if you want.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Aric said. “I was thinking it might make more sense for Rafael and me to go over the fence while you stay here and act as lookout.”
I made a face. “No way!”
“It will be safer that way, Zoe,” Aric said. “You’re far more likely to be recognized. We can blend in and hop over the fence if need be.”
“He’s right,” Rafael said. “You’ll hold us back.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why did you bring me if you’re going to force me to stay behind?”
“We didn’t know Mark was going to be having a party, Zoe,” Aric said, tugging on his limited patience. “We won’t be gone long. You’ll be safe here.”
“But … .”
“Please,” Aric said.
I knew how hard it was for him to beg in front of Rafael, so I held my hands palms up and shrugged. “Do what you want.”
“Thank you,” Aric said, giving me a quick kiss. “I’ll reward you when we get back to the apartment.”
“Have fun,” I said, my nose turned to the air.
Aric could tell I was angry but he was on a timetable, so he decided to delay our argument and climb the fence with Rafael. It took them only a few seconds to scale the fence and drop to the other side. Once I was alone with nothing but my irritation to keep me company, I made a decision. I walked along the fence, running my fingers over the aged wood until I found the panel I wanted. It was missing a nail and the bottom swung away from the fence when I moved it. I pushed the panel to the side and got on my hands and knees, crawling through the narrow space into Mark’s yard.
I narrowed my eyes until I caught sight of Aric and Rafael’s silhouettes. They stood at the back of the house, peering in through one of the windows. I walked up behind them and pushed myself up on the tips of my toes. I couldn’t see over them.
“What are you guys looking at?”
Aric jumped, frowning when he saw me. “How did you sneak up on me without me smelling you?”
“I took a bath this morning,” I replied. “Maybe I don’t smell today.”
“No, that’s not it,” Aric said. “You have a particular scent. It’s like … coconuts and lime.”
“That’s the body spray I use.”
“I can still smell it all day,” Aric argued. “How did you sneak up on us?”
That was a pretty good question. I remembered mentally reminding myself to be quiet so Aric wouldn’t f
ly off the handle if I tipped off someone inside regarding my presence. I didn’t purposely do anything to mask my scent, though. “I don’t know.”
“He’s right,” Rafael said, leaning closer and sniffing me. “There’s a void where your scent should be. I don’t smell your blood. Even a human I don’t know has a particular scent. You’re … not there. If I wasn’t looking at you right now, I wouldn’t believe you were here.”
“You did it magically,” Aric said. “That’s a great trick, and now that we know you can do it you’re going to practice because that might save us down the road. For now, though, you need to go back over there.”
“No.”
Rafael sniffed my hair again. “This is most odd.”
Aric grabbed my shoulders and jerked me in front of him. “Mine.”
“Oh, let it go,” Rafael said, waving off Aric’s concern. “She is nothing more than an entertaining science experiment to me.”
“Hey!”
“Shh.” Aric clamped his hand over my mouth. “If you’re going to stay over here, you have to be quiet. Do you understand?”
I nodded and Aric released my mouth. I lifted my wrist to display the charm bracelet Aric gave me when we were in college. The wolf charm he put on it was still there. So was the red teardrop gemstone Rafael gave me before we parted. “I think I mean more to you than an experiment.”
“Oh, man. I want to punch someone,” Aric muttered.
“I am very fond of you,” Rafael said, choosing his words carefully. “There was a time I hoped we could be something else to each other. We both know that never would’ve worked. I would never want anything to happen to you, but I’m not sitting around pining for you. If that’s what you want, you’ll be disappointed.”
“You could’ve pined a little,” I sniffed, crossing my arms over my chest.
Rafael and Aric smiled.
“She is … unbelievable,” Rafael said.
“You have no idea,” Aric said, rubbing his thumb against my cheek. “She’s cute, though.”
“She is definitely cute,” Rafael agreed.
Sadly, the pathetic little girl living in my heart – you know the one who swoons even though it’s demeaning – was about to do her thing. In an effort to stave off complete and total embarrassment, I turned my attention to the window and pushed my way in front of Aric and Rafael. “Do you see anyone you recognize?”
“No,” Aric said. “We only got to look for a few seconds before you showed up, though. Be prepared to run if I tell you to do it.”
“I’ve got it,” I said, pressing my nose against the window for a better look. “I … .” My heart hopped when I saw a blond head move past the living room archway. For a moment – just a split-second really – I thought I recognized one of the party-goers.
“What is it?” Aric asked, sensing the change in my demeanor. “What did you see?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I … .” There she was again. This time the elegantly dressed woman stopped to talk to a guest in the open archway, giving me a clear view. There was no mistaking that face. “It’s Brittany.”
“Holy crap,” Aric muttered, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “This just keeps getting weirder.”
16
Sixteen
“What are we going to do?”
I waited until Aric and Rafael dragged me from Mark’s house before giving in and embracing my meltdown.
“That’s Brittany,” I said, flapping my hands as I walked circles around Mark’s neighbor’s front yard. “That’s Brittany. That’s the girl who told me I was a slut. That’s the girl who told me I was crass. That’s the girl who told me my personality was worse than a sorority girl’s hair lip. Heck, that’s the girl who slept with my boyfriend and would’ve been happy if I died instead of him.”
“She slept with your ex-boyfriend,” Aric corrected.
I shot him a dark look.
“Is that a necessary distinction right now?” Rafael asked, completely unruffled. He didn’t seem particularly perturbed.
“I have no idea why I do it,” Aric admitted. “I know I sound like an idiot before I say stuff like that, yet I can’t seem to stop myself. She makes me deranged.”
Rafael chuckled. “At least you can admit it.”
“Yes, it’s his finest quality,” I sniped. “Can we focus on the big picture here?”
“The big picture seems to be you babbling like a crazy woman,” Rafael said, grabbing the back of my neck and hauling me toward Aric’s Explorer. “We do not need to draw a crowd right now.” He kept the pressure on my neck while forcing me to march through the yard, not stopping until he opened the rear door of the vehicle and tossing me inside, slamming the door before moving around to the passenger seat and climbing in. Aric followed suit, keeping the Explorer dark instead of firing up the engine, and casting a look over his shoulder so he could meet my murderous gaze. It didn’t escape my attention that I’d been relegated to the back seat again.
“Calm yourself right now!” Rafael ordered.
I opened my mouth to argue and then snapped it shut.
“That was impressive,” Aric said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he studied Mark’s house. “She won’t ever do that when I ask.”
“You’re both pissing me off,” I announced.
“And she’s back,” Aric intoned, rolling his neck until it cracked. “This is … dumbfounding.”
“I’m trying to remember what happened to Brittany after the final fight,” Rafael said. “My memory surrounding that time isn’t great. Refresh it.”
“I don’t blame you for being confused,” I said. “You were starving, and I fed my ex-boyfriend to you so that you wouldn’t eat Paris and me. It’s kind of ironic because my ex-boyfriend was Brittany’s current boyfriend. She thought they were going to get married and have a political life.”
“Baby, you’re babbling,” Aric said. “I know this is a shock … but in some ways it’s not as shocking as you’re treating it if you think about it. Mark and Brittany knew each other from home. Maybe they hooked up and renewed their friendship when she came back for a visit.”
“Brittany hated Mark,” I reminded him. “She thought he was a slacker.”
“He’s not a slacker any longer,” Rafael pointed out. “She must know he was in custody. Why would she hang around with him given his past?”
“She might not remember that,” I offered.
“Meaning?”
“Paris and her mother modified Brittany’s memory,” Aric supplied. “Brittany was confused when we showed up at the rally. She knew something bad was about to happen, but she was still hopeful Will would show up and make everything right.”
“Ah,” Rafael said, realization dawning. “I’m guessing she didn’t take Will’s death well. If I remember correctly, she was obsessed with him.”
“Even though he was a putz,” Aric muttered.
“I told Brittany to run,” I said. “I told her Will wasn’t coming back and that she had to forge a new path. Then … well … we decided that casting a spell to change certain things in her mind would be the smart way to go. She knew too much about us.”
“Paris cast a spell that allowed Brittany to remember her time at Covenant College,” Aric explained. “She remembered her classes and rushing her sorority. She remembered graduating. What she didn’t remember was Will … or anything supernatural … or Zoe. We removed all of it.”
“That was probably wise,” Rafael said. “Did you test the spell?”
I nodded. “I tried to talk to her in front of the University Center one day,” I said. “She had no idea who I was. She seemed happy … as if she was in a good mood … so I let it go. I didn’t think I’d ever see her again.”
“Someone must have mentioned Will to her,” Rafael pressed. “Just because you wiped him from her memory doesn’t mean her friends forgot him.”
“We built that into the spell,” I said. “If someone asked about Will
we planted a suggestion into her mind. She told people they broke up and she didn’t want to talk about him, and then she forgot the question.”
“That’s quite the powerful spell,” Rafael said. “How long was it supposed to last?”
I shrugged. “Forever.”
“That means we have several possibilities,” Rafael said. “If Brittany doesn’t remember, Mark might have told her what she forgot and they joined together for revenge. Mark might have kept what he knows to himself and it’s a coincidence that she’s here. Either way, I don’t like it.”
“You’re completely ignoring another possibility,” Aric prodded. “The spell might have failed over time. Brittany could’ve remembered on her own. She might not be in the dark.”
“We need to test our theory,” Rafael said. “We need to put Paris and Zoe in close proximity with Brittany to determine whether she remembers.”
“I’ll have my father run a background check on her,” Aric said. “We’ll have more information to go on tomorrow.”
“What do you want to do tonight?” Rafael asked.
“I don’t know what else we can do right now,” Aric answered.
“I have a suggestion,” I said.
“I’m going to hate this,” Aric muttered.
“WE are too old to be here,” Aric said a half hour later, looking the bar occupants up and down. When I suggested visiting a local hangout teacher’s assistants were known to hang out – a bar called “The Haunt” – Aric and Rafael initially balked. Then I explained we could have drinks and ask questions without drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves. College kids are much more pliable and easy to manipulate when liquor is involved. They reluctantly agreed, and here we were, two people in their late twenties trying to pretend they didn’t feel old and a centuries-old vampire who hates just about everyone.
“My shoes stuck to the floor when we walked in,” Rafael said. “That doesn’t denote cleanliness.”
“Oh, suck it up,” I said, sliding into a booth and making room so Aric could sit next to me. Rafael took the time to clean off the vinyl with napkins, making a face and finally sitting across from us.
Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 12
