“She’s powerful,” Paris intoned. “I’ve seen her take down an entire compound full of twice as many wolves and witches here tonight. Most of those were born wolves, too. They had more power than you do.”
“Leave,” Aric said. “This fight doesn’t involve you. If you stay, we’ll kill you.”
An older gentleman dressed in an expensive suit took a step forward. “You’re the ones who are outnumbered,” he said. “Why should we be frightened of you?”
“I’m not the one you should be frightened of,” Aric said, glancing at me. “She is.”
I pressed my eyes shut briefly and sent an arcing pulse of light out from my hand. It wasn’t strong enough to kill the man, but it did fling him through the sliding glass door at the back of the house and into the back yard. I could hear Aric’s wolves moving in to take him into custody.
“We’re not alone either,” I said. “We have an entire cadre of wolves outside this house. They’re born, too. They’re trained. You can live or you can die. I’m not offering any other options – or second chances – tonight. If you fight, you’ll die.”
Mark’s guests didn’t need to be told twice, scampering for multiple doors as Mark fixed me with a disgusted look. Aric punched in a number on his speed dial as he watched them flee. “Get names of everyone leaving this place,” he ordered. “I want a list so we know who to watch if there’s trouble here again.” Aric disconnected and slipped the phone back into his pocket. “They’ll take care of the guests.”
“Does that mean you’re going to take care of me?” Mark sneered. “Are you going to kill me, Aric? Oh, wait, I’m guessing you’re going to let your bloodthirsty girlfriend do all the heavy lifting. She is a monster, after all.”
Aric didn’t hold back when he swung, punching Mark in the face with as much strength as he could muster. Mark staggered, remaining on his feet only because of his proximity to the counter.
“You just hit me!” Mark howled, reaching for his nose and cringing when he felt the blood trickling down his lip. “This is my house! You can’t come into my house and dictate rules. That’s not how this is going to work.”
“How is this going to work, Mark?” I asked, genuinely curious. “You have no friends. Tomorrow you’re going to have no job because Brittany is going to fix your records in the computer. You have no Academy. What do you have, Mark?”
“I have convictions,” he replied. “I know what’s right. You’re a monster. You’re a filthy, disgusting, abominable … .”
“That’s it.” Aric took a step forward and grabbed Mark around the neck, lifting him off the ground and slamming the back of his head into the cupboard. Mark’s eyes glazed as he went limp.
I grabbed Aric’s arm before he could slam Mark into the cupboard a second time. “I thought you said we weren’t going to kill him unless it became necessary.”
Aric glanced at me, his expressive face conflicted. “He’s a threat to you.”
“He won’t be when you hand him over,” I said. “You said you didn’t want us to kill people if we didn’t have to. You don’t have to do this. We can be done here.” I realized they were the same words he said to me when he was trying to talk me off the ledge at Quinn’s compound. “You can be done. Mark doesn’t matter. He never did. Let’s go home.”
“Okay,” Aric said, shaking Mark once more for good measure and dropping him onto the floor. I leaned into him and offered him a hug, smiling against his chest when I felt him let out a shaky breath. “Are you still hungry?”
“Are you kidding? I’m never going to turn down prime rib and crab legs.”
“Yay!” Kelsey said, hopping up and down. “I’m starving, and some of these soldier guys are hot.” She winked at one in particular as he bent down to handcuff Mark. Despite himself – and the serious nature of the situation – he winked back at her.
“Dinner is on me,” Aric announced, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “We’re going home tomorrow.”
“Just in time for naked Sunday in the hot tub,” I said.
“I love the way your mind works.”
28
Twenty-Eight
“I thought we were leaving,” I whined the next morning, my feet heavy as I followed Aric into one of Covenant College’s classroom buildings. “I want to go home and get naked.”
“And I want a break from all the sex you two keep talking about,” Kelsey said. “I’m ready to go home, too.”
“You’re going to the bathroom before we leave, and you’re not allowed any liquids during the drive home,” Aric said, slipping his arm over my shoulder as he led me down the empty hallway. It was Sunday, so the building was quiet. “I have something to show Zoe before we go. Then … we’re out of here.”
“What about Brittany?” Kelsey asked. “Did anyone talk to her this morning?”
“I did,” Paris answered. “She’s going to pack up the house and sell it. She’s keeping her job until she can find another one. She asked about Mark, but I didn’t know what to tell her. She dropped it. She said she’s going to sell the ring and be done with the situation.”
“Is Mark dead yet?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Aric said. “My father wants to question him. He has a concussion, and I broke two of his fingers when I accidentally stepped on his hand after I dropped him.”
“Accidentally, huh?”
Aric shrugged. “Things happen. I can’t explain them.”
“You did good,” I whispered.
“We did good,” Aric replied, tightening his grip on me. “I promise this won’t take long, but since I don’t foresee us coming back anytime soon – or maybe ever – I thought you’d want to see it.”
“What am I seeing?”
“Patience, Grasshopper. We’re almost there.”
“Did you say goodbye to Rafael?” Paris asked. “I saw him outside the restaurant with you guys last night. I assume you caught him up on everything.”
“We did,” Aric confirmed. “I wanted to make him aware that Mark isn’t going to be a problem and he doesn’t have to hang around if he doesn’t want to – and he doesn’t. My father is stationing men here permanently. We’re not going to let anyone get another foothold because we fell down on the job.”
“Does that mean he’s leaving the area?” Paris asked.
“That’s the way it sounded to me,” Aric said. “I made sure he had my card and emergency numbers for Zoe and me should a problem arise. We might not see him again, though.”
“Don’t count on that,” I said. “I invited him to the wedding.”
Aric stilled, surprised. “I’m sorry … what?”
“I invited him to the wedding,” I repeated. “He’s my friend, and I want him there.”
“You want him at a daytime ceremony with a bunch of wolves?”
“I want him to come to the reception, even if he can’t see the ceremony,” I clarified. “I want to be able to see him one more time without a bunch of crap hanging over us. I told him to invite his girlfriend so you don’t have to worry about him hitting on me. He said she might not be able to come, but he would do his best to be there.”
Aric rolled his eyes. “My father is going to have kittens.”
“That should be interesting,” I said. “I’m sorry. I know I should’ve asked first, but … he’s my friend.”
“It’s fine,” Aric said. “I’ll figure out something to tell my father. It’s not the end of the world.”
“Thank you.”
“I invited Brittany, too,” Aric said, resuming our walk and fixing his eyes on the floor so he didn’t have to see my murderous glare.
“You did what?”
“She deserves a second chance, too,” Aric said. “She probably won’t come, but I thought the polite thing to do was invite her.”
Kelsey chuckled. “I can see it now,” she said. “She’s going to run down the aisle and wrap herself around Aric’s leg to keep him from marrying you, Zoe. It’ll be hilarious.”
“If she does that I’ll smack her silly,” I fumed.
“Duly noted,” Aric said, although I didn’t miss the smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I was considering selling the apartment, but I can’t do it yet. I know we’re not coming back, but I still don’t want to let it go.”
“You don’t have to sell it,” I offered. “We have a lot of great memories there. You never know, in a few years we might change our minds and want to come back.”
“Somehow I doubt it, but I can’t give it up yet,” Aric said. “That was our first home, and I don’t want anyone else living there.”
“You’re so cute,” I said, pinching his cheek. “You’re like a cuddly puppy that needs some hugs.”
“You’re going to hug me when you see this,” Aric said, pulling up short in front of a classroom. “What do you think?”
I glanced around, curious. The classroom was open, big glass doors allowing people in the hallway to see inside. And what was inside was fantastic. New computers and state-of-the-art equipment filled each desk.
“What is this?” I was confused.
“Zoe, look,” Paris whispered, gesturing to the sign above the door.
I fought tears as a lump formed in my throat, my eyes finally registering what they failed to see upon first glance. There it was, Scott’s name emblazoned across Covenant College’s new computer lab.
“You dedicated it to Scott.” I refused to cry with this many people watching me. I wasn’t sure my tear ducts got the notice.
“I didn’t really want to give the school money, but I wanted to do something for Scott,” Aric said. “He loved computers. He was good with them. He deserves to be remembered, and I thought this was the best way to do it.”
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Paris asked. “You’ve obviously known for a few days.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise for Zoe,” Aric replied. “I wanted it to be the last thing she sees – a good thing – before we put this place in the rearview mirror.”
“It’s great,” Kelsey enthused. “Scott would’ve absolutely loved this.”
“He really would’ve loved this,” Paris agreed.
“What do you think?” Aric asked, turning to me. “If you don’t like it we can change it up and … .”
I didn’t let him finish, instead throwing my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest as I burst into tears. I have no idea what’s wrong with me, but his heartfelt gesture for a man he didn’t like overwhelmed me.
“Oh, geez! Again? I’m not doing anything nice for you if this is the way you react,” Aric said, frustrated. “This was supposed to make you happy.”
“She is happy, moron,” Paris said. “You … touched her.”
Aric rubbed my back and sighed. “This is not the way I want to touch you, baby,” he said. “Come on. It’s naked Sunday. Let’s go home and do things right.”
“You’re such a pig,” Kelsey said. “Give her a moment to soak it all in. It means a lot … to all of us.”
Aric relented, his face softening as he swayed back and forth and rocked me. “I need to get some male friends,” he said. “I can’t take all this estrogen. I know I tease you about thinking like a guy, Zoe, but when you break from the mold and cry I can’t take it.”
“This is the best thing you could have given me,” I said, finally finding my voice. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Aric said.
“For what?”
“Agreeing to marry me and making me happy,” Aric said. “That’s the best gift in the world.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I’m awesome.”
“There she is,” Aric said, chuckling as he squeezed me. “Who’s ready to go home?”
Everyone raised their hands in unison.
“Kelsey, the bathroom is right there,” Aric said, pointing. “If you ask to stop one time, you’re banned from the wedding.”
“You’re really strict,” Kelsey grumbled, shuffling toward the lavatory.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’ll invite you no matter what. He doesn’t frighten me.”
“We’ll see about that when we get home,” Aric said. “I’m going to be in charge again once it’s just the two of us.”
“When were you ever in charge?”
“The day I took one look at you and knew that I wasn’t ever going to give you up,” Aric said, smacking a loud kiss on my lips. “I’ve been in control ever since.”
“I think you’re dreaming.”
“Oh, no,” Aric said, grinning. “The dream is still to come.”
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Acknowledgments
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that..
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Donna Rich for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
If you’re interested in my future works, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or join my mailing list. I do not believe in spam. I only announce new releases or free promotions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
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Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 22
