Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1)

by Amanda M. Lee

  TWO days of training and close quarters started taking a toll on my happy home. I really noticed it on the third day when I crawled out of bed and picked a fight with Aric for absolutely no reason.

  “Do you have to take up so much of the bed?”

  Aric arched an eyebrow, not bothering to shift from the spot where he relaxed. “Do you have to snore like a freight train?”

  “I do not snore.”

  “Baby, if you slept any louder you’d wake the dead,” Aric shot back. “Since you’re magical and powerful, that might be a realistic possibility.”

  I opened my mouth, something hurtful on the tip of my tongue, and then thought better of it. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but we need a little time apart.”

  Aric’s expression was unreadable. “Are you saying you want to break up with me?”

  What? “Of course not,” I snapped. “I’m saying that I need a walk in the woods or something to unwind. We have been stuck in this house for three days. When you add in your father – and those really annoying sighing noises he makes when he’s reading a book – and Paris … well, I’m about to break.”

  Aric sighed as he ran a hand through his messy morning hair. “I know. We’re used to a certain routine. I go to work five days a week and give you time to yourself to write your filthy sex scenes.”

  I wrinkled my nose.

  “Which I love to read because it gives me inspiration,” Aric added, shooting me a charming grin. “I don’t know what to do. We’re not any closer to answers and I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here with the book, my father and Paris.”

  “Do you really think Paris will hurt me?”

  “No. I think you might snap and kill them both, and it will be really hard to hide bodies without my father’s help.”

  Despite myself, I couldn’t hold in my laughter. I hopped back on the bed and rolled until I was practically on top of him, my chin resting on his chest. “I need to go for a walk.”

  “What you’re really saying is that you need to go for a walk alone,” Aric clarified. “I … what if there are wolves or witches waiting beyond the fence?”

  “I’ll burn them.”

  “You say that like you mean it, but we both know it won’t be that easy,” Aric said. “I could use a walk, too. I know you need time to yourself, though. You’re ready to throttle me.

  “As much as I love you, woman, I’m ready to kill you, too,” he continued. “Paris said we were in our own little world when she first arrived. She’s right. What she didn’t realize, though, is that our world needs to be split in half occasionally or we’ll murder each other.”

  “Does that mean I can go for a walk?”

  Aric studied my face, brushing my snarled hair from it. “Yes.”

  I wanted to cry I was so relieved.

  “You have to promise not to go too far, though,” Aric said. “I’m going to go for a walk, too. Don’t worry, it will be in a different part of the woods. If you get in trouble … .”

  “I’ll mentally scream so you can hear me.”

  “The good news is, I think whoever staged the first attack is probably still planning a second one instead of implementing it,” Aric said. “I don’t think anyone would be dumb enough to come after you so soon. Our enemies might not know exactly what happened, but I’m guessing they can ascertain it was bad.”

  “I want the side of the property with the river.”

  “I’m going to the river, too,” Aric argued. “I’ll pick a spot away from you, but I need to rest with my feet in the water and think of nothing but nature for a few hours. I have no idea what you’re going to do, but enjoy it. You’re back under house arrest tonight.”

  “I don’t care,” I said, kissing his chin and rolling back off the bed. “Even an hour alone is going to make a world of difference.”

  “Zoe, be careful,” Aric warned. “Don’t you even think about skinny dipping in that river without me.”

  “I would never skinny dip in the middle of the afternoon by myself,” I scoffed. “That’s one of our nightly activities.”

  “And we’ll do it again soon,” Aric promised. “Eat breakfast before you go, and try not to Hulk out on anyone while you do it, please.”

  “You’re always ruining my fun.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  EVEN the illusion of space was enough to help me breathe again.

  Before I was unable to leave my yard I rarely wanted to walk in the woods. Sure, I did it six days a week to pretend I was trying to keep fit, but half-hour sojourns were more than enough.

  Today was different. I even looked forward to the bees.

  I picked a winding path, clutching my bottle of water in hand as I trudged through the woods. I’ve never been a big proponent of nature. I see its attributes – and I know Aric loves nothing better than stripping naked and shifting so he can run – but I could honestly take or leave the great outdoors.

  As a born werewolf – instead of a turned one – Aric can shift whenever he wants. He’s not limited by moon phases. Most of the time he’s content to remain in human form, hanging around the house with me. When the moon is full, though, he becomes restless.

  I don’t take it personally. I know he’s not running away from me. He needs escape from time to time, and that’s what running gives him. I never understood that until now.

  It took me about twenty minutes to make it down to the river, and when I got there I immediately kicked off my shoes and plunged my feet into the chilly water as I rested on the bank. I was happy to lean back, let the sun offer my face a little color, and dangle my feet in the water.

  I could’ve stayed there the entire day. That wasn’t in the cards.

  The sound of a twig snapping on the opposite bank jerked my attention in that direction. A man stood watching me. He had dark brown hair and was clad in simple jeans and a T-shirt. He didn’t look out of place, yet I knew he was definitely not supposed to be there.

  “Are you looking for your friends?” I asked. I saw no reason to stand on pretense.

  “I’m … just taking a walk.” The man was playing a part. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t believe him. I could practically smell the lies wafting off of him. I could also sense a paranormal being. It was one of the little magical tricks that developed over the years. He was a werewolf.

  “Your friends aren’t here,” I said. “They’re not anywhere. If you’re looking for them, you can stop. If you’re looking for me … well … I’m right here. I was enjoying my afternoon, but I guess I can take a few minutes out of my day to play with you. That might take the edge off my seemingly nonstop aggravation. I’m a little crabby these days.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The man’s face was unreadable, but he was a terrible actor.

  “Go and tell whoever you’re with that I’m not messing around,” I said. “If you come after me again, you won’t like what happens.”

  “I … .” The man changed course. “I know what you are.”

  “I know what you are, too. I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Maybe you should be.”

  “Maybe,” I conceded. “I know you should fear me, though. You might want to take that into consideration.”

  “Where is the book?”

  “What book?” I feigned ignorance.

  “I thought we were laying our cards on the table.” The man arched a challenging eyebrow.

  “Oh, that book,” I said, rolling my eyes. “That book has been destroyed. You don’t need to come looking for it again. We burned it.”

  The man snorted. “You can’t burn The Archimage.”

  Well, that was an interesting little tidbit. “We didn’t use regular fire.” That sounded convincing, right?

  The man shifted. From his position across the river – he was about thirty feet from me – he appeared to be considering rushing me. I knew there was plenty of space between us to save myself should it become necessary. I was
n’t worried.

  “We want the book,” the man said.

  “I want a peaceful afternoon.”

  “Bring me the book.”

  “Either go away or I’m going to make you go away,” I threatened. “I’m not messing around. I wanted three hours of quiet. Was that too much to ask?”

  “Give me the book.”

  “Bite me.”

  The man studied me for a moment, his eyes darting about as he tried to determine whether I was alone. I opted to help him.

  “I don’t need anyone else to burn you alive,” I said.

  That did it. The threat was enough to cause the man to take a step back so he was better hidden in the tree line. “We’re not leaving without the book.”

  “Then you’d better get used to squatting in the woods, because you’re never getting the book,” I said. “Now … go away. I’ve had just about enough of surly werewolves for one day.”

  13

  Thirteen

  I stubbornly enjoyed the rest of my afternoon at the river. I remained alert during the walk home, and when I crossed the property line I punched in the code on the fence keypad so the security system engaged.

  I was back in my prison.

  Paris was busy on her laptop at the kitchen table. She lifted her eyes, offering me a smile, and then turned back to her task.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “James and I have managed to translate most of the Latin in the book, but until we figure out what that other language is we’re stuck,” Paris replied. “James ran into town while you and Aric were out on your walks, by the way. He picked up shrimp, scallops, crab legs and a bunch of other stuff. I figure we can start cooking dinner in about an hour.”

  “That sounds like a nice change of pace,” I said. “I’m used to eating red meat in this house.”

  “He picked up steaks for Aric and himself, too.” Paris’ smile was rueful. “You can’t help what you love.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” I muttered. “I’m taking a shower. I’ll help with dinner when I’m done.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” Paris wrinkled her nose. “Seafood can be tricky.”

  “I’m fully capable of cooking,” I snapped. “I don’t care what Aric has been telling you.”

  “You forget, we shared the same roof for three years and lived down the hall from each other a fourth year,” Paris countered. “The only thing I saw you cook that entire time was canned soup.”

  “I happen to love Campbell’s tomato soup.”

  “Yeah, I think it’s good you found a man who not only likes to cook but also loves to dote on you,” Paris said. “Aric said he’s handling all of the seafood, and if you’re a good girl you can cut the cake.”

  I brightened. “There’s cake?”

  “James bought a chocolate cake and a tub of ice cream.”

  “Well, my day is looking up,” I said. “Is Aric in the bedroom?” I considered not telling Aric about my encounter with the lone wolf, but I knew that would be a mistake. Aric would never forgive me if he found out the truth, and the last thing I wanted was to betray him. I was resigned to telling him what happened, but I wanted to do it without an audience.

  “I think so,” Paris said. “He came back about twenty minutes ago. He was sweaty, but he looked a lot more relaxed.”

  “Good. We’re not used to all of this togetherness.”

  “You live together,” Paris pointed out.

  “We still spend time apart. We were really close to screaming at one another this morning.”

  “I’m glad you got what you needed,” Paris said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to make some headway on the book so you won’t be trapped here much longer.”

  “That would be nice,” I said, moving toward the hallway. “Where is James?”

  “He mentioned something about taking a shower before dinner.”

  I was going over how I was going to approach Aric in my head when the sound of voices from our bedroom caught my attention. I slowed my approach to listen. What? I like to eavesdrop. I can’t help myself. Move along.

  “Do you think it was wise to let Zoe out on her own this afternoon?” James asked.

  “I’m not her keeper, Dad. She needed some time to herself. Heck, I needed some time to myself. We’re not used to living in a locked sardine can together.”

  “What if something happens to her?”

  “I will know if something happens to her,” Aric said. “I’ll … feel it.”

  “You honestly think you have a psychic connection to her, don’t you?”

  “I know that when the werewolves attacked I felt her fear … and then I felt her determination … and then I felt her anger,” Aric replied. “I felt her. I didn’t hear her. She was inside me.”

  “That is either incredibly romantic or ridiculously co-dependent,” James griped.

  “I don’t care what you think about it,” Aric said. “She was going stir crazy. She was ten minutes from dragging all of us around the bend with her, starting with me.”

  “She’s not back yet,” James pointed out.

  “She’ll be back soon.” Aric’s voice was firm. “She promised not to cut it close.”

  “I hope you’re right,” James said. “We need her. You can’t have your little talk with her until she does what needs to be done. You know that, right?”

  What did that mean?

  “Don’t tell me my business,” Aric said.

  “You’ll have to tell her what’s going to happen at a certain point,” James said. “I think we should wait until she’s accomplished what we know she has to do. That way, if she goes off the rails when you tell her about … things … we’ll still be in a decent spot.”

  “Don’t get involved in this,” Aric growled. “I … .”

  I’d had about all I could take. I threw open the partially ajar door and stormed into the room. “What are you two talking about?”

  James jumped when he saw me, his face draining of color. “Were you listening?”

  “Of course she was listening,” Aric said, unruffled. “It’s what she does. We were talking about the book.”

  “You weren’t talking about the book,” I snapped. “You were talking about the thing.”

  “What thing?”

  “The thing you asked him to bring when you called him the day after the attack,” I replied, letting my anger get a foothold. “The thing that’s going to upend our whole world. That thing!”

  “You were listening then, too? You have ears like a wolf,” Aric muttered.

  There was no way I was going to let him turn this around on me. “I want to know what the big secret is, and I want to know right now!”

  “There is no big secret,” Aric said, his voice calm. “We’re only talking about a few things that aren’t important at this exact moment in time. There’s no reason to have a fit.”

  “I am not having a fit.”

  “You could’ve fooled me,” Aric said. “How was your walk?”

  “I ran into a werewolf down by the river,” I replied, relishing telling him the truth because I wanted him to feel as unstable as I did. “He demanded the book. I told him we burned the book. He said it wasn’t possible, so I told him we didn’t use regular fire. Then he warned me that they weren’t leaving without the book and disappeared into the woods.”

  “What?” Aric roared. “Why didn’t you call for me?”

  “I was perfectly fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes. “What is the thing that you don’t want to tell me until I’ve done whatever job James wants me to do?”

  “Stop eavesdropping on half of conversations and focus on the wolf,” Aric ordered. “Did he touch you?”

  “He was terrified of me. He didn’t say it, but I could see it. Tell me about the thing.”

  “There is no thing, Zoe!” Aric was enraged. “Stop digging into things that you shouldn’t be worried about.”

  James held up his hands
and stepped between us, trying to end the argument before we really got going. He had no idea it was already too late. “Zoe, Aric and I were talking about the prospects of his … uniting … with an individual and how that will affect his status in the wolf community.”

  What did that mean?

  “Thank you so much, Dad,” Aric snapped.

  “I was trying to help.”

  “It’s none of your business!”

  I rolled James’ statement through my head, my heart tumbling as I realized what he said. “That’s why.”

  “That’s why what?” Aric asked, jerking his eyes back to me.

  “That’s why you never wanted to marry me,” I said, my voice dull. “You can’t, because of the pack. I never even considered that.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You have to marry a wolf, don’t you? You didn’t want to tell me until I handled this threat because you don’t want me to do something stupid. You didn’t want to tell me before because you weren’t ready to give me up.” Things were starting to slip in place. “Things are different now. You’re either ready to give me up or you’re going to suggest some compromise in which we can see each other on the side when you’re not with your wolf family. That’s the thing, isn’t it?”

  “Are you crazy?” Aric’s vehemence took me by surprise. “What are you even saying?”

  “It’s fine,” I said, tugging on the limited strength I had in reserve as the rest fled my body. “I should have realized … I … it’s fine. I … you have rules to follow. I can find someplace else to live.”

  “Zoe, you are an idiot!” Aric slammed his fist into the wall and didn’t bother to check to see if his knuckles bled. “I’m not marrying a wolf and starting some family and hoping that I can keep you on the side. What is the matter with you?”

  “I … you’re not? Then what is the thing?”

  “The thing is your engagement ring,” Aric snapped, opening the safe and rummaging around inside. He withdrew a small jewelry box and threw it at me. “That’s the thing, you moron!”

  My hands trembled as I opened the box, and my breath caught in my chest at the sight of the huge diamond. It was a simple emerald cut, although the stone had to be at least two carats, and it nestled in a plain, white gold setting. “I … but I thought you didn’t want to marry me.”