“Honestly? I would blame me for this one, too.”
“OKAY, we have eight different kinds of cakes and all you have to do is decide which is your favorite.”
Pemberley either decided to believe the fireworks lie or figured we were doing something else he didn’t want to know about, so he let it go and directed us back to the house. We found the kitchen full of cake, which strangely enough, I couldn’t find one reason to complain about.
Pemberley dipped his fork into the yellow cake in front of him and then shoved the sweet concoction in Aric’s face, as if he was feeding him. “Give it a taste, handsome.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing and turned my attention to the red velvet cake. “This is cool,” I said. “I’ve had dreams about this.”
“What kind of dreams?” Paris asked, curious. Since we couldn’t talk about the barrier with Pemberley present we were stuck talking about cake. There are worse things to talk about.
“Well, it started out with a big cake and then Aric came in naked … and there might have been some wrestling,” I said, shoving the red velvet masterpiece into my mouth. “This tastes like sex on a fork.”
“Let’s get that one then,” Aric said, swallowing his own bite and taking a step away from Pemberley. “I don’t like yellow cake.”
“It’s not like eating yellow snow,” I teased. “What’s wrong with it?”
“If you’re not careful, I’ll toss all of this cake out before you get a chance to live out your fantasy,” Aric warned, digging into a chocolate slice to my left. He was trying to put as much distance between Pemberley and himself as possible, but Pemberley didn’t get the hint because he followed Aric with keen eyes.
“Even though I brought the red velvet cake, I recommend against it,” Pemberley said, grabbing the plate in front of me and whisking it to another counter. “Let’s forget that one and take it out of the running.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it will stain your dress if you get it on you and – no offense, my dear – you look like a sloppy eater,” Pemberley said.
That was definitely an insult. “Excuse me?”
“Ignore the red velvet cake,” Aric prodded. “Try the chocolate.”
I did as instructed, internally sighing at how moist and wonderful the cake tasted. As a stubborn person, though, I wasn’t ready to give up on the red velvet option. “It’s good,” I said. “I want something with color, though. I like the red velvet.” I was determined to win one argument.
“The red velvet isn’t good for a wedding,” Pemberley shot back. “It was only included by mistake.”
I knit my eyebrows. He was really starting to wear on me. “I like cake with color,” I snapped. “If I had my way the cake would be eight different colors – like a rainbow – and have fifty different undersea animals on it as decorations.”
“Zoe, you’re being rude,” Helen warned, her voice low.
I was beyond caring as I stalked over to the red velvet cake and shoveled another forkful into my mouth. “Yum!”
“Why can’t she have the red velvet cake?” Aric asked, his expression serious as I proceeded to shovel another four bites of cake into my mouth. “Breathe, baby. The cake isn’t going anywhere.”
Pemberley’s expression was disdainful as it landed on me before switching to adoration as he turned toward Aric. “I’m sure you’re used to your bride’s … impulses,” he said. “The simple fact of the matter is that not everyone likes red velvet cake and it has the potential to stain clothing.”
“I get that,” Aric hedged. “It’s just … .”
I shoved another bite in my mouth and chewed as obnoxiously as possible for Pemberley’s benefit.
“I think we should go with the chocolate,” Mom said. “Zoe doesn’t like white cake, and we can’t have the rainbow cake she wants because people will laugh and point. This is the best compromise.”
I was just about to voice my support of red velvet cake again when my stomach twisted.
“You keep calling it a compromise, but Zoe has yet to get one thing that she wants,” Aric argued. “While we’re arguing about compromises, though, we don’t want a band.”
“A band is classier,” Helen said.
“I think a disc jockey sends the wrong message,” Mom added. “As does red velvet cake.”
“And what message is that?” Aric challenged.
“Tackiness,” Pemberley supplied.
“You know what? If Zoe wants red velvet cake, that’s what she’s getting,” Aric snapped. “It’s her wedding. She deserves the cake she wants.”
“Fine,” Pemberley conceded. “Red velvet it is.”
I couldn’t hold the cake in one second longer and pushed Pemberley out of the way as I ran to the sink to bring it back up, the red coloring of the cake making an awful spectacle in the bottom of the sink. It looked like a cake massacre – and no one survived to tell the tale.
“I veto the red velvet cake,” I rasped out. “Let’s go with the chocolate.”
That’s all I said before I emptied the rest of my stomach, which surprisingly wasn’t much given how much I eat.
15
Fifteen
“Zoe.”
Aric moved to my side, concern etched across his handsome features as he pushed my hair from my face.
“I hate to say it, but she should probably watch her food intake,” Pemberley said dryly. “That’s what happens when one is a glutton.”
Aric scowled. “She didn’t eat that much.”
“Especially for her,” Kelsey added, shrinking when several faces cast ominous looks in her direction. “What? I once saw her eat an entire pizza by herself and then complain we didn’t share the breadsticks.”
“While I’m not a fan of how Kelsey phrased that, she’s right,” Aric said. “That was nothing compared to the mountains of food I’ve seen Zoe eat in one sitting. Why did she get sick again?”
“Maybe she’s pregnant,” Paris suggested.
“Don’t even make jokes about that,” I said, gearing up for another retch. It didn’t happen, but another bout was close. “I’m very careful about birth control.”
“You’d better not be pregnant,” Mom warned. “You’re supposed to be married first.”
I rolled my eyes, which hurt because of the pounding in my head. “I’m going to be married in a few days. Calm yourself. Besides, I’m not pregnant.”
“Are you sure?” Helen almost looked hopeful. “I think a little Aric would be darling.”
“She’s not pregnant,” Aric snapped, kneading the back of my neck. “You’re not, right?”
“What did I just say to you?” I asked, any pretense of patience gone. “I’m a stickler about my pills. I take them the exact same time every day. I just had my period two weeks ago. Chill out.”
“Okay, there’s no need to mention your … you know,” Aric said, wrinkling his nose. It was funny. He would run into a burning building, step in front of a bullet or get in the way of vengeance and me to protect himself. One mention of a woman’s menstrual cycle, though, and he turns into a whiny baby.
“Period, period, period,” I said, getting a small dose of satisfaction when he cringed.
“If you’re not pregnant, what’s wrong?” Mom asked, concern finally pushing to the forefront of her mind. “You never get sick. Now you’ve been sick twice in one week. I … this isn’t normal.”
“I’ll be fine,” I muttered, straightening. “I’m going into the bedroom.”
“I’m coming with you,” Aric said.
“I said I was fine. There’s no need to watch me puke.”
Aric looked torn. “Fine,” he said, resigned. “Go into the bedroom and get it all out of your system. I’ll be in there to take care of you in exactly fifteen minutes. Don’t bother arguing. That’s all the time you’re getting.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue, instead trudging toward the bathroom. Everyone was silent, even after I shut
the door and listened for a moment. I washed my face and tied my hair back in a ponytail. Then I threw up once more before crawling to the door so I could eavesdrop. It wasn’t easy because everyone was going out of their way to be as quiet as possible.
“I don’t like this,” Mom said. “After you asked the first time, Aric, I searched my memory. I cannot remember Zoe ever being sick. Sure, she had a few hangovers when she was a teenager, but that was from alcohol. She never got the flu … or a cold.”
“She never had chicken pox or measles either,” Dad added. “I remember when the school sent home a notice about chicken pox. We thought for sure she would get them because some kid in her kindergarten class was infected and he wandered around licking and biting people. She never got it.”
“What about vaccinations?” Aric asked. “Did you get her vaccinations against that stuff?”
“Of course.”
“She was a mage, though,” Aric pressed, tipping me off that Pemberley must have been shown the door to make way for serious conversation. “Weren’t you worried there would be something different about her blood?”
“Not really,” Mom answered. “I guess, in the grand scheme of things, that was always a potential concern, but after nothing showed up on her initial wellness visits as a baby we didn’t worry about it.”
Aric sounded frustrated. “I don’t like her being sick,” he said. “She’s always so vibrant. The first time can be written off as a fluke. What about this time?”
“I think she’s pregnant,” Paris said. “I know that’s the last thing you guys want to deal with, but I think it’s the best prospect.”
“You heard her,” Aric shot back. “She just had her … thing.”
“Oh, good grief. You need to grow up,” Kelsey said. “It’s a period. It’s normal. How can you live with a woman for as long as you have and not be able to say the word?”
“I guess I’m just lucky,” Aric shot back. “She’s not pregnant.”
“I’ll pick up a pregnancy test in town this afternoon, just to be on the safe side,” Paris said. “It’s no big deal. All she has to do is pee on a stick. It’s more to rule everything out than anything in.”
“Ugh. Did you have to mention the peeing thing?”
“Oh, that’s right,” Paris said, chuckling. “I forgot you two still close and lock doors when you go to the bathroom. It’s cute, but antiquated.”
“Your last boyfriend was a murdering senior citizen sociopath,” Aric shot back. “Don’t talk about our relationship as if it’s something weird when you’ve got that on your relationship sheet.”
“I’m sorry,” Paris said. I could hear the mirth in her voice. She wasn’t nearly as worried about my health as Aric was. “I’m still getting a pregnancy test.”
“I’ll go to town with you,” Mom said. “We’ll buy some stuff for her stomach.”
“Fine,” Aric said. “Thank you.”
“Of course, Aric,” Helen said. “We love Zoe, too.”
“Not as much as I do,” Aric said. “I need to go to her now. Be quiet when you come back. Don’t knock in case we’re asleep. She needs to rest.”
“Son, she’ll be fine,” James said. “She’s strong.”
Aric related the morning adventure for his father, including the flash of light from the barrier right before Pemberley showed up. When he was done, James was angry.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I couldn’t tell you before because Pemberley was here, and he won’t leave me alone,” Aric answered. “He keeps … molesting me.”
“Molesting you?”
“Pretty much,” Aric said. “It’s gross.”
“Just for the record, it’s gross when you molest Zoe in front of people, too,” James pointed out. “I don’t see you complaining about that.”
“That’s different,” Aric argued. “We’re getting married.”
“Well, I’ll keep a date open in my day planner in case you opt to switch over to Pemberley,” James said, causing Aric to growl. “Until then, I don’t think we should panic. Zoe seemed fine after the barrier flashed. I’m going to call someone to look around out there just to be on the safe side, though.”
“That’s true,” Paris said. “Zoe didn’t get sick until she inhaled the cake. She could’ve still been sick from the first time and the cake pushed her over the edge. It’s not like she’s in mortal danger or something. There’s no reason to freak out.”
“I’m not freaked out,” Aric argued.
“You seem freaked out.”
Aric made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “Fine. I’m freaked out,” he admitted. “I don’t want her sick. We’re getting married. This is supposed to be the happiest day of her life – well, accept for Mom and Nancy ruining everything for her.”
“Don’t bring that up again,” Helen warned. “We’re not ruining anything. We’re improving things.”
Aric ignored her. “I’m going to take care of Zoe,” he said. “Put the medicine and other stuff outside the door. If she’s feeling up for dinner, I’ll make her soup or something. You guys should all go out to dinner and make sure the house stays quiet.”
“What about your dinner?” Helen asked. “You need to eat, too.”
“I can’t eat until Zoe does,” Aric said.
“Is this like sympathy food poisoning?” Paris teased.
“I don’t know what it is,” Aric replied. “I can’t do anything until I know she’s better, though. That’s all there is to it.”
“HEY, BABY.” Aric lowered himself to the bathroom tile and pressed his hand to my forehead. “You’re sweaty.”
I didn’t tell him that was because I ran through the bedroom and slid along the tile to make sure he didn’t catch me eavesdropping, which was enough to jostle my stomach and make me heave again. “I’m fine. It will pass. Don’t worry.”
“I can’t help but worry about you,” Aric said. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re my life.”
“I’ve noticed,” I said, forcing a wan smile. “You’re my life, too.”
“Then I need you to be honest with me.”
“Oh, I don’t care what Paris says, I’m not pregnant,” I said. “We’ve talked about this. We can’t do anything like that until we’re certain about my powers. I’ve been really careful.”
“Not that,” Aric said, chuckling. “That wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would be a new adventure, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not as worried about that as you are. I need to know that you haven’t felt sick other times and hid it from me. Has it just been the two times?”
“Yes,” I said, realization dawning. “I felt fine after I threw up and slept for ten hours the first time. I ate fine after that. I wasn’t sick at all.”
“Then what made you sick?”
“It’s probably Pemberley,” I joked. “He’s probably poisoning the food so he can kill me and have you to himself.”
Aric stilled, his face going grim.
“That was a joke,” I said.
“What if it’s not a joke?” Aric asked, his mind clearly busy. “You were sick twice, and both times Pemberley was here. Not only that, but he supplied the food both times.”
“Other people ate the food and didn’t get sick,” I pointed out.
“You were the only one who had the salmon.”
“One bite.”
“You were the only one who had the red velvet cake, too,” Aric said. “That was the only cake you ate. Pemberley tried taking it away after you had a bite. Why bring it if he really didn’t want us to sample it?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I … but … .”
“Think about it,” Aric said. “You’re the only one who tasted the salmon. You got sick. Pemberley goaded you into trying the salmon.”
“Which I only did because you tossed it in my mouth.” I was still bitter about that. Sue me.
“If that was poisoned, I’ll never be sorry enough,” Aric said
. “You were the only one who took the cake and ate the salmon, and you got violently ill both times.”
“What could his motive be?”
“I’m not sure,” Aric said. “We’re going to run a background check on him tomorrow, though. We’re going to find out whether he has a reason to go after you, other than his big crush on me.”
“I guess that means I don’t have to eat his food again,” I said, resting my head against the rim of the bowl. “That’s something at least.”
“I need to make a call,” Aric said. “I’m going to have your mother pick you up some things to help flush your system quicker. If we’re right, you should feel better by morning.”
“What if we’re wrong?”
“Then we’ll figure it out,” Aric said. “I won’t lose you. Not for anything. You can count on that.”
16
Sixteen
I dreamt again, but this time it was different. This time I was trapped in Aric’s body. It was his dream, his memory. Heck, I wasn’t even in it. I should’ve been a little miffed, but I was too fascinated to realize what was happening.
“Son, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” James said, his voice low as he glanced around the busy lawn in front of the Covenant College University Center. “Just … think about it first.”
“I have thought about it,” Aric said, tugging a hand through his hair and shifting his gaze to a spot in the middle of the lawn. His eyes locked on me and I felt love spread throughout his chest – er, my chest. Hmm. This is weird. “I want to marry her, Dad. Why can’t you understand that?”
“I do understand it,” James said. “I understand you love her. Hell, I believe you love her more than you’re ever going to love anyone else in this world. She’s still too young.”
“She’s twenty-two,” Aric argued. “She’s an adult.”
“She’s an adult in age, not in mind,” James said. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. She still has some maturing to do. She’s … volatile.”
“She’s not volatile.”
Even I had to roll my eyes at that.
“I like Zoe,” James said. “I think she’s entertaining, and she always makes you smile. She’s also something entirely new. She’s powerful. Are you sure you want to take on that power? Do you want to live a life in which you’re afraid of the woman you live with?”
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