living covenant 03 - eternal covenant (10 page)

“What’s going on?” Paris was confused, too.

“What’s going on is that someone is going to have to deal with Pemberley, and since he’s with Helen that makes it’s Aric’s job,” I said, tugging Paris’ arm and pulling her behind me as I trudged into the woods.

Aric’s face drained of color as he glanced over his shoulder. It was too late for him to escape, though. Helen and Pemberley were bearing down. “Don’t you dare,” he hissed.

“I love you, but my health comes first,” I said, disappearing behind a grouping of trees and leaving Aric with no option other than watching me go.

“ARIC IS
going to kill you,” Paris said once we were far enough away there was no risk of Pemberley overhearing us. “You know Helen and Pemberley saw you, right? They’re not going to take you running into the woods to hide well.”

“I’m sick.”

“You’re sick in the head if you think there won’t be repercussions for this,” Paris said, her eyes sympathetic as they locked with mine. “You really are pale.”

“I can’t ever remember feeling that bad on a night I wasn’t drinking,” I admitted. “I felt like I was twisting inside out. It was awful.”

“It sounds awful,” Paris said. “For what it’s worth, Aric was so worried he paced outside the bedroom and refused to even wander out on the deck in case you needed him.”

“He slept on the bathroom floor,” I supplied, momentary guilt washing over me for abandoning him. “Maybe we should go back.”

“Hey, what’s done is done,” Paris said. “Pemberley is a douche, by the way. You should see the dresses he wants Kelsey and me to wear. They’re horrible.”

“I’ll talk to him,” I said. “I didn’t want him in the first place. Pemberley is all Helen and my mother’s doing.”

“They’re trying to give you a fairy tale,” Paris said, stepping over a fallen tree and making sure I was on steady feet before turning her attention back to the path. “You’re an only child, and your mother wants to give you the best wedding available.”

“The problem is that it’s not the wedding we want.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Paris said. “Sometimes mothers get tunnel vision. Maybe your mother will listen to you if you sit her down and have a rational conversation with her.”

“I don’t do rational conversations.”

“I’ve noticed.”

I blew out a sigh and tilted my head when the sound of the river caught my attention. “Let’s go sit down at the riverbank,” I suggested. “We can dip our feet in the water. It’s hot and muggy, which doesn’t help my stomach. The water might make me feel better.”

“That sounds good,” Paris said. “You know Kelsey will be angry when she finds out we ditched her, right?”

“It’s her fault for missing out on magical planning sessions,” I replied, blasé. “I … .” I lost my train of thought as we approached the river. I was familiar with the area from walking down to hang out by the slow-moving water at least once a week. That’s why the unfamiliar sight that greeted me was so jarring.

“What’s wrong?” Paris asked, glancing around.

I pointed at a wooden totem. It was almost seven feet tall and erected in one of my favorite spots. It hadn’t been here a few days ago. I moved closer, reaching out with my mind in an effort to ascertain whether we were alone. I didn’t brush up against anything, so I felt emboldened enough to wander closer to the totem.

“What is that?” Paris asked, reaching out to touch the totem.

The pole was hard to describe. Three faces – all in varying degrees of length and width – circled the pole. The bottom face had a hand covering the eyes. The middle had two hands covering the spots where ears should be. The top had a hand clamped over an open mouth. It was an obvious reference, yet it chilled me to the bone.

“See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil,” Paris intoned. “That’s pretty obvious, huh?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” I admitted, my stomach ailment forgotten as I circled the wooden sculpture. “It looks like someone took the time to actually bury it in the ground.”

“Is it a warning?” Paris asked.

I shrugged. I didn’t have an answer for her. “I think the better question is, are they warning me against evil, or do they think I’m the evil they should be warding against?”

Paris shivered. “I think we should get Aric and show this to him,” she said. “He’s going to want to see it.”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. There was something about the totem that seemed familiar, yet I was certain I’d never seen it before. “Let’s get Aric.”

10

Ten

Aric was in a righteous snit when we arrived back at the house. He stood in the middle of the living room, an angry expression on his face, and extended his arms to let Pemberley measure his expansive chest while Helen and Mom looked on.

His gaze locked with mine when we walked through the door. “Hey.”

“Hey? Is that all you have to say?”

I ignored his tone. “What’s going on here?”

“We decided that if we’re getting new bridesmaids’ dresses … and a new wedding gown … we should definitely get new tuxes,” Helen said, her eyes unreadable as she looked her son up and down. “I think we should make sure the tux is double-breasted. He’ll look good in a double-breasted tux.”

“Why does he need a new tuxedo?” I asked, puzzled. Helen didn’t get a chance to answer because the rest of her statement registered before she could get a breath. “What do you mean a new wedding gown? I already have a wedding gown.”

Aric snickered. “It’s not so funny now, is it?”

There was nothing funny about this entire situation. “I don’t want a new wedding gown.”

“Well, you’re getting one,” Mom said, emerging from my bedroom with the simple cream dress I bought two weeks earlier draped over her arms. It was simple and I felt comfortable in it. That made me like it. “This is not a wedding dress. It’s a cocktail dress.”

“But … .”

Mom cut me off with a shake of her head. “Zoe Lake, your wedding dress should be something special,” she said. “You’re supposed to look like a princess. This dress makes me think you’re going to be hobnobbing with politicians at a mixer.”

Yeah, that was never going to happen. “I don’t want some big … froufrou … dress,” I snapped. “I want to be comfortable.”

Mom made a face as she studied the gown in her arms. “It’s not even white.”

“That’s because I’m not a virgin!” I probably shouldn’t have screamed that at the exact moment James Winters and my father walked into the living room.

“Hello, Zoe,” James said, not missing a beat. He was used to my meltdowns. “What’s going on?”

“Mom is trying to make me wear a white wedding dress,” I seethed, my heart pounding as I tried to gain control of my emotions. “I don’t want to wear a white wedding dress.”

Dad let loose with one of those long-suffering sighs endemic to fathers. “What’s wrong with a white wedding dress? I thought that all brides wanted a white wedding dress.”

I narrowed my eyes. “White dresses signify purity,” I said, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt I was about to horrify my father. “I haven’t been pure in the manner a white wedding dress suggests since high school.”

Dad slapped his hand over his eyes. “Did you have to tell me that?”

“If I have to be in Hell, so does everyone else,” I replied.

“White dresses don’t signify virgins anymore,” Mom argued. “You probably shouldn’t announce you’ve been having sex since you were a teenager in front of strangers, by the way.”

“Talk about tacky,” Helen muttered.

“I’ve seen everything at this point,” Pemberley said, waving off Mom and Helen’s righteous indignity. “Nothing surprises me.”

“Don’t jump on Zoe,” Aric ordered, taking me by surprise. I thought he was angry with me. “It’s not as though I could wear a white dress either. Leave her alone.”

“Hush, dear,” Helen instructed. “You’re not a part of this conversation.”

“I’m not wearing a white dress,” I said. “It’s not going to happen. I like that dress. I don’t want some big … thing … that is as wide as it is tall and won’t allow me to sit all night. I want to be comfortable.”

“Well, then maybe you should wear cutoffs and a tank top,” Mom suggested. I recognized her tone from when I was a kid and she was about to lay down the law. “You could even go braless. Then you would really be comfortable.”

“That sounds good to me,” I shot back.

“That sounds like my dream wedding,” Aric said, winking at me. If he was angry, he was hiding it well.

“You’re getting a real dress, Zoe,” Mom said. “That’s all there is to it. Don’t bother arguing with me.”

“I am not.”

“You are, too.”

“I am not.”

“You are, too.”

“I am not!” I exploded – in more ways than one. My fury escaped long enough to shred the vase of roses on the table, hundreds of red flower petals flying through the air.

Pemberley’s eyes widened. “What the … ?”

“Okay,” Aric said, pushing Pemberley to the side and racing toward me. He tugged me close, pressing my face against his chest as he petted the back of my head. “I’m sorry I hit the roses like that. It was an accident. I don’t like seeing Zoe upset, though.”

“You didn’t hit the vase,” Pemberley argued, confused. “I … I’m sure of it.”

“I did,” Aric lied, rocking back and forth and refusing to let me pull away. “You know what? Zoe is still sick and she doesn’t need everyone jumping all over her. I’m taking her to the bedroom to rest.”

“We’re not done talking about the dress,” Mom argued, her eyes flashing when Aric maneuvered us past her.

“You’re done talking about the dress,” Aric snapped.

ARIC
locked the bedroom door behind us, forced me onto the bed, and then climbed next to me. He pulled me into his arms and brushed a kiss against my forehead as he rubbed my back.

“I generally wouldn’t condone that in front of strangers, but you held out a lot longer than I expected,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I … .”

Aric shushed me. “It’s okay, baby,” he said. “I knew things were going to get rough when I heard their plans.”

“The power is going to their heads,” I grumbled. “They’re out of control.”

“They’re definitely out of control,” Aric said. “We’ll talk to them when it’s just us. We can’t do it in front of Pemberley in case … well … you get upset.”

“I didn’t mean to do it.” I bit my lip. I’d been working hard on not lashing out with my newfound powers. Today’s display was a setback.

“It’s okay,” Aric whispered, pressing his lips against my forehead as he soothed me. “Relax. You need to rest.”

“But … .”

“Zoe, I don’t want to hear another word,” Aric said. “I want you to close your eyes, take a deep breath and then relax. Let everything fall away but us.”

“Are you going to ask me for another memory?”

“Only if I’m shirtless.”

I gave Aric his wish when I drifted off a few minutes later. Kind of.

“I am not picky,” I repeated.

“Of course not, sweetie,” Aric replied brightly. “You’re the most easygoing person I know.”

I can’t be sure, but I think I’ve been insulted. No, wait, I am sure.

“I’m turning over a new leaf this year,” I reminded him. “It’s not going to be all depressing monsters and killers and monster hunts. I’m going to be a happy person.”

“And you think just saying it makes it true?” Aric didn’t look convinced.

“It’s called positive reinforcement,” I shot back. “I visualize what I want and make it happen. Zoe Lake is a happy person.”

“So now you’re a hippie?” Aric was teasing me, but his words were grating.

“Zoe Lake is not a hippie,” I countered. “Zoe Lake is a happy person. Zoe Lake is a person focused on her schoolwork. Zoe Lake is not going to get caught up in unnecessary drama.”

“Why are you talking about yourself in the third person?” Laura asked curiously.

“Zoe Lake is losing her mind,” Aric suggested.

“Zoe Lake is becoming pretentious,” Laura agreed, smiling sweetly to make sure I knew she was only teasing.

“Zoe Lake is going to find new friends,” I grumbled.

“Well, Aric Winters happens to like the doom-and-gloom Zoe,” Aric interjected. “I can’t wait to see how long this new mantra lasts, though. Maybe we should start a pool?”

Aric was grinning when I opened my eyes, his face reflecting the easygoing nature of the dream. “That’s still cool.”

“You weren’t shirtless,” I reminded him.

“No, but I was sweaty after helping you move into the dorms that day,” Aric said, tracing lazy circles on my back. “I like this game. Show me the first time we had sex.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll want to better your performance if I do, and we have a houseful of people on the other side of that door,” I replied.

Aric frowned. “Are you saying there was something wrong with my performance that first time?”

Of course he would latch on to that. “No. I like things that are quick.”

“Oh, you are in so much trouble,” Aric said, rolling on top of me and causing me to squeal as he tickled my ribs. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. That walk with Paris – the one you abandoned me for, by the way – seems to have done you good.”

“I think the nap did me good,” I admitted, the memory of the totem tugging at my mind. I took the opportunity to relate to Aric what we found by the water.

“Why didn’t you tell me this right away?” Aric asked, all playfulness vacating his features. “I need to see it, Zoe. It could be dangerous.”

“I couldn’t tell you in front of Pemberley and you know it,” I shot back. “I did the best I could. I wanted to tell you when we came in here but you told me to shut my mouth, and then I accidentally fell asleep.”

“Oh, the one time you’ve ever listened to me when I told you to shut your mouth,” Aric grumbled.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Aric said, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “We need to go out there and look at that totem, though.”

“It’ll have to be after dinner,” I said. “I’m actually starving.”