living covenant 03 - eternal covenant (18 page)

“Wait a second,” I said. “Is everyone coming aware of magic? What about James’ political buddies?”

“We’re going to uninvite them,” Pemberley answered, taking everyone by surprise, especially Helen.

“We are?” Helen asked. “Does James know this?”

“I’ll talk to him and explain the new reality,” Pemberley said. “You need to be aware of the new reality, too.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Helen asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Probably not,” Pemberley conceded. “The fact remains that this is Zoe and Aric’s wedding. They should get the final say.”

“That’s not what you said when we approached you and pointed out what was happening,” Helen argued.

“That was before I realized Zoe actually wanted what she wanted,” Pemberley clarified. “The truth is, when you told me Zoe and Aric’s plans, I assumed money was an issue. I thought they were trying to do things on the cheap, and that’s how everything turned into such a fiasco.”

“Hey!” I was offended … I think.

“Dear, you’re lovely and smart,” Pemberley said, patting my arm. “You have atrocious taste in everything but men, though. You can’t have everything.”

I turned to Aric for support. “Are you going to let him talk to me that way?”

“I look good in this scenario, so I’m letting it go,” Aric said.

“What’s going to happen now?” Helen asked.

“Zoe deserves the wedding she wants,” Pemberley replied. “I don’t think she has to get everything her heart desires for every moment of her life, but in this she does. It’s her wedding.”

Helen wasn’t giving in without a fight. “What about us? What about what we want?”

“Zoe is willing to compromise on certain things,” Pemberley supplied. “We had a long talk this afternoon. You’re getting better food – although Zoe still isn’t convinced I haven’t been trying to poison her – and she’s getting a deejay.

“We’re going to put tables all over the yard,” he continued. “She doesn’t want a tent. There will be nice linens and a little … magic … to brighten up the place.”

“I guess that doesn’t sound horrible,” Helen conceded. “What about the dress?”

“The dress is being replaced,” Pemberley answered, causing me to scowl. “In fact, Aric picked out a dress when Zoe was going through the bridesmaid catalogs this afternoon.”

“What?” I turned quickly. “You picked out my dress?”

“I think you’re going to like it,” Aric said, grinning. “I know I like it. It’s what I always dreamed of you wearing when we finally got to this part of our lives.”

“But … is it as wide as it is tall?” I was terrified.

“No.”

“Will it make noise when I walk?” I asked.

“Maybe a little,” Aric said. “You’re going to look like the dream, Zoe. Have a little faith in me.”

I had more faith in Aric than I’d ever had in anyone, but this was something I wasn’t sure I could handle. “I won’t look … weird … right?”

“You’re going to look like the most beautiful bride in the world,” Pemberley countered. “I have a little magic of my own, my dear. I’ve seen what you’ll look like in that dress. Trust me. You’re going to be the prettiest bride in all the land.”

“She already is,” Aric said, reaching out to snag my hand. “Now she’s going to be a happy bride, too.”

“But, Aric,” Helen protested, “Nancy and I have done so much work. I’m not sure James will accept changing the guest list at this late juncture.”

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Aric said. “Zoe and I want a small wedding. We want to be open about who and what we are. This isn’t Dad’s wedding. It’s not a political rally. It’s our event, and we want it small.”

“Fine,” Helen said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving in. “I’d better like this dress.”

“And it better not have a tiara,” I added, causing Aric to grin.

“No tiara,” Aric confirmed. “Everything else is an upgrade over the dress you picked, though. You’re going to have to deal with it. I want my dream bride.”

“This just bites,” I muttered. “I … .”

I didn’t get a chance to finish my complaint because Aric’s phone picked that moment to ring. I recognized the theme song from
Game of Thrones
right away.

“What is that?” Pemberley asked.

“Someone tripped the wards,” Aric said, his face grim as he turned to scan the yard. “Someone is here.”

Paris and Kelsey raced to the deck above us, James and my father close on their heels.

“Do you see anything?” James asked, peering into the gloom.

“No,” Aric replied, moving closer to the woods. “I can’t smell anything either. The breeze is blowing in the opposite direction.”

“That might be on purpose,” James called down. “Maybe everyone should get inside.”

“That’s a good idea,” Aric said, reaching for my arm. “Move, Zoe.”

I jerked my arm away, taking another step toward the trees. Something familiar brushed against my mind, and while it didn’t fit like Aric’s mind did when we connected, I knew who was in the woods.

“Zoe!” Aric roared, moving behind me. “What are you doing?”

I waited until our guest moved from the tree line and crossed the threshold of the yard, smiling at the familiar tan features and the long dark hair. The man’s face split into a sardonic smile when he saw me, and Aric’s shoulders slumped.

“Of course,” Aric muttered, disgustedly shaking his head. “Why am I even surprised?”

“I think you like being a worrywart, wolf,” Rafael said, locking gazes with me. “I see I got here just in time. You’re still single, right?”

I raced to Rafael and threw my arms around him, giving him a hug I knew would irk both Aric and him. “I knew you would come!”

“I wouldn’t miss your wedding to the world’s most annoying wolf for anything in the world, little mage,” Rafael said, winking at Aric for emphasis. “It appears I’m early, though. Also, did you know bitten wolves have been traipsing through the woods and watching you?”

“You sure know how to make an entrance, man,” Aric said, shaking his head. “Come inside. We have a lot to catch you up on.”

“I can’t wait,” Rafael said, smiling as I led him toward the house.

“Well, well, well,” Pemberley said, looking Rafael up and down as he passed. “You’re very … flowery … aren’t you?”

“WELL,
I hate to say it, but even I didn’t think you would find trouble so close to the wedding,” Rafael said, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head. Aric took almost an hour to relate a month’s worth of events, and Rafael was annoyed when he was done. “Why didn’t you call me sooner? I could’ve been patrolling the woods this entire time.”

“We weren’t sure what was going on,” Aric replied, casting a look at James and my father as they hovered in the doorway. Neither of them was fond of vampires. If Rafael cared, he didn’t show it. “The first sign of real trouble was the wolves at the ice cream parlor. They didn’t do anything but bluster, though.”

“And Zoe could take three bitten werewolves with two hands tied behind her back … literally,” James added. “They weren’t a threat.”

“Then Paris and I found the totem, and I burned it,” I said. “Then we found the other magical barrier, but we found out today that Pemberley put that up because he sensed trouble and was trying to protect us.”

“That’s down, though, right?” Rafael asked.

“Most definitely,” Pemberley answered. “You would’ve burned to a crisp if it wasn’t. Vampires can’t cross my barriers.” He seemed put out by Rafael’s appearance. “Why didn’t anyone tell me a vampire was on the guest list?”

“You didn’t ask,” I shot back. “Besides, what does it matter? He won’t be eating so it doesn’t change the food order.”

“He might be eating guests,” Pemberley muttered.

“Oh, he wouldn’t do that,” Mom said, smiling at Rafael. She’d met him before and was fond of him. “He has impeccable manners.”

Aric frowned at Mom’s familiarity with Rafael. He hated knowing that Rafael watched out for me at a time when he couldn’t. He and Rafael had made up – well, mostly – but they would never be the best of friends.

“It appears Zoe’s powers keep growing,” Rafael said, leaning forward. “At this rate they could be limitless. You’ve come a long way from the girl who had no idea what she was or what she could do, little mage. What else have you been able to do?”

I balked. “I … nothing.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Aric hedged, glancing around the room. “I think we should tell them.”

“No way,” I hissed. “They’ll think we’re freaky and schmaltzy.”

“If this goes to a weird sexual place, I’m out of here,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I might smack a wolf before I go, too.”

Aric made a face. “It’s not sexual. Er … it’s not sexual in nature. We might’ve done a few freaky things with it to test it out, but that’s not what we did at first.”

Dad shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable.

“And people say I’m the one who puts my foot in my mouth all the time,” I said, chuckling.

“What is this new ability?” Rafael asked, intrigued.

“I can drag Aric into my dreams,” I answered, taking almost everyone by surprise. “It happened the first night I got sick. I dreamt about the day I met Aric and he was in there with me.”

“Only I could feel things from Zoe’s perspective,” Aric supplied. “It was … amazing.”

“That’s because she was hot to trot for you from the beginning,” Paris said, grinning when I scorched her with a dark look. “What? It’s true. You fell all over yourself that day.”

“Has it only happened the one time?” James asked.

“No, we’ve done it several times now,” Aric said. “Most of it has been pretty innocent. After a few tries she even managed to share memories with me when she was awake. I think she did it the first time because her barriers were down. Once she knew she could do it we … experimented … a little.”

“I’m guessing this is where the sex comes in,” Dad muttered. “I’m out of here.”

“Not yet,” Mom ordered, shaking her head. “I want to hear this. I’ve never heard of mages being able to do anything like this. Did the book boost her powers enough to make this possible?”

“I have no idea,” I answered. “It just kind of happened.”

“What aren’t you telling us?” Rafael asked. “There’s more to the story. I can tell.”

“Well, last night when I got sick, it happened again,” I said. “This time, though, I was in Aric’s dream.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” Paris said, excited. “That’s amazing. How did Aric get the power to do that?”

“Zoe is the one supplying the power,” Aric said. “It was my memory.”

“I wasn’t even in it,” I grumbled.

“You were in it,” Aric argued. “You just didn’t have a speaking role.” He glanced at James. “It was the conversation we had after graduation when you found out I was going to propose to Zoe.”

“Ah, yes, by all means, let’s bring that up again,” James said, making a face. “Zoe almost killed me the first time she heard that story.”

“She agreed with you this go around,” Aric said.

“Have you tried getting into Aric’s memories again?” Rafael asked.

“When we woke up and realized what happened, we conducted an experiment,” I said, darting an apologetic look in Dad’s direction. “That’s when it took a kinky turn.”

“Nice,” Paris said, winking.

“Yes. This is what a father dreams of hearing,” Dad deadpanned. “I can die a happy man now.”

Mom pinched his arm. “Get over it,” she said. “It’s not as if you’ve been living under the delusion that they’re not doing it.”

“I still don’t want to hear about it,” Dad protested.

“You’ll live.”

“I find this intriguing,” Rafael said. “You’re connected in a way I never thought possible. Don’t get me wrong, I knew you were codependent, but this is something entirely new. You’ve managed to cross barriers that you shouldn’t be able to breech. Zoe also did it when she took down the sprite’s trap. It is all very interesting.”

“What do you think it means?” I asked.

“I have no idea,” Rafael said. “I can’t wait to see how you work this out, though. It should be very entertaining.”

“You’re still a schmuck, aren’t you?” Aric asked, his eyes twinkling.

“I have to make you look good, don’t I?” Rafael shot back.

“On that note, before the boys start roughhousing, I think it’s time for dinner,” Mom sad. “We’re grilling. Rafael, I know you can’t eat, but you can enjoy a glass of wine and the ambiance.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Rafael said. “I will be thrilled to attend your barbecue. I love group events.”

I pressed my lips together and shot a sidelong look in Aric’s direction, the possible double meaning of Rafael’s words causing me to snicker.

“Don’t even think of bringing that up,” Aric warned.

“I’d never do anything of the sort.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

19

Nineteen

^“
So, I’m just dying to hear how all of you fit together,” Pemberley said after dinner, leaning back in his chair as we gathered around the bonfire. “It seems strange that a witch, vampire, wolf and a mage would find common ground.”

“Zoe brought us together,” Paris answered. “We were paired together freshman year, but I had no idea what she was when we met. Of course, she had no idea what she was either.” Paris shot a pointed look in my parents’ direction.

“We wanted Zoe to feel as normal as possible when she was growing up,” Mom supplied, answering Pemberley’s unasked question. “We knew her life would be … difficult … so we gave her a normal childhood. I think it worked out pretty well.”

“You have to understand, we didn’t know Zoe would have powers,” Dad said. “She didn’t manifest any at an early age that we could see. We watched her closely as a teenager, but we never saw any hints that she would become this powerful.”

“Still, you picked a town where wolves rule,” James said. “Why do that if you were trying to hide?”

“The wolves in that area were caught up in politics,” Mom explained. “We thought we would fly under the radar.”

“Did you?” Pemberley asked.

“For many years,” Mom said. “That became difficult when Zoe started drawing attention to herself at Covenant College.”