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  ETERNAL COVENANT

  Living Covenant Trilogy Book Three

  AMANDA M. LEE

  WinchesterShaw Publications

  Contents

  Copyright

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  11. Eleven

  12. Twelve

  13. Thirteen

  14. Fourteen

  15. Fifteen

  16. Sixteen

  17. Seventeen

  18. Eighteen

  19. Nineteen

  20. Twenty

  21. Twenty-One

  22. Twenty-Two

  23. Twenty-Three

  24. Twenty-Four

  25. Twenty-Five

  26. Twenty-Six

  27. Twenty-Seven

  28. Twenty-Eight

  29. Twenty-Nine

  30. Thirty

  Mail List

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Amanda M. Lee

  Copyright © 2016 by Amanda M. Lee

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  1

  One

  “Come back to bed.”

  Aric’s voice was a low murmur as I swung my legs over the side of the mattress, yawning as I stretched and stared out the window. I love mornings like this, the bright sunlight filtering through the curtains and nothing but trees for miles in every direction. Mornings are my favorite time of day – as long as they don’t come too early. You know what I mean. Morning should start at ten, and everything before that should be outlawed. What? That’s common sense.

  “I can’t go back to sleep,” I said, casting a fond look in Aric’s direction. He was naked, only a thin sheet covering him from the waist down. His black hair was tousled, stubble lining his strong jaw. He’s always handsome, but I love the way he looks before he gets up to greet the day. “My mother and your mother will be here in two hours. I have to make sure the house is clean before they get here.”

  Aric made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. It was somewhere between a chuckle and a snort. “Who cares what they think? It’s our house.”

  “I know that and you know that,” I said. “They’re going to take over our house because of the wedding, though. Did you forget the wedding?”

  Aric’s eyes remained closed as he gripped the edge of the pillow and hugged it closer. “How could I forget the wedding? That’s impossible. You’re looking at a dead man walking here. You snagged me. You wore me down. You’re dragging me kicking and screaming off the market and down that long aisle. I could never forget the wedding.”

  I made a face, which he couldn’t see because he refused to open his eyes, and reached over to flick his ear. Aric took me by surprise when he grabbed my wrist. He was strong so it didn’t take much for him to drag me back onto the bed and wrap his arms around me.

  I wanted to be angry – and I did manage some faux outrage – but the truth is there’s nowhere I would rather be. “Aric, we have to get up,” I whined as I pressed my face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder. “My mother is going to freak out when she sees how messy the house is.”

  “The house isn’t messy,” Aric argued. “We cleaned yesterday. It’s fine.”

  “We didn’t clean,” I scoffed. “You moved the couch and I had a feather duster, and then you decided we could do something more fun with the feather duster if we were naked, and that was the end of the cleaning.”

  Aric shrugged as he kissed my cheek. “Did you have fun with the feather duster?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “That is the point,” Aric said, tightening his arms around my waist and making an odd cooing sound as he brushed his lips against my ear. “We’re almost married, Zoe. The wedding is right around the corner.”

  There it was. That was the true source of my panic. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be married to Aric. I did. Trust me. He’s Aric Winters, after all. He’s strong, handsome, sexy and kind. He has a great sense of humor and is unbelievably loyal. On top of all that, he loves me. So what’s not to love?

  It’s the wedding I can do without.

  My name is Zoe Lake and I’m a bride. Ugh. Those are words I never thought I would say – even if only in my mind. I’ve been many things over the course of my life – all twenty-seven years of it, if you want to be exact. I’ve been a petulant child, mouthy teenager, wide-eyed college freshman, reluctant hero and magical mage. Throughout all of that, though, I never foresaw being a bride. I honestly thought I would mouth off to the wrong person who would kill me long before this day came.

  Aric Winters changed all of that, and while I was excited to be engaged, the idea of going through a wedding ceremony sent chills down my spine.

  “I think we should elope,” I announced.

  I couldn’t see Aric’s face but I could feel his lips tip down as they rested against the ridge of my ear.

  “If you want to elope, we can elope,” Aric said, his voice low.

  I was surprised by the capitulation. “Are you serious?”

  “Are you?” Aric challenged. “I only want to be able to refer to you as ‘my wife.’ I don’t care about a wedding. If this is going to become a big thing, we can leave and go to City Hall right now.”

  That sounded like a good idea to me. “Let’s get in the shower.”

  Aric shifted so he could search my face. “Are you serious? If that’s what you want, I’ll do it. Be prepared to never hear the end of it from our mothers, though.”

  I blew out a sigh and shifted my eyes to the ceiling, frowning when I saw the distinct outline of a cobweb weaving between the arms of the light fixture. “They’re the reason I want to run,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t mind a small ceremony with us and our friends. They’re trying to turn it into something else, though.”

  Aric licked his lips as he decided how to respond. His father, a state senator, was partly to blame for the wedding plans spiraling out of control. “I can make my father uninvite people,” he said finally. “I know it upset you when he sent the list of people he invited.”

  “I wasn’t upset,” I clarified. “I was … .” What? Angry? Ticked off? Ready to call down lightning and burn James Winters’ pretty face to a crisp? I can do that, just in case you’re wondering. It’s part of being a mage, which proves to be another wedding problem. “All of your father’s friends are wolves and politicians, although I don’t see much of a distinction.”

  Aric patiently waited for me to continue.

  “The politicians are only coming out of obligation,” I explained. “The wolves are coming because they’ve heard I can set things on fire with the power of my mind and they’re curious. It’s like I’m an exhibit at the zoo.”

  “Ah,” Aric said, realization dawning. “No one expects you to perform tricks in your wedding gown. You won’t have to fight off enemies and make it rain flower petals.”

  That sounded mildly interesting. A few weeks before I’d absorbed a magical book to save my parents from a crazy guy in a compound who thought he could steal my powers and become unstoppable. After that, my powers expanded exponentially, and during a mild fit one afternoon I exploded a flower pot and controlled the swirling petals long enough to form them in the shape of a heart. “I could do the
flower petal thing.”

  Aric snickered. “If you want to do the flower petal thing, go ahead,” he said. “Make them form the shape of a naked woman, though. I think that sounds fun.”

  I made a face. “What kind of naked woman? If you say a Kardashian the wedding is off, by the way.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of you,” Aric said, tickling my ribs. “I could deal with that chick from The Hunger Games, too, though. She’s hot.”

  I tried to elbow his ribs, but I must have telegraphed the move because he expertly dodged it. “I can’t believe I’m marrying you.”

  “I can’t believe you’re marrying me either,” Aric said, nuzzling my cheek. “I was worried you would say no, but now we’re close, baby. You’re going to be Mrs. Aric Winters in a week.”

  “I thought we agreed I was going to keep my name,” I scoffed. “You said it frightened people so I shouldn’t dump it.”

  “Yes, but I’ve had time to think about it and I’ve decided I want to strip your identity,” Aric said, his voice calm even though I knew he was playing a game. “I think your new identity should only involve being my wife. How does that sound?”

  “Like you’re trying to fire me up so you can con me into fighting with you and then making up before our parents get here.”

  “You know me too well,” Aric said, laughing as he gave me a soft kiss. “If you want to take my name, I’ll be proud. If you want to keep your name, I’ll be fine with that, too. People are afraid of Zoe Lake, and I want it to stay that way.”

  That was another thing niggling at the back of my brain. “You don’t think something horrible will happen this week, do you?”

  “You’ll have to be more specific,” Aric prodded. “Last week you thought the worst thing in the world was the fact that every store you shop at seems to have replaced track pants with yoga pants.”

  “That’s a real problem,” I complained. “I don’t mind yoga pants. I have ten pairs of them. I prefer walking around the woods in track pants, though. I can’t run to the store in yoga pants either. I don’t care what anyone says. It’s inappropriate to pick out apples in the produce department when someone else is studying your butt in pants that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination, all the while imagining that’s the big apple they want to take a bite out of.”

  “Your mind is a wonder,” Aric said, tweaking my nose and playfully grabbing my rear end for emphasis. “Now I want an apple for breakfast.”

  “Ha, ha,” I intoned. “I’m serious, though. It’s been quiet for a month. That’s thirty days of no one trying to kill me. It can’t last.”

  Aric’s expression softened as he ran his thumb down my cheek. “Have you considered that your reputation and your actions at Quinn’s compound have made the rounds far and wide and people are afraid to attack you?”

  “Mark detonated a bomb at our engagement party and killed Scott,” I said, reminding him of our most recent mayhem. “That was after we took out Quinn.”

  “That was Mark, though,” Aric said. “He’s … gone now. He can’t hurt us.”

  Gone? That was an interesting way of putting it. “Is he dead?” Originally I planned to kill Mark myself after he blew up my engagement party. Eventually I realized killing Mark made me just as bad as him. That’s when I decided to let James’ men take him into custody and do what they wanted with him. I was certain that would eventually end in death, so I was technically still responsible for Mark dying. Funnily enough, I was okay with someone else killing him. There was no way Mark was getting a third chance.

  “Soon,” Aric replied, his short answer signaling he didn’t want to dwell on Mark’s fate. “It’s going to be okay, Zoe. I can’t guarantee that no one will come after us, because you’re bound to tick eight people off this week with that mouth of yours and they could try to kill us, but we’ve got good security. This wedding is going to happen.”

  “That’s good,” I said, slipping my arms around Aric’s waist and resting my head on his chest. “I would hate to think my new life as Mrs. Aric Winters will be delayed.”

  “You’re so stinking cute,” Aric muttered, kissing the top of my head. “You’re so cute, in fact, that I think we should get in the shower and be cute together. That will allow us to get dirty and clean up at the same time. How does that sound?”

  “Like we’re going to have sex for two hours and not clean a thing.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Aric said.

  “Aric, the last time your mother came to visit she moved the refrigerator by herself – which was impressive because she’s kind of small, even for a woman – and spent three hours cleaning behind it,” I said. “My mother has been living close by, but each time she comes over she organizes a closet. What happens when your mother and my mother get in a room together?”

  “Is this a game?” Aric asked. “If so, I’ll play. I think when my mother and your mother get in a room together they’re going to turn into mushy piles of goo talking about how happy they are we’re getting married, and how romantic and perfect I am.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re handsome, because you’re a bleeding idiot when it comes to women,” I shot back, causing his eyebrows to fly up.

  “Excuse me?”

  “They’re not going to write sonnets about how romantic you are, no matter what you think,” I charged. “This wedding isn’t about you. It’s about me.”

  “Baby, everything is about you,” Aric teased, laughing when I shot him a dark look.

  “Our mothers are going to spend the next week trying to control things,” I explained. “They’re going to try to force me to get a different dress, change the flowers, update the menu, clean the house, write sappy vows, cut my hair … and so on. You have no idea the horror that is about to descend upon this house.”

  “I’m glad you’re not dramatic or anything,” Aric deadpanned. “If you were dramatic I don’t know what I would do with you.”

  “I’m not being dramatic,” I countered. “I’m being realistic. They’re mothers. They can’t help themselves. No matter what happens this next week, they’re won’t be happy. And since they’re both used to being queens of their castles, they’re going to collide in our castle and battle for ultimate supremacy.”

  Aric barked out a laugh, seemingly unbothered by the way I painted the upcoming week. “God, I love you, Zoe Lake.”

  I sighed. He was charming when he wanted to be. The truth is I love him, too. I am willing to go through whatever hell awaits – even our mothers. “I love you, too.”

  “I promise things won’t be as bad as you think,” Aric said. “They’re mothers. We’re only children. They want us to be happy. They’ll work together. Just wait and see. This is going to be a great week … and when it’s over, you’ll be my wife.”

  “No, you’ll be my husband,” I corrected. “I think you should start referring to yourself as ‘Mr. Zoe Lake.’”

  “Oh, yeah?” Aric grabbed my waist and started tickling. “Well, your future husband wants to take a naughty shower. While I don’t care if my mother knows what we’re doing, your father is another story. So if we’re going to do it, we have to do it now.”

  I bit my lip. “What about the cleaning?”

  “No one will notice that we left a wine bottle on the living room table,” Aric said. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

  “Okay,” I said, giving in. Really, who wants to clean anyway? If I could figure out a way to justify a maid – one I could guarantee wasn’t a rogue assassin bent on killing me, mind you – I would totally do it. “You’d better be really good, though. It’s going to be tense once all of our parents are under the same roof.”

  “Am I ever not really good?” Aric asked.

  “Hmm? Oh, no.”

  Aric frowned. “You did that on purpose,” he said.

  “I did not,” I lied.

  “Move your cute little butt, Zoe soon-to-be Mrs. Aric Winters,” Aric ordered. “I’m g
oing to show you how great I am. You’ll be begging when I’m done with you.”

  He was such an easy mark. “I’m terrified,” I deadpanned.

  “You’re going to be terrified.” Aric chased me toward the bathroom. “Prepare to be amazed!”

  2

  Two

  “What took you so long to answer the door?”

  My mother’s eyes flashed as they locked with mine. She was early, causing Aric and me to have to scramble into clothes when we finally heard the doorbell chime. She also wasn’t alone.

  Helen Winters was a beautiful and regal woman. She had sparkling eyes, and was always impeccably dressed. While Aric got his looks from his father, he was the beneficiary of a few personality quirks from his mother, including the need to irk people when the mood struck. One look at her now told me she was ready to irritate my mother – and she didn’t care whether I was caught in the crossfire.

  “You’re early,” I said, moving aside so Aric could greet his mother with a warm hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “Hello to you, too, Zoe,” my mother drawled, causing me to narrow my eyes. She was clearly in a mood. Things would only worsen when she and Helen realized they were at war for wedding boss supremacy.

  “Hello, Nancy,” Aric said, sliding in front of me and hugging my mother. He was trying to ease the tension, but unless he had a sledgehammer hidden in his pants so I could knock the two women out, I figured that was a losing battle. “It’s so good to see you both … together.”

  “Of course we’re together,” Helen said, pushing Aric away so she could close the distance between us. “Zoe! It’s so good to see you.” She threw her arms around me with a greeting as if it had been years instead of weeks since she’d last seen me.

  I like Helen. I really do. I’m just not big on people telling me what to do and invading my personal space. Helen is keen on both.

  “It’s good to see you, too,” I said, patting Helen’s back and darting a “help me” look in Aric’s direction. He smirked in response and remained rooted to his spot. “How was your drive?”