Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Read online

“What does that mean?” Sami was utterly confused.

  “It means … .” How could I explain this?

  “I thought The Archimage was a book,” Helen said. “It’s gone, because Zoe destroyed it.”

  “The Archimage was a book,” Paris confirmed. “Zoe didn’t destroy it, though.”

  “She absorbed it,” Aric muttered, dragging a restless hand through his hair. “I knew that book would come back to bite us one day. We should’ve destroyed it the second Paris showed up with it.”

  “I don’t understand.” Sami looked nervous, probably because she was picking up on Paris’ unease.

  The Archimage was still a sore spot. Paris brought it to our house months before Sami’s birth – before I was even pregnant with her – because she was on the run from a group who thought they could use the book to steal my powers. Things blew up – and then some – when she admitted to telling people about my powers. We made up eventually, but Aric had a hard time putting her betrayal behind him.

  “The Archimage was a magic book that people thought they could use to steal mage powers,” I said, opting to explain in the easiest manner possible. “Aunt Paris found it first and brought it to the house. Um … .”

  “We had a very busy life before you, Sami,” Aric interjected. “The bad people who wanted the book took Grandma and Grandpa Lake hostage. Paris, your mom and I went on an adventure to get them back. During that adventure there was a big fight, and to boost her powers your mom kind of … sucked up … the book.”

  “That makes it sound gross,” I said.

  “It was gross,” Aric shot back. “The book made your mother more powerful.”

  “So how would the people who wrote the diary know about the book coming here?”

  That was a really good question. The diary was written long before I absorbed the Archimage. “I don’t know.”

  “That prophecy made it sound as if the Dolloway family was waiting for a person,” Helen pointed out. “The Archimage was a book. Maybe they’re not connected.”

  Aric shot his mother a withering look. “Of course they’re connected,” he said. “The houses are too close to each other for it to be a coincidence.”

  “Don’t snap at your mother that way,” James warned, getting to his feet. “She’s trying to help.”

  “I’m sorry,” Aric said, instantly contrite. “It’s just … I thought the book was behind us. Now it’s back to rain thunder and lightning down on us again.”

  “The book made it storm?” Sami asked.

  “No, your mother made it storm when she touched the book,” James said. “Even if these people believe the prophecy is true and they’re somehow tying everything together, why would they go after Sami? Zoe is the one who absorbed the book. She’s the one with the Archimage power.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Paris said, choosing her words carefully. “Zoe would’ve gotten pregnant really close to when she absorbed the book. We’re talking weeks here.”

  “So?”

  “So she had an extra power boost after that,” Paris replied. “She was really strong, and Sami was inside of her during that time.”

  “Oh,” James intoned, his face draining of color. “You think Sami absorbed some of that power, too.”

  “It would make sense,” Paris said, bobbing her head. “I’ve given it some thought over the years. I expected Sami to be really powerful. I think we all did. When she didn’t start blowing things up right out of the womb we all relaxed a little bit … well, some of us.”

  Aric rolled his eyes. “So you think Sami absorbed some of the book and the rest stayed in Zoe. What does that mean?”

  “I think the prophecy treats the Archimage as a human because the Dolloways probably had a seer in their group,” Paris answered. “I’m guessing it was Abigail. She was the first witch, and she converted the others. In fact, I’m guessing that there are a lot more wraiths hanging around than we’ve seen so far.

  “I think these people believed Abigail’s visions and anchored their souls to objects because they wanted to last long enough to meet the Archimage,” Paris said. “To them the Archimage is a person, because it technically is.”

  “Yeah, but is the Archimage Zoe or Sami?” Helen asked.

  Paris shrugged, helpless. “I have no idea.”

  “IF YOU’RE angry you should get it out of your system.”

  Aric continued slamming around the bathroom long after we retired for the night. He was distant for the remainder of our time in the kitchen, so much so that Helen promised she would sleep on the couch in case Sami woke in the middle of the night and needed someone to comfort her. It was obvious Aric and I had a few things to discuss.

  “I’m not angry,” Aric said, walking out of the bathroom in nothing but his boxer shorts. Usually the sight would give me a little thrill. Instead, the grim set of his jaw gave me a chill this evening. “Why would I possibly be angry?”

  I hate it when he does this. He likes to fight when we’re on even footing, but this was obviously a situation in which he believed he had the high ground. “You’re angry because I absorbed the book. You’ve always been angry about that.”

  “That’s crap,” Aric snapped. “I was behind you that day. I’ve always been behind you.”

  “That was before a decision I made on my own shaped the future of our daughter,” I said, resting my hands on my knees as I sat at the edge of the mattress. I was ready for bed, too. I’d hopped into cotton sleep shorts and a tank top while waiting for Aric. It was one of his favorite combinations, but he barely gave it a look when he walked into the room. “I’m sorry this has happened but … .”

  “Knock it off, Zoe,” Aric said, extending a finger. “You don’t get to play the martyr on this one. The decision was made long ago. We can’t go back in time and change things. We have to accept what is happening and move on from there.”

  They were bold words, reasonable even, but he didn’t believe them. “Aric, do you think I envisioned this happening that day? All I could think about was getting my parents back. You know that.”

  “And you got them back,” Aric said. “You got them back and burned an entire compound to the ground. Your eyes turned black and I thought I lost you. It was a great day.” His voice reverberated throughout the room as he started to yell.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I said. “This is my fault … and I know it … but I can’t take it back. I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want you to be sorry, Zoe,” Aric snapped. “I want you safe. I want to curl up in bed with ice cream and your stupid cold feet, which you warm up on my legs under the covers. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

  “I don’t want someone coming at my family with the intention of ripping it apart,” he continued. “I want my wife to be safe … and mischievous … and a total pain in the ass. I want my daughter to grow up to be just like her. I do not want this, though.”

  Tears flooded my eyes as I furiously blinked to hold them back. “I’m sorry.” It was the only thing I could say, yet it was woefully unworthy of the love and loyalty he’d shown me since the day we met.

  “Oh, don’t cry, baby,” Aric said, tugging me to him as he crawled on the bed. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. You know I can’t stand that.” He buried his face in my hair as he pulled me close. “I love you more than anything, Zoe. You own half of my heart. Without you it will stop beating.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Don’t tell me how I feel,” Aric said. “You’re my life. You … and Sami … we’re a family. Now there are people out there who want to end that because they think you have some power that will help them live forever.

  “Paris didn’t come right out and say it, but it’s obvious that’s the ultimate goal of these people,” he continued. “They want to live forever and they’re willing to blacken their own souls to do it. Now they want to come after my family to achieve their ultimate goal.”

  “I’ve been thinking abou
t that,” I said, pulling him back when he tried to move away enough that he could see my face. “Not yet.”

  “Okay.” Aric kissed my cheek and rubbed my back as he sank into the embrace. “What have you been thinking about?”

  “The timing,” I replied. “I think they picked now for a very important reason. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’ve been watching us – or at least keeping an ear to the ground in case Sami manifested early – but they’ve been waiting for this day for a very specific reason.”

  “Which is?”

  “Sami isn’t a full mage,” I said. “She’s part wolf. Even if absorbing the Archimage gave her a power boost, I think her true powers won’t start showing themselves until now.”

  “But … why?”

  “You said it yourself time and again when Sami asked why she didn’t turn into a wolf like you,” I said. “Do you remember what you said to her?”

  Aric rubbed his cheek against mine as he considered the question. “I told her that born wolves don’t turn until they hit the age of maturity.”

  “Which is?”

  “Twelve.” Aric growled, low and guttural. “Oh.”

  “Yeah,” I said. He’d finally come to the same realization I had. “I think the reason Sami hasn’t claimed her full powerbase yet is because her powers are now tied to her wolf blood as much as they are her mage blood. She’s a half-breed. She needs both sides to work together.”

  “So now that she’s reached the age of maturity … .”

  “I think things are going to start happening fast,” I finished. “The Dolloways prophesized it. I may have absorbed the Archimage, but I think Sami is going to be the most powerful mage in the Midwest. Because of who she is … because she’s part of both of us … she’ll be stronger than I ever was.”

  Aric clutched me tighter as he rocked back and forth, his mind clearly busy. “If they believe that, they also believe Sami will get stronger with each passing day,” he said. “They’ll be coming for her sooner rather than later.”

  “We have to make some headway tomorrow,” I said, digging my fingernails into his muscular back. “We need to find out who this Abigail is, and we need more information on the Dolloways. If I have to go to Cissy Dolloway’s house and beat answers out of her, I’ll do it.”

  “And you’ll like it.” Aric finally pulled his head away from mine and graced me with a soft smile. “Baby, I need you to know that I don’t blame you for any of this. I know you blame yourself, but … we couldn’t have known. Back then Sami wasn’t even a glimmer in anyone’s eye.

  “When you told me you were pregnant the night of the wedding I was terrified,” he continued. “I thought our lives were going to change … and maybe not in a good way. You’ve done nothing but make my life better every single day, though. This isn’t your fault.”

  “It’s partially my fault,” I countered. “Even if I had to do it again, I don’t think I would change anything. I couldn’t let my parents die, not even knowing the uncertainty we would be living under. I am hopeful that your blood will temper Sami’s wild spirit, though. I think that’s going to be her best shot.”

  “And I want the opposite,” Aric said. “I want her to be as wild and brave as you, because then I know she’ll always survive. She’s our legacy, and I want her to be as happy as you’ve made me.”

  “I thought you didn’t like it when I was wild and talked before thinking?”

  “I like it seventy-five percent of the time,” Aric clarified.

  “What about the other twenty-five percent?”

  “I want to do this.” Aric slammed his mouth into mine, tugging me as close as he could without crawling inside of me. The need was obvious, days of parents, Paris and Sami’s turmoil colliding to make us both antsy. When we separated we were both breathless. “I’ll lock the door.”

  “I’ll kill the lights.”

  “Leave them on.”

  “Then Sami might see us if she’s looking out the back window and we’ll have to hear her screech,” I reminded him. “Our silhouettes show through the curtains.”

  “Fine,” Aric muttered. “I can’t wait until it’s just the two of us again. I love Sami, but she’s a real drain on our spontaneity.”

  “That’s why we send her with her grandparents every Sunday.”

  Aric grabbed the back of my neck before I could roll over and kill the light. “I love you, Zoe. No matter what, that will never change. You crawled inside of me and you’ll always be the only woman I’m capable of loving.”

  “I love you, too.” I was sincere, until I flashed a devilish grin. “Now lock the door and drop your shorts. I think we’ve shared enough schmaltz for one night.”

  “And that’s one of the reasons I love you more than anything,” Aric said. “You always get right to the heart of the matter. Well, my wife, prepare yourself to be amazed. I’m going to wow you until you can’t be wowed any more.”

  Finally! I thought we would never get to something I wanted to do this week.

  Twenty-Two

  I woke on my side, my face pressed to Aric’s chest. He was turned into me, our legs twined together as the sheet barely covered our naked bodies. It had been a long and productive evening.

  I took a moment to bask in his warmth, inhaling deeply so his familiar scent could wash over me. In my head I knew that we’d spent the early years of my life apart and hadn’t always been together, but I couldn’t fathom not waking up with him. The steady beat of his heart lulled me even as his even breathing comforted me.

  Then he spoke and ruined the moment.

  “Good morning, tiger.”

  “You know I was sitting here thinking schmaltzy and romantic thoughts about you, right?”

  Aric pulled back his head so he could glance down at me. His morning stubble was scratchy as it brushed against my skin, but he looked even more appealing in the morning, if that was even possible. “What were you thinking?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” I sniffed. “I just want five more minutes of this before we start the day.”

  “I miss the days when we could spend the entire day in bed and live on love and Twinkies,” Aric said, his eyes twinkling. “The kid ruined that, but we’ll get back there one day. When we do, I’m going to celebrate with a week of naked activities.”

  “You’re kind of a pig.”

  “You love me anyway,” Aric said, brushing down my rampant bedhead. “I love you, too.”

  “I do love you. That doesn’t mean you’re not a pig.”

  “I can live with that,” Aric said. “Tell me what you were thinking, though. You rarely admit to schmaltzy thoughts.”

  “I was thinking that I can’t remember not waking up with you,” I said. “I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here with me.”

  “Oh, so sweet,” Aric teased, rubbing his cheek against mine. “I remember what it was like sleeping without you, though.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, really?”

  “Really,” Aric confirmed. “There was less snoring, no cold feet on my legs, and a lot less drool.”

  I moved to pull away, annoyed he was ruining the only blissful five minutes we would have the entire day, but he refused to let me go no matter how hard I wriggled.

  “There was also none of that cute murmuring you do when you’re dreaming and trying to talk at the same time,” Aric said, tightening his arms around my waist. “There was a lot less love. Oh, and it was a sad way to sleep compared to now.”

  That was a nice sentiment, but it was a little too late. “You’re a butthead.”

  Aric barked out a laugh and rolled on top of me, burying his face in the hollow of my neck and making soft growling noises as he pinned me down. “I’m your butthead,” he murmured. “What you said was nice. I’m sorry I ruined it.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I promise to make it up to you,” Aric added.

  I was intrigued, despite myself. “How?”

  “Well, I thought we�
��d pick up where we left off last night,” Aric suggested.

  “That’s not going to be nearly enough,” I said, squealing as he tickled me.

  “I’ll also make you eggs, hash browns and sausage.”

  “You had me at sausage,” I teased, laughing as he nipped at my neck.

  We didn’t get a chance to enjoy the moment because the sound of the door opening jerked my attention across the room. Sami stood there, still in her pajamas as she cradled Trouble close to her chest, and she looked as if she was going to pass out.

  “Omigod!” Sami turned on her heel and bolted, the scream following her as she ran through the house.

  “Huh,” Aric muttered. “Well, she’ll be fine. She needs a few minutes to calm down. Whatever can we do to fill those minutes?” His grin was wolfish as he glanced down at me.

  He’s definitely a pig, but you can’t deny the charm.

  “IT WAS HORRIFYING!”

  Sami stood in the middle of the kitchen flapping her hands when Aric and I shuffled into the room a few minutes later. We managed to find clothes – although it wasn’t easy because some pieces ended up in incredibly odd spots the night before – and I even ran a brush through my hair, for all the good it did.

  Helen stood behind the counter, a spatula in her hand as she prepared to flip hash browns, shaking her head as she tried to ascertain exactly what Sami was trying to tell her. “Slow down, dear. I can’t understand a thing you’re saying.”

  “They were … doing it,” Sami snapped.

  “Doing what?” Either Helen was slow on the uptake this morning or she was being purposely naïve. I think it was the former.

  “It! It! It!” Sami stomped her foot on the floor, causing Trouble to lift his ears and look around. He was already in tune with her moods, which was both cute and annoying at the same time.

  “It?” Helen knit her eyebrows. “I don’t … oh. Oh!”

  “And there it is,” Aric said, grabbing a sausage link from the plate on the counter and biting into it. He wasn’t embarrassed in the least about getting caught. “You need to remember to knock, Sami. We told you about that.”