living covenant 03 - eternal covenant Page 5

  “We didn’t kick them out of the house,” I argued. “We kicked them out of the bedroom. They walked in without knocking – and it was before dawn.”

  “It was eight,” Helen snapped. “Dawn was three hours earlier.”

  “I think you’re mistaken,” I said, scooping some of my egg and potato concoction on my toast. “It was definitely before dawn.”

  Helen was flustered. “You are just … .”

  “Ignore her,” Mom said, waving her hand. “She does it on purpose. She thinks if she pushes people far enough they’ll give up and let her get away with murder.”

  “That is the way I live my life,” I agreed. “That’s how I snagged Aric.”

  “You didn’t snag me,” Aric countered, grinning. “I surrendered. I’m happy with my POW status, though.”

  “You two are still sick,” Paris said, although she seemed to be in a good mood. “What are we doing today?”

  “Unfortunately, Mom and Helen hired a wedding coordinator because they hated all of my plans,” I explained. “We have to sit through a food tasting.”

  “Then why are we having breakfast?” Kelsey asked. “Shouldn’t we be hungry when we taste food?”

  “That’s what I said,” Mom supplied, grinning. “She wouldn’t listen to me. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

  Instead of answering I shoved more food in my mouth, causing Aric to snicker.

  “You two really are on my last nerve,” Helen said. “This is your wedding. We’re going out of our way to make sure you have the perfect day. You two are treating it as a joke.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Aric said, exhaling heavily. “We don’t mean to be pains … .”

  I raised my hand to interrupt him. “I always mean to be a pain.”

  “We don’t mean to be really big pains,” Aric clarified. “It’s just … we thought this was all settled. You guys are changing things … and that’s fine. You still need to knock before coming into our bedroom. That should be a simple rule to follow.”

  “Fine,” Helen conceded, resigned. “We shouldn’t have walked in without knocking. We assumed you were up.”

  “That actually makes things worse,” I pointed out. “If we were up and the door was still shut that would generally signify we were … cuddling.”

  Mom made a dubious face. “Cuddling?”

  “Having sex,” Kelsey offered, her odd green eyes flashing.

  “Thank you, Kelsey,” Mom snapped.

  “Making the beast with two backs,” Kelsey added. “Rolling in the hay.”

  “Oh, this week just keeps getting worse and worse,” Mom muttered.

  “And the wedding coordinator hasn’t even arrived to start picking apart the house yet,” I added.

  “I think I need a nap,” Aric said.

  “I will kill you, Aric,” Helen seethed.

  “Ah, it feels like I’m home again,” Paris said, her face breaking into a wide grin. “I love you guys.”

  6

  Six

  “How are things with your moms?” Paris asked an hour later as we walked the back property line. “They seem … tense.”

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Aric said, bending over to pick up a stray piece of paper. We told our mothers we needed to catch up with Kelsey and Paris in private so they okayed a walk, but only if we promised not to leave the yard. To make sure we kept our word, they sat on the back deck watching us. Seriously, where is the trust?

  “They’re just excited,” Kelsey said. “I don’t even have a boyfriend and my mother won’t stop talking about my wedding.”

  I snickered. “You’re not an only child, though,” I pointed out. “You have a brother and a sister – both of whom are already married – and your parents don’t seem quite so … crazy.”

  “You probably shouldn’t call your future mother-in-law crazy,” Kelsey chided. “She’s going to develop a complex and pick up on bad vibes that make her dislike you.”

  “Have you been watching Dr. Phil again?” I asked.

  “I saw that on The View.”

  “That’s not any better,” I pointed out. “Helen already dislikes me because I don’t cook Aric breakfast.”

  “That’s not true,” Aric protested. “She likes you a lot. In fact, when I first brought you home, she said I couldn’t have made a better choice.”

  The information soothed my frazzled nerves, but only marginally. “That was before she found out you did all the cooking.”

  “Yes, well, you’re frightening in the kitchen,” Aric said. “I would much rather let my mother worry about me being the wife in our relationship than have you burn the house down. My ego can take it.”

  “That’s because you’re the perfect man,” I teased, sidling up to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

  “You really are the perfect man,” Kelsey said, sighing. “It makes me want to puke.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure you’ll find your own perfect man,” I offered. “In fact, we met three at the ice cream shop yesterday.” I told Paris and Kelsey about our meet-and-greet with the wolves, not leaving anything out, including their clothing choices. When I was done, they weren’t nearly as amused as I thought they would be.

  “What does that mean?” Kelsey asked, her eyes flashing. “Will there be an attack on the wedding?”

  “No,” Aric answered, shaking his head. “I won’t let anything ruin this wedding. I have no idea why they’re hanging around, but they’re not a threat. Even if they do try something, Zoe could fry them in five seconds flat, and I’m pretty sure I could take all three of them on my own.”

  “They were bitten not born, right?” I asked.

  “You’re getting better at this,” Aric said, flicking the end of my nose. “How could you tell?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “It was a feeling more than anything else. Born wolves have more … swagger.”

  “Are you saying I swagger?”

  “Among other things,” I replied. “How about you guys? Are you excited for the wedding.”

  “I’m excited for the groomsmen,” Kelsey said. “Are they hot?”

  “I have no idea,” I said, pointing toward Aric. “Ask him. I’ve never met them.”

  “I don’t generally find other men hot, but I’m sure you’ll be happy,” Aric said. “They’re both single. They’ll be here right before the wedding.”

  “That’s something to look forward to,” Kelsey said, beaming.

  “I think I’m going to stay away from men for a while,” Paris supplied. “When your last boyfriend turns out to be a homicidal maniac and one of your earlier boyfriends turns out to be a … well … homicidal maniac, I think it’s time to take a step back and consider your dating choices.”

  I barked out a laugh. Paris did have bleeding tragic taste in men. Not only had her last boyfriend been crazy, he was also old. “I think that might be a good idea,” I said. “Given your love of senior citizens, though, I’m sure we can find a state senator or two who would love to take you out on the town.”

  “Quinn was not that old,” Paris snapped.

  “You keep saying that, but it doesn’t make it true,” I said, shifting my eyes when Aric broke off from the group and moved closer to the tree line. “What’s wrong?” I could read the set of his shoulders and knew he’d scented something. That was another wolf thing that weirded me out.

  “Wolves have been here,” Aric said, not holding back despite our company as he lifted his nose to the air. “It was sometime during the night.”

  “Was it our friends from yesterday?”

  “I can’t be sure, but I think that’s a pretty good guess,” Aric said, shaking his head. “They didn’t cross over into the yard, but they stood here for a good amount of time. They must have been watching the house.”

  “What does that mean?” Paris asked, her eyes shifting from jovial to worried in a heartbeat.

  “It means that I want you to put up wards,” Aric
replied, refusing to raise his voice. This wasn’t the first time someone had approached our home.

  “I can do that,” Paris said. “Do you want me to keep people out or alert you if they come in?”

  “Alert me,” Aric answered. “You’re staying in the house. If someone comes, I want to catch them. I have some questions to ask as long as we don’t have onlookers.”

  “I can do it right now,” Paris offered. “I have supplies in my car.”

  “You can’t do it until the wedding coordinator leaves,” I said, shaking my head. “He’ll notice if you’re out here chanting and throwing witch stuff at the woods.”

  “I don’t generally throw witch stuff around,” Paris said dryly.

  “Whatever.” I wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Until then you should probably reactivate the security system, Aric.”

  Aric stilled, his eyes flat when they locked onto mine. “I promised I wasn’t going to lock you in here to keep you safe again. I meant that. It’s not fair to you.”

  “You’re not locking me in,” I argued. “We’re locking the bad element out until Paris can cast her spell. It’s only a few hours. If you think this morning was bad, what do you think will happen if we’re attacked and Pemberley sees it?”

  “I … .” Aric worked his jaw, unsure how to answer.

  “Your wedding coordinator’s name is Pemberley?” Kelsey asked, wrinkling her nose. “Like in ‘Pride & Prejudice?’”

  “Holy crap! You knew that, too. Aric knew that, and it freaked me out. I didn’t know he was into chick lit.”

  “Just your chick books because they’re stuffed with sex,” Paris teased, the corners of her mouth tipping up. “I read two of them, by the way. You’re a kinky freak.”

  I frowned. Even though I graduated from Covenant College with a journalism degree it wasn’t long before I realized I didn’t work well with others. Actually, two editors discovered that and fired me. That’s when I decided to write romance novels under a pen name. I was developing quite the following.

  While I didn’t want readers to know my real name, Aric thought it was funny and gifted Kelsey and Paris with books. I hadn’t heard the end of it since, both of them reciting sex scenes back to me when we talked over the phone.

  “You’re never getting another sexy shower again,” I huffed, glowering at Aric. “This is all your fault.”

  “I didn’t write the smut,” Aric argued.

  “You inspired it.”

  “I take that as a compliment,” Aric said, directing us back toward the house.

  “Wait, aren’t you reactivating the security system?” I asked.

  “No,” Aric answered. “If someone comes, they come. I won’t lock you away again, not unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s the middle of the day and the house is full of people. What could possibly go wrong?”

  “THIS is a lovely home,” Pemberley gushed an hour later, scanning the yard as he looked over the expansive parcel of land we called home. “Of course we’ll have to find a way to hide the hot tub. That’s kind of tacky.”

  “Hey! That’s our favorite spot,” Aric said, taking offense on behalf of the hot tub. “That thing is like family.”

  “Yes,” I agreed, solemnly nodding. “It’s like the dirty uncle the wedding coordinator wants to hide at a party.”

  “You’re not helping,” Aric said, scowling.

  “I wasn’t trying to help,” I said, laughing. “Where is this food we’re supposed to taste, by the way?” I was ready to get the boring part of the day over with so I could lounge around with Paris and Kelsey without our mothers – and their never-ending wedding list – hanging over us.

  “It will be here in twenty minutes,” Pemberley replied, tugging his shirt down as he went back to his yard study. “This will work quite well once we get a tent.”

  “A tent? Like a circus tent? That sounds about right.”

  Aric snickered as Mom scorched me with a death glare.

  “You need a tent in case it rains,” Pemberley supplied. “We can put fans inside to cut down on the heat if that’s still an issue on your big day.”

  Actually, that sounded like a smart move. “You know best,” I said, smirking as I exchanged a look with Paris. “Other than the food, we’re good on everything else, right?”

  “Of course not,” Pemberley replied. “You really screwed the pooch on this wedding, missy. Your mother has most of it sorted out, but there are a few things we have to discuss before the big day.”

  “I can’t wait,” I deadpanned.

  “Now, Zoe, this is the most important day of our lives,” Aric said, feigning seriousness. “You should put in a little effort.”

  “I hate you,” I muttered.

  “I have a lot to talk over with you, too, stud,” Pemberley said, winking at Aric. “We’ll have to spend oodles of time together.”

  I swallowed my laugh as I mimed bending over at the waist and guffawing when Pemberley wasn’t looking. Aric waited until Pemberley shifted his attention back in my direction to shoot me the finger.

  “This wedding will be really classy if this keeps up,” Kelsey said.

  Pemberley ignored her. “Tell me about the bridesmaids’ dresses.”

  I pointed at Kelsey and Paris. “They picked them out.”

  “Oh, yeah, they’re really cool,” Kelsey said. “We went to a store together and picked out two dresses from the same designer in the same colors. We went with black. I hope that’s okay. We wanted something that we could wear again.”

  “That sounds fine to me,” I offered.

  “That sounds horrible to me,” Pemberley said. “Who wears black to a wedding?”

  I pointed at Aric. “His tux is black.”

  “He’s the groom,” Pemberley argued. “He’s supposed to wear black. Women don’t wear black at weddings. It’s just not done.”

  “But … .”

  “No,” Pemberley said, shaking his head. “We’re going to get someone else in here to fit these two with proper dresses. We talked about it yesterday. I thought you would’ve told your friends before I got here.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You can’t boss me around on everything.”

  “Take that up with your mother,” Pemberley shot back. “I … huh. No one told me you two had a dog.”

  I stilled, frustrated and confused. “What? We don’t have a dog.”

  “Where did that animal come from then?” Pemberley asked, pointing toward the far end of the yard.

  Aric was instantly on alert, a low growl emanating from his chest as he looked the approaching animal up and down.

  “That looks like a wolf,” Pemberley said, his voice going shrill. “It’s probably rabid. Everyone run for your lives!”

  Only Pemberley ran, the rest of us remaining rooted to our spots as the lone wolf approached. He was smallish for a wolf, which meant he was bitten and not bred. Born wolves grow to be humongous. Aric was a terrifying sight in his wolf form. The wolf bared his teeth as he stalked up the slight incline of our back yard.

  “Aric … .”

  “Wait, Zoe,” Aric ordered, frowning at the sound of Pemberley tripping over his own feet as he scampered toward the stairs that led to the deck. “Don’t kill him in front of Pemberley.”

  The wolf obviously understood what Aric said because he slowed his approach, his eyes darting left and right as he considered his next option.

  “Can’t I just … I don’t know … singe his tail?” I asked.

  Aric rolled his neck until it cracked. “Okay,” he said. “This might be a good exercise in control. Try really hard not to fry him, okay? That will be impossible to explain to Pemberley.”

  “I’ve got it under control,” I said, knitting my eyebrows as I concentrated. I wasn’t great at controlling my powers, and the new ones I acquired a few months earlier made things more difficult. A hint of power licked at the corners of my mind so I mentally grabbed it and tossed it outward.

  Sadly, the power burst d
idn’t land exactly where I wanted. Instead of setting the wolf’s tail on fire the bolt of orange fire slammed into the animal’s head, causing him to howl and stagger.

  “Holy crap,” Kelsey said, breathing hard. “I … wow. That was pretty good.”

  “You were aiming for his tail, weren’t you?” Aric asked.

  I nodded. “I’m not sure what happened.”

  “Try it again,” Aric prodded. “Really concentrate this time. Tune everyone else out.” He was trying to make his voice even and soothing, but it had the opposite effect. He was talking to me as if I was a child.

  The wolf must have realized what we were planning because the moment he regained his senses he turned and ran into the woods, making a pathetic yipping noise as he disappeared.

  “Man! I didn’t even get a chance to practice,” I complained.

  “That was still good,” Aric said. “You didn’t burn anything down and there are no bodies to get rid of. Everything is perfectly fine. We don’t have to explain a thing.”

  The relief I felt at Aric’s words lasted exactly thirty seconds until Pemberley appeared at the deck railing with Helen and my mother.

  “It was a huge wolf,” Pemberley said. “It walked right up to them like it knew them. I swear I’m not making it up.”

  “Well, we might have one thing to explain,” Aric conceded. “Crap.”

  “Things could be worse,” I said. “He could’ve jumped into your arms and expected you to carry him away.”

  “You’re on my last nerve, Zoe.”

  “Consider it a wedding gift.”

  7

  Seven

  “Where did the wolf go?” Pemberley was beside himself as he scanned the yard. “Did it bite anyone? Do you feel the need to froth at the mouth?”

  “And people say I’m dramatic,” I muttered, earning snickers from Kelsey and Paris.

  “You are dramatic,” Aric said. “You’re just not … that dramatic.” He purposely kept his voice low as he risked a glance over his shoulder again. “Everyone needs to go with a stray dog story. Say we scared it away, but leave out the magical part.”

  “Oh, wow, I never would’ve figured that out on my own,” Kelsey deadpanned.