Graduating (Covenant College Book 5) (18 page)

“It’s been two weeks,” I complained.

I was pacing from one end of our living room to the other, with Paris, Kelsey, and Aric sitting on different couches watching me.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Aric asked.

“I want you to grab Mark and beat the crap out of him until he confesses.”

Aric lifted an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“You’re manic,” he said. “Were you manic when you thought I was in danger last year?”

“Oh, just stop,” I said. “I can’t take the jealousy anymore. I’m with you. I want you. You’re a sex god and I’m lucky to have you. Do you need to hear that every day?”

“If you want to say it every day, I can live with it,” Aric said, although his smile didn’t make it all the way up to his eyes.

“You know, a guy who looks like you shouldn’t be insecure,” Paris said. “It makes you seem pathetic.”

“And needy,” Kelsey said.

Aric narrowed his eyes at them. “I am not insecure.”

“Zoe wasn’t interested in Rafael even when she tried to force herself to be interested in Rafael,” Paris said. “The most they ever did was kiss, and she told us it was awkward and uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, suck it up, man,” Kelsey said. “We have actual things to worry about. Your manufactured drama is getting in the way.”

Aric leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms across his chest. He was kind of cute when he pouted.

I moved over to him, pushing his arms aside so I could crawl onto his lap. “You’re the ultimate man. You know it. I know it. Can we please focus on Rafael? He’s gone, and the only thing we know is that Mark took him.”

“And we know that because your glowing hands of death told us that?” Kelsey looked dubious.

“Hey, don’t hate the hands.”

“Yeah,” Aric said, linking his fingers with mine. “I happen to love the hands.”

“You two are so sickly sweet sometimes it makes me want to barf,” Paris said.

“That’s because you’re on a dry spell,” Kelsey said. “Seeing people in love always sucks when you’re on a dry spell.”

“I chose to be on this dry spell,” Paris said. “This is a self-imposed dry spell. I’m trying to learn something about myself. You should try a little self-exploration.”

“Is that what you’re doing up in your bedroom every night?” Kelsey challenged. “Self-exploration?”

Aric chuckled. I shot him a dirty look. “Are you imagining what Paris is doing in her bedroom every night? Because, I’ve got to tell you, I’m starting to rethink how great you are.”

Aric forced the smile from his face. “Trust me, I’m only interested in you and your magic hands,” he said. “I just thought it was funny.”

“It’s not funny,” Paris said.

“It’s kind of funny,” I said.

“Fine,” Paris said, blowing out a sigh. “It’s kind of funny.”

“Why don’t you just ask Mark about Rafael?” Kelsey asked. “You guys have photography together. In fact, you’re partners. Just bring it up.”

“Then he’d know we were on to him,” I said. “I don’t want to do that unless it’s a last resort.”

“Why?”

“Because knowledge is power,” I said. “As long as Mark thinks he’s pulling one over on us, he thinks he has the power. Since we know he’s lying, we really have the power. Once he knows we know, we lose the power.”

“Did either of you follow any of that?” Aric asked.

“Kind of,” Paris said.

“Totally,” Kelsey said.

“What are our other options?” Aric asked.

“You could beat it out of him,” I suggested again.

“How is that not tipping our hand that we know?”

“You could act like you’re looking for Rafael because you think I’m cheating on you with him,” I said.

Aric scowled. “No.”

“I wouldn’t really be cheating on you.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Aric agreed, a nerve ticking in his jaw.

“Just a tip, Zoe,” Paris said. “Men don’t like even fake games about cheating.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s the one who was dating a sociopath last year.”

Aric shifted beneath me, his eyes going distant. “And, we’re back to this.”

“I’m sorry,” I said hurriedly. “I don’t want to fight, and I have no idea why I said that. I’m just frustrated.”

“I get that,” Aric said. “It isn’t lost on me that you’re frustrated because you’re worried about another man.” I started to move from his lap, but he stilled me. “Don’t. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be like this. It just … bugs me.”

“A lot of things bug me,” I said. “I never slept with Rafael. I never had the inclination to sleep with Rafael. You constantly acting like this whenever his name is mentioned drives me crazy.”

“Well, maybe you drive me crazy,” Aric challenged.

“Maybe you both drive me crazy,” Paris said. “Now is not the time for you two to fall apart. Now, let me tell you something, Aric,” she continued. “Zoe was miserable last year. She wouldn’t go out. She pouted in her room. She cried. She talked to her stuffed animals.”

Aric raised an eyebrow. “You talked to your stuffed animals?”

“She’s making that up.”

“She was a generally miserable person,” Paris said. “Every time she saw you with Caitlyn she was crushed. And, yes, I know nothing was going on with you and Caitlyn, but from her point of view, it still hurt.

“Now, I know that thinking of Rafael and Zoe together is enough to make your head implode,” Paris said. “I can guarantee nothing happened. She’s with you. She’s happy with you. Now both of you shut the hell up and stop acting like children!”

I lowered my head in shame. Aric rubbed his nose against my chin thoughtfully. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Me, too.”

“She’s right, though, we can’t fight,” he said. “We need to focus on Rafael. As much as I wish he’d just pick up and leave town, he didn’t.”

“So, what do we do?” I asked.

“I have an idea,” Paris said.

Three heads turned in her direction and waited.

“I’m going to date Mark,” she said.

“How does that work?” I asked.

“If he’s up to something, he won’t be able to stop himself from telling me,” Paris said. “He’s not built for long-term lying.”

“Are you going to have sex with him?” Kelsey asked, making a face.

“No! And gross! I’m going to tell him I want to revisit dating, but I want to take it slow,” Paris said. “That means long walks, quiet study sessions, blah, blah, blah. I will not be sleeping with him.”

“You slept with him two months ago,” Kelsey reminded her.

“And it reminded me how bad he is in bed,” Paris said. “He’s all hands and a really limp tongue.”

“That’s the worst,” Kelsey said.

“It is,” I agreed.

Aric poked me in the ribs. “You had better not be talking about me.”

“I already told you, you’re a sex god,” I said, turning back to Paris. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“We don’t have a lot of other options,” she said. “Rafael is in danger, and we have to save him if we can. He’s stood up for us – all of us – and now we have to do the same for him.”

Aric tightened his arms around my waist. “If you’re going to do this, then you have to be really careful,” he said. “If you’re going out with Mark, make sure that at least one of us knows before you do it. Make sure we know where you’re going and when you’re supposed to be home. Absolutely no over-nighters. That’s the only way this is going to work.”

“Mark would never hurt me,” Paris scoffed.

“Mark is still tied to the Academy,” Aric said. “I’m sure of that. If Blake thinks he can use you as a weapon, he will. Mark might not be smart enough – or strong enough – to stop him if he tries.”

“I’ll be careful,” she said. “Hey, look at it this way, at least I won’t be bored now.”

Her face was jovial, but I was still unsure. I didn’t know what else we could do, though, so I reluctantly agreed.

At least we had a plan. Now all we had to do was wait for it to go to hell – as usual.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here tonight?”

I was shoving clothes into a bag while Aric lounged on my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

“I thought you hated it here?”

“I don’t hate it here,” Aric said. “I know they’re having another party, that seems to be a weekly event here. I know you’re running out of time to spend with them.”

“If you haven’t noticed, even when we’re at one of these parties I don’t spend any time with them,” I said. “I play euchre with Scott, and then end up looking for you because Kate is trying to rub herself all over you like she’s a cat and you’re the catnip.”

Aric smirked. “And that’s not fun for you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you want to know the truth?”

“Sure.”

“I just … parties just don’t hold the same appeal they used to,” I said. “Don’t get me wrong, the occasional night of drunken debauchery is fun, but doing it twice a week, every week, is just getting old.”

“I think that’s called maturing,” Aric said. “Don’t worry, it gets easier.”

I shot him a look. “Maybe I just prefer a quiet night alone with you.”

“Come here.” Aric opened his arms.

I left the bag on the desk chair and crawled onto the bed, dropping my head onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around my back, snuggling me close. “I’m sorry about earlier,” he said. “I really am. I know that obsessing about Rafael limits my cool quotient.”

“I’m not really angry,” I said. “I get it. Trust me, I get it.”

“I don’t like fighting,” Aric said. “I don’t like the way it makes me feel, and I definitely don’t like how sad it makes you.”

“Hey, sometimes I like to fight,” I said. “I only like it when it’s not an overly serious subject, though.”

“And when we can make up right away,” Aric finished.

“That, too.”

“We can make up right now, if you want?”

“As nice as that sounds, I’d rather make up back at your place,” I said. “People are going to be swarming this place in about an hour – and I don’t want you to have to rush.”

“You mean you don’t want me to be all hands and a limp tongue,” Aric teased, tickling my ribs.

“That, too.”

“Finish packing,” he said. “The faster we make up, the faster we can fight again.”

“It’s such a vicious circle,” I said.

He swatted my rear. “Hurry up.”

Twenty minutes later, we were outside and heading toward his truck. Aric was carrying my bag and holding my hand, letting it go at the front of the truck. “Do you want to stop and pick up food on the way?”

“Let’s go to the grocery store,” I suggested. “If we get enough food, we won’t have to leave the apartment all weekend.”

“I love the way your mind works.”

“You just like the idea of me cooking for you.” My hand was on the doorknob when the clanging started in my head. I jerked around, searching the darkness behind me.

Aric was instantly on alert. “What is it?”

“I … oomph.”

“Zoe?”

Something had hit me. Hard. I slammed into the side of the truck, my head snapping back. My vision clouded over, and my legs went out beneath me.

I heard Aric’s snarl before I saw him appear on my side of the truck. His fingers were elongated, his claws arched. He pushed his way in front of me, keeping me behind him. “Are you okay?”

I rubbed the back of my head. “I’m not sure. My ears are ringing.”

“Can you get up?”

“I … I’ll try.”

The ground was gritty and cold beneath my fingers. I pressed my palms to the ground and struggled to my feet, immediately falling backwards again.

Aric’s back was to me. His body was alert, and he was sniffing the air while he scanned the dark.

“What is it?”

“It’s a vampire,” he said.

“Another one? Great. What is Blake doing, bribing them with blood? Cripes.”

“Honey, get up,” Aric said. “Try to get in the truck.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder, Zoe,” Aric said.

I shifted, leaning over so I could rest on my knees. My head was still foggy, and if I moved too fast Aric morphed into two figures instead of one. “Maybe it’s gone.”

“It’s not gone. I can still smell it.”

“Maybe … .” I felt something grip my ankle from behind, shifting a gaze over my shoulder. The figure under the truck was too dark to make out, but the strength it utilized to yank me back under the truck was immense. “Aric!”

Aric swiveled, reaching for my hand. He missed my wrist, and I was dragged to the other side of the truck, his howl filling the night with rage. I was in pain – torturous pain – from the gravel ripping through my blue jeans and digging into my knees. I cried out when I reached the other side of the truck.

A pair of hands – strong hands – lifted me off the ground and slammed me into the truck. The face that slid into view was a woman’s – and it was familiar. “Fiona,” I gasped.

“Where is he?”

“I … who are you talking about?”

She slammed me into the truck again. “Where is he?”

Aric appeared out of the night, launching himself at Fiona. His howl mixed with her snarl as the two of them tumbled to the ground together. “Wait.”

Their interaction was a mixture of loud grunts, flying hands, and a variety of animalistic cries.

“Wait,” I said again.

They both ignored me.

“Wait!” I found my voice, and the light found my hands. This time, they glimmered yellow, and the light that arced out slammed Fiona and Aric apart, but it didn’t cause damage to either of them.

Aric was on his feet in seconds, wiping a streak of blood from the side of his face. “Did you just attack me with a ball of light?”

“I … .”

“Why didn’t it kill us?” Fiona asked. “Isn’t that what she does?”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you,” I said, reaching up to hold my head as I swayed.

Aric swooped in, wrapping his arm around my waist as he steadied me. “We’re going to talk about the big ball of light.”

“I was trying to get you to stop,” I said. “You wouldn’t listen.”

“She tried to kill you,” Aric said.

“I was trying to get answers,” Fiona challenged.

“Answers about what?” Aric asked.

“I want to know where Rafael is,” she said. “He’s missing. I caught her scent at his house. She did something to him.”

“She did not,” Aric said. “We were looking for him, too. We couldn’t find him. We went to the house to try and find him, but he wasn’t there.” Aric tilted my head back, gazing in my eyes worriedly. “You’re eyes are glassy. I think we should take you to the hospital.”

“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” I said.

“Well, you might not have a choice in the matter,” he said. “I think you have a concussion.”

“I’m just … I’m just achy, and a little confused. It will pass.”

“It will pass,” Fiona said, mimicking me. “Can we focus on Rafael? How long has he been gone?”

“Don’t you know?” Aric challenged, lowering me to the ground. “Hey, sit here a second. If your eyes don’t look better in exactly two minutes, we’re going to the hospital.”

I raised my hands to my face. “Great. I can’t wait.”

“I’ve been out of town,” Fiona said. “I was trying to dig up some information.”

“How long have you been gone?” Aric asked.

“Two months.”

“You went two months without talking to your boyfriend? That sounds like a healthy relationship,” Aric scoffed.

“We’re vampires,” she said. “Two months is like two minutes in our world. At least we’re not codependent and joined at the hip.”

Aric rolled his eyes. “So, you just assumed that Zoe did something to Rafael because you smelled her?”

“What else was I supposed to think?”

“Um, maybe that we were looking for him, too?”

“Why were you looking for him?”

“Because we haven’t seen him in months,” Aric said. “The guy’s never been chatty, but he usually makes an appearance from time to time.”

“And it took you months to miss him?”

“We’ve been busy,” Aric said. “We wanted to talk to him about a few things.”

“Like?”

“Hey, lady, I don’t know you,” Aric said, keeping his hand on the back of my neck. “Rafael might trust you, but I don’t know you from Adam.”

“Who’s Adam?” Fiona looked confused.

“It’s a saying,” Aric said.

“Who says it?”

Aric growled. “Are you trying to tick me off?”

“Maybe,” Fiona said. “What’s your girlfriend doing now?”

“She’s trying to keep her head from falling off,” Aric snapped back. “You slammed her head into the truck. Twice. She’s a little more vulnerable than we are.”

“Not that,” Fiona said. “What’s with the blue glow?”

“What blue glow? Oh.” Aric moved in closer. “Hey, babe, what are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything,” I said, my voice weary. “I’m just trying to rest so I don’t have to go to the hospital.”

“Your hands are glowing.”

“They are?” I pulled them away and stared at them. “Huh. They were blue when I healed you.”

“Did you heal yourself?”

“I don’t know,” I said, tilting my head to the side. “My head doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Look at me. Well, your eyes are clear again. I think you healed yourself.”

“I’m not sure how,” I said. “I wasn’t trying. I didn’t know that was even possible.”

“You’re a constant amazement,” Aric said, reaching for my hand. “Can you stand?”

He pulled me up, putting both of his hands on my shoulders to make sure I was steady. I tested my balance, finding that everything was back to normal. “I think I’m okay.”

Aric pulled me to him, giving me a quick hug and kiss. “You’d better be.”

“You two are just so cute,” Fiona said, her tone mocking. “It’s like you’re the prom king and queen.”

“Shut up,” Aric said. “You could have seriously hurt her.”

Fiona held up her hands. “Hey, I was just avenging Rafael. I wouldn’t have gone after her if I didn’t think she was responsible.”

“Well, she’s not,” Aric said.

“So, who is?”

“We have a few ideas on that front,” Aric said. “We’re looking into it.”

“You’re looking into it? Why don’t you tell me, and I’ll handle it instead,” Fiona said.

“I don’t think so,” Aric said. “You’ve proven to be volatile, and I’m not sure I can trust you.”

“Well, I know you can’t be trusted,” Fiona said, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’re a wolf.”

“Thanks for the news update,” Aric deadpanned. “Baby, get in the truck.”

“Wait, you’re really not going to tell me what you know?” Fiona was flummoxed.

“We’ll be in touch,” Aric said. “As soon as we know more, you’ll be the first to know.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, you could try to avoid slamming random people around until we actually know something,” Aric said. “Why don’t you try that?”

“Bite me.” Fiona disappeared into the night without a backwards glance, and part of me felt sorry for her. I had no idea where she was going, but Rafael wouldn’t be waiting for her wherever it was. This wasn’t much of a homecoming for her.

“You’re not my type.” Aric grumbled, loading me into the truck and setting my duffel bag on the floor at my feet. He grabbed my chin one more time, searching my face. “You’re really okay, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, because we’re going to talk about the ball-of-light thing when we get to my place.”

“Oh, good, another fight.”

Aric smiled despite himself. “Just think, we’re going to have tons of stuff to make up about tonight.”