Graduating (Covenant College Book 5) (21 page)

Sometime during the night, I did manage to drift off. When I woke the next morning, I was in the exact same position I’d been in the night before – and so was Aric. He was already awake, his brown eyes focused on me, his arms tight around my waist.

“How did you sleep?”

“Better than I had any right to,” I said, pulling away from him.

“Why do you say that?”

“Do you think Paris slept?”

“I don’t know,” Aric said, his tone soft. He reached over, tugging me back to him. “I’m sorry I yelled at you last night.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You’re right, I’m not,” Aric said. “You deserved to be yelled at.”

“Are you going to do it again?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not going to help anything,” Aric said. “We have to move forward, not look back.”

“You can yell if you want,” I said. “I deserve it. You said it yourself.”

Aric pulled his head back so he could look me in the eye. “Do you want me to yell at you as some form of punishment?”

“Maybe.”

“Zoe, I’m not going to pretend what you guys did last night was smart,” Aric said. “You couldn’t possibly have known how it would turn out. I really wish … you’d just waited for me.”

“You wouldn’t have gone with us,” I scoffed.

“No,” he said. “I would have gone for you.”

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you what we were doing,” I said.

“What?” Aric’s face clouded over with confusion.

“What’s to say that they wouldn’t have taken you?”

Aric chuckled, the sound hollow. “You didn’t tell me to protect me?”

“Maybe.”

“We’re such a mess sometimes,” he said. “I keep trying to protect you and making things worse, and you keep trying to protect me and making things worse.”

I didn’t reply, instead resting my head on his chest.

“How about, for a change, we try to protect each other as a unit?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re not going to work apart anymore,” Aric said. “We’re going to work together, and we’re going to fix this together.”

I was surprised by his offer. “So, you’re really not going to yell?”

“Nope. I am, however, going to get some breakfast in you.” He smacked my rear, a familiar gesture devoid of the usual playfulness associated with it. “Get up. I’ll take you out to breakfast.”

“That seems … .”

Aric sighed. “I know you don’t want to eat breakfast when you don’t know if Paris is getting breakfast, but you need your strength,” he said. “We can’t get her back if you’re running on fumes.”

“Fine.”

When we made our way out into the living room, the sight of a small suitcase on the couch caught my attention. “What’s that?”

“It looks like a suitcase.”

“You’re so smart.”

“I’m glad your sass is coming back,” Aric said, tilting his head to the side to listen. “Someone is in the kitchen.”

I trailed behind Aric, my nose picking up the unmistakable aroma of eggs, bacon and hash browns. My stomach growled in appreciation, causing Aric to raise an eyebrow. “I knew you were hungry.”

All of my roommates – all but one – were sitting around the kitchen table when we entered the room. Each one of them had a full plate in front of them, and there was a tall woman standing at the stove with her back to us.

“What’s this?”

Kelsey glanced up. “This is Mrs. Princeton,” she said. “She’s … .”

“Paris’ mom,” I finished.

Mrs. Princeton turned around, and I was immediately caught off guard. Just like her daughter, Mrs. Princeton was blessed with exquisite bone structure, wide set eyes, and a kind face. She had a bohemian flair, her long skirt brushing her ankles, and her blue peasant blouse offset her unsettled eyes.

I immediately wanted to cry again.

“You must be Zoe,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I … .” I couldn’t find words.

“And that makes you Aric,” Mrs. Princeton continued. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Princeton,” Aric said, extending his hand. “I wish it were under better circumstances. I’m assuming Detective Perkins called you last night.”

“He did,” she said, nodding. “Call me Angela, please.”

“Angela,” Aric said, shooting her a sympathetic smile. “We’re going to find Paris.”

“I know,” Angela said. “I have no doubt. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to help. Sit down. I’ll get the two of you plates.”

Aric gripped my wrist, tugging me along with him so we could settle together on the other side of the table. He purposely placed me in the chair next to Kate, while he sat down next to Kelsey.

“No offense, ma’am … .”

“Angela.”

“Angela,” Aric corrected. “How do you think you can help?”

Angela pursed her lips, making her look even more like Paris. “Because, you’re going to need a witch,” she said. “You need someone who can track my daughter, and that’s me.”

Aric glanced around the breakfast table worriedly. “Um … .”

“They already know,” Kelsey said, biting into a slice of toast. “Angela dropped the witch bomb an hour ago – and I told them the rest.”

“Kelsey,” I hissed.

“What? They have a right to know.” She lowered her voice. “And I didn’t tell them
everything
everything.”

I glanced at Aric, who merely shrugged. “At least it’s out there.”

“I can’t believe you guys have been hiding this,” Tally said. “Is that why no one could enter our house last year? Did you guys do a spell?”

“Yes.”

“Well, at least I know I wasn’t going crazy,” she said.

For her part, Kristy looked conflicted. “No one is going to turn me into a frog, right?”

“No,” Angela said, patting her shoulder as she passed plates over to Aric and me. “No one is going to turn you into a frog, dear.”

I dunked a slice of toast into my eggs, thinking. “Can you really do a spell to lead us to Paris?”

“Yes.”

“How soon?”

“As soon as we’re done with breakfast,” she said.

Aric shifted in his chair. “My father is sending … some help our way,” he said. “I talked to him last night. I think we should wait for reinforcements.”

“I think you should,” Angela said. “I’m going after my daughter, though.”

“Angela, I think you should wait,” Aric said, carefully choosing his words. “We may only get one shot at this.”

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Angela said, her voice free of recrimination and anger. “I need to find my daughter, though. There’s something inside of me that tells me we have to do it sooner rather than later.”

“I don’t think you should do this alone.”

“She won’t be alone,” I said.

Aric’s sigh was long and exasperated. “Zoe.”

“I’ll go with you,” I said. “We’ll find her together.”

“You’re not going without me,” Aric said.

“You have to wait for your dad’s help,” I said. “We’ll follow the trail, and I’ll text you the location before we do anything.”

“I don’t think … .”

“It will be fine, dear,” Angela said. “Trust me.”

Aric didn’t look convinced. “I know you don’t want anything to happen to your daughter,” he said. “I don’t want anything to happen to Zoe.”

“Perhaps, to save one of them, we have to save them both,” Angela suggested.

“Well, great,” Aric said. “Why do I think this is going to be a terrible idea?”

“Because you have pessimist written all over you,” Angela replied.

TWO HOURS
later, we left Aric pacing on the front lawn of the house and started following the magical trail Angela conjured. I couldn’t actually see anything, but Angela said she could, and I believed her.

Aric said our reinforcements were only fifteen minutes out – and he begged me to stay – but if Angela was going, so was I. We compromised, and I agreed to text him every turn we made along our route. He wasn’t happy, but he finally acquiesced.

Once it was just Angela and me, she kept up a steady stream of chatter. I would have assumed she needed quiet to work, but apparently not.

“So, Paris tells me you and Aric are quite close.”

“Yeah.”

“She’s happy you two made up,” Angela said. “She said you were miserable last year.”

“I wasn’t happy,” I agreed, double-checking the intersection we were at before texting the information to Aric.

“But you are now?”

“I’m not exactly happy right now,” I corrected.

“You will be again,” Angela said. “And you know that’s not what I meant. Paris said you’re evasive when it comes to your own feelings. I’m guessing that’s just a defense mechanism.”

“A defense mechanism?”

“You don’t like to appear vulnerable,” Angela said, heading down another side street. “You want people to think you’re tough. I’m guessing that’s why you fought dating Aric for so long. You knew he would make you vulnerable.”

“I … have you been talking to my mom?”

Angela chuckled. “I think all mothers have certain things in common.”

“I guess.”

We followed Angela’s “sixth sense” for several more blocks, me texting Aric directions at each turn, until we ultimately found ourselves on a dead-end street on the far side of town. We’d walked almost two miles.

“Wow, this is right out of my nightmares,” I said, facing the dilapidated two-story house in front of us.

“It is a little clichéd,” Angela agreed, stepping toward the house.

I grabbed her arm, stilling her. “I think you should stay here and wait for Aric.”

“We have to get inside,” Angela said.

“I’m going to go inside,” I said. “You’re going to go and hide in those bushes and wait for Aric.”

“I don’t think Aric will like that,” Angela said.

“He won’t,” I agreed. “You need to be able to tell him exactly what house, though.” I handed her my cellphone. “Call him if he doesn’t show up in five minutes. He’ll be right behind me.”

“What if someone is in there?”

I lifted my hands, smiling ruefully. “I’m sure Paris already told you, I’m always armed these days.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Well, I have a feeling you need to be out here,” I said. “Just … send Aric in when he gets here. Tell him to … tell him to be careful.”

“You be careful, too.”

Once I was sure Angela was hidden from view, I made my way toward the house. Instead of climbing the front porch, I let myself into the back yard through the rusted, metal gate and hugged the house as close as possible until I reached the back yard.

The lawn was overgrown, and I couldn’t help imagining any number of creepy-crawlies scurrying around as I moved to the small back porch. I climbed the cement steps, pressed my ear to the door, and then tried the knob. Of course, it didn’t open.

I’d thought ahead and brought my little tool kit. The lock was old, and ultimately easy to pick. Will wasn’t good for much, but his brother’s little tip had turned out to be a godsend. I opened the door and listened. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought the house was empty.

I knew better.

I left the back door open, just in case a hasty retreat was going to be necessary, and entered the house.

The back door opened into a small vestibule, and as I gazed down the dimly-lit hallway, I could make out a sagging couch at the far end, which would seem to indicate that was the living room. To my left, there was a dark staircase descending into what I was sure was a lovely basement.

I considered my options. It would make things easier if Paris was being held on the main floor – or even the second floor – but I had no doubt that my destination was ultimately going to lead me to the basement.

Why waste time?

I pressed my hand to the wall to keep my balance. The house was older, and the stairs were narrow. I tried to keep as quiet as possible. I hadn’t heard a peep since I entered the house – but that didn’t mean some unknown danger wasn’t down here lurking for me, or threatening Paris.

Once I hit the bottom, I leaned against the wall to listen again. While it hadn’t been visible from upstairs, the adjacent room was lit. I was envisioning a naked bulb hanging in an empty room. When I didn’t hear anything, I turned the corner and pulled up short.

Apparently, all of my subterfuge was for naught, because the four faces waiting for me didn’t seem surprised at my appearance.

“Well, crap.”

“Well, Ms. Lake, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised to see you here.”

I wrinkled my nose, my gaze landing on each man in turn. “Well, you guys are a motley crew. I expected Professor Blake,” I said. “I even thought there was a possibility Will was involved in this. As for Mark? Well, I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew he was lying. You, though, Governor Reagan? You’re a surprise.”

“Well, I should hope so,” Reagan said, chuckling. “I’ve gone to great lengths to keep my ties to this campus a secret.”

“Then you probably shouldn’t have had a voter-registration day,” I said. “I mean, that’s when I first knew there was something hinky up with you. How are you going to explain being here?”

“I have a rally on campus this afternoon,” he said. “I have a reason to be here.”

“Well, bully for you.”

Will was impatient. “Are you alone?”

I ignored him and focused on Blake. “What are you hoping to accomplish? You hate monsters, but you keep partnering with them. You know he’s a wolf, right?”

Blake snorted. “Aren’t you the one who told me some monsters are better than others? Governor Reagan wants to eliminate the really dangerous monsters. That puts us on the same side.”

“We need to make sure she’s alone,” Will said. “I can’t believe that Winters isn’t lurking around. They’ve been inseparable all year. They haven’t spent a single night apart.”

“Nice, stalker,” I said. “You’re such a sicko. Does your girlfriend know you’ve been peeping into windows?”

“Shut up,” Will shot back.

“We have had someone watching you,” Reagan agreed. “I mean, you are a celebrity on this campus. Our one and only mage.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you’re trying to catch me off guard with that, don’t bother. Everyone in this room knows what I am … and what I can do.”

Reagan furrowed his brow. “Yes, your reputation precedes you. I believe, first and foremost, you’re known as a pain in the ass. From what I understand, though, the mage thing comes and goes.”

I stuck my tongue out. “The pain-in-the-ass thing is ever present, luckily for you.”

“Seriously, are we just going to assume she came alone?” Will pressed. “Winters wouldn’t let her come alone.”

“I’m assuming Aric isn’t speaking to her after her little escapade last night,” Reagan said. “He’s been working so hard to keep her safe, and then for her to do something so completely stupid.” He made a tsking sound with his tongue. “Well, he’s just got to be beside himself. Is that why you’re here alone?”

“I’m here looking for my roommate,” I said. “I know she’s here. Where is she?”

“How do you know she’s here?” Blake asked.

“I have inside information,” I said.

“Meaning?”

“I’m magical, haven’t you heard?” There was no way I was going to reveal my witchy help.

“I think you’re only magical in certain circumstances,” Reagan said. “And, since you haven’t been trained, even you have no idea how to control your powers. What happened last spring was a fluke.”

“What about what happened the spring before?”

Reagan faltered, if only slightly. I knew I’d caught him off guard. “And what was that?”

“I fried my roommate and sent her to that great big coven in the sky.”

“You said she ran away,” Blake said. “That was a lie?”

“There’s no limit to the number of lies I’ve told you,” I said. “In fact, the amount of truth I’ve told you is so miniscule you’d need a magnifying glass to find it – just like your penis.”

Will snorted, fighting to tamp down his laugh. “What? It was funny.”

Blake scowled. “You have been nothing but trouble since the moment you landed on this campus,” he said. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’ll be gone after today.”

I ignored the threat. “Where is Paris?”

No one answered me.

“Mark.”

He refused to look at me.

“Mark!”

He reluctantly turned his head, his eyes a mirror of confusion and uncertainty. “We already knew you were still with the Academy,” I said. “We knew you were lying all this time.”

“H-h-how?”

“Aric and I saw you out at a restaurant together in the fall,” I said.

“So, what, you’ve been playing with me all of this time?”

“Don’t be such girl. If it’s any consolation, I wanted to believe you when you approached us at the UC that day. I couldn’t quite bring myself to. You admitted being weak, which I know is true, but I just couldn’t fathom how you could suddenly find courage. I guess I was right.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Blake snapped. “She’s still playing games.”

“If you’ve known I was with them all this time, why didn’t you say something?”

“We needed information,” I said. “Blake took Rafael. We wanted to know where he took him. Is he here, too?”

“Oh, your little vampire has been taken care of,” Blake said.

My heart flopped painfully. “You killed him?”

“What did you expect? You let that … thing … glamour me. You poked holes in my memory.”

“Well, he wanted to poke holes in your chest with his fingers,” I said. “I saved your life.”

“After burning my sister alive,” he spat back.

“That bitch had it coming,” I said. “She was a sociopath.”

“I’m going to love watching you die,” Blake seethed. “It’s going to be the best thing to happen to me in four years.”

“Maybe you should try getting laid,” I suggested. “You seem to need an outlet for some of your … frustration.”

“You always go to the crude, don’t you?”

“Whenever possible.” I turned back to Reagan. “What’s your game here? You obviously want to wipe out the bulk of the Alpha Chis. Is this part of that whole plural-marriage thing you have planned?”

Reagan frowned. “I see Mr. Winters has been chatty.”

“He talks in his sleep. Hey, Will, does Brittany know you want to make her have sister wives?”

Will scorched me with a look. “What? Don’t you know? You were supposed to be my first wife, before you went and ruined everything.”

I mimed gagging. “I’m not a wolf.”

“But you have certain other attributes,” Reagan said. “For years, we’ve been trying to get you on our side. After last spring, it became apparent that your worth was outweighed by the work associated with taming you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now you’re just an obstacle, Ms. Lake,” Reagan said. “You’re an obstacle that we can’t afford to stumble over again.”

“Is that why you took Rafael?”

“No. He was looking into things he shouldn’t have been,” Reagan said. “We took him to keep him quiet.”

“Revenge was just an added bonus,” Blake sneered.

“What about Paris?”

“Oh, her capture was merely fortuitous,” Reagan said. “Spying on us was stupid. Separating from each other was idiotic.”

“How did you get ahead of her?”

“We had an operative waiting in the woods just in case,” Blake said. “One that would give your precious Paris some pause.”

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I swiveled, fixing Mark with a hateful look. “You? You took her? You took her knowing what they were going to do? Come on, Mark. I knew you were a coward … but to do this? What is wrong with you?”

Mark had the grace to look ashamed.

I glanced back at Will. “And what’s your part in all of this? Have they promised to give you first pick of wives in the new wolf order?”

Will’s smile was small – and evil. “Something like that. Of course, my first pick is out of the question now.”

“Trust me, Will, you wouldn’t want me as a wife,” I said. “I’m the type of wife who would hack off your manhood – if I could still find it, that is – while you were sleeping. Instead of dumping it in a field, though, I would have fed it to you on a bun with ketchup.”

Will cringed at the visual.

“Ms. Lake, as amusing as I find your … vulgarity, I am on a bit of a schedule here,” Reagan said. “We knew you would come after your roommate. We were expecting you. We’ve been a step ahead of you your entire tenure here.”

“Then how come you keep losing?”

“Have we lost? Because you came to us,” Reagan said.

“I do have a question,” I said suddenly, a thought occurring to me. “Before you kill me, I do need clarification on a subject.”

“Go on.”

“How did you convince the vampires to work for you? I mean, without another resurrection stone – and someone to wield it – how have you swayed them to your side?”

“I have a handful of … friends in certain circles,” Reagan said. “We exchange soldiers from time to time. The soldiers in question can be bought off with certain … food products.”

Bile rose up in my throat. “You fed them?”

“Everyone needs to eat,” Reagan said. “Do you have any idea how feral a vampire who doesn’t feed is? They’re like wild animals.”

Something clicked into place. “The bodies at the library, you fed the vampires with them, didn’t you?”

“Smart girl.”

“Why did you put the bodies on display like that? And how?”

“It wasn’t as difficult as you might expect,” Reagan said. “I paid a local witch to cast a spell that hid our actions for a certain amount of time. We were right there – visible for all to see – and yet they had no idea what they were seeing. Magic does have certain uses.”

“You were actually there for it?”

“I had to make sure it was done right,” Reagan said. “If you want something done correctly, then you have to do it yourself.”

“And what was the point?”

“I was just actually looking for something to distract you,” Reagan said. “It had to be something big. I figured, if you were looking there – looking at those bodies – then you wouldn’t be focusing your attention in other areas.”

“You’re the one who managed to keep their identities secret,” I said. “I knew that it had to be someone powerful to arrange something like that.”

“You are certainly smarter than you look.”

“You know, people are going to figure this out,” I said. “Even if you manage to kill me – which I don’t think you’re capable of doing – people are going to still catch you.”

“You’re cute,” Reagan said. “I can see why Will and Mr. Winters are so drawn to you. You have a certain … attractive quality. Of course, to spend any time with you, someone would have to cut out your tongue.”

I blew a raspberry out at him – just because it seemed fitting. Where was Aric? He should have been here by now.

Almost as if he was reading my mind, Reagan smiled. “Mr. Winters has been delayed, I’m sure. We sent a cadre of Will’s wolves to deal with him. Even if he manages to get past them, which is doubtful, he won’t make it here in time to save you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Well then, why don’t you show me Paris and get on with it? I’m starting to get bored. Don’t you have a rally to get to?”

“Very right,” Reagan said, tapping his watch. “Well, since you’re so desperate to see your roommate, why don’t we give you what you want?”

I remained where I was standing, my hands clenched at my sides, as Reagan motioned to Will. “Open the door.”

Will nodded, slipping behind the other three men and pushing the rickety wooden door at the back of the basement open. “She’s in here.”

“And you think I’m just going to trust you and walk into a dark room? Do you think I’m stupid?”

Will smirked. “I happen to know you’re stupid. But, if you insist.” Will strode into the room. I kept my eyes on Reagan, Blake and Mark, making sure none of them tried to jump me.

After a few moments, an earth-shattering scream echoed from the room. I recognized that it originated from Paris right away. I took a step forward, rage coursing through me. “Let her go.”

“No,” Reagan said. “You’re not in charge here. I’m in charge here. If you want your roommate, then you’re going to join her in that room.”

“I thought you wanted to kill me,” I challenged. “What good does locking me in a room do?”

“Who says your roommate is alone in there?”

I faltered. “What’s in there?”

“Your roommate.”

“What did you do to her?”

“I guess you’ll have to find out,” Reagan pressed. “Now, chop-chop. I’m on a schedule.”

I hated him. I wanted to incinerate him where he stood. Odds were not in my favor, though. Even if I could manage to take two of them out – that left another two to deal with.

Blake reached over, grabbing my arm and leading me toward the room. “I’m going to make you pay for this,” I promised.

“What you don’t seem to realize is that this is me making you pay for killing my sister,” Blake replied. “Don’t worry. I plan to record your screams. If Aric does survive, I’m going to play them for him so he can hear you die himself. I think he’ll appreciate it.”

“I think he’s going to rip your head off,” I shot back.

Will was back in the doorframe, a sick and twisted look on his face. “It’s too bad you couldn’t follow the program, Zoe. I think you would have made a great first wife.”