Graduating (Covenant College Book 5) (17 page)

“So, where are you and Aric going tonight?”

I dropped the duffel bag I was carrying onto the living room floor and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I wasn’t much for getting dressed up, but it was Valentine’s Day, and Aric had made me promise that hoodies and sneakers were off the table this evening.

So, here I was, wearing an actual skirt and heels – and I felt ridiculous.

“He won’t tell me,” I said, twirling in front of the mirror. “How do I look?”

Kelsey smiled. “You look great.”

“I feel stupid,” I admitted. “I don’t get dressed up for anything but funerals.”

“Nice,” Paris said, dropping the magazine she was reading onto the couch. “You look great. Relax.”

“How can I relax? I look like an idiot.”

“You don’t look like an idiot,” Paris said. “You look amazing. You just don’t look like you usually do. You’ll get used to it.”

“Aric is going to love that skirt,” Kelsey said. “What are you wearing under there? Are those full nylons or thigh highs?”

I scowled. “What does that matter?”

“Thigh highs are more fun,” Kelsey said. “I think Aric would prefer them.”

I lifted the skirt so they could see, my black garters peeking out. “Do you think he’ll be happy?”

“He’s going to be thrilled.”

“You shaved your legs, right?” Paris said.

“Yes, I shaved my legs,” I said. “I always shave my legs.”

“You went an entire month without shaving your legs last year,” Paris reminded me.

“That was different,” I said. “I was depressed.”

“Well, you’re not going to be depressed tonight,” Paris said. “You’re going to have a great time.” She glanced at the bag on the floor. “I’m assuming you’re going to be gone all weekend?”

“Yeah, we’re staying at Aric’s place,” I said. “Oh, that reminds me, have you found out anything about the pentagram and bodies?”

“Not yet,” Paris said. “My mom is still looking. It shouldn’t take too long, I hope. They really need to digitize search engines for stuff like this.”

“Yeah, why can’t there just be a ritual human sacrifice database to make everyone happy?”

“No one needs your sarcasm,” Paris said.

“What are you guys doing tonight?”

“We’re having a party,” Kelsey said. “It’s Friday night. Not all of us have romantic boyfriends. My boyfriend will get drunk and then try to have sex, ultimately passing out before he finishes. I can’t expect much else.”

“At least you have a boyfriend,” Paris said. “I shall be trolling the losers who come to our party to see if I can find someone to entertain me for a few hours. Something tells me I’m going to be disappointed.”

“I need you to do one more thing,” I said. “When Scott gets here, pull him aside and ask him to run an extensive background check on Blake.”

Paris furrowed her brow. “Why?”

“Well, it occurs to me that the only things we know about Blake have been supplied by Blake,” I said.

“And?”

“And what if they’re not true?” I said. “What if we could have solved all of this with a simple background check on him?”

“When did this occur to you?”

“When I ratted on him to Detective Perkins,” I said. “I figured he would run a background check. Then, I realized we’d never done anything of the sort.”

“What are you expecting to find?” Kelsey asked.

“Maybe nothing,” I said, shrugging. “Maybe something helpful. It can’t hurt to look.”

“And why are we asking Scott?”

“Because he’s the one who helped us hack into Blake’s computer in the first place,” I said. “I figure he’ll be able to do it a lot easier than we will, and he’s already in on the big secret, so we don’t have to deal with that.”

“You just don’t want any of the boring busy work to do,” Paris grumbled.

The door opened behind us, the noise drowning out my snappy comeback. Aric, wearing black dress pants and a sports coat, strode into the room, pulling up short when he saw me.

He let loose with a low wolf whistle. “Hello, darling.”

I looked him up and down. “You look pretty handsome,” I said. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me where we’re going, are you?”

“Nope.” Aric held out his hand. “You look amazing.”

“Wait until you see what’s under the skirt,” Kelsey teased.

Aric raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose I can get a hint?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

Aric smirked. “I guess I’ll just have to let my imagination run wild.”

“YOU
don’t think this is all a little much?”

We were at the Palladium, the most expensive – and ritzy – restaurant in Midland. Aric had insisted on leaving town for the night, saying he didn’t want to run the risk of anyone we knew ruining our date.

He was really going all out – including dragging me out onto the dance floor.

Aric’s smile was sly as he tightened his arm around my waist and dipped me low. “Nope.”

My skirt flew up with the move, giving him a glance at my fancy garters. He furrowed his brow. “Are those what I think they are?”

“You’ll have to take me home to find out,” I said.

“We’re not done dancing yet,” Aric said. “I can wait.”

His eager expression told me otherwise. “Seriously, this doesn’t all feel … strange to you.”

“It feels different,” Aric said. “I wanted something different. I wanted something to drag us out of our comfort zone. I don’t think we’ll be doing this on a regular basis, mostly because you seem so uncomfortable, but I do like to try new things.”

“So, you’re saying you’re bored with me,” I said.

“I’m saying that I wanted to give you a special night,” Aric said. “I didn’t realize that it would upset you so much.”

“I’m not upset,” I said. “I just feel like everyone is staring at us. We’re the youngest people in here.”

“So?”

“I feel like people are fixated on me,” I said.

“It’s because you look so great,” Aric said, shooting me a wolfish grin.

“It’s because I look like a circus freak,” I said. “Admit it.”

“You’re killing me,” Aric growled.

Thankfully, the song ended, and he led us back to our table. “Listen, I really appreciate this whole thing,” I said. “I’m just … it makes me feel weird.”

“I know,” Aric said, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. “I think I was trying too hard.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just wanted us to have a special night.”

“You know what the most special night we’ve ever had was?”

Aric waited.

“It was Christmas,” I said. “And do you know why it was special?”

“Because I gave you a nice bracelet and carried mistletoe around in my pocket?”

“No, well, kind of,” I said. “It was special because it was just the two of us, and we could relax and be ourselves.”

“And you don’t feel like you can be yourself here?”

“I feel like we’re putting on a show,” I said. “And we’re not the type of people who need to put on a show. I kind of like you just the way you are.”

Aric smirked. “I kind of like you just the way you are, too.”

“So, can we go?”

“I’ll get our coats.”

“WELL
, the good news is that dinner was great,” I said once we were in Aric’s truck and heading home.

“It was good,” Aric agreed, reaching over and capturing my hand with his. “I’m sorry I made such a mess of this.”

“You didn’t make a mess of it,” I said. “You just tried too hard and … .”

“Made a mess of things?”

“You look nice in your jacket,” I offered.

“Well, if I did get anything out of this night, I finally got to see you in a skirt,” Aric said. “I wasn’t sure you had legs.”

“You’re funny.”

“I’m going to be even funnier when I get you home and get that skirt off you,” Aric said. “Now that I know what’s under there, I have a few ideas.”

“I bet.”

“Hey, it’s my Valentine’s Day, too,” Aric said.

We lapsed into amiable silence, Aric rubbing a series of circles on the top of my hand with his thumb. After a few minutes, I realized the relaxing rubbing had ceased and that he was staring in the rearview mirror intently.

“What are you looking at?”

“Huh? Um, I’m not sure.”

“Is something back there?” I craned around in my seat, but all I could see were headlights.

“I … just … hold on.”

Aric flipped his turn-signal lever and pulled off onto the next road we crossed. It didn’t lead back to Covenant College. As far as I could tell, it didn’t lead anywhere.

Aric continued staring into the mirror. When a pair of headlights followed us onto the road, his jaw tightened. “I think we’re being followed.”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

“Yeah, except that same pair of headlights has been following us since we left the restaurant,” Aric said.

“How do you know it’s the same set of headlights?”

“They’re unique,” Aric said. “Look. They’re smaller bulbs in an outline, instead of one big bulb.”

Huh. He was right. “Well, maybe they’re just going back to the campus.”

“Like you said, we were the youngest ones in there,” Aric said. “Just, sit there and look pretty and let me think about this for a second.”

My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Did you just tell me to … ?”

Aric turned his truck sharply, making a tight U-turn, dipping into the ditch on the opposite side of the road before pulling back onto the pavement. He slowed his truck as we approached the now oncoming vehicle.

Instead of slowing, the vehicle accelerated and tore down the road behind us. Aric looked like he was going to give chase for a moment, but then decided against it.

“Maybe it was the cops,” I said.

“The cops are idling up at the intersection,” Aric said, pointing. “That was something else.”

“You don’t want to follow them?”

“No,” Aric said. “I don’t like the idea of following them down roads I don’t know and into a sparsely populated area. We’re going to play it safe.”

“Since when do you play it safe?”

Aric remained focused on the road. “Since I have something I absolutely don’t want to lose.”

After Valentine’s Day, Aric was obsessed with the idea of being watched. He was hyper-vigilant, spending more time staring behind us rather than looking ahead. It was starting to get old.

“Can’t you just try and relax?”

“I’m relaxed,” Aric said, gripping my hand tighter and pulling me in front of him.

“Then why are you using your body as a human shield to protect me?”

“I’m not,” Aric protested, averting his gaze from mine.

We were standing in front of the UC, and Aric was scanning the area like he was in the military and we were surrounded by insurgents. I’d made the mistake of suggesting we walk to the coffee shop, thinking it would give him a chance to relax. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“I know what you’re doing,” I said, rubbing my forehead tiredly. “You’ve been this way for almost two weeks. I don’t know how much longer I can take it.”

Aric glanced back at me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just worried.”

“We’re all worried,” I said. “We can’t help but be worried. I think you’re taking it to an extreme level, though, and I don’t like it.”

Aric sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not trying to upset you,” he said. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to protect you.”

“I believe it,” I said. “I also believe that you’re going to drive yourself – and me – crazy if you keep acting like this.”

“Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t feel like things are closing in on us,” Aric said. “The cops are watching us. Heck, there’s one over there.”

I looked in the direction he was pointing, stifling a laugh when I saw the young officer’s eyes widen as our gazes landed on him. He turned quickly, pretending he was reading the bulletin board in front of the UC.

“This is all my fault,” I said. “I’ve unhinged your life.”

“No, you haven’t,” Aric said, joining his hand with mine. “This isn’t your fault. I don’t want you saying stuff like that.”

“You have to admit, before I came into your life, things were a lot more settled.”

“You mean boring,” Aric said. “I don’t like boring. I like you.”

I blew out a sigh, leaning into him. “Look, the cop is looking for a roommate.”

Aric smirked. “We should give him Will’s number.”

That was an interesting thought. “You know, I haven’t seen Will in months,” I said. “I haven’t seen Brittany either.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” I said. “Shouldn’t we be considering Will as a suspect, though?”

“Actually, yeah,” Aric said. “Maybe this is part of some new plan to wrest control of the fraternity.”

“Since he’s supposed to be graduating in a few months, how does that benefit him?”

“If I could explain the inner workings of Will’s twisted mind, I would have figured out how to oust him from the fraternity myself years ago,” Aric said.

I rubbed my tongue against the roof of my mouth.

“What are you thinking?” Aric asked.

“Do you know who else we haven’t seen in months?”

“Your roommate Heather?”

I made a face. “Well, her, too. We really need to make sure that she’s living somewhere else. If she’s not, and she’s disappeared or something, that is going to reflect very badly on all of us if her body turns up.”

“She probably moved out over Christmas break,” Aric said. “Have any of you tried looking in her bedroom?”

“It’s locked.”

“I happen to know you can pick a lock,” Aric said.

“Oh, yeah.”

Aric tapped the back of my head playfully. “It’s a good thing you’re hot.”

“Funny. Anyway, I wasn’t talking about Heather,” I said.

“Who were you talking about?”

“Rafael. We haven’t seen him since the first party of the year.”

Aric frowned. “Maybe he’s caught up with his new girlfriend,” Aric said. “It’s not like we’ve gone out of our way to spend time with him, not that I would.”

“I thought you two were friendly now?”

“We’re friendly-ish,” Aric said. “I still don’t like him.”

“Why?”

“Because he was sniffing around my girl for a year,” Aric said.

“You and I were broken up.”

“We were on a hiatus,” Aric corrected.

“Just so you know, he was sniffing around me before then,” I said.

Aric scowled. “Don’t tell me things like that.”

“Well, anyway, don’t you think we should check on him?”

Aric shrugged. “I guess. Call him.”

“I don’t have his phone number.”

“How do you usually get in touch with him?”

“He just kind of shows up,” I said. “He had a disposable cell last year, but I don’t think he has it anymore. He’s a lurker. I used to catch him following me on campus.”

“He followed you?”

“Yeah, one time last year I caught him watching me sleep,” I said, laughing at the memory. “It was really creepy.”

“He was in your bedroom?” Aric’s chest was starting to puff out.

“Relax, freak,” I said. “I sent him away. He was trying to look out for me, like you told him to do.”

“I didn’t think looking out for you would entail being in your bedroom,” Aric said.

“Let it go,” I said. “I’m with you. I wanted to be with you even then.”

Aric rolled his neck, cracking it. “Fine. Let’s go look for Rafael.”

“I have no idea where he lives,” I admitted.

A smile crept over Aric’s face. “You’ve never been to his house?”

“Have you?”

“So, in your world, Rafael is like the gay friend you sit around and gossip with, huh?”

“If that makes you feel better,” I said. “Do you know where he lives or not?”

Aric’s smile widened. “It definitely makes me feel better.”

“THIS
isn’t what I expected,” I admitted.

We were standing in front of a two-story house on the far edge of town. The house was away from everything, including highways, other people, and any fast food options. The only thing it was close to was endless trees. I hated it.

“Were you expecting a mansion or something?”

“No.” I scowled. “Well, maybe. It’s just so … normal.”

Aric lifted an eyebrow. “It’s just a house.”

“Exactly.”

Aric stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door. No one answered.

“Maybe he’s unconscious.”

“Why would he be unconscious?”

“It’s still daylight out,” I said.

“So?”

“So, he’s probably in the middle of his death sleep. He can’t hear us knocking on the door.”

Aric barked out a laugh. “Who told you that?”

“I know things.”

“You’re so adorable sometimes I can’t stand it,” Aric said, giving me a quick kiss. “You know absolutely nothing about vampires, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“They don’t death sleep during the day,” he said. “It’s true they can’t go out during the day, but they’re not asleep.”

“How do you know?”

“Because, my dear, I happen to know things,” Aric said. “I’m worldly.”

“You’re a douche sometimes,” I grumbled.

“Why didn’t you ask Rafael any of this?” Aric asked, moving across the porch so he could look inside the house through the window.

“I did,” I said. “He wouldn’t tell me anything. I asked him if he slept in a coffin, and he just laughed.”

“I didn’t know he knew how to laugh.”

“He doesn’t do it very often,” I said. “I think I’ve seen it three times.”

“And none of these times were naked, right?”

“Oh, gawd, will you let it go?”

“He’s not here,” Aric said, pulling away from the window.

“How can you be sure?”

“I can’t smell him,” Aric said. “And, now I don’t want to alarm you, but I don’t think he’s been here in a while.”

“Because you can’t smell him?”

“Yes.”

“But … where would he go?”

“Maybe he left,” Aric said. “There’s not a lot holding him here now. Maybe he ran off with his new girlfriend.”

“Her name is Fiona,” I said.

“You say that like you’re jealous,” Aric said.

“You say that like you’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous.”

“You’re driving me crazy,” I snapped. “He wouldn’t just leave … not without saying goodbye.”

Aric’s face softened. “No, he wouldn’t.”

“So, what do we do?”

Aric glanced around, unsure. “Have you considered trying to use your magic?”

“To what? Fry him? I’ll pass.”

“Not that,” Aric said. “You have more than one power. You seem to forget that. In addition to frying vampires – and people – you’ve also shown you can heal. And, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve got some inner-intuition thing that leads you places.”

I wrinkled my nose. I hadn’t considered that.

“Something inside of you led you to the bodies behind the library,” Aric said. “Something inside of you warned us that vampires were approaching at the theater. I think whatever that something is, can lead us to Rafael if you let it.”

I worried my lip with my teeth. “But how?”

“I don’t know,” Aric said. “Just … try and concentrate.”

I nodded, placing my hands on either side of Rafael’s front door, and closed my eyes. I inhaled deeply, focusing. The sound of Aric’s feet shuffling on the front porch caught my attention. “Can you please be quiet?”

“Sor-ree.”

I rolled my eyes before closing them again. “Well, make some noise.”

Aric sighed. “Maybe you can’t do it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hey, I asked too much of you,” he said. “I get it. I went too fast. I’m sure Rafael is fine. I mean, what could have happened to him? Of course, we’re on a campus where vampires are going missing and someone built a human pentagram out of body parts. I’m sure he’s fine, though.”

My hands were suddenly burning.

Aric was watching them with interest. “That’s new.”

I looked down. Instead of the usual green, my hands were glowing purple. “You did that on purpose,” I said. “You made me angry.”

“I told you, you’re like the Hulk. You only get your super power when you’re really scared or really angry,” Aric said. “I have no interest in terrifying you.”

“You’re fine with making me angry?”

“Just so we can make up,” Aric said. “Keep focused on Rafael. What do you feel?”

“Kind of itchy,” I admitted.

“Like your hands are itchy?”

“Yeah.”

“What else?”

“I … .” I turned away from him, facing the direction of his truck. “It’s better now.” I turned back to him. “Itchy again.”

“Are you trying to tell me that I make you feel itchy?”

“Go stand next to the truck,” I instructed.

Aric slipped past me and did as he was told. When I faced him again, the feeling subsided, even though my hands were still lit up like a Christmas tree. “It’s not you.”

“I’m basking in the love, baby.”

“I think … get in the truck.”

“Why?”

“I have an idea.”

It took us a half hour, and several wrong turns, but we finally found ourselves in front of the Oakridge Apartments on the north side of campus. We were still sitting in the truck when the purple light flamed out.

“It’s not working anymore,” I complained, shaking my hands.

“I think it is working,” Aric said grimly, leaning forward.

“No, it’s gone.”

“Look.”

I followed the trail his finger was making, frowning when I caught sight of a familiar figure walking out of the main door in front of the apartment complex.

“Mark.”