Trent was right—we were doomed.
How was I supposed to go on like nothing happened, like I was okay? I wasn’t. And I never would be. Maybe I should call my father and ask if I could move back in with him. At least there, I wouldn’t have to face Trent or Jax every day. I could have some semblance of a normal life until I eventually died—alone and heartbroken. Until then, though, I could live a normal human life. I could see my baby brother grow up. I could have a safe, fun relationship with Simon.
“That’s a terrible idea,” Whitney said.
I sat up and scowled. “Stay out of my head.”
“No.” She stood. “You’re barely talking to me, or anyone for that matter, and I’m worried, okay?”
Sighing, I rubbed at my temples. “I don’t know what to do.” My voice broke on another sob. “It’s like there’s this massive hole in my chest, and I can’t make it better. No matter what I do, I can’t fix anything.”
“We could always kill Isach,” she said simply. “Then you can change, and the Zoya will never know.”
I stared at her, expecting a laugh or some other indication she was making a joke, but she was dead serious.
“You can’t kill Isach,” I said, though the idea was tempting.
“Why not? It seems like the simplest solution to all your problems.”
“He’s a Zoya. One of the most powerful witches ever. He’ll kill you before you ever get to him, and I can’t risk losing anyone else.” Body slumped forward, I picked at my nails.
“There’s one of him and five of us. I think we can take him.”
“And what happens when he calls for help? You’ll be overpowered.” I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but no. Besides, you heard Macaih. The only one who can change me now is Jax, and do you think Trent’s going to be okay with that?”
How did I manage to screw things up so horribly?
“I can hear his thoughts, you know.” Whitney returned to sit on the bed. “Isach’s. I don’t think he realizes I have this gift, and I’ve been careful around him.”
“Okay…?” Why is she telling me this?
“If we knew there was something he wanted, we could bargain with him. Offer him what he wants in exchange for letting you change,” she said.
I snorted. “What could he possibly want that I could give him?” The only thing he wanted was for me not to break the curse, and I’d already promised him that.
“Abby.”
“What?” I jumped to my feet, anger sparking deep inside of me. “No way. I am not handing my cousin over to that lunatic.” I dragged my shaking hand through my hair. “I can’t believe you’d even suggest that. She’s your friend, Whitney.”
“I know,” she said cautiously, “and I don’t want any harm to come to her. Trust me. But Isach loves her. He’s plagued with regret for what he did to her, how he used her. He wants to make things right but doesn’t know how.”
I laughed with disbelief. “Isach Zoya isn’t capable of love.”
“Chloe.” Whitney’s tone was soft if not a little scolding. “Everyone is capable of love. Even Isach. You may not want to believe that, but think about how you first felt when you learned the truth about Trent. You didn’t think he was truly capable of love, right? I mean, he kills animals.” She sneered the word animals to make her point. “He’s killed people, too. Someone like that doesn’t have any compassion, doesn’t deserve to love or be loved.”
“I—” All words died on my lips.
She was right. I’d been so convinced Trent was a monster, but he’d repeatedly proven me wrong. Isach wasn’t Trent, though. They were two completely different people. Trent didn’t relish in harming people; Isach did.
“Just offer to talk to Abby for him. See what he says,” she suggested.
“No. Absolutely not.” I crossed my arms and glared at her. I’d hurt enough of the people I loved; I wasn’t adding Abby to that list. She needed to stay far away from this whole mess.
“Besides, doing that means potentially taking her away from your brother. Do you really want to do that?” I asked.
Whitney sighed. “I love my brother, but he’s not suited for long term. I mean, he likes Abby. A lot. But it’s not going to last. It never does with him.”
“Then why did you encourage them?” I threw my hands up in the air in frustration.
Was everyone and everything in my life doomed for epic failure? It was really starting to feel that way.
“I don’t know.” Frustration laced her words. “He’s my brother. He seemed happy.” She shrugged.
My head ached beyond belief, and my stomach rumbled. I hadn’t eaten anything this morning before I’d left for school, and… I gasped.
“Aunt Beth! The school is going to call her and tell her I’m not there. You have to take me back.”
The last time I’d skipped school, I’d gotten into so much trouble. Back then, I’d been with Trent and it had been worth it. Sharp pains stabbed my chest at the thought of Trent.
He’d broken up with me less than an hour ago, and I already missed him so much. How was I supposed to live with the constant pain of knowing I’d lost the one person in the world who meant the most to me?
I’d never see him smile at me again. Hear him laugh. Feel his hands on my face or his lips on mine. I closed my eyes and hugged myself as silent tears coursed down my cheeks.
“Oh, sweetie.” Whitney was on her feet and had her arms wrapped tightly around me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I hugged her back, burying my face against her shoulder. “I can’t do this without him.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I’ll talk to him, okay?”
I nodded, grateful for her help, but deep down, I knew it didn’t matter. Trent wasn’t going to change his mind, not as long as I was bonded to Jax. I needed to fix that before I could fix my relationship with Trent. If only I knew how to do either of those things.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:
Girl Code
I DIDN’T FEEL MUCH BETTER, BUT I convinced Whitney to take me back to school, mostly so I had a plausible explanation to give to Aunt Beth. If the school called her and she asked me why I’d skipped classes, I would tell her I was sick in the bathroom. Throwing up. Or violent period cramps. I’d come up with something, but then I could tell her I’d been in my afternoon classes.
“Wow, you don’t look good,” Nick said when I sat down at our table in the cafeteria.
Ellie elbowed him. “Be nice.” She turned to face me. “Are you okay?”
I glanced around the table at the curious, concerned faces of my friends. It would be easy to lie to them, but I didn’t want to. I was tired of lying to everyone.
“Trent broke up with me,” I mumbled.
“What?” Gina shouted. “When? Why?”
“Oh, Chloe. I’m so sorry.” Ellie gave me a side hug. “What happened?”
I gave her a you-know-what-happened look. Her eyes widened with understanding.
“I don’t really know,” I said for everyone else’s benefit. “I thought things were fine, but then this morning, he just ended things.” Okay, so that was a lie, but this was one thing I could not tell them.
“Want me to wing him with my car?” Luke offered. “I can make it look like an accident.”
I forced a smile. “Thanks, but no.”
“I never liked that guy anyway,” Nick said. “Something about him just didn’t seem right. You’re probably better off without him.” He grinned and tossed a pretzel at Luke. “You can always go out with Luke.”
“Dude.” Luke leaned around Gina and punched Nick’s arm. “Don’t be a jerk.” Luke turned to me. “Don’t listen to him.”
“Okay, you’re coming home with me today,” Ellie said with a note of finality. “Call your aunt and make sure it’s okay.” Then she pointed at Gina and Tonya. “You two are coming, too. It’s going to be a girls’ day.”
I wasn’t sure I was up for Ellie’s constant pep, but I also k
new I was not okay with being alone. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I scrolled through my contacts, but before I could hit Aunt Beth’s name, a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind, squeezing the breath from me.
“I heard what happened, and I am so sorry, Chloe,” Abby said. Releasing me from her death-grip hug, she nudged me over and sat on the edge of my chair. “I can’t believe Trent broke up with you.”
Every time I heard those words it was like shoving a knife through my already wounded heart. “Yeah, I can’t believe it, either,” I said.
The pain of losing him was still so raw, but I’d slowly transitioned into shock and disbelief. I kept hoping I’d wake up from this nightmare.
“My house today after school,” Ellie said to Abby.
“I’ll call Mom.” Abby stood and moved away from the table as she made the call.
Tempted to read through old messages with Trent, I tucked my phone back into my pocket. It would be stupid to torture myself like that.
“Okay, we’re all set.” Abby once again wedged herself onto the chair with me. “We just need to make sure we’re home for dinner.”
I nodded.
Moments later, the bell rang. Ellie stood on one side of me, and Abby was on the other as we headed out of the cafeteria and to our next classes—a class I had with Trent. My stomach tightened at the thought of having to see him, but I’d already skipped all of my morning classes; there was no way I could skip my afternoon ones, too.
“Chloe, can I talk to you?” Trent asked.
I whipped around at the sound of Trent’s voice. Part of me had hoped he’d left.
“Are you going to throw yourself at her feet and beg her to forgive you?” Abby asked, arms crossed. “Because if not, then you can just walk away right now.”
My jaw dropped. I hadn’t expected Abby to sound so… mean, and I certainly hadn’t expected her to defend me like that.
“Yeah,” Ellie said, stepping forward. “Unless you’re here to admit you made the biggest mistake of your life, just go away.”
Trent looked at me, his gaze pleading and just as heartbroken as I felt.
I remained silent, not because I wanted to punish him or because I agreed with Abby and Ellie, but because I knew if I tried to speak, I’d break down into a sobbing mess. And I refused to do that in front of him again.
“Chloe?” He directed his question at me, ignoring Abby and Ellie completely.
I wanted to talk to him, more than anything, but Abby and Ellie were right—if he wasn’t here to apologize and tell me he wanted to get back together, then I had nothing to say to him. I shook my head, turned on my heel, and marched to my locker. Abby and Ellie followed.
“What was that back there?” I asked them, still stunned by how they’d stood up for me.
“Girl code,” Ellie said.
“Girl code?” I raised a brow.
Abby laughed. “Yeah, when a guy breaks up with a close friend, girl code states you have to run interference, make sure he doesn’t keep hurting her.”
“Yup.” Ellie nodded. “And we automatically hate him, like, forever. We will properly shun him.”
I smiled. “Thanks, but that’s really not necessary. I don’t even hate him. God knows I should, but…” I glanced back to where Trent had stood a moment ago. “I just miss him, y’know? All I want is for things to go back to the way they were.”
“Aww.” Ellie pulled me into a hug. “Maybe they will. Maybe Trent will realize what he’s lost. But if he doesn’t—”
“Then he’s super stupid,” Abby interjected.
“That’s not what I was going to say.” Ellie laughed and swatted at her before turning her attention back to me. “If he doesn’t come to his senses, we’ll make sure he stays away from you as much as possible.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell them I didn’t want Trent to stay away from me, or that he couldn’t because he was guarding me from Isach and the Rose Coven.
The final bell rang, and the three of us scattered to our classes. I slid into the room seconds before Ms. Marsh closed the door. She gave me a stern look, but I ignored her and walked, head down, to my desk in the back. A desk that was right next to Trent.
Sliding into my seat, I held my breath, not wanting to smell his cologne, but it was ridiculous to think I could hold my breath for an entire class. I’d pass out and die. Though, maybe that wasn’t such a horrible thing. At least then I wouldn’t be bonded to Jax while nursing a broken heart Trent caused.
“The Zoya are returning to Keene Valley,” Trent muttered under his breath.
“What?” I said much too loudly, earning me another stern look from Ms. Marsh. Slouching in my seat, I attempted to make myself invisible.
Trent gave a curt nod. “We need to talk.”
So, that’s why he wanted to talk. Not because he regretted breaking up with me and wanted to get back together. Nope. He wanted to tell me there were even more witches after me now. I hated my life.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I raised my hand.
“Yes, Miss Madison?” Ms. Marsh said, her nasally voice holding all the contempt and judgment in the world. “Is there a problem?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m not feeling so well. I think I’m going to pass out. Or throw up. I’m not sure which. Can I please go to the nurse?”
She studied me for an uncomfortably long time, and then she finally nodded. I was out of my seat before she could change her mind.
Trent stood, and Ms. Marsh glared at him. “And where do you think you’re going, Mr. Halstead?”
“I was going to make sure Chloe made it to the nurse. It is school policy that one student escort another under certain circumstances,” Trent said coolly.
Ms. Marsh sighed heavily. “Fine. But I expect you back in ten minutes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Trent nodded, then escorted me out of the room, his hand on the small of my back.
The touch was all too familiar and warm, and it took everything in me not to lean into him. Good thing Abby and Ellie weren’t around—they’d be really upset with me for ruining their girl code.
As soon as we were out of class, I jerked away from his touch and crossed my arms. “What were you mumbling about in there?”
“Several Zoya have moved into Keene Valley this past weekend.”
“You think Isach told them about me?”
It really was the only thing that made sense. Why else would they all come back now?
“I don’t know.” Trent rubbed the back of his neck. “If he didn’t, then this is one heck of a coincidence.”
“Well, this is just perfect.” I threw my hands up in the air and started down the hallway.
Trent caught up to me, clutching my arm. “Where are you going?”
I once again jerked free from his hold. “First, you no longer have the right to touch me. Ever. For any reason.” I was both proud and shocked that my voice didn’t crack. “Second, I’m going to the nurse because Ms. Marsh is going to expect a pass.”
My heart was in my throat as I walked, each step mirroring the hard, painful thumps of my heart. Everything inside of me burned to let him touch me again, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to remember how he’d so carelessly dumped me this morning. Maybe if I stayed angry, I could deal with the pain.
Silent, Trent shoved his hands into his pockets and fell into step beside me. “Until we can figure out why they’re back, you have to be extra careful.”
“Mm-hmm.” I kept my gaze forward and quickened my steps.
“Chloe, I’m serious.” Trent reached for my hand, but I pulled away.
“Why did you do it, Trent?” I stopped and faced him. “Why did you spend months telling me how much you loved me, how you can’t live without me, how all you wanted to do was claim me and how my death will destroy you to then dump me in the middle of a crowded hallway?” My voice rose with each word, my anger building.
“I meant eve
rything I ever said to you.” His voice was as calm as ever, and I wanted to scream.
“Obviously not.” With a huff, I turned on my heel and stomped into the nurse’s office.
I pretended to be sick while Trent got a pass to return to class. Once he left, I exhaled, my shoulder’s slumping. I hung out in the nurse’s office for a few moments, long enough to ensure Trent had time to get back to class.
“I think I’m feeling better,” I said.
Nurse O’Keefe nodded and wrote me a pass. She really wasn’t a very good nurse with the way she never bothered to ask any questions. Pass in hand, I left the office.
“I thought for sure you’d hide out in there longer,” Trent said, pushing off the wall.
I gasped. “And I thought you’d gone back to class.” Rolling my eyes, I headed toward Ms. Marsh’s room.
“You’re bonded to my brother, Chloe, and you can try to fight it as hard as you want. It’s not going to change or go away. It’s inevitable that something else is going to happen between you two, and I can’t stand by while it does,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”
I snorted. “Whatever.”
He wasn’t even trying to find a solution. He was just giving up. So, if he didn’t care, why should I?
Yanking open the door to our class, I handed Ms. Marsh my pass and returned to my seat. Trent did the same, and thankfully, he didn’t try to talk to me the rest of the period.
At first, I’d thought Abby and Ellie were being funny with the whole girl code thing, but it wasn’t funny at all—it was smart. I needed someone to keep Trent away from me, because all the anger in the world would fade eventually. And then what?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:
Covering Our Tracks
“HOW ARE YOU?” WHITNEY ASKED WEDNESDAY morning as we walked into school.
I shrugged. “I’d be a lot better if people stopped asking me that.”
My friends were only concerned, but having to constantly say I was fine, or being forced, even for a fraction of a second, to have to think about Trent long enough to formulate an answer was brutal.
Trent hadn’t tried to talk to me again since Monday. Instead, he sent Whitney or Wyatt to give me information. The latest news was that three different Zoya families had returned to Keene Valley.
Eternal Bond : (The Cursed Series, Book 3) Page 24