My gaze wandered over to my laptop; the last search I’d done was still displayed on the screen. I quickly closed my laptop.
“Mom said you came home crying.” Abby sat on my bed. “You know how she worries.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s nothing. I’m fine,” I repeated and sat on the bed next to her. If I was going to trick Isach into helping me, I needed information I could lure over him. “So, how are things with you and Wyatt?”
Abby frowned. “Are you sure you want to talk about this knowing…?”
“Yes. Just because Trent broke up with me doesn’t mean I’m not happy for you and Wyatt. Besides, getting involved in someone else’s relationship will take my mind off mine.” I smiled, hoping she’d start talking.
“Okay.” She sighed and grabbed my pillow, hugging it to her stomach. “He’s great, and I like him.”
I tilted my head. This wasn’t the normal, talkative, excited Abby I was used to. “But…?”
“I don’t know. I feel like he’s hiding something from me.”
“Hiding what?” I was careful to keep my voice even so as not to alert her that I knew stuff she didn’t.
She shrugged. “That’s the thing. I have no idea. He doesn’t act weird around me, and when I ask him questions, he answers them. I can’t really explain it. Call it a gut instinct.”
“You don’t think he’s seeing someone else, do you?”
“Oh, no. Not at all.” She shook her head, her conviction firm. “Maybe I’m just crazy.” She laughed. “I mean, he really is so sweet, and we have a great time together, but he doesn’t look at me the way Trent always looked at you.”
I winced at how she’d used the past tense of look, as if Trent no longer looked at me the same way now that we’d broken up. Maybe he didn’t. I’d been actively trying not to notice him, so I had no idea how he saw me anymore.
“Sorry,” Abby said.
“No, it’s fine.” My voice caught, and I cleared my throat. “So, are you going to stay with Wyatt?”
“He asked me to go to the Fall Ball with him.”
“The what?” I shifted so I was sitting cross-legged.
“The Fall Ball. It’s a school dance that happens the first weekend in October. Haven’t you seen the signs plastered all over the school?” She laughed.
“I guess not. I’ve been a bit… distracted lately.”
Abby patted my hand. “I know. Ellie is going with Nick, but Gina, Tonya, Luke, and Whitney are going as a group. You should go, too. It will be fun.”
Fun wasn’t the word I’d use to describe it, especially when dancing now reminded me of my eighteenth birthday and how Trent and I had danced, how he’d held me and whispered he loved me. How he’d bared his soul and asked me to spend eternity with him. How I’d been too scared and too weak to say yes.
The threat of tears loomed, and I swallowed hard against them. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
She nodded, then bounced on my mattress. “We should go dress shopping this weekend.” Her eyes were bright, and her voice rose with excitement. “All of us girls. We can spend the day shopping in Lake George.” She grabbed my hands. “C’mon, it will be so much fun.”
I smiled despite myself, and she took that as a yes.
Squealing, she pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. “I just texted everyone to let them know,” she said.
A day of shopping could be fun. Maybe it would help get my mind off Trent and Jax and everything else that was going on. Not that I could completely forget, but a distraction would be nice.
In the meantime, I had to talk to Isach and convince him to help me. With luck, I could get the bond removed and reconcile with Trent before the Fall Ball.
“Ellie’s in. So is Whitney,” Abby said without looking up from her phone. “And so are Gina and Tonya.” She let out a squeal of joy. “This is going to be so much fun. I just have to make sure Mom is okay with it.”
“I’m sure she will be.”
Aunt Beth had been very agreeable since I’d been back. She hadn’t told us no once yet. Then again, it was our senior year, and she knew there was a lot going on.
“I’ll ask her at dinner tonight. We’re going to need money for dresses.” She giggled.
Speaking of money… my father still hadn’t sent me any. As far as I knew, I hadn’t gotten anything in the mail from him, and I didn’t think Aunt Beth would hide something like that from me. I’d have to ask her, and then call my father to find out what was going on.
“Is this dance formal?” I asked.
“Not really. I mean, it’s not like prom, but girls typically wear semi-formal dresses and guys wear dress pants and button-up shirts.”
I nodded. “So, I have to wear heels?”
Abby laughed. “You don’t have to, but why wouldn’t you? It’s a night to get dressed up and have fun. Besides, it’s a perfect opportunity to show Trent what he lost.” She winked. “And I’d bet my car if he sees you dancing with anyone, he’ll get super jealous.”
My jaw dropped. Making Trent jealous hadn’t ever crossed my mind, and I shuddered at the thought of what he’d do to whatever poor guy I danced with, especially after how he’d reacted when Jax had carried me into the cabin. Of course, Jax had provoked him, but still.
“Okay.” Abby tossed my pillow behind her and stood. “I have homework to do.” And then she was gone.
I shook my head. She really was a whirlwind, more so than Whitney at times. At least I now knew she wasn’t completely and totally in love with Wyatt. Not that I had any intention of helping Isach weasel his way into her life, but it was a tidbit of information I could use to my advantage.
Flopping onto my back, I blew out a shaky breath. Guilt gnawed at me. When had I become this person? Always lying and scheming and willing to use my family to get what I wanted? I rubbed my hands over my face.
As long as I didn’t let Abby get hurt, it would be okay. I had to believe that.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:
Making a Deal with the Devil
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I STOOD BY my locker and waited for Isach to show up. I had a direct line of sight to his locker, so the moment he arrived, I saw him. Straightening my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I marched toward him, refusing to let anyone or anything get in my way.
“We need to talk,” I said.
He raised a brow. “About?”
“Stuff.” I glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “I want to know why Abby matters to you, to this situation. And.” I shifted on my feet. “I need your help.”
“Fine. Meet me near the soccer field after school. We’ll talk then.” He turned and walked away.
Okay, that was easier than I’d expected. Getting him to talk to me was half the battle. Reluctantly, I headed to Mr. Gordon’s room. I loathed his class, but apparently, it was a requirement to graduate.
When I arrived, Jax was already in his seat, and my heart went into overdrive. I despised myself for the way I reacted to him.
“Why were you talking to Isach?” he asked as soon as I sat.
“It’s none of your business,” I said without turning around to look at him.
Jax tugged gently on a strand of my hair before winding it around his finger and releasing it with a spring. I really needed to start wearing my hair up more often, but until the bite mark faded, I couldn’t. Just one more way this stupid bond was ruining my life.
Frustrated, I spun around in my chair. “Can you please knock it off?”
He smirked. “Got your attention, didn’t I?”
I glared at him. “What do you want?”
“To talk. You’ve been avoiding me more than usual, and I think it’s time we talked about…” He subtly inclined his head toward my neck.
“I’m busy today,” I said, turning back around.
“With Isach?” Jax’s voice was so close his breath was warm against my ear.
I turned my head just enough to meet his gaze, which was probing and demanding.
My breath caught, and I pulled back an inch or so, but he continued to lean over his desk, invading what little personal space I had.
“What makes you think I have plans with Isach?” I asked.
“Trent?” Jax raised a brow.
Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. “Trent and I aren’t…”
I couldn’t say the words again, because the more I said them, the more I believed them, the truer they became. And I refused to accept that Trent and I were over for good.
“Right. I forgot. Sorry.” He gave a small—unapologetic—frown. “Well, if you ask me, he’s an idiot for letting you go.”
“I didn’t ask you,” I said before I could stop myself. But his words rang in my ears.
He smiled that confident, sexy smile and pulled away. “His loss is my gain.”
And for the briefest of moments, my thoughts flashed to me and Jax. Together. No guilt over cheating on Trent. No stress over trying to remove the bond. It was just me and Jax, and it was so simple. So intense.
I cleared my throat. “No, it’s not.”
Jax laughed, his gaze darting above my head. “I don’t think red got the memo.”
With a huff, I turned fully away from him and crossed my arms. That’s when I noticed Whitney watching me, her gaze accusatory. Great. All I needed was for her to think I was throwing myself into Jax’s arms now that Trent had broken up with me.
“If I promise to keep my hands to myself, can we please talk?” Jax whispered.
“No flirting, either,” I said over my shoulder.
He was silent, and then finally said, “I promise to do my best not to flirt with you.”
I sighed. It wasn’t exactly the promise I wanted from him, but it was probably the best I was going to get. “I’ll call you later, okay?” I said.
“I want to talk in person.”
He was impossible.
“Fine, I’ll call you later, and we can figure out a time to talk.” I still refused to look at him, and having this conversation with my back to him was weird, but I didn’t want him to think he had a chance.
“Thank you,” he said.
THE DAY PASSED UNEVENTFULLY, and I’d only seen Trent in classes; he hadn’t bothered to say a word to me all day. Was this my new normal?
When the final bell rang, I rushed to my locker, shoved all my books inside, and practically ran out to the soccer field. Isach was already there when I arrived. Relief settled over me. Part of me had expected him to ditch me.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” Isach said. “I have to meet with the magical leaders today and tell them what I did.”
“Oh.” My stomach sank with dread.
If Isach deviated from the story he’d told us, the Zoya would find out about me. Oddly, I wasn’t worried he would do that, but who knew what his family or the other covens would do to get the truth. Magical torture? They seemed like the type.
“Okay, well, yesterday you said Abby had something to do with all of this. I want to know what,” I said, crossing my arms.
He laughed stiffly. “Why? You’re not going to believe me.”
“Try me.”
“At first, Abby was a means to an end for me. She was my way of getting to you.” He dragged his hand through his hair and let his backpack fall to the ground, as if it were suddenly too heavy for him. “But the more time I spent with her, the more I realized how amazing she is. There were days when she made me forget what my plan was, and those days…” He shook his head. “Those days were the best. We had fun. And I don’t mean the fake fun I conjured up with a spell. I’m talking about real, genuine fun.”
I listened, my mind warring with my heart. My head screamed at me that he was lying, that this was just another game to him. But my heart tugged at something deep inside of me, a longing to believe him, to believe that he truly did like Abby, that he hadn’t used her and discarded her so carelessly.
“I never expected to have feelings for her, but I did. I still do,” he said.
Taking a deep breath, I waited for him to continue, mostly because I had no idea what to say. Whitney had been one hundred percent right about this, and that meant she was probably right when she said everyone deserved to be loved.
“Look, I know I messed up. I used her, and I hurt her, and now, thanks to Trent, she doesn’t even remember me.” He paced in front of me.
“You know about Trent’s abilities?” For some reason, I thought that information had been kept secret.
Isach nodded. “He told me when he asked me to help rescue you and Jax.” He blew out a breath. “I guess it’s a good thing she doesn’t remember me. She can’t hate me when she doesn’t know what I did to her.”
“It’s a very good thing,” I said.
“I know.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “But I want to make it up to her, and if that means helping you, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
It took several moments for my thoughts to catch up with what he’d said, and then it all crashed down on me like an imploding building.
“Wait, so you’re doing all of this, protecting me, lying to your coven, for her?” I asked.
He nodded.
“You realize she’ll never know, right? She has no idea vampires or witches exist. She doesn’t know I’m in any danger.”
“I’ll know,” he said, pinning me with a hard stare. “I told you I was tired of all this, and I meant it. I don’t want to be a pawn in this stupid feud anymore.”
Raw honesty dripped from his every word, and for the first time ever, I didn’t question his truthfulness.
“What do you want, then?” I asked, though I really didn’t have to. I already knew his answer.
“Abby.”
I sucked in a sharp breath and rubbed my sweaty palms on my thighs. “Do you love her?”
“If given the chance… yes, I could love her,” he said.
Time to make a deal with the devil.
“What if I offered to talk to her for you? Not about anything from the past, just that you like her.” My voice shook with the weight of what I was doing.
It wasn’t my place to promise Isach anything where Abby was concerned. But if I controlled the information flowing to her about him, I could protect her a little better.
“What do you want in return?” He faced me, arms crossed. “Because you did say you needed my help, so I’m guessing this is what you’re willing to negotiate with.”
I nodded, my chest tight with uncertainty and fear. Just because Isach was telling the truth about his feelings for Abby didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt her, or that he wouldn’t double cross me.
“Well?” he asked, brow raised. “Spill it. I’m running out of time.”
“I want you to use your magic or a spell or whatever to remove this.” I held my hair away from my neck and showed him the bite mark. “I have an eternal bond with Jax because of this, and I need it gone.”
Isach’s eyes widened. “You’re bonded to Jax?” Surprise and disbelief colored his words.
“Yes.”
I quickly explained what had happened and how we’d talked to Macaih, though I left out the part about the only way to break the bond was by breaking the curse—I didn’t need Isach to worry that I’d go back on my promise to him.
“Can I?” He held out his hand toward my neck.
Swallowing back my nerves, I nodded.
Isach stepped forward, placed his hand over the mark, and closed his eyes. I had no idea what he was doing, but soon, warmth spread from the mark to my neck, up my face, over the tips of my ears, and across my scalp.
A slow ache built in my throat, extended across my collarbone, and descended to my chest where it suddenly exploded, causing me to stumble backward, breaking whatever weird magic Isach was doing.
I gasped. “Did you do it? Is it gone?” Hope blossomed inside of me, but one look at Isach’s frown and I knew it hadn’t worked.
“No, and I’m not sure there’s anything I can do,” he said.
“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?” I curled my hands into fists. “You’re supposed to be an all-powerful witch, tapped into dark magic and God knows what else.”
Panic built with each word, and I was on the verge of hysterics. If Isach of all people couldn’t break this bond, then I really was stuck with it forever.
“Magic didn’t create that bond, so magic can’t break it. I’m sorry.” He snatched his backpack off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. “I have to go.”
I stared at his retreating form. If it wasn’t magic, then what was it? It certainly wasn’t normal or human.
Despair crept up on me. What was I going to do? Sitting on the empty field, I tucked my knees to my chest and rested my head on my folded arms.
“Chloe?”
My head snapped up at the sound of Jax’s voice. “What’re you doing here?”
“I saw Isach walking away, and then I saw you sitting here.” He lowered himself to sit next to me. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, he didn’t. I’m fine.” But I wasn’t fine, far from it. “Are you following me?” How else would he have known where I was?
“Well, yeah.” He chuckled. “That is why I’m suffering through high school, remember?”
I rolled my eyes and fumbled to get to my feet. “Well, I’m fine, so you can go now.”
Jax stood much more gracefully and took my face into his hands. “I’m not going to leave you here, Chloe. I’d never leave you.”
Hearing those words and the sincerity behind them tore open the hole in my chest, and I sobbed. Resting my head on his shoulder, I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him.
Trent had told me the same thing—that he’d never leave me—but he had. Would Jax do the same? Everyone else in my life I loved had left me: my father, my mother… I tightened my hold on him, burying my face against his neck.
A sense of peace washed over me, and my tears slowed. I did care for Jax, and being with him wasn’t difficult. Maybe it was time I stopped fighting for the things I knew I could never have—Trent, a normal life, marriage, kids…
Clearly, I wasn’t meant to have the life I wanted. Maybe this was fate or God or some other higher power’s way of telling me this was where I was supposed to be. If only I loved Jax the way I loved Trent. It would make all of this so much easier.
Eternal Bond : (The Cursed Series, Book 3) Page 26