Eternal Love: (The Cursed Series, Book 4)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  I walked into the now packed cafeteria and easily found Trent; he was sitting with our friends. “Hey,” I said, infusing as much enthusiasm into my voice as I could.

  “Hey, Chloe.” Ellie smiled. She was always so genuinely happy to see me. “Are we good for Saturday?”

  “Yup.” I smiled, some of the tension easing from my body. “Trent’s going to drop me off after our date.”

  “Aww,” Ellie cooed.

  “What took you so long?” Trent tugged me down onto his lap and wrapped an arm around my waist.

  “Sorry. I had to say after in my last class.” I rolled my eyes, hoping my annoyance was evident.

  “You were with Ms. Bettie, right?” Gina asked, and I nodded.

  Groans rippled across the table, and then the conversation turned to how awful Ms. Bettie was and how no one liked her.

  “Do you think your aunt will let you hang out with me today?” he asked, his eyes sparking with mischief.

  I grinned. “I’m sure if you ask her, she’ll agree to anything.” I playfully nudged him, and he laughed. “I can text her.”

  “You should do that.” His voice had dropped to a husky whisper, and a shiver worked its way down my back.

  “Yeah, and what are we going to do today?” I shifted so I was sideways in his lap, and then I draped my arms around his neck.

  The bell rang before he could answer me, and disappointed landed in my gut. Time to leave Trent and go to another class I didn’t want to be in. I stood and reached for his hand. We walked to my locker. I stopped and fiddled with my lock, trying to get it to open.

  “Are you okay?” Trent asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I think I’m just anxious about everything. Ivy’s back in town. So are the Zoya. I’m trying to fight this bond…” I sighed. “It’s just a lot.”

  He dragged his hands down my arms and laced our fingers. “I know.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We could always skip the rest of the day.” He leaned against his locker. “Your aunt will never know.”

  Daily attendance had already been taken and submitted to the front office, so I was technically already accounted for; the school wouldn’t call my aunt. Skipping would give Trent and I a solid two hours together. Like I even had to think about it.

  “Let’s do it.” I grinned.

  “There’s my little delinquent.” He pushed away from the locker and flung his arm around my shoulder.

  “You’re a terrible influence, you know that?” I laughed.

  From the corner of my eye, I caught Jax watching us, and my stomach knotted. Having him around was making everything so much harder, but I couldn’t demand he leave. Keene Valley was as much his home as it was mine.

  Up ahead, Isach stood near his locker, but there was no sign of Abby. I had to at least tell her what I was doing so she wouldn’t freak out.

  “Give me one sec,” I said, then jogged toward Isach before Trent could say anything. “Hey. Can you do me a favor? Can you let Abby know I skipped with Trent?”

  “Sure,” Isach said.

  “Thanks. Oh, and tell her I’ll be back before final bell.” With a wave, I headed toward Trent, who stood in the same spot I’d left him.

  Taking my hand, Trent led me toward the exit. “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “You mean you weren’t listening?” I teased.

  “Okay, you got me.” He grinned. “Abby won’t tell your aunt you ditched school?”

  “No. We can trust her.”

  I climbed into Trent’s truck, and he made the drive to his house in record time. As soon as the truck was parked, he had me out of the cab and in his bedroom in two seconds flat. My head spun, and I clutched his biceps to steady myself, but I’d barely touched him before I found myself sprawled out on his bed.

  “Jeez, Trent.” I groaned. “Stop with all the super speed. You’re going to make me sick.”

  “Sorry.” His smile was anything but apologetic, though. He lowered his mouth to mine, giving me a quick kiss. “We should do this every day,” he said.

  “We can’t skip every day. We won’t graduate.” I laughed.

  Not that he needed to worry about whether he graduated, but I did. Aunt Beth, Uncle Dean, and my father would kill me if I didn’t. And I wanted to accomplish this for me, too, despite all the upheavals I’d faced over the past year.

  Jax’s plea from earlier whispered through my thoughts. Please don’t abandon me. I didn’t want to completely cut him out of my life, but until this bond was broken, that’s exactly what I had do to. Because there was no way I was going to risk what I had with Trent. We’d fought too hard to get here, and I wasn’t going to ruin this.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

  Whatever It Takes

  TRENT GROANED, THEN SLANTED HIS LIPS over mine. I speared my fingers into his hair and held him to me as he deepened the kiss, effectively setting my insides on fire. Then he moved down to my neck.

  I closed my eyes and tilted my head. My heart beat faster with each kiss he placed on my neck. Tingles of delight zinged through me, and my pulse pounded harder. The pressure of his lips on my throat increased, and my eyes snapped open.

  “Trent?” I gasped.

  “Hmm?”

  “What’re you doing?”

  He jerked up and stared down at me. “Kissing you,” he said as if he couldn’t believe I didn’t know what he was doing.

  “Right.” I nodded and licked my suddenly dry lips.

  For a second, it felt like he was going to try to bite me, even though he couldn’t. What would happen if he did try? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to make him feel bad about the situation.

  “I’m scared,” I said on a sharp inhale.

  “Of me?” he asked, shocked.

  “No, of course not.” I shook my head. “I mean everything else. Ivy. The Zoya. Forced to live with this bond for the rest of my life.”

  Trent shifted so he was sitting with his back against the headboard, and I moved to sit beside him. He didn’t reach for me or try to pull me into his arms, and I worried I’d upset him. I hadn’t meant to—I just wanted to be honest with him.

  “Did you talk to Sean?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” Trent dragged his hand through his hair and blew out an agitated breath. “He doesn’t know anything more than what Macaih told us.”

  Disappointment crashed down on me. Part of me had hoped Sean might be able to help, even though, deep down, I knew it had been a long shot.

  “And Macaih?” I asked.

  Trent shook his head. “He’s disappeared. Sean can’t find him.”

  “You know what this means, right?” I asked, fiddling with the corner of his pillowcase.

  “I’m not talking to Ivy,” he said.

  My jaw dropped. “But you said…” I climbed off the bed and crossed my arms. “You said we’d talk to her as a last resort. Well, newsflash, Trent, we’re out of options.”

  He remained on the bed, his expression hard. “No. I refuse to believe that. There has to be another way.”

  “There’s not!” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air.

  Why was he being so stubborn about this? Granted, Ivy couldn’t be trusted, but why lie to us about this? If she really wanted to trap us, there were a lot more effective ways to do so.

  Anger morphed into rage, and I curled my hands into fists. “It’s starting to seem like maybe you don’t want this bond broken,” I said coolly. “Because once it is, there’s going to be no reason not to change me. Maybe you really don’t want me to change, and this is your way of making sure I never do.”

  I didn’t believe that for one second, but there was something stopping him from exhausting every resource to break this bond. I needed to know why he was resisting.

  Trent was off the bed in a flash, his eyes bordering on black as he stood face to face with me. “You think I like knowing that you’re bonded to my brother? That every second of every day I wonder if you’re thinking about hi
m?”

  I lifted my shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. My heart beat a frenzied rhythm, but I stood perfectly still, refusing to back down.

  He took a step closer, putting him toe to toe with me. His face was hard, and his muscles were tense. “And don’t you dare accuse me of not wanting you to change. I asked you to, and you didn’t say yes.”

  Regret and shame slammed into me. If I had just said yes when he’d asked, none of us would be in this situation right now, and we both knew that.

  Trent stared down at me, unflinching, his entire body poised to attack. His emotions played out across his face in a rare display. He was in bloodlust.

  That realization had me taking a small step back. “Then why aren’t you willing to do what needs to be done? Because I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

  “Fine,” he bit out. “You want to talk to Ivy. Let’s go talk to Ivy.” He snatched his keys from where he’d tossed them on the dresser.

  “Now?” I asked, eyes wide.

  “Why not? You still have her address, right?” There was a challenge in his tone. He was fully expecting me to cave and say we should wait. Well, I was fully prepared to show him how wrong he was.

  “Yup.” I marched past him and straight out to his truck.

  The drive to Ivy’s was made in total silence, and I was grateful for the time to collect my thoughts. I knew Trent didn’t want to do this, and part of me felt bad for basically forcing him to come here, but a bigger part of me knew this was the only way he’d ever agree to talk to Ivy. I’d had no choice but to push him.

  He pulled into the driveway of what appeared to be a condemned house. One that was exactly two blocks from my house. I frowned. She was living that close to me?

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” he asked.

  “This is the address she gave me,” I said, unhooking my seat belt and getting out of the truck.

  Trent was right behind me as I walked onto the porch. The door swung open, and I glanced at him, unease twisting my stomach.

  This was our moment of truth—either Ivy was telling the truth and I’d be free of the eternal bond I shared with Jax, or she was lying and I’d lose everything I now wanted.

  “Let’s go,” he said, placing his hand on my lower back.

  Taking a deep breath, I crossed the threshold. The inside of the house looked nothing like the outside; in fact, it looked as though the interior had recently been remodeled. Dark wood paneling lined the walls, blending in with the matching dark, hardwood floors.

  “Hello, Chloe.” Ivy sat on a cream-colored couch, her back ramrod straight, legs crossed primly. “Trent,” she said coolly, barely nodding in his direction. “I was beginning to wonder how long it was going to take you two to show up.”

  Seeing her again sent a wave of fear and disgust barreling through me. I inhaled sharply and flexed the nerves from my fingers, but my palms were sweaty.

  “Ivy,” I said, surprised my voice didn’t crack. “Good to see you again.”

  She cracked a smile, which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “Please, sit.”

  As if I had no control over my body, I drifted toward the high back chair directly across from Ivy. Trent sat on the arm of the chair, and I’d never been more grateful for his presence. Every movement he made exuded safety and protection.

  “What can I do for you two?” she asked sweetly.

  “The eternal bond. You said you could help,” Trent said, his tone hard.

  Ivy laughed softly. “Not one for small talk, huh? Very well.” She smoothed her hands over her skirt and clasped her fingers around her knee. “Yes, I can help.”

  “How?” I asked. Nervous energy buzzed through my veins, and I shifted in the chair.

  “A spell, of course.” Ivy tilted her head, her gaze much too inquisitive.

  “What kind of spell?” Trent asked.

  I suppressed a shiver at how lethal his tone sounded, and I was glad, despite our argument, that I wasn’t on his bad side.

  “A powerful one,” she said, her voice suddenly curt. “It’s a spell that’s not well known because it is so powerful.”

  “Which means it’s dangerous.” Trent stood and crossed his arms. “So, let’s cut to the chase. What’re the consequences, and what do you want in return?”

  Ivy leveled her gaze on me. “Chloe knows what I want.”

  “For me to break the curse.” I sighed. “Yeah, I know. And I—”

  “The spell, Ivy. Give me the details. Now,” Trent said, cutting me off.

  Did he not want me to tell Ivy I’d break the curse as soon as the bond was broken? Why wouldn’t he want her to know that? He must know she’d never agree to do the spell without some form of payment, and if that meant I needed to give her my word, then I’d do it.

  “Everyone we’ve talked to says the bond can’t be broken,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “So, how can you break it?”

  “Like I said, it’s a very old spell, one that’s been wiped from our grimoires.” She uncrossed her legs and inched toward the edge of the couch. “I just happen to know the right people.” She smiled, and my skin crawled.

  Trent sighed with frustration. “What’s the spell?”

  “I’m simply going to transfer the bond.” Ivy sat back.

  “Transfer the bond? What does that mean?” I asked.

  I’d forgotten how exhausting it was trying to talk to her. She’d never just give an answer. I had to constantly ask more and more questions just to get a simple explanation from her.

  “It means I’ll transfer the bond from you and Jax to you and Trent,” Ivy said.

  Hope ignited in my chest, and I stood, unable to sit a moment longer. “So, you’re saying I’d be bonded to Trent?”

  “Precisely.” Ivy nodded.

  Beside me, Trent was still stiff and tense. His gaze hadn’t wavered from Ivy. Why wasn’t he more excited about this? It was literally everything we wanted. I’d be free from the eternal bond with Jax and bonded to Trent instead, which meant he could claim me and change me.

  “What’s the catch?” Trent asked.

  I momentarily closed my eyes, praying Ivy would say there was no catch. But I wasn’t that stupid—there was no way this would be easy. I only hoped it wasn’t impossible.

  “For starters, Chloe swears a blood oath to me that she’ll change and break the curse. Sooner rather than later.” Ivy stood, her silver bracelets jangling with her movements.

  “Not gonna happen.” Trent shook his head. “Chloe will give you her word. Nothing more.”

  I glared at him. Who was he to speak for me like that? And what was a blood oath? Why was he so adamant I not give her one?

  “Unfortunately, Chloe has proven that her word isn’t good enough.” Ivy gave me a very unapologetic smile.

  I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to tell her—again—that I hadn’t been trying to run from her the night she snatched me from the middle of the road. “Is that all?” I asked. “Just a blood oath? What does that entail?”

  “Think of it as an unbreakable contract,” she said.

  “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  Trent whipped around to stare at me, but I kept my attention on Ivy. Swearing a blood oath was my choice, not his, and he’d have to deal with my decision.

  “For the bond to be transferred, I’ll have to link the two of you.” She walked toward the window, then turned back to face us. “For as long as you’re mortal, Trent’s immortal life will be tied to yours.”

  That didn’t sound so bad.

  “Keep going,” Trent said. He reached for my hand, and I entwined my fingers with his.

  “For as long as you’re linked, whatever happens to Chloe will happen to you. If she dies, you die,” Ivy said.

  “So, that’s it?” Trent asked, skepticism ringing in his words. “Chloe swears a blood oath that she’ll break the curse, you link us and transfer the bond?”

  I zoned out, my thoughts racing. Something about this
didn’t sit right in my brain. If Trent and I were linked, that meant… When he changed me, I had to be brought to the brink of death. He’d drink from me until my heart slowed, which meant his heart would slow, too. He’d have to almost die just to change me. And if he were almost dead, how would he be able to finish the transformation?

  Horror struck me hard. Panic, disappointment, anger, and grief knotted in my chest and squeezed the breath from my lungs. Ivy couldn’t help me. Not really.

  “Yes, that’s it,” Ivy said, and I snapped my attention back to the conversation they were having. “The eternal bond she shares with your brother will be gone, and there will be nothing standing in the way of you two having the life you want.”

  “Do it,” Trent said.

  I gasped. “No.” Yanking my hand from his, I shook my head. Then I raced out of the house.

  “Chloe!” Trent was right behind me, and then he was in front of me, hands on my shoulders. “Why did you say no?”

  “You heard her,” I said, pointing at the house. “You have to be linked to me. Do you realize what that means?” I stared at him, waiting for him to make the same connection I had.

  “It means you’ll be bonded to me. That I can finally claim you and change you. Isn’t that what you want?” he asked, hurt lacing his words.

  “Yes, but not like this.” I moved away from him. “There are Zoya in this town who want to kill me.” I hugged myself, the weight of everything I had to deal with closing in on me. “What if one of them succeeds? You’ll die, too.”

  “Do you really think I’d want to continue to live if you’re dead?” He closed the distance between us. “You’re my reason for existing, Chloe, and if this is the risk I have to take to make sure we can be together, then I’m willing to take it.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not.” I took a few more steps away from him. “Think about this, Trent. I have to almost die to change, which means you will, too.”

  He blinked, his eyes widening with understanding. Lacing his hands on top of his head, he paced away from me.

  I sucked in a breath and hesitantly approached him. “I’m sorry,” I said, placing my hand on his back.