Eternal Love: (The Cursed Series, Book 4)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  “Then lie to her.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “The more she knows about us, the more dangerous it is for you.”

  I sighed. “She already knows too much. I saw her with Macaih.”

  Trent whipped around, eyes wide. “Macaih?”

  I nodded. “They’re together, I think. Like you and me are together,” I said, hoping he’d get what I was saying so I wouldn’t have to spell it out.

  “That’s impossible.” He shook his head. “Macaih can’t stand witches. He’d never betray us like that.”

  “It makes sense,” I said carefully, not wanting to upset him anymore. “Think about it. She knows things she shouldn’t. She knew about the bond.”

  And that we want to have a baby. Something we’d only ever talked about in private. If I was going to tell him about that, now was the time. I stood, legs shaky. He was already agitated, and I didn’t want to make it worse, so I decided to tell him about that later.

  “She has a solution,” I said and approached Trent.

  “What?” he asked.

  I explained most of my conversation with Ivy, leaving out any mention of her sweetening the deal, and when I finished, silence settled between us. I shifted on my feet, unable to handle the quiet. What was Trent thinking? Was he excited? Mad? Fearful? God, why wasn’t he saying anything? Frustration built in my chest.

  “So that means…” he said, then stopped, his expression unreadable.

  “Yes. She can transfer the bond, you can change me, and she’ll unlink us so you don’t have to almost die,” I said.

  “Then what are we still doing here?” He grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”

  “Trent. Stop.” I jerked my hand from his.

  He stared at me with disbelief followed by understanding. “You still don’t want to do it, do you?”

  There was a world of hurt in his tone, and I wanted to smack myself for making him feel that way.

  “I didn’t say that.” I cleared my throat. “I just think we need to be careful. Neither of us trust her, remember? What if she’s lying? Or what if this is some sort of trick?”

  “Right.” Trent nodded and stepped around me. He paced near the bed. “But as you so easily pointed out before, Ivy is our last resort. Do we really have a choice but to trust her?”

  I frowned. Of course he’d toss my own words back at me. When I’d insisted Ivy was our only hope, I hadn’t imagined this was how she’d be able to help us. There was still so much that could go wrong.

  “What if her timing is off?” I asked, my voice trembling. “What if she can’t really do it? Or what if you change me and something happens and you die? The only reason I’m doing any of this is so I can be with you, because I love you, and if you’re not—”

  “Hey, stop,” he said softly, cradling my face in his hands. He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs, the touch tender and soothing. “I know this is dangerous, and believe me, I don’t trust Ivy, but what if she can do everything she says?”

  My shoulders slumped. That was an awful big if. And really, when had anything ever worked out in our favor? Why should I believe it would this time?

  If this went wrong, I’d lose everything. Trent. My future with him. Possibly my life. I’d be completely and irreparably shattered. There would be no putting the pieces back together and starting over.

  I’d already done that so many times in my life. I wasn’t strong enough to do it again, especially if I lost the one person in the world who meant the most to me. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from crying.

  “Talk to me, Chloe,” he whispered, his gaze concerned. “Tell me what you want to do here, because if I had my way, we’d already be at Ivy’s.”

  “I want a second opinion,” I said.

  “A second opinion?”

  I nodded. “I want to tell Isach everything and see what he says. Maybe he’ll be able to tell us if any of this is even possible or if Ivy is lying. Maybe he’ll know what spell she’s talking about, and he could do it. Because I trust him a lot more than I trust her.”

  Smiling faintly, Trent kissed my forehead. Then he crossed the room, opened the door, and shouted for Isach.

  A moment later, Isach walked into the room. “You summoned me?”

  I rolled my eyes. Jax was right—witches really were so dramatic.

  “Yeah, we need to talk.” Trent swung the door shut. He glanced at me and nodded.

  I took a deep breath, then launched into an explanation of everything that happened—the bond with Jax, how it prevented anyone but him from biting me, how I wanted to change so I could spend eternity with Trent, how Ivy said she could transfer the bond and link us, and finally, how Ivy suggested unlinking us during the transformation.

  When I finished, I sank down onto the bed, exhausted. How many more times was I going to have to tell this story? I really just wanted it over. I wanted to be with Trent, free from all these problems.

  “So?” Trent leaned against the door, arms crossed. “Is Ivy telling us the truth? Can she really do all of that?”

  “Yes,” Isach said without hesitation. “If she has the right spell, she can do it. But I have to question where she got it from when she claims it was stripped from their grimoires. Who, exactly, does she know that would give her such a powerful and unknown spell?”

  “I don’t care,” I said, surprising myself with how firm my tone was. “I just need to know if she can actually do it.”

  “Yeah, she can,” Isach said with a nod.

  “Can you?” I asked. “If you had the spell, could you do it?”

  “No.” He frowned. “I deal in a different type of magic than Ivy does. She’s much more elemental, meaning she deals with nature and the natural order of things. It’s why she’s constantly rambling about balance.” He waved his hand dismissively. “What she’s planning to do for you two”—Isach’s gaze darted between me and Trent—“is tied directly to your lives. Life and death are two very natural occurrences in the world, so she can alter them with the right type of spell.”

  I nodded along as if I completely understood everything he was saying, but I didn’t. Not really. I was too focused on the fact that Ivy had been telling us the truth. I was one step closer to having everything I wanted.

  “And there aren’t any hidden consequences?” Trent asked.

  Isach blew out a breath and dragged his hand through his hair. “Not that I know of, but it’s hard to say without seeing the spell.”

  “Would you go with us?” I asked and immediately wished I hadn’t.

  I’d promised myself I wasn’t going to ask Isach for anymore help. Asking for his opinion on this was one thing. Asking him to meet Ivy face to face was something else entirely. Besides, if I showed up with Isach in tow, Ivy would think I’d brought him as payment for her helping me have a baby with Trent.

  “Never mind,” I said. “Forget I asked. You’ve done enough already.”

  Trent gave me a strange look, but I ignored him.

  “Look, you want my opinion?” Isach pinned me with a knowing stare. “Ivy has been trying to find a way to break this curse since the moment it was placed on Sean. She’s finally close to getting what she wants. She isn’t going to screw that up by trying to trick you. She knows the fallout would be a million times worse than just giving you what you want.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  A massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders, replaced with a sense of relief. I still didn’t trust Ivy, but I felt a little better knowing Isach confirmed the spell was possible.

  “And I meant what I said before. I don’t know about any of this. I’m going to pretend we didn’t have this conversation,” Isach said, holding up his hands as if that would absolve him of any knowledge of what I was planning to do.

  “Thanks, Isach,” Trent said.

  With a nod, Isach left.

  Trent turned to me. “Well? Now what?”

  I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Now, we go see Ivy.”

/>   CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:

  The Hike

  DESPITE KNOWING IVY COULD DO EVERYTHING she said she could, Trent and I agreed to wait to go see her. Not because we were having second thoughts but because he wanted to focus on Saturday—on our first real date—without having this interfere.

  Not to mention, we needed to tell Sean about Macaih and how he’d been working with Ivy. Who knew what their alliance meant or how it would affect things. But today was all about me and Trent and nothing else. Tomorrow, we’d talk to Sean, then go see Ivy.

  As promised, on Saturday morning at exactly nine o’clock, Trent knocked on the front door. Aunt Beth hurried to let him in before I even made it past the living room.

  “Good morning,” she said. Her usual chipper tone was missing. She was feeling better but still not back to her old self.

  “Morning, Mrs. Benson,” Trent said, and the mere sound of his voice sent a shiver down my back.

  “Come on in. Chloe should be down any second,” Aunt Beth said.

  A moment later, I heard the door close. “I’m right here,” I said,

  Last night, Trent had texted to tell me to wear jeans, a sweater, and comfortable walking shoes. While I still didn’t know for sure what he had planned, I had a sinking suspicion it involved a certain waterfall.

  So, I’d dressed in my favorite pair of jeans, a Black Veil Brides T-shirt beneath my favorite hoodie—it was my mother’s old college sweatshirt—and sneakers. I’d braided my hair so it wouldn’t be in my face, then draped it over my shoulder, effectively hiding the bite mark on my neck.

  I held out my arms. “Is this suitable?” I asked and spun around in front of him.

  “It’s perfect,” he said, an undercurrent of humor in his tone. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded. “I think so. Should I grab my coat?”

  “No, you won’t need it.” Trent shook his head.

  “Okay, then I guess I’m ready.” I turned to Aunt Beth. “Thank you for letting me go today. I have my phone with me, and I’ll check in later.”

  Aunt Beth smiled, her eyes sparkling. “Have fun.” She winked at Trent. “And don’t forget to call me as soon as you get to Ellie’s.”

  “Thanks. I will. Make sure you rest today, okay?” I gave her a quick hug, and then Trent led me outside, calling a goodbye to Aunt Beth over his shoulder. Excitement swelled in me. I had the entire day with Trent.

  He opened the passenger door for me, and I climbed in. Grabbing my seat belt before I could, he yanked it across my body, dropping a quick kiss on my lips as he fastened the seat belt.

  “You look beautiful. As always,” he said.

  “You don’t look too bad, either,” I said, my gaze roaming down the length of his body.

  He wore jeans and sneakers, too. The edges of a white T-shirt peeked out from the neck of his black sweater. He looked good in black; it accentuated his paler complexion in a natural way.

  With a smile, he walked around the front of the truck, then climbed in behind the wheel. “I packed everything we’ll need for the day.”

  “And what’re we doing today?” I asked.

  “You’ll see.” He pulled out of the driveway.

  Our first stop was at the local coffee shop. “I probably should have told you… I don’t like coffee,” I said.

  He laughed. “Don’t worry. They serve a lot more than coffee.” He parked, and I wasted no time getting out of the truck. Trent took my hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Figured we’d grab something to eat before we get started. You’re going to need it.”

  I pretended to scowl, but secretly, I was kind of thrilled with how secretive he was being. Trent’s surprises were always amazing. I really wanted to do something equally as amazing for him, not because I wanted to “pay him back”—which I did—but because I loved him, and I wanted to show him how much, to make him as happy as he made me.

  We walked into the coffee shop, and I was hit with the smell of various coffee blends, fresh baked pastries, and bacon. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Even though I couldn’t stand the taste of coffee, I loved the smell of it.

  The mixture of bacon and coffee reminded me of Mom and how she’d get up early on Sundays to make breakfast. She said it was so we’d be so full, all we’d want to do is lounge on the couch and watch movies. A foolproof method to prevent us from ever getting the idea to do something else on a Sunday.

  “You all right?” Trent asked.

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “I was just thinking about my mom. She loved coffee.”

  Trent and I got in line behind a handful of other people, and I took the opportunity to look around. A bar with stools lined the length of the windows, allowing people to sit and look out at the parking lot. Sunlight streamed through the windows, brightening the small space.

  When we were up next in line, Trent nodded for me to go first. I ordered a strawberry yogurt smoothie and a banana nut muffin. Trent ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and a large, black coffee. After paying, we found a couple empty seats and claimed them.

  “So, you’re a coffee drinker, huh?” I asked.

  “Sometimes.” He shrugged. “I can’t believe you don’t drink coffee.”

  I laughed. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, genuinely stumped. “Seems like everyone does nowadays. Do you like tea?”

  “Only iced tea, and it has to be sweetened.”

  “You like sweet stuff. Got it.” He nodded, and then stood to gather our food when the barista called our names. Returning a second later, he placed my muffin and smoothie in front of me.

  “Are we eating here?” I asked.

  “Yes. It would be rather impossible to eat while doing what I have planned. And we don’t have to drive very far.” He unwrapped his sandwich and took a large bite.

  We ate in silence for a few moments, and my mind raced with what he could have planned. I’d been so sure we were going to hike to the top of the falls, but now I wasn’t so sure. Granted, hiking while eating would be difficult but not impossible.

  I finished every last crumb of my muffin—it was so good—and so was the smoothie. I threw away my trash and stretched. Sleep had been elusive last night; I’d been too curious and excited about today.

  “Are there bathrooms where we’re going?” I asked.

  “Nope.” Trent gathered his trash and tossed it away. “So, you’d better go now if you need to.”

  “All right.” I quickly did my business and washed my hands, and when I walked out of the bathroom, Trent was waiting. Once again, he took my hand and laced our fingers. “I really like when you do that,” I said.

  “Do what?”

  “Hold my hand. Every time we go somewhere, you always hold my hand. I like it.”

  He smiled down at me. “It’s much harder to lose you when I’m holding on.”

  I laughed. “I’m not a toddler who’s going to wander off.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He frowned.

  I nudged him with my hip. “I’m teasing.”

  He held open the door, and I stepped outside. Before I could even take a breath, he shoved me behind him, and his body was stiff. What the heck?

  “Good morning, Trenton,” Ivy said. She leaned around him to get a peek at me. “And Chloe.” She smiled.

  Cautiously, I moved to stand beside Trent, and he squeezed my hand as if he were ready to drag me away at any second. If he was this on edge around her now, how would he ever be in her presence long enough to let her do the spell?

  “Morning, Ivy,” I said, trying to calm the situation. “I’m surprised to see you here.” I wasn’t, but she didn’t need to know that.

  “I’ve heard this is the best place in town to get coffee,” she said, nodding at the door that we were currently blocking. “I assume you told him about our chat the other day?” Ivy’s gaze settled on me.

  “Yes, I told him,” I said, praying Ivy didn’t say anything about the baby offer.

  “Lovely.
” Ivy smiled. “And what have you two decided?”

  “We’re still discussing it,” Trent said, his tone firm.

  Why had he said that? As far as I knew, we’d already decided. Had he changed his mind? Was he having second thoughts?

  “We’ll be in touch soon, though,” Trent said.

  And then he ushered me toward his truck, his gaze never leaving Ivy as she watched us walk away. Part of me wanted to shout at her that she was going to get what she wanted so she could stop following us, but I kept my mouth shut. Here and now wasn’t the time or place.

  Once again, we were back in Trent’s truck and headed down Route 73.

  “Why did you tell her we were still discussing it?” I asked.

  “Because the second she knows we’re accepting her offer, she’s going to demand it happen immediately, and we have plans today.” He flashed me a bright smile.

  Relief settled over me. He hadn’t changed his mind; he was simply preserving our day together. Trent slowed and turned toward Roaring Brook Falls.

  A huge smile spread across my face. “I knew it,” I said, bouncing in my seat. “We’re hiking to the top, aren’t we?”

  “Yes,” he said around a laugh. “I have a few other things planned, too, but we’re starting with the hike to the top.” He hopped out and stopped at the tailgate.

  By the time I got out, he had a backpack slung over his back.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I nodded, and together, we started the trek to the top of the waterfall. I’d expected an actual hike up the mountain, but there was a well-worn path that led to the top, and the entire walk took less than an hour. Well, that was slightly disappointing.

  The view, however, wasn’t. I stepped off the path and onto a large rock formation. The sound of rushing water echoed around me, and I stared down the length of the waterfall.

  “Oh, wow,” I breathed out in awe.

  The air up here was crisp and fresh and slightly cool. I was glad I’d worn a sweater. Trees stretched farther than I could see, the leaves a veritable rainbow of colors unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

  Trent stood behind me, slid his arms around my stomach, and rested his chin on my shoulder. “What do you think?”