Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  He sighed. “I always want to be looking at you and kissing you and touching you,” he said. “Guess I’m just having a harder time controlling myself today.”

  He grinned, and my heart fluttered. “For the record, I’m not complaining,” I said.

  “Yeah? Because it sounded like you were complaining,” he teased.

  “Never,” I said dramatically and rose up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss.

  He met my lips, his mouth demanding and hungry. “You’d better get to class before I convince you to skip the rest of the afternoon.”

  Now that was a tempting idea. I hadn’t been able to spend the night with him since last weekend. Aunt Beth had become even stricter about letting me and Abby out of the house during the week, so I was now limited to weekends-only with Trent. Which really wasn’t fair considering we were engaged now, and I was an adult.

  Still, I didn’t want to cause trouble with Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean, nor did I want to seem ungrateful for all they’d done for me. So, I silently but begrudgingly followed their rules.

  “See you after class,” Trent said and reluctantly released me.

  I waved to him over my shoulder as I walked into the classroom. Isach was already in his seat, and I claimed the desk next to him. “Hey, so, I need to talk to you about something,” I said.

  He groaned. “Every time you say that, I end doing something I shouldn’t.”

  “Not this time. Promise.” I scooted my desk closer to his. “Have you been talking to Ivy?”

  “No. Why?”

  “You haven’t been giving her updates about me or what’s going on around here?”

  “No,” he repeated. “Why?” He furrowed his brows. “If she wants to know what’s going on, she knows where to find you. She doesn’t need me to be her little messenger boy.”

  I frowned. Why was he in such a bad mood? He and Abby had managed to work things out and were sort of back together. Abby was still a little leery, but she was giving him a chance. He should be happy about that.

  “I think someone’s watching me,” I whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “I saw this girl earlier. About my height. Bleach blonde hair. Red glasses. At first, I thought she might just be a new student, but no one has… Isach?”

  His face was pale, and his eyes were wide. He stared straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I’d been talking to him.

  “What is it?” I asked, fear clutching my chest.

  “As soon as class is over, find Trent and stay with him. I’ll meet you.” He scooped his books off his desk and rushed out of the room.

  I stared after him, stunned. What was that all about? I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing. He obviously knew who I was talking about, and based on his reaction, I could only assume she wasn’t friendly, which meant she was probably a Zoya. How had they found out about me? Isach hadn’t told them; I was positive of that. Unless…

  When Isach first showed up, he’d been sent here to mess with me just to cause Trent pain. Could that be what’s happening now, too? Had the Zoya sent this girl here to mess with my and Trent’s happiness? Our impending wedding wasn’t exactly a secret in town. It’s very possible the Zoya knew about it and were now here to mess things up.

  I folded my arms on the desk and rested my head on my arms. My stomach twisted. On top of everything else, I couldn’t handle the Zoya playing games with my mind. They liked to make me see things that weren’t real, and I had no way of stopping them.

  Last time, I’d seen some awful things—dead bodies, my mother’s ashes spilled all over my bedroom floor, Trent killing Abby. I couldn’t imagine what they’d try to make me see this time. Or what they’d do to Trent.

  As soon as class was over, I did exactly as Isach said and found Trent. He was at my locker, already talking to Isach, who was scowling. Trent was livid, though, his eyes dark, jaw clenched. This wasn’t good. I approached slowly.

  “We’re leaving,” Trent said.

  “What? Why?” I glanced at Isach. “What’s going on? Who is that girl?”

  Isach glanced around nervously. “I can’t tell you yet. Not here.” He looked around again. If Isach was that freaked out, then this really wasn’t good at all.

  “We need to get out of here, Chloe.” Trent took my hand.

  “No.” I jerked my hand from his and crossed my arms.

  Trent and Isach turned to look at me, the same shock written across their faces. “No?” Trent asked slowly.

  “I have detention with Mr. Gordon today. If I miss that, I’ll be kicked out of the class, and if that happens, I won’t graduate,” I said, my voice bordering on a whine.

  Admitting that was hard, mostly because it was a dumb class, and Mr. Gordon was a jerk, but I had to do what Principal Donavan said.

  “Your life is at risk, Chloe,” Trent whispered harshly.

  “I’ll deal with Mr. Gordon,” Isach said, dragging his hand through his hair. “I can make him think you’re there. He’ll never know the difference.”

  My jaw dropped. I knew firsthand how it felt to have a Zoya mess with your mind, and I didn’t want to subject anyone else to that. Then again, Isach wasn’t going to make Mr. Gordon see his worst nightmares, so maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible.

  Finally, I nodded. “Okay.”

  Trent let out a huge sigh of relief and once again took my hand into his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re going to explain later, Isach,” Trent warned.

  “I will,” he promised.

  “Can you let Abby know I skipped with Trent? She’ll just think I took off to be alone with him.”

  Though, if Isach wanted to tell her the truth, he could. Not that I wanted her involved in any of this—whatever this was.

  “Sure,” Isach said. “Now go.”

  I was positive Trent had me at his truck before Isach got the words out of his mouth. I clutched his arms to steady myself, and then I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled my seat belt. Trent sped out of the parking lot.

  “Okay, what’s going on? Did Isach tell you anything?” I asked.

  “No.” Trent’s tone was clipped. “He said she wasn’t a Zoya, but that’s all he’d tell me.”

  A small sense of relief settled over me. “That’s good, right? Her not being a Zoya?”

  “Isach doesn’t think so.”

  Dread crashed hard in my chest. “You’re telling me there’s something out there even worse than a Zoya?” I slouched in the seat and stared out the window.

  Who—or what—could she possibly be? And what did she want with me?

  “Depends on what you think is worse,” he said, suddenly very calm. “You used to think vampires were the worst thing ever, remember?” He winked and then reached for my hand.

  I had no idea how he could be joking right now, but I was grateful for the momentary reprieve. He always knew how to distract me and calm my crazy thoughts. I unhooked my seat belt and scooted across the seat when a flash of nearly white hair caught my eye.

  Trent slammed on the brakes so hard the truck lurched forward.

  I screamed.

  CHAPTER TWELVE:

  Felicity Baines

  A SHARP, INTENSE ACHE RADIATED FROM my chest and across my ribs. I attempted to move, and the pain intensified.

  Everything was dark, but familiar scents and sounds slowly came into focus around me—the beep of a heart monitor, the periodic hiss of a blood pressure cuff, the steady drip of an IV, the smell of disinfectant and hospital cleaners, and the muted voices of people trying to have a conversation.

  I blinked my eyes open and groaned. My temples throbbed. God, I really hated hospitals. I once again attempted to sit up. Every bone and muscle in my body screamed in protest. Whimpering, tears filled my eyes.

  “Don’t try to sit up,” Trent said.

  Suddenly, the events that led to me being here crashed over me. Leaving school because some girl was watching me. Driving to Trent’s house. The girl in th
e middle of the road. The truck lurching forward. I hadn’t been buckled. Did I go through the windshield?

  “No, but you would have if Trent hadn’t stopped you,” Whitney said from where she sat near the window. The blinds were closed, shrouding the room in semi-darkness. Colt and Karina stood next to her.

  “Get out of my head,” I grumbled. My throat was dry and scratchy. “What happened?”

  “You don’t remember?” Trent asked. He stood near the door. Why was he all the way over there?

  “I remember the accident. What happened after?” I winced. Talking hurt. So did breathing.

  “I broke a couple of your ribs when I stopped you from going through the windshield. I’m so sorry, Chloe.” His voice cracked.

  “Don’t be. I’m sure it would have been a lot worse if you hadn’t,” I said, and then another, more horrifying thought struck me.

  Trent and I were linked. My eyes widened. Ivy said that his immortal life was linked to mine, that what happened to me would happen to him. Had he been injured, too?

  “Are you okay?” I asked, unable to hide the terror from my voice.

  I held my hand out to him, and after what felt like an eternity, he approached. Taking my hand, he kissed my palm, then my wrist; each time his lips touched my skin was gentle, as if he were afraid to hurt me again.

  “I’m okay,” he said, smiling sadly. “I felt your pain, but I wasn’t physically hurt.”

  Sighing with relief, I closed my eyes for a moment. I hated that he’d felt the same intense pain I had, but I was incredibly grateful that he wasn’t injured. “Where is everyone?” I asked, forcing my eyes open again.

  Surely, if Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean knew I’d been in an accident, they’d be here. So would Abby.

  “Isach took Abby to the cafeteria to get some food. She hasn’t stopped crying since she saw you. Your aunt and uncle are talking to the billing office,” Trent explained. He caressed my knuckles.

  “So, what happened? Who is that girl, and why was she suddenly standing in the middle of the road?” I took a deep breath, and fresh pain filled my chest.

  Trent grimaced, the action so subtle if I hadn’t been watching him, I wouldn’t have even noticed.

  “She was after you,” Whitney said and stood. “Isach still hasn’t told us why, though, and I’m ready to beat it out of him.”

  My eyebrows shot up. I’d never heard Whitney get angry before. Nor had she ever shown any violent tendencies. Granted, she was a vampire, and that meant she was inherently dangerous, but normally, she was so calm and happy.

  Trent shot her a warning look. “He’s willing to tell us, but we wanted to make sure you were going to be okay first.” Hesitantly, Trent sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

  I wanted to move over so he’d have more room, but even the slightest movement hurt.

  The door opened, and Isach and Abby walked in. Abby’s gaze landed on me, and her eyes widened. She rushed to my bedside, but Trent didn’t budge, so she couldn’t get too close. Good thing because she’d probably try to hug me and just thinking about that caused a fresh wave of pain.

  “Chloe! You’re awake. Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you remember anything?” Abby fired questions at me so fast my head spun.

  “I’m sore, and it hurts to move, but I’m okay. Groggy. But yeah, I remember everything,” I said, swallowing against the dryness in my throat. “I need some water.”

  Abby thrust a bottle of water toward me. “Take mine.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled and took the bottle, but twisting off the top proved difficult.

  Trent took the bottle from me, opened it, and then placed it near my lips. I took a small sip, letting the cool liquid soothe the burn in my throat.

  “I am so sorry, Chloe,” Isach said. “If I had known she was going to follow you…”

  “Who is she?” I asked, surprised with how strong my voice sounded.

  Other than the broken ribs and a massive headache, I didn’t feel that bad. There weren’t any bandages on me, so I had to assume I didn’t suffer any cuts.

  “Her name is Felicity Baines,” Isach said. “And she’s—”

  “Oh, good. Our patient is awake.” A nurse walked in and smiled, effectively cutting off Isach. “How are you feeling?” She moved around the bed to check the machines.

  Trent stood, but he didn’t move too far away.

  “My ribs are killing me, and it hurts to move or take a deep breath,” I said.

  “Well, that’s to be expected.” She pressed buttons on the heart monitor machine, then patted my shoulder. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake. She’ll explain everything. In the meantime, is there anything I can get for you?”

  “No, thank you.” I shook my head. When she left, I turned my gaze back on Isach. “She’s what?”

  Now that everyone knew I was going to be fine, he was going to tell us what he knew about this girl, and most importantly, he was going to tell me why she’d tried to kill me.

  “Felicity is a rogue witch,” Isach said.

  “What’s a rogue witch?” Abby asked.

  She moved to stand beside him, her hand seeking his. I couldn’t help but smile at how she’d so easily accepted what he was, how she wanted to comfort him despite everything. Maybe they really would be okay.

  “It’s a witch who has either willingly left their coven or betrayed their coven.” He hung his head, and my heart splintered. Isach had already betrayed his coven, and soon, he’d be leaving them.

  “Wait… that means…” I said.

  Isach nodded. “Technically, I’m a rogue witch, too. When a witch betrays their coven, they’re cast out, and their magic slowly begins to eat away at them. They go crazy.”

  Both Abby and I gasped.

  “Isach, why didn’t you tell me any of this?” I asked.

  If he had, I never would’ve asked him to help me. Then again, he’d betrayed his coven the moment he agreed to help Trent rescue me, and I hadn’t had anything to do with that.

  Isach took Abby’s hand and gave her a sad smile. “My coven doesn’t know I’ve betrayed them. Yet. So, I haven’t been cast out, and it won’t matter anyway. If I join Ivy’s coven—”

  “If?” Abby said, her voice a tad too loud. “Isach, you have to.”

  But he didn’t, not if he and Abby chose to become vampires. I kept that to myself, though. Isach could explain that to her later.

  “Chloe, my favorite patient.” Dr. Mattias entered the room, smiling.

  My heart leapt when I saw her, and I really wanted to give her a hug, but I was not going to try to move again.

  “Doctor Mattias,” I said. I didn’t think I’d ever see her again. Excitement and gratitude welled up inside of me. “I’m glad to see you, but I wish I didn’t have to.”

  She chuckled. “Yes, a visit from me isn’t exactly a good thing, is it?”

  “Wait, how do you two know each other?” Abby asked, her tone full of confusion.

  Shoot. I’d never told Abby about how I’d almost died.

  “Oh, um, this past summer, my appendix ruptured, and Dr. Mattias removed it for me.” I waved my hand dismissively, not really wanting to get into all the details right now. “I’ll tell you about it later. Promise.”

  Seemingly satisfied, Abby shrugged.

  Dr. Mattias checked my chart, then glanced up at me. “So, you’ve got a couple broken ribs, but they didn’t puncture your lungs or damage any of your internal organs. You were very lucky.” Her gaze darted to Trent, and that was all I needed to see to know he’d told her the truth of what had happened.

  Trent, however, refused to meet her gaze. I imagined he was beating himself up over what he’d done, how he’d hurt me, but if he hadn’t, I could easily be dead right now. I mean, how many people survived being ejected through the windshield of a vehicle?

  Not to mention, Trent saving me saved himself, too, because if I died, so did he. The realization of that settled over me like a weighted blanket, a
nd I fought against the tears threatening to erupt.

  When we’d taken Ivy’s deal to transfer the bond and link us, we’d known something like this happening was a very real possibility, and Trent had promised not to let anything happen to me. And he hadn’t. Yet, we’d still both managed to get hurt. What happened next time someone tried to kill me?

  “You’re going to need to rest,” Doctor Mattias said. “No sports or heavy lifting or strenuous activity for at least six weeks.” She gave me a stern look.

  Six weeks? I had a wedding to plan and finals to study for. “Can I still go to school?” I asked.

  Doctor Mattias nodded. “Yes, but don’t overdo it. Use cold compresses to help with the swelling and take aspirin for the pain. The only thing that will heal you is time.” She patted my shoulder, then turned her attention to everyone else in the room. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I need a moment alone with my patient.” Her tone left no room for argument.

  Isach and Abby left first, followed by Whitney, Colt, and Karina. Trent leaned down and kissed my forehead. Then he left, too, closing the door behind him.

  “Okay, time to get real.” Doctor Mattias crossed her arms. “Trent filled me in on what’s going on. It’s always helpful for me to know so I can be prepared to help out as needed. In a medical capacity, of course.”

  “Right.” I nodded.

  After all, she was the woman supernatural beings called when they needed medical attention. That was still so bizarre to me, but I wasn’t going to dwell on it too much. She’d saved my life, and I owed her.

  “Trent asked me if I’d be your doctor once you became pregnant. He’s worried a normal doctor wouldn’t understand and that it would cause more problems. I agreed, but I told him I’d only do so if you were okay with it, too.”

  “Yes,” I blurted. “Of course. I’d love for you to be my doctor.”

  I honestly hadn’t considered what I was going to do about prenatal care, but Trent had been right to ask Doctor Mattias—she was the perfect choice. And if he’d already asked her, that must mean he was leaning in favor of having a baby. That was good, right? After today, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  “Great.” She smiled broadly. “You both know how to reach me, so whenever you’re ready.”