“He should understand. He claimed Karina,” I said.
Trent frowned, but he didn’t say anything about that. Instead, he said, “I’ve been very clear with Colton that there’s nothing he can say that will ever make me change my mind about you.”
“Has he tried?” I asked, my sadness morphing into anger. While I’d suspected Colt was trying to convince Trent to end things with me, to know I was right was a kick in the teeth with a steel-toed boot.
His response was a small nod.
Angry, I stood and hastily wiped tears from my face. “So, now I’m coming between you and Colt, too? Clearly, I’m the problem here. Maybe I should just go.”
“No,” Trent said firmly. He stood and took my face into his hands, his gaze soft and loving. “Colt might be very opinionated, but he’s also extremely compassionate. When I told him I was head over heels in love with you and that I wasn’t going to ever leave you, he backed off.” Trent moved his hands to rest on my shoulders. “He’s still worried something could happen with Jax, but Colt agreed to leave it alone.”
“Yeah, right.” I snorted. “Is all that stuff he said earlier his idea of backing off?”
“I’ll talk to him again.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t need to give him any more reason to hate me. I’ll figure something out.” Even if that meant I had to avoid him as much as possible. I’d done that with Jax, so I could do it with Colt, too.
“I have seen you go head to head with Jax more than once, and you always put him in his place.” Trent smirked, his eyes twinkling as if he were proud of me. “Do the same with Colt. Show him he can’t push you around.”
“Okay,” I said, exhaustion and defeat battling for dominance.
Trent dragged his hands up and cradled either side of my neck, his thumb rubbing across the bite mark. Heated desire whipped through me. I whimpered involuntarily and leaned closer. It wasn’t fair how all he had to do was touch the mark and I was ready to do whatever he demanded.
“I’m scared Colt’s going to eventually say something that will convince you to leave me,” I whispered.
“Never.” Trent’s tone was vehement, and he applied a little more pressure to the bite mark before tilting my head and placing his lips where his thumb had just been.
I gripped his arms and held on as he teased my neck with fiery kisses. My eyes fluttered closed, and I moaned softly. I missed everything about being with Trent, but I missed this the most, the passion he could never seem to contain whenever he touched me or kissed me. The borderline desperation that fueled him.
“It’s you and me, Chloe. Together. For eternity,” he promised a second before his mouth found mine.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and next thing I knew, he had me pinned against the door, his kiss greedy and dominant. “Trent,” I gasped. “We can’t. Abby’s waiting for me.”
He groaned and dropped his head to my shoulder, his breaths heavy. “Tell your aunt you’re staying with Whitney this weekend,” he said, lifting his head to peer into my eyes. “Then you and me will drive up to the cabin and spend the weekend. Just the two of us.”
“Seriously?” I asked a little too enthusiastically.
Laughing, he nodded. “Seriously. You’re right. We haven’t really spent much time together lately, and I miss having you all to myself.” He trailed the back of his hand down my face in a familiar and comforting gesture. “I’ll make sure Colt and Jax know I’ll be busy this weekend.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
He nipped at my bottom lip before giving me a quick kiss. Then he reached around me to open the door. “You’d better go before I do something that will keep you here,” he said, his voice dark and seductive.
Stepping out of his room, I glanced over my shoulder. “Love you,” I said.
His eyes darkened, and his gaze lingered like a heated caress. “Love you more,” he said with a teasing grin.
I forced myself to walk away, knowing if I responded, we’d end up right back in his room with the door locked. As much as I wanted to do that, I needed to get home so Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean wouldn’t get upset. I also needed to make sure Abby was okay.
“Hey, ready to go?” I asked Abby.
She was sitting in the living room with Whitney, the two of them huddled on the couch, whispering. “Yeah,” Abby said and stood. “Thanks, Whitney.”
We walked out to the car. “What did Whitney want to talk to you about?” I asked as I climbed in and started the engine.
“She just wanted to make sure I was okay. She told me not to give up on Isach.” Abby hooked her seat belt. “What did Trent want? To sneak in a quick make out session?”
“No.” I laughed. “Well, not really. I mean, we did kind of make out, but he wanted to talk to me about Colt.” I backed out of the driveway and headed toward home.
Abby scrunched up her face. “I don’t know what it is about him, but he kinda weirds me out. It’s like he doesn’t like anyone but Jax and Trent. It’s bizarre.”
“Right? Trent basically confirmed that Colt doesn’t like me, which is whatever. But I’m worried it’s going to cause problems between me and Trent.”
“No way.” Abby shook her head. “Nothing will ever come between you and Trent. You guys are too solid.”
I only hoped she was right. Maybe this weekend away was exactly what we needed to reconnect and solidify whatever crack was in our relationship, because I was not giving up on Trent. I didn’t care what Colt said or did. Nothing and no one would stand in my way of an eternity with Trent.
CHAPTER TWENTY:
Cryptic
“HOW WAS SCHOOL?” AUNT BETH ASKED over dinner later that night.
Momentary fear whipped through me. Did she know we’d ditched school today? I sliced a look at Abby, but she had her head down, pushing food around on her plate.
“It was fine. We’ve started reviewing for finals. That’s kinda boring,” I said.
“I can’t believe you two are almost finished with high school.” Aunt Beth shook her head.
I half expected her to start crying, but she didn’t. I wasn’t sure I could handle anymore tears today.
“It’s going fast,” Uncle Dean said. He narrowed his eyes. “Something wrong with the food, Abby?”
She jerked her head up as if just realizing she wasn’t alone. “No. I’m just tired and stressed and kinda have a headache.” She forced a smile.
“Did you take some aspirin?” Aunt Beth asked.
At the mention of medication, I froze. I was supposed to have broken ribs, and yet I’d been acting perfectly fine around them. Had they noticed? If so, they hadn’t said anything. I reached for my glass of water, slowly, making it a point to pretend the effort hurt a little.
“I think I have the bottle of aspirin in my room,” I said, clearing my throat. I’d brought it in there last night when I’d gotten home from Whitney’s. I hadn’t needed to take any of it, but I needed to keep up the charade.
“How are you feeling?” Uncle Dean asked, eyes narrowed once again.
“Better. If I move wrong, it hurts, but I’m trying to be careful,” I said.
“Good.” Uncle Dean nodded.
The rest of dinner was eaten in relative silence. Abby and I helped carry dirty dishes to the sink, but then Aunt Beth shooed us away, told us to rest up. Once I got to the top of the stairs, I clutched Abby’s elbow and dragged her into my room. I closed the door, found the bottle of aspirin, and tossed it to her.
“Thanks.” She turned as if she were going to leave.
“I figured it out,” I said.
“What?” She squinted, confusion playing across her face.
“Isach. I know why he broke up with you, and it’s not because he doesn’t love you.” I wasn’t happy he’d hurt her, but now that I understood why, I was nearly bouncing with excitement to tell Abby.
“Okay…?” she said slowly.
“He said Felicity’s mission is to watch him, which means sh
e’s reporting back to Rector.” I widened my eyes, waiting for her to connect the dots. When she didn’t, I sighed. “He broke up with you to protect you. He doesn’t want Felicity to tell Rector about you, so Isach is distancing himself.”
Abby stared at me with a blank expression. “Then why didn’t he just tell me that?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? But think about it, Abby. It makes sense.”
“Yeah, I guess.” The lack of enthusiasm in her voice tore at my heart, deflating me. “So, what happens when Felicity is gone? Will he want to get back together?”
“I think he will.” I nodded. “Honestly, I don’t think he wanted to break up with you at all. I’m sure this is just as hard on him as it is on you.”
I stopped short of saying the sooner Felicity was disposed of, the sooner she and Isach could get back together. That was rather heartless, even if Felicity was a witch working with the most powerful coven in the world, the same coven who would kill me simply for existing.
“I hope you’re right.” Abby smiled sadly, then left my room.
I blew out a breath and flopped down on my bed. I much preferred peppy Abby over sad Abby any day. My phone buzzed against my butt. I shifted and pulled my phone from my back pocket to see I had a message from Isach. I bolted upright, heart in my throat.
Isach: IS SHE OK?
I grinned. I knew he still cared. I sent back a quick reply.
Me: SHE’S SAD AND CONFUSED BUT OK.
Isach: I DON’T WANT THIS.
Me: I KNOW. YOU NEED TO TALK TO HER.
Isach: CAN’T. IT’S NOT SAFE. NEED TO PRETEND I DON’T KNOW ANY OF YOU FOR A WHILE.
“What?” I gasped. My hands shook as I sent a reply.
Me: HOW LONG IS A WHILE?
He was supposed to be in our wedding in a few months. Would the Felicity issue be fixed by then? I wasn’t sure Abby would be able to deal with this for too long. And what would happen if Ivy found out Isach was pretending to be loyal to the Zoya? Would she believe it was all an act, or would she enact his blood oath and kill him?
Isach: IDK.
I groaned. Jax needed to deal with Felicity sooner rather than later. If he didn’t, everything was going to fall apart, and I couldn’t let that happen.
Isach: DELETE THESE MESSAGES. DON’T TALK TO ME TOMORROW. TELL EVERYONE THE SAME. GOTTA GO.
I read his message several times, and while I understood what he said, I couldn’t fully comprehend it. He said he was stronger than Felicity, so why didn’t he just overpower her and get rid of her? Did she know too much already? Maybe she was blackmailing him.
I deleted our messages, then called Trent.
“Hey, baby,” he answered on the first ring, his voice velvety smooth.
My heart melted. I loved when he called me baby. I wished he’d do it more often. “I miss you,” I whispered, suddenly concerned Abby might overhear me. I didn’t want to make her feel any worse should she hear me talking to Trent when she was alone now.
He chuckled softly, the sound wrapping around me. “Is that why you called? To tell me you missed me?”
“No.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “But when I heard your voice, it just hit me that I missed you.”
“I miss you, too,” he said.
“So, I just heard from Isach,” I said.
I explained how Isach texted me, what he said, and how none of us were allowed to talk to him tomorrow. My stomach knotted when I realized I was going to have to tell Abby that, too. Though, she’d be happy to know he was concerned enough to check on her, and that he didn’t want to break up with her.
“He’s distancing himself to protect us, I think,” I said. “Definitely to protect Abby, and probably himself, too, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s still so much he hasn’t told us.”
“He didn’t say if Rector knew anything?” Trent asked.
“No. He was very cryptic about the whole thing. Maybe he’s afraid they’ll go through his phone or something.” I shrugged and laid down on my back, staring up at the ceiling. “The whole thing is bizarre, right?’
“Very.” Trent paused. “About this morning at school… I’m sorry. I was still rattled about what happened with Jax, and my mind was elsewhere.”
“It’s okay.” I chewed nervously on my bottom lip. “He’s right, though, especially now. We can’t let her keep running around. It’s not safe.”
“I know.” Trent sighed. “Jax, Colt, and Whitney are hunting her right now.”
A tremor of fear slid down my spine, and I closed my eyes. The fact they were hunting a Zoya terrified me.
“Why didn’t you go with them?” I asked. “Not that I want you to,” I added quickly. Relief wrapped around me knowing he was home safe.
“We agreed someone needed to be close in case you needed us for anything, and I insisted I be that person.”
I smiled faintly. “Thank you. Are the three of them going to be able to do this?”
“Sean and Wyatt are out there with them, too. They’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” I said.
“How are you doing with all of this?” he asked.
I got off my bed and wandered toward my window. “Okay, I guess. It’s scary, and I hate that Abby’s caught in the middle.” I rested my head against the cool glass. “She told Isach that she was willing to change for him, and then he broke her heart.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right about Isach. I think everything he’s doing right now is very calculated, and when it’s safe, he’s going to do everything he can to get Abby back.”
“That’s what I keep telling Abby, that he doesn’t really want this and there’s a bigger reason for why he broke up with her.” I moved away from the window and wandered restlessly around my room. “I haven’t told her yet that he texted me, but I will.”
“She’s lucky to have you,” he said.
“I’ll just be glad when all this is over.”
“Me too.” He sighed. “Did you talk to your aunt about this weekend?”
“No.” I once again found myself at my window, staring out at the endless expanse of trees. “I will tomorrow morning. Promise. What do you have planned anyway?”
He chuckled. “That’s a surprise.”
“Of course it is,” I said, unable to contain my smile. “Good thing your surprises aren’t lame.”
“Oh, you’re going to love this one. Trust me,” he said.
I closed my eyes, able to easily picture him lying in bed, one hand tucked behind his head, eyes shimmering with delight. I physically ached to be there with him right now, to curl up beside him, my head on his chest as he stroked my arm and back.
“Chloe?” he asked, his voice deep but soft. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just really miss you. I mean, I miss you whenever we’re not together, but it’s worse than usual tonight. Not sure why,” I said, backing away from the window and sitting on my bed.
Being trapped in this room wasn’t helping, either. Restlessness flowed through my veins, making it impossible to sit still for long. I walked to the door, opened it, and peered into the hallway, though I had no idea why or what I expected to find. Save for the muted voices coming from the TV downstairs, the house was quiet.
“You could always sneak out and come see me,” Trent said.
“I wish. My aunt and uncle are still up,” I said, careful to keep my voice low.
I glanced across the hall at Abby’s closed bedroom door and contemplated going in there to talk to her. What would I say that I hadn’t already said, though? Instead, I closed and locked my door, resigning to the fact I was stuck here until school tomorrow morning.
“Then open your window,” he said, his voice like velvet, stroking over my nerve endings.
I leaned against the door and blew out a breath. “We’ll have to be super quiet,” I said.
“You’ll have to keep your hands to yourself, then. Don’t start something we can’t finish,” he said.
“We’re doomed.” I laughed. “Seriously, thanks for the offer, but it’s probably not a good idea for you to sneak in right now.” I shuffled back to my bed and flopped down onto my back. “Why don’t you entertain me by telling me what you have planned for this weekend?”
He laughed. “Nice try, but I told you. It’s a surprise.”
I whined. “At least give me a hint.”
“Well, you’re going to want to wear something comfortable that’s also easy to move around in. Jeans would be good,” he said.
“That’s super unhelpful.” I draped my arm across my face and stifled a yawn. “Give me something else.”
“All right. You’re probably going to fall down. A lot.”
“Fall down?” I asked, positive I’d misheard him, but his responding chuckle was all I need to hear to know I hadn’t. “You’re being more cryptic than Isach. That’s really annoying, just so you know.”
“Okay, we’re doing something that I used to love to do when I was younger,” he said.
“And what did you like to do when you were younger?”
“I’m not telling you, but I promise to show you this weekend.”
I groaned. “You and your surprises.”
“You love them,” he said, his tone full of humor.
“Not as much as I love you.” I sat up and glanced at my window, rethinking my decision to leave it closed.
As Trent had pointed out more than once, he could hear my aunt and uncle coming and could be out of my room before they ever made it to my door. Maybe we could get away with him sneaking in right now. But if anything went wrong, Aunt Beth wouldn’t let me go to Whitney’s this weekend, and seeing Trent for a little while tonight wasn’t worth the risk of ruining our plans.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
Romantic Getaway
THE REST OF THE WEEK PASSED at a torturously slow pace, and I thought Friday would never get here. But it did, and in exactly two minutes when the final bell rang, I’d be free to spend the entire weekend with Trent. I was so excited I could barely sit still.
Despite the fact that Isach was barely in school this week, and when he was, he walked around like he didn’t know we existed, I couldn’t contain my happiness. Thankfully, Abby wasn’t in this class with me, because she was still so incredibly miserable and heartbroken over Isach, and I didn’t want to rub my happiness in her face.
Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5) Page 16