Eternal Choice: (The Cursed Series, Book 2)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  I was really worried about Ellie. I hated knowing she was so sad, and that her life was falling apart. If anyone knew how she felt, it was me. I was the queen of having your life ripped apart without warning.

  Surely, Abby, Gina, and Tonya were helping her through this, right? If not, then Nick must be. Were she and Nick still together? I should’ve asked her. Though, I had a feeling, she was way more interested in my life right now.

  Fresh unease churned in my gut. How was I ever going to explain the situation with Trent—and Jax—once I went home?

  Plopping a meatball onto the tray, I wiped hair from my forehead with the back of my hand. I was really going to miss Larissa’s cooking. A pang of guilt punched me. I never even said goodbye to her, and part of me wished I had.

  She’d been nothing but nice to me; she’d made an unbearable situation somewhat bearable. It wasn’t fair that I just walked out. And as much as I hated to admit it, I was going to miss Little Frank, too. Even though he liked to wake me up too early, he was my brother.

  The threat of tears burned my throat. I swallowed against them and refocused my attention on the task at hand. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about my short life in Malibu. It hadn’t been all terrible. Simon had been pretty great. I smiled.

  I could still hear the way he said my name, the letters twisting with his British accent. I could see his smile, complete with the way he slightly lifted his brow, the tiny silver hoop lifting in tandem.

  But, like everything else in my life, that had been shattered. Still, there was no reason I couldn’t call and check in on him, make sure he was okay. That’s what friends did, after all.

  “Earth to Chloe.” Whitney waved her hand in front of my face.

  “Huh?” I blinked. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  She gave me a strange look. “I said, when the tray is full, put it in the fridge so the meatballs can firm up.”

  “Oh, okay.” I quickly finished the meatballs and set the trays in the refrigerator, then washed my hands again. “I’ll be right back.” I left before anyone could ask me where I was going or what I was doing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:

  Again

  WHEN I AWOKE THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Trent was gone. Again. I went through my normal routine, then headed downstairs. Jax was in the kitchen, cooking. Again.

  I shook my head and took a seat at the island counter. The cabin was just as quiet this morning as it had been yesterday, which meant it was just me and Jax. Again.

  “Morning, sleeping beauty.” Jax grinned. “Hope you like French toast.”

  He set a heaping plate of food in front of me. Syrup and butter appeared a second later, followed by a glass of chocolate milk.

  “Thanks.” I watched him carefully, wondering if I was dealing with the nice Jax, or the mean spirited Jax from last night.

  I barely got my French toast buttered when he sat next to me, an even bigger helping of food in front of him. There had to be an entire loaf of bread on his plate. My eyes bulged.

  “You thought my eggs were good, wait till you try this,” he said, dumping half a bottle of syrup over his food.

  I poured a less generous amount over mine and took a large bite. Cinnamon, vanilla, a hint of powdered sugar, and maple syrup danced along my taste buds. I closed my eyes and groaned at how good it tasted.

  “Wow, Jax. This is amazing.”

  He simply smiled before digging into his own food. Okay, apparently, I was in the presence of nice Jax this morning. We ate in silence for several moments, and my thoughts were peacefully blank, allowing me to enjoy my breakfast.

  When I couldn’t eat another bite, I wiped my mouth and pushed my plate away. “Let me guess. No one else is here?”

  Jax shook his head. “Sean thinks he found a lead, but the person will only talk to Trent, so he left.”

  My heart raced. What kind of lead? What could this person possibly know? Was my secret about to be uncovered?

  I swallowed hard. “And the twins?” I asked.

  “They went with him.” Jax finished his towering stack of French toast. “The person Trent’s meeting isn’t exactly… friendly. The twins and Sean are backup.”

  Fear clutched my chest. “Who’s he meeting?”

  Jax shrugged, then stood with a graceful flourish. He gathered our dishes and set them in the sink.

  I highly doubted Jax didn’t know who Trent was meeting, but why wasn’t Jax willing to tell me? I slid off the stool and crossed my arms.

  “If this person is so dangerous that Trent needs backup, why did he even go?” I asked.

  “Because we need answers, and this person might have them.” Jax leaned against the sink. “Want to get out of here?”

  Whatever smart remark I was about to make died, and I blinked, momentarily confused. “You mean get out of the cabin?”

  Jax nodded.

  “Um…” Even though it had only been a day, I was already going stir crazy, and having two mind-reading vampires hovering around wasn’t helping. “Yeah, I do.” I smiled.

  “Good.” He pushed away from the sink. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  After putting on my sneakers, I followed Jax out the sliding glass doors and off the back porch. Remnants of the morning dew hung in the air and lingered on the grass, but the sun was shining brightly.

  I tilted my face toward the sky, basking in the warm glow of the sun’s rays. Everything smelled so fresh and untouched—it was the polar opposite of Malibu, and I loved it. Maybe I really was a country girl at heart.

  “This way.” Jax’s hands were shoved in his pockets.

  I fell into step beside him and observed the beauty of nature that surrounded me. Trees loomed as far as I could see. Squirrels raced around, up, and down nearby tree trunks. Birds flitted from one branch to the next, chirping and chattering amongst themselves. A sea of yellow dandelions stretched before me, and I smiled.

  “It’s gorgeous here,” I said in awe. “I can’t believe you guys don’t stay here all the time.”

  “We’ve stayed here for extended periods of time in the past, but now it’s more of a getaway when we need it.”

  “If it were me, I’d be getting away all the time.” I laughed.

  Jax glanced at me and squinted.

  “What?” I asked, looking around nervously. Was someone else out here, too? Had he seen something?

  “You’re happy,” he said as if he couldn’t believe it.

  “Uh, okay.”

  “Your aura’s yellow. That’s happiness. I’ve never seen it so strong before, though. Not around you.” He shrugged and continued to walk.

  Should I tell him that over the past year I haven’t had much to really be happy about? Between my mother’s death and everything else, there wasn’t much left in my life that brought me any joy. Trent did. When he was around.

  “Who is Trent meeting?” I asked.

  Jax sighed heavily and sliced a look in my direction. “I’m not supposed to tell you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. So, we were back to this again? Jax knew stuff but wouldn’t tell me. I was tired of being kept in the dark about everything.

  “It’s that bad?” I asked.

  Seriously, who on earth could Trent be meeting that was so bad he put a gag order on his brother?

  “Look, it might not be anything, okay? So, let’s not worry about it until Trent gets back,” he said.

  Jax continued to walk, but I remained in place, refusing to take another step until he answered my question. I stood in the middle of the dense forest, arms crossed. A light breeze picked up, blowing my hair around my face and causing a chill to snake up my arms. Still, I refused to move.

  Eventually, Jax stopped and turned around. “Seriously?”

  I nodded, still not budging.

  “Suit yourself.” He shrugged, then kept walking.

  My eyes widened. Was he really going to leave me standing alone in the middle of the forest? A tendril of fear wiggled
up my spine.

  “Jax, wait!” I jogged to catch up to him. When I did, I said, “You’re mean.”

  “And you’re stubborn,” he said.

  “Where are we going anyway?” I asked, slightly out of breath. Sweat started to bead on my brow. Of course, Jax hadn’t exerted himself one tiny bit.

  “For a walk,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I know that. Are we walking somewhere specific?”

  “Yup. Here.” He held back a large thicket of overgrown brush and motioned for me to walk through.

  On the other side was a small pond surrounded with cattails and rich greenery. Frogs croaked loudly, and crickets sang out of tune. It was such an unexpected sight in the middle of a mountainous forest.

  “I dared Trent to jump in there once,” Jax said, coming to a standstill beside me.

  “Did he?”

  “No. So I pushed him in.” Jax chuckled. “He didn’t speak to me for weeks after that.”

  “I wouldn’t have either.” I laughed.

  Slowly, I made my way around the pond, inspecting it. I used to love searching the beach for fish and other aquatic creatures with Mom. The aquarium was always our favorite place to visit. Now, without her, going to the beach was just too painful, so I tended to avoid it. A sharp stab of grief hit me unexpectedly, and I placed my hand over my heart as if that would somehow ease the loss.

  I squatted to get a better look at a group of tadpoles. When I stood, I noticed Jax staring at me intently, a faint smile on his face. He looked so much like Trent, but he wasn’t Trent. Far from it. Didn’t make him any less gorgeous, though.

  My breath hitched at my traitorous thoughts. Fighting to calm my erratic heart, I made my way back over to Jax. “This place is really cool. Thanks for bringing me here,” I said.

  He nodded. “Figured with everything going on, you needed a break.”

  Hadn’t he said something similar the day he’d convinced me to ditch the bookstore and go to the lighthouse with him? I really needed to stop thinking about all of that. The time I spent with him in Malibu was nothing more than a carefully crafted façade, and that version of Jax was just one big lie.

  “I did. Thank you.” Sincerity rang in my words.

  Despite the less than pleasant start Jax and I had gotten, he wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, he could be really sweet when he wanted to.

  “Trent is meeting Isach,” he said as calmly as if he were telling me the time.

  “What?” I shrieked. A flock of birds took off, spooked by my outburst. I whipped around on Jax. “Isach Zoya? The guy who was responsible for kidnapping me and feeding me to Hannah? That Isach?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you let him go?” Anger bubbled to the surface, and my neck heated with fury. “Are you insane?”

  “I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted.”

  I shook my head, my hands trembling with barely controlled rage. The Zoya loathed the Halsteads, and if Isach wanted to talk to Trent, it couldn’t be good. It had to be some sort of trap. My anger quickly morphed into debilitating fear. Oh, God. What if something happened to Trent?

  “You have to take me to him. Right now,” I demanded.

  “Absolutely not.” His tone was clipped and all too reminiscent of how he spoke to me when we first met.

  “Isach will hurt him.” Desperation made my voice crack. “We have to get to him. Take me there. Now.”

  “No.” He turned to face me, his expression hard and unflinching.

  “I’m not kidding, Jax.” I balled my hands into fists.

  “Neither am I. You’re staying here, where it’s safe.” He crossed his arms.

  I let out a frustrated scream, tears stinging my throat. How could he not see how serious this was? Or how much danger Trent was in?

  “I hate you,” I bit out, each word venomous. “I swear to God, if anything happens to Trent…” My jaw clenched tightly. “I’ll kill you. I mean it.” I beat my hands against his arms and chest. “I’ll kill you!”

  “Stop hitting me.” He grabbed my hands, yanking me tightly against his body.

  I gasped and risked a glance up into his eyes. They were dark but not scary. His grip loosened just the slightest bit, but he didn’t release me. He drew me a little closer, and my heart thrashed against my ribs, making it impossible to breathe.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Jax lowered his head, his mouth inching closer and closer to mine. I froze. He was going to kiss me. I could see it in his gaze, feel it in every breath that passed between us. Desire-filled eyes penetrated my resolve, and I softened against him.

  “You’re red,” he muttered.

  His voice snapped me out of my stupor. “Yeah, well, I’m furious right now.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted in a cocky smirk. “Not that kind of red.”

  Not anger. Lust. Heat exploded on my face. “In your dreams.”

  He gave a one-shoulder shrug, then lifted his head as if straining to hear something. “They’re back.”

  I twisted out of his hold, and thankfully, he didn’t try to stop me. “Then let’s go.”

  I sprinted toward the thick brush and climbed through it, not caring that the branches were snagging on my clothes and digging into my arms. Trent was back. I needed to see him with my own eyes, to make sure he was okay. And I needed to know if he’d learned anything from Isach.

  Once I cleared the thicket, I ran at full force, my heart pounding in my ears. I wasn’t paying attention to anything, my sole focus on getting back to the house as quickly as possible. My foot caught on a twisted tree root, and a stabbing pain shot from the bottom of my foot straight up to my knee. I cried out in pain and started to collapse. My ankle throbbed.

  Jax caught me before I hit the ground. Effortlessly, he scooped me up into his arms and cradled me against his chest. “Are you about done trying to kill yourself?” he asked.

  His tone was full of concern, which was so not what I had expected. Amusement, maybe. Definitely annoyance and frustration. But not genuine concern.

  “Put me down,” I said.

  “Can you walk?”

  “Of course, I can walk. I’m not a baby.”

  “Fine.” He unceremoniously set me on my feet, and my ankle screamed in protest.

  “Ow,” I cried, reaching for Jax to steady myself and take the weight off my foot.

  “Exactly.” He once again scooped me up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to hold on. “So stubborn,” he grumbled.

  “Meanie.”

  He raised a brow. “You realize Trent’s going to kill both of us, right?”

  “He won’t kill me. He likes me too much. But he’s definitely going to kill you,” I said, fighting to hide a smile.

  Jax shook his head and carried me all the way back to the cabin, never once complaining about my weight or showing any signs of exertion. Maybe there were some benefits to being a vampire.

  CHAPTER THIRTY:

  The Green-Eyed Monster

  WHEN WE REACHED THE CABIN, I opened the front door, and Jax carried me inside. Wyatt and Whitney were lounging around the fireplace, while Trent was tearing down the stairs like he was on fire.

  “Chloe!” Relief flooded Trent’s voice. “Where were you?”

  Jax shoved past Trent and gently set me on the couch. “I’ll get some ice,” he said.

  “Taking a walk with Jax.” I adjusted on the couch, and pain shot up my leg. I winced. “I twisted my ankle.”

  Trent muttered a string of curses, then turned on his brother. “You let her leave? What were you thinking?”

  “She needed to get out of here. It was fine.” Jax handed me a baggie full of ice that he’d wrapped in a towel.

  I took it and put it on my ankle, once again wincing.

  “It was not fine,” Trent said, his hands curled into tight fists. “She got hurt. You were supposed to be watching her, keeping her safe.”

  Jax stood toe-to-toe with Trent and smiled in t
hat way he did right before he said something snarky.

  My stomach sank. This was not going to end well. “It’s not his fault, Trent. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking,” I said, hoping to diffuse the situation before it got out of control.

  “He never should have let you out of this cabin,” Trent snapped, but his gaze was trained Jax.

  “Yeah, well, maybe if you hadn’t left me here—again—I wouldn’t have had a reason to leave, and then I wouldn’t have been rushing to get back to you,” I snapped, my patience gone.

  “Exactly.” Jax’s tone was smug. “And don’t worry. I had my eyes on her the entire time.” There was no mistaking the implied meaning behind Jax’s words.

  Trent’s eyes darkened, and he snarled under his breath. “Jax,” he warned.

  But Jax didn’t relent. “She really is quite enjoyable to watch. And I would know. I spent weeks watching her.” He tossed a knowing look in my direction, and I scowled.

  Why was he provoking Trent like this?

  “She’s fun to hold, too,” Jax said.

  “Watch yourself,” Trent said, his tone icy.

  “I’d much rather watch her.” Jax inclined his head toward me, and I groaned. Why was he doing this?

  Trent hauled off and punched Jax in the face. “Stay away from her,” Trent warned.

  Jax stumbled back, clutching his nose.

  “Trent!” I shouted as I attempted to get off the couch, but it was a useless feat. I couldn’t put any weight on my sore ankle. I fell back onto the cushions. “Stop it.”

  “Don’t like it, stop making me babysit her.” Jax lunged at Trent.

  As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Jax’s words cut deeply. I stared, wide-eyed and helpless to do anything as the two threw punch after punch.

  Finally, the twins seemed to snap out of whatever dumb daze they’d been in. Wyatt pulled Jax away while Whitney put herself directly in front of Trent. She placed her hand on his chest, and he seemed to immediately calm down.

  I narrowed my eyes, the rage from earlier resurfacing with a vengeance.

  “Knock it off,” Whitney said calmly, then glanced over her shoulder at Jax. “Both of you.”