Broken Promises (A Timeless Trilogy Book 1)

by Quell T Fox

  More questions flood my head, but I can’t process anything right now. My brain is overloaded as is. I decide to save whatever questions that I have, for tomorrow. Watching a mindless movie and being this close to Jacob is exactly what I need right now. I’m not going to ruin this moment over stupid shit like people trying to kill me.

  My eyes are closed, I’m focusing on the rhythm of his heartbeat. Neither of us saying anything for a long while. I peek up at him, curious if he’s fallen asleep. He hasn’t, his eyes focused on the movie. No emotion on his face at all.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, lifting my head slightly.

  He blinks a few times, seemingly trying to decide on what to say. Taking in a deep breath, he lets it out slowly. His eyes burning holes through the TV.

  “I am okay, but angry with myself. I should have been more cautious with you. I knew this would be dangerous and I let my guard down today. You could have been killed, again, and that is not okay.” He kisses my forehead and pulls me closer to him. “I’m sorry, for everything. I promise I will do better.”

  What the fuck?

  “You haven’t done anything wrong, Jacob. Don’t apologize for this or for anything that happens. I chose this too, remember that. I’m not a child that needs to be taken care of.”

  He tilts my chin up, forcing me to look at him.

  “I can’t lose you again.”

  I stare into his dark, earthy eyes and everything feels right. He closes the distance between our lips but stops before they touch. The heat of his breath causes a warmth to spread over me, both mentally and physically. I bring my hand to his face, my fingers brushing over the soft hair that covers most of it. I tuck his dark, wavy hair behind his ear, and I pull his head the rest of the way, making him kiss me.

  The feel of his soft lips on mine could not be any more perfect. His hand moves down my arm and to my hip, leaving sparks across my skin in its trail. He squeezes my hip, kissing me harder. His tongue massaging mine in the most wonderful way.

  He pulls me on top of him, his lips never leaving mine. I straddle his hips and I feel his excitement between my legs. My lady parts burning with want and a need to be satisfied. A small moan escapes my lips as thoughts of him being inside of me invades my mind. I press against him, letting him know that I can feel his want and that I want him too. My hands move to his shoulders while his move to my ass. He squeezes and pulls me into him harder, grinding against me at the same time. If he keeps this up, I’m going to need a new pair of panties.

  His kissing slows, turning more sensual than hungry. Him kissing me like this makes me want him in an entirely different way. This makes me want his heart, his mind and his soul.

  Taking my bottom lip between his teeth, he nibbles, sucks and runs his tongue across it. He trails kisses down my jaw line and then down my neck. When he reaches my collar bone, he leaves a few more kisses before stopping. He pulls back to look at me, his eyes shining with need. His breathing is heavy, his heart thumping in his chest.

  “We can’t do this.”

  “Oh. I can go-“

  “No, that’s not what I mean. I want to. Trust me, I want to. But our bond was once one of the strongest anyone has seen. If we do this, there is no way that we can hide from the hunters. We have to be cautious, until we sort everything out.” His hand is on my cheek and I don’t think anyone has ever spoken to me in such a sweet, soothing tone before. He makes everything better, his words like magic. He places a chaste kiss on my lips, his hand sliding down my cheek and stopping to rest on his chest.

  “I understand. You’re right. Besides, what’s the rush? We have forever together, right?”

  Fuck, did I just say that? Did those words just come out of my mouth? I am such an idiot. I can’t just say things like that. I mean, it’s been hinted at, but he hasn’t actually said anything. What if I’m getting the wrong idea here? What if he isn’t meaning for us to be together, like right now? But to, I don’t know, like start over and go from the beginning? I need to learn to shut my mouth sometimes.

  Meeting his eyes, they soften and relief washes over his face, like a weight has just been lifted from his shoulders.

  “Yes. Forever.”

  Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Is this happening right now? Did I just agree to be with someone forever and not think about running?

  What the hell is happening to my life?

  CHAPTER 15

  I’m not sure what the plan is, but it’s getting late. The sun is setting. I’ve spent the day in bed, too exhausted to want to do anything. I feel worse today, than I did yesterday. I only managed to get out of bed to use the bathroom, and that was a struggle.

  Jacob and Liza have spent their day in the other room, talking, researching and planning. I don’t know what they’ve been talking about but I’m hoping they plan to fill me in. The lack of involvement is starting to become annoying. I don’t want to jump down their throats about it, but the more I think about what happened and what is going on, the more I start to freak out. I’m starting to think panic is appropriate.

  After waking up this morning, reality hit me like a slap to the face. I realized that a lot of the calmness I had last night was from the medicine Jacob had given me. Being with him made everything seem right, and better, but the reality of it all is that people are trying to kill me. I could die. Literally, die. Like, be dead. This is serious.

  I’m trying to be patient and let them do their thing, they are the experienced ones after all. But I’m getting antsy, which is making me even more annoyed. What I would give for that jacuzzi tub right now. I don’t know why I’m still thinking about it; it’s never going to happen. I don’t know if I’ll set foot in that house ever again. Am I allowed to go back there?

  Andrew and I sent a few texts back and forth earlier in the day. I led him to believe that I was relaxing at the house, not at a strange motel with a strange man that I almost had sex with last night. I have no idea how to handle the Andrew situation. It’s obviously over. I made the decision to jump into this mess with Jacob, and I’m going to stick with it because even amongst all this craziness, it seems right. It’s not going to be easy, dealing with all of this, but I know it will be worth it. I just know. Besides, I have a fall back. If things go south, someone could just kill me. Then I’d be reborn into another life and leave all this stuff behind. I think that’s how it works. Ridiculous of me to consider going that far, but I’m a selfish bitch sometimes. We all know this.

  I think about that for a minute, really put thought into it. No, I don’t think I would do that. I would, before. Before Jacob. Not now. I don’t want to leave this; I don’t want to leave him. I’m frustrated, sore and uncomfortable, which is why I’m lashing out. I’d rather deal with a mountain full of crazy and stay with Jacob, than live a simple life without him.

  Deciding that I need answers, because I know myself. I’m not going to let it go until I get them. I push the blankets off me and put my feet on the floor. Standing, I walk carefully to the door that adjoins the rooms, not even bothering to knock, I walk in. Jacob and Liza are each sitting on a bed, facing each other. Liza’s laptop is resting on her lap, she’s in deep thought. Jacob is shuffling through a folder of papers, looking for something. Behind him, the bed is covered in similar looking folders that are spread out over the bed.

  I clear my throat. Jacob looks up but Liza continues to stare at the screen without budging. She’s really into whatever it is that she’s doing.

  “Listen, I know that I don’t have a lot of experience with whatever it is that’s going on, but I have some questions and I have a lot of stuff to figure out. Do you think you could maybe fill me in a bit?” It comes out a little cockier than I expected, but oh well. I was just in a car accident, I’m in pain. He’ll get over it.

  He puts the papers down and pats the bed to the left of him, motioning for me to sit. I do. He turns to face me. Liza still is not paying attention. What the hell is she doing?

  “Please, forgive me. W
e’ve been working together for so long trying to figure everything out and I just assumed that you didn’t want to deal with this stuff. What would you like to know?” The patience in his voice instantly makes me feel guilty for the way I barged into the room with an attitude. I’m an asshole. I need to work on that…eventually.

  “Who was it that tried to kill me? And why? What are we supposed to do now? Do you even have a plan or are we just supposed to run and hide in cheap motels that are clearly stuck in the 60’s?“ I look around the room that is decorated identically to the one that I just came from. Gross.

  “What am I supposed to do about Andrew? He’s going to be coming home in a few days and what am I supposed to tell him? Is he in danger too? I had enough guilt about leaving in the first place, then his grandfather died, and the guilt grew and now his life may be in danger and I just don’t think I can handle this!” End rant. For now. My hands are fisted at my sides, I notice they are shaking slightly.

  Jacob places his hand on my knee, trying to provide comfort. It’s just not really working right now.

  “I sense that you are stressed.”

  “Ya think?” It comes out louder than I intended, causing Liza to look up over her glasses that are perched on the end of her nose.

  He scoots closer to me and puts his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him. He rubs my back. He smells so good; he feels so good. He is intoxicating. I don’t know how he does it, but I hope it never gets old.

  “We have a plan, well an idea of one, I suppose. We know what we need to do, we are just trying to figure out how to get it done. As for those guys? They were Rogue Hunters. Which is the last type of hunter we would want after us. It means that Morgan knows I’ve found you. Most, if not all, Rogue Hunters work for her. Which means that we must be even more careful. The first thing we should do is get out of this area.” He speaks calmly. Something I wish I could feel right now.

  Liza pipes in. “We can stay at my house in Maine. The snow helps to cover low energies, plus I have protection spells on the house. It will give us time to find what we are looking for.”

  “And what is that exactly?” I say as I cross my arms, not satisfied with what I’m being told.

  “Someone to Bond you, of course.” That came out bubblier than expected. I can’t get a read on this chick. She’s like the super bitchy nerd type, but then she starts talking and all kinds of girly comes out. I just don’t get it. She still has a bad ass vibe though, as odd as she is.

  “We have heard rumors over the years of Immortalites getting bonded outside of the Society. It’s one of the reasons the Hunters are around more. They have been finding more and more True Immortalites that have gone rogue. Someone is putting them through their Ceremony, and we intend to find out who that is and bring you to them.” Jacob adds.

  “I have a million things that I want to say, but right now I can only form one thing into a sentence that will come out making sense. What does rogue mean? I know what it means for normal people, but what the hell does it mean to you?” My fingers pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to keep the migraine that I feel, at bay.

  Jacob answers, Liza has gone back to whatever it is she is doing on her laptop.

  “It means someone that is living their life as an Immortalite outside of the Society, illegally. Normally, they keep track of us, and we must do check-ins. They make sure we are following the rules and living life in a safe and approved way. Those that don’t do check-ins regularly are eventually labelled as banished, but if they are not caught then they still have their bond and all their abilities. It can become quite dangerous, if they turn into criminals. That’s what the Hunters are for. They keep us all in check.”

  “So, you guys are considered rogue? Cause it seems like you’ve been doing a bunch of things you shouldn’t be.” I’m starting to relax a little. Only a little.

  “Technically, no. We are sure to keep up with our check-ins and stay under the radar. According to the books, I’m an accountant living in Jersey. Liza is a computer tech living in Connecticut. Sometimes they do surprise visits, but I know a guy who knows a guy and we get word in enough time to make sure we are where we should be.” He soothes.

  I try to piece my thoughts together because I have so many things that I want to ask. Everything is flying around in my head trying to find its spot, there’s too many words and not one of them is taking charge and moving to the front of the line. My brain feels like it has too many windows open and it’s about to freeze or worse, explode.

  “As for Andrew, it is your choice on how to handle that. As long as he does not know what is going on, then he should not be in danger. Rogue hunters don’t make it a habit to harm innocent humans. It puts them on the radar.” He squeezes my hand then releases it. He gets up and goes into the other room. I hear the bathroom door close and the shower turn on.

  I look up to notice that Liza is staring at me with a concerned look on her face.

  “Did you really just ask your new old boyfriend how to handle your current boyfriend, or was I imagining that?”

  I jump to my feet, yep, there’s the panic again.

  “I don’t know what I am doing here! This is all so crazy. A few days ago, I was normal, well, as normal as I’d ever be, but I can’t say that right now. I’m having a meltdown. I was a girl, with a normal boyfriend and a normal cat and a normal life! And now today, I’m dealing with things that I didn’t even know were real. I mean, immortal? That’s kind of crazy, right? What about werewolves, vampires? Are they real too? I mean, come on!” I’m pacing and running my hands through my wild hair, making it crazier that it already was. I’m in serious need of a shower. I knew I was going to panic. I tried to warn myself. I tried to stop it.

  “Asha, sit down.” I glare at her. This is no time for sitting! “Please?”

  Fine, but only because she asked nicely. I go back to where I was sitting just a few moments ago. My fingers tapping my legs because I need to move.

  She closes her laptop, moving it to the bed. She turns to face me, removing her bright green glasses from her face.

  “I get this must all seem crazy to you. I, myself have never witnessed anyone who didn’t have previous knowledge of what or who they were, other than you. It’s not very common, and when it does happen, we have people that are trained to deal with these types of situations. I bet it’s weird not knowing us and having us tell you all these things about you. I can’t imagine being in your shoes, but you made a choice. You chose Jacob, and now you’re with us. There is no turning back.

  “Be patient with Jacob. You don’t know what he’s been through. I was with him when they took you. I saw his heart shatter the moment that knife went through your heart. It destroyed him. The only thing that kept him going was the promise he made to you. There were dark times, bad times that I didn’t think he would get through. But the promise he made to find you again, that’s what got him out of bed day in and day out, because that’s what you asked him to do. He is and has always been completely devoted to you.

  “I don’t know what it was he was expecting when he found you. He knew what it would be like, he knew you wouldn’t know who he was, but he made a promise and that’s all he ever talked about. That’s the kind of man he is. He said you told him that you wanted to trust him, you need to stay true to your word. Because he has stayed true to his.”

  I look away, because now I feel small. She didn’t do it on purpose. I did it to myself. She’s right. I’m being selfish as usual. I’m letting my fear of trusting others get in the way, after I promised myself that I would not do this. Same old selfish Asha.

  “Oh, and to answer your other question. Yes, werewolves and vampires are real. Amongst many other things. Welcome to the supernatural world.”

  “I need a bath.”

  ***

  An hour later I’m squishing my size eight hips into this tiny ass motel bathtub. It’s just wide enough for me to sit, but it’s at least long enough that most of my legs are
covered if I sit straight up. I scoot down into the water more, trying to fit as much of my body as I can into the burning hot water. If it doesn’t burn your skin off, then it’s just not worth it. There was a small bottle of bubble bath that I dumped into the tub while it was filling. It doesn’t smell anything like Strawberries & Cream, even though that’s what the label said. It did, however, turn the bathwater to a murky shade of pink. Maybe I should add this scent to my list of products at the shop…if I ever get a chance to do that again. Taking the thick white washcloth, I dunk it into the water, ring it out and spread it out over my face. I lean my head back against the wall, I’m as comfortable as I’m going to get. I take deep breaths, breathing in the steam and I feel my achy body and mind start to relax.

  This is all crazy, yes. Someone is trying to kill me, yes. Probably multiple people. I am a horrible person, yes. Do I deserve to die? Probably not.

  I’m wallowing in self-pity when I hear three soft knocks on the door.

  “Can I come in for a minute?” Jacobs smoky voice comes through the door.

  Taking the cloth off my face, I move it to cover my breasts. As much as I would love to be naked around him, now is not the time. The cloudy pink water should cover the rest of me. I wonder if that was the purpose or if this stuff is just so cheap that it wasn’t a choice.

  “Yeah, you can come in.”

  He opens the door slowly, carrying a glass of wine. He places the glass on the edge of the tub. A sad smile traces his lips. He walks over to the toilet, moves the towel that I had placed on the cover and sits. He rests his elbows on his knees and stares at the floor.

  “I’m sorry if this isn’t what you expected.” I speak first, because I feel like he needs to know that. He needs to know that I am not trying to be a selfish bitch. Sometimes that’s just who I am.