Ellie took a deep breath, and then her shoulders relaxed. She smiled sheepishly and returned to her seat.
“I’m fine, Ellie. Just a combination of stress and lack of sleep, and I guess it was all too much, considering it hasn’t been that long since my mom…” I trailed off.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Ellie frowned. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.” Luke laughed.
I could always count on him to lighten the mood. “Me too,” I said, surprising myself.
I didn’t think I’d be able to eat anything considering how nervous I was about seeing Trent, but my stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything of substance in too long. I’d fallen asleep last night and hadn’t eaten any dinner.
“Let’s go get some food.” Ellie stood. “How’s Abby? I haven’t seen her at all today.”
“She’s okay, I guess. She stayed home, but hopefully she’ll be back soon.”
Ellie followed me as I got in line to get some food. “I’ve heard there’s going to be a party at Bushnell Falls this weekend in honor of Rachel and Marc.”
I stopped abruptly and turned to face her. “When? What about the curfew?”
“Friday night, which means we’ll have to do the sleepover Saturday night. Is that okay? Will your aunt let you go?” Ellie grabbed a bag of chips. “And honestly, no one is obeying that curfew. It’s a joke, really, especially when all the murders have happened during the morning.”
I hadn’t realized that until she pointed it out, but she was right. All the murders had happened in the morning. Nothing bad seemed to happen at night. Moving farther down the line, I put a turkey sandwich and a bottle of water on my tray.
“Uh, I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I haven’t had the chance to ask my aunt yet.”
I was sure Aunt Beth wouldn’t have any issues with me going to a sleepover Saturday night, but she’d never let me go to a party at Bushnell Falls, and I needed to be at that party. I needed the distraction, and I really needed to move on with my life. And what a better way to do that than go to a party with friends?
“I heard there’s not going to be a funeral for Marc. His family is having a private ceremony, so I guess this party is our way of saying goodbye to him,” she said.
Something about that didn’t settle right in my mind.
“I mean, it’s not like we were really friends with Marc. I think I only talked to him a few times, but he was part of this school, and he was dating Abby…” Ellie led the way back to our table. “Seems like the right thing to do, y’know?”
“Right,” I said absently. Did Abby know about this party? Would she want to go?
When we returned to our table, Gina and Nick were there with Tonya. Luke arrived a few seconds later, his tray heaping with food.
Each of them gave me a sad “hi” and a smile. I sat and opened my water. The vibe at the table was uneasy, and I knew I was the cause of that. I wasn’t only the girl who’d freaked out at the funeral, I was the cousin of the girl who’d lost both her friend and boyfriend.
“Okay, let’s clear the air right now because I’m not going to have all of you looking at me like I’m twelve seconds away from crazy town.” I laughed nervously. “Yes, I freaked out at Rachel’s funeral, and I’m sorry. Between losing my mom and moving here and starting a new school… and then the murders… it’s all been a lot to handle. I think the stress finally got to me. But I’m fine, okay? I promise.”
“We were worried,” Gina said.
And just like that, the subject was dropped, and the mood shifted to our normal easiness.
“So,” I turned to face Ellie, who was sitting right beside me, “what if we had the sleepover Friday like planned? We could go to the party together, then go back to your house after.”
Gina and Tonya stopped talking and stared at me as if I’d said the dumbest thing ever. I looked back and forth between them before risking a glance at Ellie, who looked at me the same way.
“Uh, I mean, it’s just a suggestion. If you want to—”
“No,” Ellie said, cutting me off. “That’s a great idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.” She laughed.
My mood brightened. This might work out after all. I could tell Aunt Beth I was going to a sleepover at Ellie’s and still be able to go to the party at Bushnell Falls. I’d never had to sneak out or lie to Mom about where I was going or what I was doing. She didn’t care so long as I told her where I was, and I followed the rules.
“I’ll talk to Aunt Beth tonight. She shouldn’t care,” I said.
Ellie grinned. “Good. Hey, did you ask Abby if she wanted to come?” She fidgeted with her bag of chips.
“Not yet, but I will.”
Although, I didn’t think she’d want to. But if I could convince her, that might make it easier to get Aunt Beth to agree. I glanced at the table in the corner.
Trent sat with his brother, both of them wearing matching scowls. I couldn’t imagine how angry Jax must be now that I knew their secret. Well, he could rest assured I would take his secret to the grave with me, because I wanted nothing to do with it or them. I quickly looked away before Trent noticed me staring.
The bell rang. I tossed my uneaten food and headed toward my locker. My steps faltered, and my heart jackhammered in my chest. Trent stood directly in front of my locker, body angled toward me, hands in his pockets. My entire body buzzed with nervous energy. Taking a deep breath, I walked up to him.
“Please move,” I said, my tone sharp.
Without a word, Trent stepped out of my way. Okay, that was easy enough. I could do this. As long as I didn’t look at him, I’d be fine. He didn’t say anything as I opened my locker and rummaged around for my History book.
He moved in behind me and put his hands over mine, stilling my search. My breath hitched at his closeness, and I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I waited for the repulsiveness to fill me, but it never came. I willed the anger and fear I’d felt yesterday to return, but they were missing, too.
His mouth was right next to my ear, and he whispered, “Knowing you’re afraid of me is a fate worse than a stake to the heart.”
I let out a small, involuntary gasp. “I’m not afraid of you,” I mumbled, but my words held no real conviction. I didn’t believe them. No way he did, either.
“No? Then why’s your heart racing? I can smell the adrenaline pumping through your veins. The fear. You want to run.” His body was hard and unmoving behind me.
My face and ears burned with a jumble of emotion. He was right—I wanted to run. I wanted to get far away from him. Not because I was worried he’d drain all the blood from my body in the middle of a crowded school hallway, but because I needed to gather my thoughts.
“Will you stop me if I do?” I asked.
Slowly, I turned to face him. I wasn’t sure what I expected to see, but I wasn’t prepared for the soft pleading in his eyes. Or the defeated frown that tugged at his mouth. For some inexplicable reason, I had the urge to comfort him.
“No,” he said. “I won’t stop you.” He took a step back and held out his arm, giving me the freedom to leave.
But I couldn’t. I was rooted in place. I lowered my gaze for a fraction of a second, just long enough to muster some courage to say what needed to be said. When I glanced up, Trent was gone. I jerked my head to the left, then the right, looking for any sign of him. I should’ve known there’d be none.
With a heavy sigh, I grabbed my History book, slammed my locker closed, and headed to class. I should be relieved that Trent disappeared instead of forcing me to speak to him. Yet, all I felt was disappointment. Was he really going to leave me alone? Would he simply go away without a fight? Better yet, why did I care? I got what I wanted.
Then why did I feel so crappy?
I walked into the room. Trent wasn’t in his seat, and another wave of disappointment crashed over me. What was wrong with me? Trent w
as a vampire. A monster. A killer. I should be thrilled that he wasn’t here. But…
My thoughts continually circled around to only one thing—if Trent wanted to hurt me, he could have, very easily, but he hadn’t. That had to mean something, didn’t it? Maybe he wasn’t as horrible as I was making him out to be in my mind. Were there such things as good vampires?
I rested my head on the desk and groaned. The confusion warring inside me was bitter and vile but also mildly soothing. My stomach roiled with indecision. I wondered if I could convince Mr. Patterson that I was sick and needed to go home.
“All right, let’s settle down.” Mr. Patterson clapped his hands once to get everyone’s attention. “Final projects are due in less than two weeks, and I’m feeling a bit generous, so I’m going to let you use today as a workday.”
That’s great.
A rumble of excited murmurs rippled through the room.
“Let’s use this time wisely, shall we?” he said.
Chatter mixed with desks and chairs scraping against the floor caused my head to ache. I was definitely going to play the sick card and go home, and I wouldn’t even have to fake it.
“Do you really think I would harm you, Chloe?”
Startled, I snapped my head up at the sound of his smooth, even voice. “Jeez, Trent.” I hadn’t heard him enter the room, or take his seat, or move his desk closer to mine. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“Do you?” he asked again.
I fidgeted with my hands, refusing to meet his gaze. Telling him the truth would give him hope, and that was cruel. But so was lying.
“Chloe.” He tentatively put his hand over mine. “Please look at me.”
Closing my eyes, I blew out a breath. Then I did as he asked. He smiled faintly and caressed the back of my hand with his thumb. I half expected his skin to somehow feel different now that I knew the truth. The familiar warmth and sense of safety that came each time he touched me returned with a vengeance.
I slipped my hands out from under his and tucked them under the desk. “What’re you doing here? I thought you left.” I was desperate to take the focus off his question and my non-answer.
“I did, but then I came back. I needed an answer. With an eternity at our disposal, my kind tends to get obsessive about certain things.”
My jaw dropped. Was he seriously sitting there making jokes about being immortal? I didn’t know if I should laugh or scream. What if someone heard him? He’d been paranoid that Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean would hear us when we’d talked on the porch. Why didn’t he care if anyone else found out?
“So? Do you really believe I’d hurt you?” he asked.
I sighed. He wasn’t going to let this go. The sooner I answered him, the sooner we could both move on. I’d just have to make it clear that my answer was cut and dry and there was no hidden meaning behind it.
“No,” I finally said, shaking my head. “If you wanted to, you could have. And you haven’t. Thanks for that, by the way.” I shifted in my chair so I was fully facing him. “But that doesn’t change anything, Trent.”
“I think it changes everything.”
“Well, you’re wrong.”
He chuckled, and my heart skipped a few beats. Stupid traitorous heart. And based on the way Trent’s smile stretched, he’d heard it, too. So much for hiding my true feelings.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Ultimatum
WHEN THE FINAL BELL RANG TO signal the end of the day, I shuffled to my locker. My books felt like they weighed ten tons, every muscle in my body screamed in agony, and my temples throbbed. All I wanted was a hot shower and my comfy bed. I opened my locker, shoved all my books inside, then stood there. I had Algebra homework that I really didn’t want to do.
“So…”
I closed my locker and stared at Trent, who was leaning against his locker. His lips twitched, and then he smiled the same way he had the first day I’d met him. My arms fell to my sides, and I balled my hands into fists. My fingernails bit into my palms as I fought against every instinct in my body. I was not going to let his smile disarm me so completely. No matter how badly I wanted to ignore the fact that he was a vampire—a killer—I was not going to give in.
“I assume you have questions,” he said.
I threw my hands up in the air. Oh, I had questions all right. A lot of them. But I didn’t care enough to ask any of them. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. Eventually, I would have to start believing it.
“How can you be so calm about this?” I asked, completely baffled.
“I’ve had a lot of time to come to terms with what I am.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How much time?”
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know. You simply have to give me the chance.”
“Oh no.” I held up my hand. “You are not going to trick me into giving you the opportunity to explain. There is nothing you can say that will make me be okay with…” I waved my hands up and down the length of his body. “This.”
I spun on my heel and stormed out of the building before he succeeded in changing my mind. When I stepped outside, I squinted against the bright sun and looked around for Aunt Beth. There was no sight of her car. Ugh. I was not walking home.
If I could catch Ellie before she left, I could ask her for a ride home. I raced back inside, but before I made it too far, someone grabbed my elbow and pulled me into the nearest classroom.
“Look, Trent, I told you—” I yanked free from his hold only to realize it wasn’t Trent. “Jax?” My heart lodged in my throat, and my gaze darted to the closed door that he blocked, then back to his face. I swallowed hard.
“My idiot brother told you about us, and now I have to clean up his mess. Like usual.” He rolled his eyes.
My eyebrows lifted with surprise. Clean up his mess? Was that a polite way of saying he was going to kill me?
“Uh… yeah, I know, but I’m not going to say anything,” I said.
“Of course, you’re not.” He gave me a dirty look, his entire face pulling into an ugly scowl. “You’re not stupid. I know that. But my brother seems to think he can pretend to be something he’s not.” He spat the words at me, each one filled with more venom than the last.
If I hadn’t known they were brothers, I never would’ve guessed based on how differently they spoke. Trent was always so calm and collected, while Jax appeared to be seconds away from exploding.
“He does?” I asked, though I had no idea why. It didn’t matter. There was never going to be anything between me and Trent.
“Like I said, he’s an idiot.”
“Okay…” I had no idea what he was actually trying to tell me, and I didn’t want to piss him off any more than he already was, so I stayed quiet and waited for him to continue.
“You have no idea what you’re in the middle of here, Chloe, and if you value your life, you’ll get out of Keene Valley before it’s too late.” His tone was a mix between a threat and sincere concern. Talk about confusing.
“Are you threatening me?” The words were out of my mouth before I could filter them.
“I’m warning you.”
“And if I don’t?” I crossed my arms.
Where had this sudden burst of confidence come from? Or maybe it was sheer stupidity that I was taunting a vampire. I didn’t know what had gotten into me, but I was tired of being lied to and pushed around.
“The way I see it, you only have two choices. Stay here and die. Or leave and live a normal human life.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. “And before you get some crazy idea to have Trent turn you—don’t. That will never be an option.”
I clenched my jaw.
“You can never have him, Chloe. It’s best if you accept that.”
I snorted. “Right. You’re telling me if I walked out of here right now and told Trent I wanted to be with him that he’d tell me no? Who’s the idiot now?” I froze, unable to believe I’d called Jax an idiot to his face.
/> If he didn’t want to kill me before, he probably did now. His eyes narrowed and darkened several shades. My throat went dry, and swallowing brought the sting of tears to my eyes.
His lips thinned into another scowl. “Save yourself—and him—a lot of heartache and just leave.”
I took a small step back, not like it would help, but it made me feel a little better, and I needed the distance for what I was about to do.
“I’ll tell you what, Jax.” White hot rage poured through my veins, spurring me on. “When you find my deadbeat dad and convince him that his daughter is worth his time, I’ll gladly leave. But until then, it looks like we’re all stuck here together.”
I have no idea what possessed me to do it, but I stepped up to him and poked his chest. Electricity zipped up my arm, like I’d stuck my finger into an electrical socket. But it didn’t hurt, and I wasn’t afraid. I was suddenly… attracted to him, as if touching him had awakened something deep inside of me. I jerked my hand back.
His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then darkened even more, and a low growl rumbled from deep within his chest.
I swore my heart stopped. And then it took off like a racehorse. Faster than I could blink, he was out of the room. My shoulders slumped, and I slouched against the wall. I put my hand over my heart, mostly so I could feel the erratic thumping to make sure I was still alive.
How could I have been so stupid? Yelling at a vampire? Challenging him? Maybe I really did have a death wish. When I was certain I could stand on my own without my knees buckling, I pushed off the wall. There was no way Ellie was still here, so I wandered back outside. Thankfully, Aunt Beth was waiting for me.
“How was school?” she asked once I was in the car.
“Okay.” I rested my head on the window and closed my eyes. Too bad I couldn’t shut off my mind as easily as I could shut out the world.
“Here.” Aunt Beth handed me a cell phone.
“What’s this for?” I hesitantly took the phone and held it out in front of me.
“We added you to our plan, so this way we can stay in touch.”
Eternal Curse: (The Cursed Series, Book 1) Page 13
