Eternal Curse: (The Cursed Series, Book 1)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  He tucked his hands behind his head, still the picture of ease.

  “Aren’t you worried at all about what happens next?” I asked.

  He gave an awkward one-shoulder shrug. “Ideally, you’ll bring yourself back down here and kiss me again. But I suppose if that doesn’t happen, I’ll survive.” His eyes twinkled with amusement.

  Laughing, I shook my head. “That’s not what I mean.”

  “Hmm. Okay, so I guess I’ll have to kiss you this time.”

  “Trent.” I groaned.

  As much as I would have loved to pretend everything was fine, it wasn’t. Until I had some sort of answer that made sense, that I could live with, I wouldn’t be able to forget the black cloud looming over us.

  He moved his hands to my legs, running his palms up my thighs like he’d done the night of the party. I held my breath, watching as he slid his hands back down.

  “What do you want me to say, Chloe?” He pinned me with his heated gaze. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or how this can work out long-term. I can’t give you the answers I know you want.”

  Biting on my bottom lip, I nodded. I was not going to cry. I knew what the situation was, and I was the one who’d brought it up. Getting upset with him for stating what had already been on my mind wasn’t fair. Still, it hurt to hear him confirm my fears.

  “But.” He propped himself on his elbows, bringing his body closer to mine. “I know how I feel about you, and that’s more than enough for me. One day at a time, remember?”

  “What happens when I run out of days?” I whispered.

  “Then we’ll deal with it,” he said.

  Quicker than I could process what was happening, Trent had me flat on my back, and he was now on top of me, his weight suspended on one arm while his free hand landed on my hip, almost like he was holding me in place.

  My head spun, and I blinked several times to get my bearings. “You really need to stop doing that.”

  A slow, sensual smile curved his lips. Then he kissed my neck. I shuddered involuntarily. My first instinct was to push him away and tell him to stop, but I didn’t. He wouldn’t hurt me; I knew that.

  “How about this? Do I need to stop doing this, too?” He showered my neck with tiny, heated kisses.

  “No,” I said breathlessly.

  “Mmm. Good. How about this?” He slowly unzipped my hoodie, and I froze.

  I only had a tank top underneath. But then he stopped tugging the zipper and kissed his way across my collarbone. And then his mouth ventured a tad lower. I moaned softly and arched into him.

  No one had ever been allowed to kiss me like that, and I never wanted him to stop. God, what had gotten into me? How far was I going to let him go? Farther than I’d ever gone with anyone, obviously, but at what point would I say enough? Would I ever say it was enough?

  “How do vampires even have sex?” I said aloud before I could stop myself.

  Trent jerked his head up to look at me. “What?”

  “Um, I, uh, I just mean in general. Can you do that?” I paused. “I mean, I know you can because you told me about Sean and Annmarie, but is it… different? Not that I want to have sex with you or anything.” My eyes widened with horror at my words. “I mean, I’m sure eventually I’ll want to do that, but not today. Not right now.” Flames of embarrassment burned my neck and cheeks. “Oh, God.” I covered my face with my hands, mostly so I’d shut up. “I’m sorry.”

  And then Trent laughed.

  I couldn’t believe he was laughing at me. I shrank into the mattress, praying it would swallow me whole.

  “Chloe, honey.” He gently removed my hands from my face, but I couldn’t look at him. I was too mortified. Too bad for me, he wasn’t willing to let me get away with that. “Look at me.” Gently clutching my chin, he turned me to face him. “Whenever you’re ready for that”—his lips twitched as if he wanted to smile—“you let me know, okay?”

  “Okay.” My voice barely squeaked out. I cleared my throat. “So, you’ve… done it before?”

  “Yes.” This time, he did smile, his amusement evident in his gaze.

  “Right. That was a stupid question. I’m sorry.”

  He was a hundred-plus-year-old vampire; of course, he wasn’t a virgin. I couldn’t believe I’d asked him that. What was wrong with me?

  “I take it you haven’t,” he said carefully, as if he was afraid of my answer. Or my reaction.

  “No. Is that a problem?” I cringed.

  “Not for me.”

  Oh, God. My entire body felt like it was on fire. I needed some air or cold water or a fire hose to the face to help calm the inferno raging inside me. “Tell me what it means to be your soulmate.” That had to be a safe topic, right?

  He dropped his head to rest on my shoulder, and I threaded my fingers through his hair. “It means I’m yours, Chloe. Totally and completely.” He lifted his head to look at me, and the promise in his eyes was overwhelming. “When a vampire finds their soulmate, it’s often instantaneous. When we see them, we just know. I can’t explain it, but it’s like the certainty that comes with knowing your name. The feeling is so strong and unwavering.”

  “And that’s what happened with me?”

  He nodded. “There’s only one thing in the world that’s stronger than a vampire’s bloodlust, and that’s the love they have for their soulmate. We will do anything to make sure they’re happy and safe. It drives our every thought and action and feeling.”

  I couldn’t fathom that type of love and devotion. “So, because I’m your soulmate, that means I belong to you now?”

  “No.” He chuckled. “I have no choice in this matter. I know without a doubt that you’re my soulmate, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Not that I’d want to. I’m quite happy with you.” He winked. “But you have to choose to become my soulmate.”

  “I do?”

  “Yes.” He nipped at my earlobe, his warm breath stoking the fire that raged inside of me. He dragged his lips down the column of my neck, and I instinctively turned my head. “For you to become my soulmate, I have to claim you, but only if you ask.”

  He shifted his weight on top of me, perfectly aligning our bodies, and continued to shower my neck with hot kisses. It was impossible to think when he was kissing me like that. I once again threaded my fingers through his hair, and he groaned in response.

  “How do you claim me?” I asked.

  “I mark you with my bite, and then we physically seal our commitment.”

  So, he had to bite me, and then we had to have sex? My breath stuttered, but my heart pounded furiously. “But… doesn’t biting me change me?” I asked, confused.

  “No.” He kissed the tip of my nose, my forehead, both of my cheeks. “We bite for various reasons. To feed. To change. To claim. And for pure pleasure. It’s all about intent. Our emotions power our bite.”

  I lifted my head just enough to capture his lips, and he kissed me with unyielding emotion. His body was hard against mine, his tongue and lips ravenous as he took everything I offered and gave back twice as much.

  “Is that what you want?” I asked breathlessly. “To claim me?”

  “Yes. I want that more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire existence.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to do it, that I wanted him to claim me as his soulmate. Because I did want that. Wanted him. But I wasn’t ready to be bitten—I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready for that—and I definitely wasn’t ready for the sex part.

  Knowing I could never become what he was, letting him claim me like that seemed cruel. Wouldn’t that make my eventual death so much harder for him? No matter what decisions we made, we always ended up with the same solution—we were doomed with an impossible relationship.

  Before either of us could say anything, his cell phone rang, and he gave me a puzzled look as he moved off me and retrieved it from the bedside table. I let out a pent-up breath. Even though I missed the feel of him, having him tha
t close was too tempting.

  “It’s your aunt,” he said, accepting the call. A moment later, he handed me the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” she demanded.

  Shoot. “It’s in my backpack. I didn’t even hear it ring. I’m sorry.” I could only imagine how frantic she was, probably thinking I was dead somewhere.

  “I need you to come home, Chloe. Now.” Despite the sharpness of her tone, her words were shaky.

  I sat up, my heart racing. “Why? What’s wrong? Is everyone okay?”

  “Everyone’s fine. I’ll explain when you get home.” And then she ended the call without a goodbye.

  I glanced up at Trent, who was off the bed and gathering his keys. We left quickly, and neither of us spoke on the drive back to my house. My stomach was in knots. What could possibly be going on? Aunt Beth said everyone was fine. Was it possible they’d found out I’d been lying about the animal attack?

  Trent pulled into the driveway and stopped alongside a car I didn’t recognize. And then I saw the license plate—California. Unease swirled in my gut, and my hands shook as I reached for the door handle.

  “Hey.” Trent stopped me. “Want me to stick around?”

  I wanted that more than anything, but I didn’t think Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean would be too happy if I walked in with Trent. I had a feeling that whatever was going on was a family only issue.

  “No, but thanks.” I leaned over and gave him a kiss. “I’ll text you later, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I walked inside and followed the hushed, angry voices coming from the living room. My eyes widened, and it felt as if someone had beat the breath from my body with a lead weight.

  “Dad?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:

  You Did This!

  “CHLOE.” MY FATHER APPROACHED. THEN HE hugged me, but I was too shocked to return the gesture, so I stood there, arms by my sides. “I’ve missed you, kiddo,” he said, his voice exactly as I remembered it.

  Dazed, I stared at him for a moment. He was a bit fuller in the face and stomach than the last time I’d seen him—ten years ago—and his dark hair was tinged with gray now, the locks thinner. Tearing my gaze from him, I looked around the room. Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean stood next to each other, and Abby was curled up on the couch, face wet with tears.

  “Aunt Beth?” My voice trembled. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, Chloe. I’m so sorry.” Tears streaked her face. “I was afraid if I told you on the phone that your father was here, you wouldn’t come home.”

  “What’s he doing here?” I directed my questions at Aunt Beth, refusing to speak to the man who’d abandoned me.

  “I’m here to take you home, Chloe,” he said.

  “I am home,” I snapped, finally returning my gaze to him.

  If he thought for one second that I was going to go home, with him, he was dead wrong. I wasn’t leaving Keene Valley. Anger bubbled up and exploded, and I didn’t try to filter my words.

  “Your actions over the years have made it pretty clear that you don’t want to be a father, so do everyone a favor and do what you do best. Leave,” I said, my tone venomous.

  “Chloe,” Aunt Beth gasped.

  “What? It’s the truth.” How could she scold me for yelling at him?

  “While that may be the truth, he is your father, Chloe, and you owe him a little respect,” Uncle Dean said.

  I whipped around to glare at him, eyes wide. “I don’t owe him anything!”

  How could they take his side like this? Did they want me to leave? Frantic, my gaze shifted to each of them in turn. Abby wouldn’t look at me, but she was crying again. Tears welled up in my eyes.

  “I’m not going with him. You can’t make me,” I said.

  “You don’t have a choice,” Dad said, his tone firm. “I’m your father. You’re coming home with me.”

  “No, I’m not!” Shoving past him, I ran up to my room and slammed the door.

  I slumped to the floor and sobbed. I hadn’t seen or heard from my father in over ten years, and now, suddenly, he wanted to be my parent. Why? I let out an angry scream, then stood and paced my room.

  “Chloe?” Aunt Beth knocked on the door.

  “Go away.” I crossed my arms and stared out the window.

  Right about now, I really wished that “animal” had killed me. That had to be better than going to live with a man I barely knew. Having to start at a new school—again—having to make new friends. My heart shattered a bit more. I’d have to leave my friends. Ellie, Gina, and Tonya. Nick and Luke.

  Aunt Beth walked into my room and closed the door much easier than I had. “Chloe, sweetie, I know this—oh, goodness,” she said when I flung my arms around her neck and buried my face against her shoulder.

  “Please don’t make me go with him, Aunt Beth. I want to stay here. Please.” I sobbed so hard my shoulders shook.

  “Oh, honey.” She stroked my hair.

  “I don’t want to leave my friends. Or Trent.”

  Oh, God. Trent! I cried harder, my tears choking me to the point I gagged. I released her and bent over, hands on my knees. There was no way I could leave him, not after everything we’d been through. And certainly not after today.

  “All right. Take it easy. Take a deep breath.” She rubbed my back.

  “He can’t make me go with him. I won’t.” I shook my head.

  “Come on.” She ushered me toward my bed and guided me to sit. “I know this is a shock, and I know you don’t want to go. Believe me, we don’t want you to go, either. But he’s not giving any of us a choice.”

  I struggled to take a deep breath. “What do you mean? You and Uncle Dean have a choice. You don’t have to make me leave.” My voice cracked, and my throat burned.

  “He threatened us. Said if we didn’t make you go with him, he’d get the police involved and say we kidnapped you.”

  “How can he do that?” I stood and paced again. “Mom made you and Uncle Dean my legal guardians. He can’t come in here and demand I live with him.”

  “I know this is hard to understand.” She stood and crossed the room, then put her hands on my shoulders, stopping my frantic movements. “What your mom did wasn’t exactly legal.”

  My jaw dropped. “What do you mean it wasn’t legal? She was my mom. She gets to say who takes care of me.” And I knew clear to my soul that she would never want me to go live with my father.

  “Yes, but no paperwork was ever filed before she…” Aunt Beth frowned. “I promise you, we are going to fight this, Chloe. We are going to see our attorney tomorrow, and we will do everything in our power to get you back here with us.”

  “Get me back here?” My voice rose with hysterics. That meant… I jerked away from her. “I’m not leaving.”

  “It’s just for a little while. And it’s California. That’s a lot like Florida, right?”

  “What? No.” I tore out of my room and downstairs. I had no idea where I was going, but I wasn’t staying in this house, and I absolutely was not going anywhere with my father.

  “I thought she’d be happier to see me,” my dad said. He sat on the couch, head down, and his hands were clasped in front of him. “All I want is to get to know her, to repair our relationship.”

  I stopped in my tracks, shocked by his words. “If you want to repair our relationship, you can start by letting me stay here.”

  He stood. “I can’t. I’m sorry.” He shook his head, and I swore those were tears in his eyes. “I have a job and responsibilities and—”

  “Save it for someone who cares.” I ran out of the house, ignoring everyone calling my name, and sprinted toward the road. My lungs burned, and my vision blurred, but I didn’t slow down. I’d reached the end of the driveway when someone gripped my arms. “No! Let go of me.” I thrashed wildly, desperate to get away.

  “Hey, Chloe. Easy. It’s me.”

  “Trent.” I collapsed against him. �
�Get me out of here. Please. I don’t care where we go, but I can’t stay here.”

  Without a single question, he put me in his truck and drove me straight to his house. By the time we arrived, I finally stopped crying long enough to tell him what had happened, although I didn’t really have to—he’d stuck around and heard everything. He put his arm around me and guided me toward his house.

  Jax stepped out onto the porch, arms crossed. “What’s she doing here?”

  I stared at him, mouth agape. He hadn’t cared that I was here earlier. Why was it an issue now?

  “Not now, Jax,” Trent warned.

  His tone sent chills through me. I shivered and leaned into his side. How had such a great day gone so horribly wrong? I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was yesterday when I was happy and fatherless.

  “When are you going to face the truth, Trenton? You can’t continue to live in this little fantasy world forever.” Jax moved slowly down the porch steps.

  Forever…

  My jumbled thoughts came into sharp focus, and everything suddenly clicked into place. What had Jax said earlier? That Trent and I didn’t have forever. At the time, I’d assumed it was a jab at my mortality, but now I knew it was something more. As badly as I didn’t want to see the bigger picture, I couldn’t ignore it. Jax had left, and then he happened to return the same day my father did? That wasn’t a coincidence.

  “You did this,” I said to myself and then louder, “You’re the one who got him to come back for me.”

  Trent looked at me, confused. “What?”

  Confidence surged in my veins. I walked up to Jax, refusing to back down. Trent’s warnings about fighting raced through my mind. Triggering Jax’s bloodlust right now was a terrible idea, but he’d singlehandedly destroyed my life with his actions, and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

  “You’ve wanted me out of Trent’s life since I got here. You threatened me, and when that didn’t work, you tracked down my father,” I accused. Though it wasn’t really an accusation when it was the truth.

  “You threatened her?” Trent pushed his way in between me and Jax. “What did you do, Jax?”