Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  “Chloe?” Karina said, her voice soft and angelic behind me.

  “Yeah?” I set my phone back on the counter and turned to face her.

  “I don’t force my… knowledge on people, but you deserve to know,” she said, licking her lips.

  My heart raced, and my stomach fluttered. She knew something about my future, and she was about to tell me. I swallowed hard. As badly as I wanted to tell her that I didn’t want to know, I couldn’t get the words to form.

  “You and Trent are going to be okay,” she said, her gaze unflinching.

  Blowing out a breath, some of the tension eased from my body. That was good news, and it wasn’t anything shocking that would cause me to worry or anything. “Thank you,” I said.

  Karina nodded. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, but instead, she gave me a small smile, then retreated to the living room.

  Clearly, she knew a lot more than what she’d told me, and part of me wanted to chase after her and demand she tell me the rest. But what if the rest of it wasn’t good? My life was finally on track, and I was so close to having everything I ever wanted. If I knew there was a chance something wouldn’t work out as planned, I’d be devastated.

  Leave it alone. It was best not to know. I checked my phone again, though I had no idea why, and then I joined my friends, who were huddled in various spots on the floor. The lights had been turned off, and the opening credits rolled across the TV screen.

  “Chloe, sit with me,” Ellie said, lifting the blanket draped across her to make room for me.

  I settled beside her, content to just enjoy something as normal as watching a movie with friends.

  I ROLLED ONTO MY side, my eyes fluttering open, and then I gasped. My heart took off like a spooked horse, and I clutched the blanket tightly to my chest.

  “Shh.” Trent placed his finger to my lips, his eyes sparkling. “Everyone’s still sleeping,” he whispered.

  I glanced around. Sure enough, all of my friend were sound asleep on the floor. Except Karina—she was missing. She must be with Colt.

  “Come with me?” Trent asked.

  Nodding, I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet and lead me into his room. He barely got the door closed before I had my arms around his neck. Crushing his mouth to mine, he carried me to the bed and laid me down.

  “I missed you,” I mumbled in between kisses.

  He groaned in that sexy way I loved, and a shiver of delight wiggled down my spine. “I can’t stand being away from you,” he said, teasing his way from my lips to my neck.

  “Then stop leaving me,” I said.

  Trent chuckled, his mouth landing on mine once again, each kiss more ravenous than the last. Desire rolled through me, and I eased my hands up the back of his shirt, my fingers finding bare flesh.

  With a snarl, Trent reached behind his head and tore his shirt off. “All I thought about this weekend was you,” he said, nipping at my jaw.

  “Same,” I said. My eyes fluttered closed, and I tilted my head.

  He rewarded me with several heated kisses against my throat, and I moaned softly. I wrapped my legs around his waist, slightly worried he might decide to stop and take off again. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle another second without him. I was starved for his attention, which was ridiculous, but this bond we shared really messed with my emotions. All I wanted was him.

  Trent’s hand slipped beneath my shirt, and I arched into him. Instant goose bumps spread across my stomach. I wanted to scream at him to touch me everywhere, to demand he not hold back. But then his bedroom door flew open. I yelped with surprise, and Trent growled.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Colt said. He stood leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed. “I thought maybe the four of us could go grab breakfast.”

  “Go away,” Trent said.

  “I’m not hungry,” I said, and Trent gave me a knowing smile.

  “Oh, c’mon,” Colt said. “Chloe’s going to be my sister soon. I really should get to know her better. Isn’t that what you said, Trent?”

  In a flash, Trent was off me and shoving Colt out of his room. “Yes, but right now, we’re busy. Come back in a few hours.” He slammed the door in his brother’s face, then locked it.

  Colt’s laughter filtered from the hallway.

  Trent sauntered toward me, his gaze heated, and my temperature spiked several degrees. I was so glad he was back home, and I prayed he wouldn’t feel the need to go on anymore camping trips any time soon.

  “A few hours?” I asked.

  “I severely underestimated that, didn’t I?” he teased. “I should’ve told him a few days, huh?”

  I laughed, and he smiled, his lips seeking mine.

  CHAPTER NINE:

  Impatient

  THE NEXT FEW WEEKS FLEW BY. Trent was still spending a lot more time with Colt than he was with me, and I tried to be as understanding as possible, but I was jealous. I had no reason to be, but I was. I missed being the center of Trent’s world.

  I sat on the edge of Trent’s bed and stared at the vial in my palm. My name was written across the glass in tiny capital letters, the script flawless.

  It had been almost two months since we’d made our deal with Ivy, and absolutely nothing had happened. No signs of the Zoya—we had no idea if they knew anything about me yet, and Isach hadn’t been able to gather any information.

  Ivy was true to her word, and she’d been leaving us alone, though we saw her around town frequently. She was pleasant, but I knew she was eager to one day soon find me sporting a baby bump, because the sooner I got pregnant, the sooner I’d be able to break the curse.

  But… there was still no baby.

  And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I did. I was ready, but Trent wasn’t, and every time I brought it up, he told me there was no need to rush something like this. I disagreed, but I was tired of arguing with him about it.

  Deep down, I was hoping he was just overwhelmed with everything else he had going on, and he was waiting until things calmed down. But if that were the case, why didn’t he tell me that?

  “Chloe?” Trent said. A second later, the bedroom door clicked shut.

  I took a deep breath and gently set the vial back in the nightstand drawer, right next to the matching vial with Trent’s name.

  “Yeah?” I stood and turned to face him.

  Head tilted, he studied me. “Everything okay?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, I just needed a minute alone.”

  Everyone—me, Trent, Abby, Isach, Whitney, Luke, Wyatt, Jax, Colt, and Karina—were hanging out, watching movies, playing board games. That was another thing grating on my nerves—Trent and I rarely had any time alone together. Every time we were with each other, everyone else was around, too.

  The snow hadn’t stopped falling for days, and the temperatures were too frigid to be outside, for us humans anyway, so we’d been housebound for the past four days. School was cancelled last Thursday and Friday, but the forecast predicted the snow should move out later today, which meant there would be school tomorrow. I was actually looking forward to that.

  “We can hang out in here if you want,” Trent said with a wicked smile. “Just the two of us.”

  I laughed. “And do what?” I sauntered up to him and slid my arms around his waist.

  He gripped my hips and yanked me closer, his eyes darkening. “We could practice making a baby,” he whispered.

  A rock landed in my gut. Knowing we weren’t spending as much time together as we used to, practicing seemed like a total waste. Lately, every single moment I had with him was precious, and every single one needed to count.

  “Practice,” I said with too much anger and frustration. “But not actually do it.” I pulled away from him. “How much longer are we going to wait, Trent?”

  “Not this again,” he said with a groan.

  “Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and headed for the door.

  When Ivy had gi
ven us the opportunity to have our own biological child, Trent was reluctant, for good reasons, but part of me wondered if he ever really wanted this. Or had he agreed simply because he knew it was what I wanted. Either way, what was the point of him swearing a blood oath to Ivy so we could get the necessary potion if he wasn’t ever going to use it?

  “Chloe, stop.” Trent gently grabbed my elbow and spun me around to face him. “I know you’re excited about having a baby. I am, too, but why are you trying to rush this?”

  I crossed my arms. “Why are you trying to stall?”

  “I’m not.”

  I raised a brow, refusing to say anything else until he explained. This was not the first time we’d had this discussion, but he had yet to give me any sort of logical explanation as to why he wanted to wait.

  The eternal bond I used to share with Jax had been transferred to Trent. He’d claimed me as his soulmate, and we were getting married in less than five months. We were more than committed to each other, so I didn’t understand what the issue was.

  “Your aunt and uncle are already upset that we’re getting married so soon after graduation. How do you think they’ll react when they find out your pregnant before you graduate high school?” he asked.

  When Aunt Beth found out I was engaged, she had not been happy. In fact, the first thing she’d asked me was if I was pregnant, so I honestly didn’t think it would be that big of a shock to her.

  Not to mention, everyone at school was whispering and gossiping that I was pregnant, because apparently that was the only reason Trent could possibly be marrying me. I had to admit, every day I showed up at school not pregnant and proved all the gossip was nothing more than vicious rumors gave me a sense of satisfaction.

  “And you’ve already bought your wedding dress. If you get pregnant now, you won’t fit into it,” he said, his tone gentle.

  My shoulders relaxed a little, and I dropped my arms to my sides. Trent closed the small distance between us, and I glanced up at him. His expression was calm, but there was a war waging behind his sharp blue eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice shaky.

  “Nothing. It’s just… your dream is to be a mom, and it’s my dream to be a dad, but I always imagined that would happen after I was married, that I would share the excitement with my wife,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze pleading.

  Understanding clicked in my brain. He wanted to wait until after we were married.

  “I can’t really explain it,” he said. “But having a child is a big deal, especially now, considering the circumstances, and I don’t know. I guess I just want to do this right. I want to have a baby with my wife, okay?”

  My heart melted. Nothing about Trent’s existence was normal, but he wanted this part of his life to be as normal as possible. Could I really blame him for that? Still, why hadn’t he told me that before?

  “So, you haven’t changed your mind?” I asked, my throat tight with fear.

  “No.” He shook his head. “But I feel like we were both so excited about the possibility of having a child, with the knowledge that we could to this that we never stopped to think if we should.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, as soon as you change, we’re going to have to deal with the Zoya, and the thought of having an innocent child in the middle of that terrifies me. What if I can’t protect our child? What if I can’t protect you?” His voice wavered the tiniest bit.

  My breath hitched. I’d seen Trent scared before, but his fear had never been this palpable.

  “We’re going to be two vampires raising a human child,” he said, pacing away from me. He dragged his hand through his hair. “Eventually, he or she will get older and realize we’re not human. What happens then? Do we tell him or her the truth? Do we let our child become what we are, or do we let them grow old and die?”

  I froze. None of those thoughts had ever crossed my mind. Not once. How could I have been so stupid? Numb, I shuffled back toward the bed and sank down onto the mattress.

  “We can’t possibly give this child any sort of stability because we’ll have to constantly be moving around,” he continued. “Sure, he or she will have family that will know the truth and can be in their life, but what about school? Friends?”

  My stomach knotted. When my father walked out on me, Mom and I had to move because we couldn’t afford the house, which meant I’d had to switch schools. Then, when Mom died, I moved to Keene Valley. Then to Malibu… I knew firsthand what it was like not to have any real stability, to have to constantly move and adapt and make new friends. I hated it.

  And that was the reason I’d fought so hard to have the life I wanted with Trent—so I could have something permanent, something I knew wouldn’t ever change or be ripped away from me. But I’d been foolish to think anything about the life I’d chosen was normal.

  I rubbed my hands over my face and swallowed against the lump in my throat. “Why didn’t you mention any of this before we made the deal with Ivy?” I asked.

  Trent kneeled in front of me, his hands on my legs. “Because I hadn’t really thought about any of this, either. Not until recently.”

  I kept my head down, letting his words sink in. Everything about my and Trent’s relationship had been impossible, but we’d always found a way. I desperately wanted to believe we’d find a way for this, too, but we were talking about a child now. An innocent life that didn’t deserve to be dragged into the midst of a war between witches and vampires.

  “Chloe, honey, look at me,” Trent said, gently tilting my head until my gaze met his. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t do this, but I am saying we shouldn’t rush. Can we please agree to wait until after we’re married?”

  Tears stung my eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from crying and nodded. “I’ll promise not to be so impatient.”

  Trent sat next to me and gathered me in his arms. I buried my face against his chest, and he kissed the top of my head, his hold on me tightening.

  I wanted to have a baby—Trent’s baby—but I wanted him more. When I first made the decision to become a vampire, I’d done so knowing full well I’d never have a child of my own. Ivy had only just recently given us this option, and we’d both taken her offer, but that didn’t mean we had to go through with it. We could destroy the vials and go about our lives as we’d originally planned.

  If nothing else, making this deal with Ivy ensured we had an ally against the Zoya, and it gave Isach a way out of his coven, so the deal hadn’t been for nothing. That gave me a lot of comfort.

  “Whitney is seconds away from barging in here and dragging us back into the living room,” Trent said with a chuckle. “They’re getting ready to play Uno.”

  Groaning, I buried my face deeper against Trent’s chest, as if that would somehow protect me from Whitney. That girl took games very seriously, and she never played by the rules. She preferred to put her own unique twist on them.

  “Okay,” I said with a deep breath, pushing away from Trent. “Let’s go.”

  Before I could stand, Trent had his hands on either side of my neck, and his lips crashed down on mine. My eyes fluttered closed, and I leaned into his kiss.

  His thumb grazed the bite mark, and desire ignited in my belly. It took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to push him down onto the bed and take him up on his previous offer to practice making a baby.

  He broke the kiss much too soon and licked his bottom lip. “I love you,” he said, resting his forehead against mine.

  “I love you, too,” I whispered. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  Trent eased back and gave me that gorgeous dimple-showing smile, and my heart once again melted. How on earth had I gotten so lucky to have him love me?

  “You sure you don’t want to move up the wedding date?” he asked. He stood and held his hand out to me.

  “Whitney would kill us.” I laughed and took his hand.

  She, Ellie, and Abby had spent so
much time helping me plan the wedding, and I was grateful for everything they’d done. As badly as I wanted to marry Trent, I couldn’t just toss away all their hard work because I was suddenly too impatient to wait for the date we’d set.

  Trent pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my hands on his biceps and stared up into his breathtakingly handsome face.

  “We’ll figure this out,” he said and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his finger trailing along my jaw.

  “I know.”

  He nodded. “Ready to go defend our reigning Uno champion title?”

  I laughed again. “Let’s do it.”

  CHAPTER TEN:

  Anxious

  I HADN’T BEEN ABLE TO STOP thinking about my and Trent’s conversation on Sunday. All of his concerns were valid, and we needed to talk about them, but I hadn’t been able to really focus on that. Ever since he told me he wanted to wait until we were married, all I’d been able to do was fantasize about conceiving during our honeymoon. How perfectly romantic would that be?

  Of course, that was providing we decided to go through with having a baby. There was a very real possibility that we’d decide not to become parents, but I wasn’t focusing on that right now, either. It was easier to live in my little fantasy world for a while longer. I’d deal with reality later.

  “Miss Madison,” Mr. Gordon snapped.

  I jerked upright in my chair and blinked. Crap. I’d zoned out during class again. That had been happening too much lately, but in my defense, I had a lot of stuff going on, and school didn’t seem all that important in light of everything else.

  Behind me, Jax snickered. I wanted to turn around and smack him, but that would only get me into more trouble.

  “Miss Madison, if you can’t keep up with the discussion, maybe you should see about taking a different class. One that’s a little more your speed.” Mr. Gordon stood near my desk, arms crossed.