“It’s about time,” Abby said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
“We had something else equally as important to deal with,” Trent said, his voice all cool confidence. “Took a little longer than expected.”
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. I was as terrified as everyone else, but if we all didn’t calm down, there was no way this plan would work.
I released Trent’s hand and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Okay, so go over this one more time,” I said.
Isach sighed. “We’re running out of time.” He stood, his shoulders tight with tension.
“I know,” I said. “But I want to make sure we all know what’s going on.”
“Fine.” He dragged his hand through his hair and paced the length of the living room.
Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean were meeting friends for lunch this afternoon, so we decided to do the memory wipe here so when it was over, Isach could just leave with Abby. As far as she’d know, he had picked her up at home to take her to meet his parents.
“Trent’s going to erase himself from her memories, and hopefully, everything else to do with vampires and Ivy and your connection to everything. She’ll meet my father, take the truth test, then I bring her to Trent’s, and he’ll restore her memories,” Isach explained.
“No pressure or anything,” Trent said with more than a hint of annoyance.
He was more worried about this than the rest of us. So many things could go wrong, but my biggest concern was what this would do to Abby. Messing with her mind was dangerous, and the fact that Trent had zero control over any of it made me even more nervous.
“I’m ready,” Abby said with a nod. “Let’s do this.”
I swallowed hard. Why did she seem so… excited about doing this? I was terrified, and I wasn’t the one who had to have my memories wiped so I could meet Rector.
“Okay, you need to go,” Trent said to Isach.
Nodding, Isach gave Abby’s cheek a kiss. “See you in a minute.” Then he stepped outside, ready to knock on the door as soon as Trent did his thing.
“You sure about this?” Trent raised a brow.
“No, but it’s not my choice. It’s Abby’s.” I smiled, hoping it looked encouraging and not terrifying, which was how I felt.
“I want to do this,” Abby said firmly. “I know the risks.” She smiled at Trent. “And I trust you.”
Trent sighed. “Okay.” He turned to me and tugged me into his arms. “I’ll see you upstairs in a minute.” He gave me a quick kiss before releasing me.
As soon as he was done with Abby, he’d use his superhuman speed to get up to my room without her knowing.
I took a deep breath and turned around so my back was to them. Because of how deeply Trent was now ingrained in Abby’s mind, he needed to kiss her like he normally kissed me, and even though I knew it meant nothing—heck, she wouldn’t even remember it—I still couldn’t watch.
The last time he’d done this it had been painful for me. Hopefully, I wouldn’t completely crack this time. I closed my eyes and counted silently to ten. Thankfully, my heart was thundering so loudly in my ears I couldn’t hear what was happening behind me. I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat.
“Chloe?”
I jumped at the sound of Abby’s voice and spun around. Trent was nowhere to be found.
“Yeah?” I said as calmly as possible.
“Isach’s going to be here any minute, so I’m going to be leaving.” She stared at me with a confused expression.
“Have fun.” I smiled. “And make sure you’re home in time for dinner. I really don’t want to listen to Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean complain. You know how they worry.”
Abby laughed. “Don’t worry. I will.”
“So, you’re meeting his parents? That’s a big step.” I tucked my hands into my back pockets and studied her.
She wasn’t acting weird or anything, and she wasn’t mentioning things she shouldn’t be. Maybe this would work after all.
“Yeah.” She grinned. “I mean, he’s met mine, so I guess it’s my turn.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little.” She shrugged. “It’s not every day you have to meet the leader of the most powerful coven in the world.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Okay, so she remembered Isach and his family were witches. What else did she remember? It wasn’t like I could ask her. There was a knock on the door, and Abby opened it.
“Hey,” Isach said. “Ready?”
“Yep.” Abby stepped out onto the porch. “See ya later, Chloe.” She waved.
Isach glanced at me, and I gave him a thumbs up. As far as I could tell, everything was all right. When Isach closed the door, I raced upstairs to my room.
Trent was on my bed, one hand tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach. He looked totally at ease and comfortable. I closed and locked my bedroom door.
“Did it work?” he asked, his heated blue gaze roaming the length of my body as I made my way over to him.
“Well, she didn’t say anything about you before she left, and she remembered she was meeting a witch.” I climbed onto my bed and swung my leg over his waist so I was straddling him. “The more important question is, did you have fun kissing Abby? It seemed like you were taking a really long time.” I fought to hide my smile. “Must’ve been a really good kiss.”
“Best kiss of my life,” he said with a serious expression.
I narrowed my eyes and scowled.
“Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer.” His eyes sparkled with mischief a second before he whipped me around onto my back and tickled my sides.
I laughed and tried to wiggle away from him. “Stop,” I gasped around fits of laughter. But he was unrelenting. “Trent. Please.” I laughed even harder. “Stop. I’m sorry.”
He pinned my hands above my head and crushed his mouth to mine. My giggles morphed into groans of pleasure as Trent kissed me hard and deep, pouring every emotion he had into the moment. Much too soon, he broke away and peered down at me.
“No, I didn’t enjoy kissing Abby,” he said, his voice husky. “In fact, I hated every second of it because I felt like I was betraying you.”
My body relaxed beneath him, and it felt like I was melting into the mattress. I tugged my hands free from his grasp and wrapped them around his neck. “You weren’t betraying me,” I said.
“I know.” He sighed. “But these lips belong to you and only you.” He gave me a lingering kiss on the mouth.
“Mmm,” I said, my tone dreamy. “Just your lips? Because I kinda want the rest of you, too.”
Trent laughed. “Kinda?”
I smiled. “Okay, I really want the rest of you. That better?”
“Much better.” His voice dipped low, and his eyes darkened with lust.
He slanted his mouth over mine, and his hand eased up the hem of my shirt, and this time, I was wiggling to get closer.
“For the record,” he said in between planting small, heated kisses along my jaw. “I really want the rest of you, too.”
My heart raced, and heated need flamed inside of me. “You can have me,” I whispered. Or more accurately—he already had me. All of me. But instead of touching me some more, he was off me and standing near the window before I could blink.
“Your aunt and uncle are home. I’ll call you later.” He opened the window and jumped out.
Groaning, I flung my arm over my face and stayed on my bed until my heart slowed a bit. Then, I got up and went downstairs.
“Hey,” I said, brushing my fingers through my hair. I really should’ve checked my appearance before I came down here. “Need help?”
“That would be great.” Aunt Beth set a bag of groceries on the counter. “Our friends had to cancel at the last minute, so we decided to stock up while we were in the city.”
Uncle Dean walked in a moment later, arms full of bags. “There’s a lot more in the trunk.” He turned and h
eaded back out for another load.
“Why don’t you help him carry stuff in, and I’ll start putting it away?” Aunt Beth suggested.
“Okay,” I said.
After helping Uncle Dean unload the car, I helped Aunt Beth put stuff away, and then I helped with dinner. Not that I wanted to do a bunch of chores, but it helped keep my mind off what was going on with Abby.
Eventually, the chores ran out, and I needed to find something else to occupy me. Aunt Beth put the lasagna in the oven, and I headed upstairs to study for finals. Hopefully, Abby would be home soon.
I buried myself in math review and lost track of time—until there was a knock on my door.
“Chloe?” Abby walked in.
I jumped up and hugged her. “Are you okay? How did it go? You have to tell me everything!”
The plan had been to take her straight to Trent’s after so he could restore her memories, which meant she should remember everything now. It also meant Trent had kissed her again. I tried—and failed—not to scowl.
“Yeah, um, it was weird. Like, his dad looks so… normal.” She sat on the edge of my bed. “He was nice to me, too, which I wasn’t expecting.” She laughed, but it was strained. “He offered me this drink. It looked and tasted like iced tea, but Isach warned me it was the truth potion or whatever.”
I sat in my desk chair, spinning it to face her, and nodded for her to continue.
“I told him everything.” She groaned and covered her face with her hands.
My eyes widened. “What do you mean by everything?” I asked. Fear squeezed my chest. Did our plan fail? Was Rector Zoya on his way to kill me right now?
“I mean, I told him every detail about my life. I even admitted I’ve been lying to my parents about college applications. Oh, and I told him when I got my period for the first time. My first kiss. That Isach and I are having sex.” Abby’s face turned beet red with embarrassment.
I laughed, and then slapped my hand over my mouth. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“But whatever Trent did worked because I didn’t tell Rector anything about him or you or Ivy. And believe me, he asked. A lot. He kept asking if I knew any of the Halsteads, and I kept telling him that asking me repeatedly wouldn’t change my answer. I don’t think he liked that.” Abby frowned.
I sighed with relief. “But you remember everything now?” I asked cautiously.
“It’s a little fuzzy, and I feel very disoriented, but yeah. I remember why I couldn’t say anything about you, and I remember Trent and his family.” She yawned.
“So, is everything cool with Rector now? Is he going to unground Isach and let you two be together?” I asked.
Abby shrugged again. “He said he liked me, but that was it. I’m hoping Isach calls me later, but if not, then I guess we keep pretending we don’t know each other.” Her shoulders sagged.
“I’m sorry, Abby,” I said. I knew a big part of the reason she’d agreed to do this was because she’d been hoping it would make things easier for her and Isach to be together.
“Also, it’s super weird to kiss Trent.” She laughed. “I mean, this is now three times, and I really don’t like it.”
“Yeah, let’s not do that ever again.” I laughed, too.
“Girls! Dinner,” Aunt Beth hollered.
I stood and stretched. Abby stood, too, and I gave her another hug. “Thank you for doing this today. You have no idea how much it means to me. And I’m really glad you’re okay,” I said sincerely.
She hugged me back. “You owe me big time for this.”
“Whatever you want, just ask.” I followed her downstairs.
While everything seemed to be okay, there was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I couldn’t shake the fear that nothing was okay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
Back to Normal
A LITTLE OVER A MONTH HAD passed since Abby met Rector and took his truth test. Despite my constant worries and bad feelings, everything still seemed to be fine. Abby wasn’t acting differently, and she was able to remember details about me, Trent, Ivy, and our plans.
Unfortunately, her meeting with Rector didn’t change much between her and Isach. He was still too paranoid to make their relationship public again, and the rest of us continued to avoid him as if we didn’t even know him. It sucked.
“Final projects are due Friday,” Mr. Gordon said as he walked down the rows of desks. “I suggest if you have any questions or need clarification, you get it from me today.”
The room was silent. We’d been working on these projects all semester. Jax and I were almost finished—thank God—and all we had left to do was write a final summary of what we learned.
“Today’s a workday, folks.” Mr. Gordon clapped his hands, then sank down in the chair behind his desk.
Rolling my eyes, I twisted around in my seat to face Jax. He grinned, and I couldn’t stop from smiling in return. “I will be so glad when this class is over,” I said.
“Oh, c’mon. It hasn’t been that bad being in a loveless marriage with me, has it?” He winked, and my face heated.
Part of the assignment was to come up with a scenario for our home life. Jax and I had agreed to be husband and wife, but it was a loveless marriage. He was an alcoholic, and I was cheating on him.
I was sure Mr. Gordon wouldn’t be too happy, but our situation offered quite a few unexpected monthly expenses that we needed to deal with, and that was something Mr. Gordon would love to see. Jax consistently blew our monthly budget on booze, and I maxed out our credit cards on hotel rooms so I could rendezvous with my lover.
“I should probably tell you I overdrew our checking account to pay for a divorce lawyer,” I said. “Our mortgage payment is probably going to bounce. We’ll be homeless soon.”
Jax flung his head back and laughed.
Other students gave us dirty looks. Apparently, no one else was having as much fun with this project as we were. They really needed to lighten up.
I laughed, too. “Okay, I might miss this class a little.”
“We should probably come up with a contingency plan for when that happens.” Jax nodded as if he were giving this some serious thought. “We could buy a camper. Park it in my dad’s backyard. Run an extension cord for power.”
I swatted at him, laughing even harder now. “You’re ridiculous.”
His gaze lingered on my face, then darted above my head. “You’re yellow,” he said.
Yellow meant happy. For the first time in a very long time, I had a lot to be happy about. I’d be graduating high school in little over a month. Two months after that, I’d be marrying Trent, and then conceiving our child. Just the thought of that had a thrill shooting up my back.
The Zoya hadn’t bothered us. Neither was Ivy. Things were as close to perfect as they’d ever been—which meant something bad was bound to happen soon. But I refused to dwell on that thought.
Jax averted his gaze to his hands that were folded on top of the desk. “Despite how much it still hurts, I’m glad you’re finally happy,” he said, his voice sad.
Hesitantly, I placed my hand over his. He glanced up, and whatever I wanted to say died on my lips. I still hated how much I’d hurt him, and I wished there was something I could do to ease his pain.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“I know.” The corner of his mouth lifted in an almost smile, but his eyes were dark and brooding.
The bell rang, saving me from having to think of something else to say to him, because I was at a complete loss. I gathered my stuff and stood. Jax stood, too, and we headed out of class.
When we walked past Mr. Gordon’s desk, Jax nudged me and whispered, “So, you think Gordon has a sense of humor? Or are we totally going to flunk this project and his class and have to go to summer school?”
“Summer school with you will be worse than our fake marriage.” I nudged him back.
He dramatically grasped his chest. “Ouch. That was harsh.”
Shakin
g my head, I stepped into the hallway, my smile firmly in place. Trent was leaning against the wall waiting for me. He straightened as soon as he saw me, his gaze darting between me and Jax.
“See ya later, cheater,” Jax said with a wink before sauntering down the hallway.
“Bye, booze hound,” I called after him, and despite the crowd swallowing him up, I could see him shaking his head.
“What was that all about?” Trent asked as he slipped his hand into mine.
“This stupid Life Skills project. We’re either going to get the best grade in the class, or we’re going to flunk miserably,” I said.
Trent tilted his head, his expression confused. I explained how Jax and I had made up this ridiculous scenario for our final project, and how it had become a running joke between us. Trent was silent for several moments after I stopped talking.
I risked a glance at him, worried he was reading more into this situation. His face was devoid of emotion, but his eyes vacillated between dark and light. I gave his hand a squeeze.
“It’s just a dumb school project. It means nothing,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “But does Jax?”
We stopped outside of my next class and stood near the wall, out of the way.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m trying to be his friend again. He’s going to be my brother-in-law in a few months, and I don’t want things to be awkward between us. I’ve told him that. Trust me, he knows how I feel about him. And about you.”
Trent’s posture softened, and he tugged me closer. “I can’t stand how jealous I am of my own brother.”
He momentarily rested his forehead to mine, then captured my lips in a tender kiss. The ringing bell interrupted us, and I pulled back just enough to see his eyes, which were now lighter and sharper.
“I love you,” I said, then walked into class.
THE MORNING FLEW BY, and before I knew it, Trent and I were headed to the cafeteria for lunch. We were early, so our usual table was empty. I claimed it before anyone else could. Trent sat beside me, and we waited for the others to arrive.
Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5) Page 22
