Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  “Well, what do you think?” Trent asked. He stood in the bedroom doorway, arms crossed.

  “Are you kidding? This place is amazing. I’m never leaving.” I laughed.

  “So, you’re not disappointed we’re not lounging on a beach somewhere?” he asked.

  “Nope.” I shook my head, approached him, and trailed my finger down his chest. “But if we were on a beach somewhere, you’d get to see me in my bikini. I’d practically be half naked the entire time, so I guess it’s your loss, really.”

  His eyes darkened and narrowed slightly. “Maybe. Maybe not.” He shrugged and pushed away from the doorjamb. “Because here, in the privacy of this cabin, I can have you completely naked any time I want.” His voice dipped low, and a shiver wiggled down my spine.

  “That’s true, too,” I said, suddenly breathless.

  In a flash, Trent had me pinned against the wall, and then his lips crashed down over mine. There was a flurry of clothes flying in all directions as we tore at each other, and his hands were everywhere all at once, exploring and teasing, until finally, he pushed himself into me.

  My head fell back against the wall as I clung to him and cried out.

  He made the deepest, most guttural sound I’d ever heard. “My God, Chloe,” he said around a groan. “You feel so damn good.” He nipped at my earlobe. “You’re like my personal heaven.”

  “Don’t stop,” I whispered. “Don’t ever stop.”

  And he didn’t stop—he took me right there against the wall, and I didn’t even care that we never made it to the bed.

  AFTER SHOWERING AND CHANGING into clean clothes, I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail and checked my reflection in the mirror. My face was still flushed from my and Trent’s recent physical activity.

  I grinned at the memory. Being with Trent was always mind blowing, but what we’d done tonight? It had been so raw and desperate, and I’d enjoyed every second of it. Sure, making love with him in a bed was really nice, too, but the uncontrollable need that had torn through both of us, the feeling that if we didn’t have each other right then and there we’d combust… that was spectacular.

  Maybe he’d been on to something earlier when he suggested sending Ivy a thank you card. I should do that when we returned home.

  I walked out of the bedroom to find Trent sitting on the sofa, TV remote in his hand. Apparently, there was a television—it was built into the wall above the fireplace. He glanced up and smiled, and my heart beat triple time.

  Tossing the remote onto the coffee table, he stood, and I took the opportunity to stare at him. He was dressed in black jeans that were the perfect fit for him, a cream colored sweater, and black boots. God, he looked good.

  “Ready?” he asked, his tone amused.

  “I just need shoes,” I said, suddenly very thankful I’d packed boots.

  Not that they were suitable for being out in the snow for extended periods of time, but they were warm, and they matched my outfit, which was similar to Trent’s. Jeans and a sweater, though mine was a V-neck and form fitting.

  I rummaged around in my luggage until I found my boots, then sat on the sofa to pull them on. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked.

  “Figured we’d go to the main lodge, get something to eat, maybe hang out there for a while, if you want. They have game rooms with darts, air hockey, pool tables… I believe they have live music, too, that we can check out,” he said, his voice becoming more distant by the word.

  I glanced up at him, worried something might be wrong. But he was staring at me intently, that familiar glint in his eyes. The look that said he wanted me. Again.

  “Or we can go eat, then come back here,” he said, his tone husky.

  A spark of desire ignited in my belly, and I stood. “How long are we staying here?” I asked.

  He lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. “A few days. Why?”

  “Because it hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours since we drank that potion, and how many times have we had sex?” I asked, brow raised.

  “Not nearly enough,” he said.

  I laughed. “That’s exactly my point. We literally can’t help ourselves. Maybe we should just lock ourselves inside this cabin for the next two days, or until the side effects of this potion wear off, and then we can do whatever you have planned.”

  He grinned and sauntered toward me. “Now that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.” He slid his arms around my waist and yanked me closer. “You need food first, though. You’re going to need your strength.”

  “So are you,” I said seriously. “When was the last time you fed?”

  “Yesterday, before the wedding,” he said. “I’ll be fine tonight.”

  I nodded.

  “Don’t worry.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ll go feed tomorrow morning and be back in bed before you even know I’m gone.”

  I frowned, hating the idea of him leaving me in bed alone, or anywhere alone, really. But I knew he needed to feed, so I could deal with it for however long it took him.

  “C’mon, let’s go eat before we end up back in bed,” he said with a chuckle.

  We drove the short distance to the main lodge, which was humongous. The entire bottom floor was the lobby, check in desk, ski rentals, dozens of fireplaces with couches and chairs arranged around them, and a coffee / hot chocolate bar.

  The second floor was the restaurant, which was where Trent and I headed. He stopped at the hostess stand. “Two for Halstead,” he said.

  “Just a moment,” the hostess, whose nametag read Mindy, said.

  We moved out of the way, and another couple stepped forward. They were older, maybe late twenties or early thirties, and they had the same newlywed glow that I was positive Trent and I had, too.

  They gave the hostess their name, and the guy kissed the woman as they moved back and bumped straight into me before I could move out of the way. Trent wrapped his arm around my back, his stance protective.

  “Oh, oops.” The woman giggled. “Sorry.” But her cheeks were pink, and she didn’t look the least bit sorry.

  “It’s all right.” I smiled. “Newlyweds?” I asked.

  “That obvious, huh?” The man laughed.

  “Yeah, we got married a couple of weeks ago. Tonight’s our last night here,” she said.

  “Congratulations,” I said. “We just got married yesterday.” I patted Trent’s chest and rested my head on his arm.

  “Well, congratulations to you, too.” She smiled.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Halstead?” Mindy called.

  I squeezed Trent’s hand and smiled broadly. “I will never get tired of hearing that,” I whispered.

  “Good, because you’re going to be hearing it for a very long time,” he said with a conspiratorial wink.

  We followed Mindy through the dining room and to our table, which was positioned in front of a bowed window overlooking the ski lifts. Lights twinkled in the distance, reflecting and glistening off the pristine white snow. This place truly was beautiful, and I could see why Trent loved the snow so much.

  Trent pulled out my chair, and I sat. He leaned over, gave my cheek a kiss, and whispered, “I love you,” before taking his seat across from me.

  “Your waiter will be with you shortly,” Mindy said with a smile and set two menus on the edge of the table.

  He took my hands into his and caressed my knuckles with his thumbs. “This is a popular honeymoon destination,” he said. “I bet a lot of people here are newlyweds.”

  I glanced around and noticed quite a few couples in various positions of intimacy—sitting side by side, heads tilted toward each other, hand holding, kissing, whispering to one another—everywhere I looked I saw only one thing: love.

  “It’s kind of romantic,” I said, returning my gaze to Trent. “Being surrounded by so many people in love.”

  He smiled softly. “I’m glad you like it here. I was worried you wouldn’t,” he said.

  I tightened my hold on his h
ands. “It’s perfect. But your surprises always are,” I said.

  “Well, I am pretty perfect.”

  Laughing, I slipped my hands from his and reached for the menu, which was at least five pages, and that didn’t include the desserts or wines.

  Our waiter arrived with glasses of ice water and a basket of fresh bread. “My name’s Sebastian, and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Have you decided what you’d like?”

  He glanced at me, and I immediately noticed how brown his eyes were. They matched the shade of freckles splattered across his face. He had hair to match, too, and his smile was warm and inviting.

  His gaze landed on me expectantly, and my cheeks heated, though I had no idea why. Maybe because I’d been too wrapped up in Trent and had barely looked at the menu let alone decided what I wanted. This poor waiter was probably used to this type of behavior, but I felt slightly bad that we were going to make him come back.

  “We need a minute,” Trent said, his tone hard.

  “Of course.” Sebastian smiled at me, then left.

  Trent scowled. “He keeps staring at you like that and he’s going to lose an eye.”

  I laughed, then clamped my mouth shut.

  Shaking his head, a small smile curved his lips. He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “You think this is funny, but between the bond, the whole soulmate thing, the effects of that potion, and knowing you’re now my wife, I’m seconds away from killing every guy in here who so much as looks at you.”

  My eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  He gave a slight nod, then leaned back. “I won’t, obviously, but the thoughts are racing through my mind.”

  “Wow,” I said, stunned.

  I was rather… territorial where Trent was concerned, too, but this seemed extreme, even for him. Then again, I’d had some very vivid thoughts about killing Olivia when I’d found her in Trent’s arms on New Year’s Eve. With Trent’s heightened emotions on top of everything else, I could only imagine what he must be thinking and feeling right now.

  “Does this place have room service?” I asked, only half joking.

  “Yes,” he said.

  I stood. “Then let’s go back to our cabin and order something. We’ll quarantine ourselves like we talked about.” I held my hand out to him.

  Despite being in this gorgeous place, the thought of locking myself up with Trent for the next two days was a lot more appealing than anything this resort had to offer.

  Trent took my hand, and within five minutes, we were back in our cabin. Ten minutes after that, he’d placed a food order. I’d changed out of my clothes and into one of Trent’s T-shirts. When I returned to the living room, he was on the couch, head hung.

  “I didn’t mean to ruin our evening,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “You didn’t ruin our evening,” I said, sitting beside him and draping my arm around his back. “I’d much rather be alone with you anyway. Besides, we’ve got a few days here, right? We’ll have plenty of time to get this potion out of our systems, and then we can do everything else.”

  He turned his head to look at me. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

  My heart fluttered. “I learned from watching you,” I said, nudging him playfully.

  “Come here,” he said, pulling me over to straddle his lap.

  He tucked stray strands of hair behind my ear, his hand lingering on my cheek for a moment before he slid his palm around to cup the back of my neck. Gaze locked on mine, he slowly pulled my mouth down to his, and the instant our lips touched, I was awash in sensations.

  I clutched fistfuls of his hair as I bore down on him, kissing him like my life depended on it. Heat erupted inside of me, and my body seemed to move of its own volition, writhing in an effort to get closer to Trent, though that was impossible—I was as close to him as I could possibly get at the moment.

  “My God.” He groaned. “I want you, Chloe,” he said, his voice a sexy rasp. “I’m always going to want you.”

  “You have me,” I murmured, not allowing myself to move too far from his hungry kisses.

  With a dangerous snarl, he spun me around so I was flat on my back on the couch. He went straight for my neck, nipping and sucking. I frantically tugged at his sweater until he finally tore it off over his head.

  He scraped his teeth down the column of my neck, and I trembled beneath him. My heart pounded hard and loud, my pulse punching against his mouth with each kiss he planted on my heated flesh. There was a small pinch, almost like he started to bite me, then stopped.

  He’d never just bitten me before. He always asked permission first, but there was clearly something vastly different about this moment. Every touch and kiss was primal and animalistic, like he was trying to control himself but couldn’t.

  “It’s okay.” I tilted my head and held his face near my neck. “You can bite me.”

  He muttered a string of curses, and then he was suddenly standing across the room. I sat up and blinked, confused. He paced in front of the fireplace and dragged his hand through his hair.

  “Trent?” I asked, swallowing the lump of fear that had formed in the back of my throat. “What’s wrong?”

  “Please don’t give me permission to bite you,” he said, still pacing. “Not until this potion wears off, okay?”

  “Uh, okay,” I said slowly. “Why?”

  “Because…” He sighed and turned to face me. “I’ve been in a constant state of bloodlust since I drank that potion.” His expression was tormented. “Which explains why I’m acting the way I am. I didn’t realize it until just now, but it makes sense.” He shook his head.

  I stood and cautiously approached him. “It’s okay,” I said.

  “No, it’s not. I’ve never been in bloodlust this long before, and if this continues for the next couple of days…” He gripped my upper arms and peered into my eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t,” I said, surprised by how steady and assured my voice sounded. “But biting is off the table, okay? I won’t mention it again. Promise.”

  He rested his forehead to mine. “Thank you.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE:

  An Old Acquaintance

  I AWOKE WITH A JOLT, HEART in my throat. Sweat beaded on my brow, and I inhaled several times, but I couldn’t catch my breath. I’d been having a nightmare, though now that I was wide awake, I couldn’t remember a single thing about my dream.

  I swiped my hand across my forehead and pulled the covers tighter around my body. Then I snuggled next to Trent, who was sound asleep. We’d exhausted ourselves making love last night.

  Trent draped his arm around me and pulled me closer. His eyes were still closed, though, so I assumed he was moving with instinct rather than awareness. His lips brushed across my forehead, and I sighed with contentment as I slid my arm across his stomach.

  I hadn’t really had a chance to just… be since the wedding, so I allowed myself to bask in this moment, to savor the quiet time with my thoughts. I lifted my hand and stared at my wedding rings. It still blew my mind that I was married now, that I was, for eternity, Mrs. Chloe Halstead.

  And soon, hopefully, I’d be Mom, too. God knew we were making the most of Ivy’s potion. If I wasn’t pregnant by now, I never would be. I placed my hand on my stomach. Was it possible I was already pregnant? The thought made me smile.

  But what if I wasn’t? What if, for some reason unknown to me, I couldn’t get pregnant? Everything we’d done to get here would have been for nothing. Tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I blew out a shaky breath.

  “What’s wrong?” Trent asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

  “Nothing,” I whispered.

  “I can hear your heart thumping erratically, and I can smell your fear,” he said, dragging his fingertips up my arm. “What’s wrong?”

  I sighed, hating how he always knew what I was feeling, even when I didn’t want him to. “What if I can’t get pregnant?”


  “What?”

  I shifted away from him and propped myself up on my elbow. “What if there’s something wrong with me, and I can’t get pregnant? What if we did all of this for nothing?”

  “Oh, baby.” He rolled onto his side and caressed my cheek, his hand lingering.

  I closed my eyes and leaned into his palm. I wanted nothing more than to be a mom, to make Trent a father, but what if I couldn’t? Would Trent understand and forgive me, or would he be completely crushed?

  “When we get home, we’ll call Doctor Mattias, okay?” he said.

  I nodded.

  “But no matter how this turns out, it doesn’t change anything. I will still love you just as much as I do right now, and I’m still going to change you.” He leaned forward and gave my lips a tender kiss.

  “I love you so much,” I said, nearly choking on a barely contained sob.

  He held me in his arms until I finally fell back asleep.

  WE DIDN’T TALK ABOUT the possibility of me not getting pregnant again, but we spent the next two days trying our best to ensure it happened. Trent left once, long enough to feed, but other than that, we were in self-imposed quarantine, and it was the best two days of my life.

  By the time the sun rose on the third day, I was finally starting to feel normal again. I could kiss Trent without the uncontrollable urge to rip his clothes off, which was both good and slightly disappointing.

  After having breakfast in the main lodge, we rented ski equipment and headed out to the slopes. I warned Trent I had no idea what I was doing, and I proved my point when I fell over—four times. The first couple of times, Trent was patient and encouraging, but by the fourth time, he couldn’t stop laughing at me.

  I grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at him. The only reason I managed to hit him with the snowball was because he’d been too busy laughing and hadn’t seen it coming. He wiped snow from his face, gathered a handful of his own, and flung it at me.

  I screeched and covered my face with my hands. “No fair,” I said. “I’m literally a sitting duck here.” I held my arms out to indicate I was, in fact, sitting in the snow, skis strapped to my feet, unable to move.