The Vampire Diaries: Trust In Betrayal (Kindle Worlds) (In Time We Trust Trilogy Book 3)

by Michelle Hazen

  But of all the girls in the world, why did he have to pick her?

  Cali sinks onto the bed, her shoulders slumping. “Stefan cried. Did you know that? It took a long time to compel me the first time, because he implanted all these details in my head about what I’d been doing for three days. I begged him, Jeremy,” she says, her voice quavering in a way that makes my heart feel like it’s cracking in half. “I begged him not to do it. And he cried the whole time.”

  Cali looks down at her hands and suddenly the room feels too small and I wonder if I should put on a shirt. If I have any right to be here at all. She seems so vulnerable right now, like I can see secrets on her she never would have told me and even though I didn’t know what they were doing to her, her kidnappers are my friends, my family and I feel like it’s my fault, somehow.

  “I’ve got to get out of here. I know I don’t have a car and there’s all this crazy stuff going on right now but…I can’t stay here with them, Jeremy,” she says, her eyes lifting slowly back to mine like it takes too much effort. “I’m sorry.”

  I remember how awful it was when I realized Damon had compelled me to forget Vickie. How off-balance everything felt, like I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t.

  I make the decision in an instant. “I’ll go with you. I can’t look at them right now either, knowing what they did to you. And it’s not safe. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  I cross to my duffel bag with two long steps and yank on the first tee shirt I find. I shove handfuls of clothes aside, looking for my favorite hoodie, and then remember Elena still has it. I grab my new one instead, which isn’t quite as soft, and toss it on the bed, shucking my pants and searching for jeans.

  When I realize Cali isn’t moving behind me, I pause. I glance over and she’s completely still, watching me. I frown, wondering if I should have gone in the bathroom to change. She’s seen me in my boxers tons of times and before Damon knocked on the door tonight, she was sleeping with her head on my bare chest. But she’s upset right now, so I guess all bets are off.

  “You… Are you really going to leave with me?” she asks. “Just like that?”

  “Of course.” I hesitate. “Unless you don’t want me to.”

  She shakes her head. “No, I do. I’m sorry I threw you out earlier. I just…” her voice wobbles a little bit and she hugs her arms around herself. “I have this thing about knowing what happens to me, and I kind of needed a minute.”

  “Hey…” I forget about the jeans and crossing the room to her to pull her into a hug. “It’s fine. I get it.”

  She’s hanging onto me so tightly I can feel her rings pressing into my back and my shoulders curve in around her as I drop my cheek to the top of her head, squeezing my eyes shut. It steadies me to touch her, some of the words that are all tangled up in my throat dissipating like it doesn’t matter quite so much that I don’t know what to say.

  “You know, I wasn’t that scared,” she whispers against the soft cotton of my tee shirt. “When he fed on me. But when they stole me from Gram’s I just lost it. I was alone with these two strange men and I knew they could do anything to me they wanted and I wouldn’t even remember it. All I could think was I wished they would kill me instead.”

  I flinch and hold her tighter. “Don’t say that. Please don’t say that.”

  She sucks in a jagged breath and holds it, and when it breaks free she gulps another one. “Shit,” she whispers, and I can feel the dampness of her tears creeping through my shirt. “Shitshitshit.”

  Cali starts to pull away and I clamp her back against me, so desperately relieved she doesn’t hate me that I don’t dare let her go. She lays her forehead against my chest and groans through her teeth.

  “God, Jeremy,” she hisses, and breaks away from me, shoving angrily at her eyes. “I’m a mess. I’m a freaking mess. I’ve got to get away from them before I just fall apart.”

  “Okay.” I step into my jeans and cram my feet into shoes, zipping my duffel bag with one hand while I wrestle my hoodie on with the other.

  I turn back toward Cali just as she strips her tank top off over her head, dropping that and her sweater in the top of her duffel. I turn my back, my heart jumping involuntarily. It’s not the first time I’ve seen her naked. But right now, she deserves her privacy.

  I realize I’ve forgotten socks, and I sit down on the end of the bed, facing away from her and toe my shoes back off.

  When I’m done, I pull out my phone and find a bus station less than a mile from here. I’ve got three hundred bucks, cash. That ought to get us somewhere, right?

  “Damon bought this guitar, didn’t he?” Cali asks, her voice steadier now. I risk a glance and she’s already dressed, looking down at the guitar case lying next to her packed duffel. “I played the whole time I was locked in the basement. He would have known how much I loved it.” She pauses, staring at it, and then her hand wraps firmly around the handle. “Screw it. He owes me.”

  I swallow, stuffing my hands in my pockets. I need to stop being on the run all the time so I can get a job. “I’ll buy you another one,” I tell Cali. “With my own money. I promise.”

  She pauses, a sweet smile crossing her face beneath the streaks of tears as she looks at me. “How did somebody like you end up in a crazy family like this?”

  I stiffen. “Cali, there’s something I should tell you.”

  “You’re adopted,” she deadpans, sounding just like her old self for a second.

  I’m too worried about what I’m about to tell her to laugh, but an ironic smile twitches over my lips for a second anyway. “Not exactly.” I take a deep breath. “Look, it’s not a big deal but I don’t want you to think I lied to you, too. I’m not a human. That’s why I can’t be compelled.”

  Her eyebrows arch in perfect unison. “Um, it’s not a big deal but you’re not a human? Are you kidding me right now?”

  I set my shoulders, bracing myself for her reaction. “I’m a vampire hunter.”

  She bursts out laughing. “No way.”

  I try to ignore the hurt that twists through me at her reaction, and shift my weight. “I’m faster than a human,” I tell her. “Stronger.”

  “A vampire hunter. God really does have a sense of humor, doesn’t he?” she says, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder and picking up the guitar case. “So how are we going to get out of here without them seeing us?”

  I hesitate for a second, not sure if she doesn’t mind what I am, or she doesn’t believe me. As if she can read my expression, she shrugs.

  “Hey, you’re not a human hunter. I figure with the Augustines on our ass, a vampire hunter might not be a bad thing to have around.”

  I clear my throat, ducking my head to hide my flush of pleasure as I scoop up my bag and tug hers off her shoulder as I go by. “Follow me,” I tell her, batting her hand away when she tries to take her duffel back.

  I open the door a crack and peek out, but I don’t see anybody from our group. The rooms are all in a row and we’re on the end, so I lead Cali out, sticking close to the wall as we slip around the corner and down the side stairs. And easy as that, we’re free of my family.

  Chapter 12: Two-faced Truth

  JEREMY

  The shadows from the buildings are long when we hit the sidewalk, the early-evening wind stirring up little whirls of dust and discarded grocery bags in the alleyways.

  She fills me in as we walk, telling me how she met Stefan and Damon, how she tracked them down and ended up using a Taser on them, and then the whole story with Elena coming after her at her grandma’s house. I can barely stand to listen to that part, because I can imagine just how terrifying it was for Cali, but I also know how much my sister would have hated playing the villain.

  I switch my bag to the other side so I can take Cali’s hand, and she falls silent for a moment, then squeezes back. Abruptly, I realize we should probably take a more inconspicuous route. We’ve only seen one human out during the day that was allied with t
he Augustines, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have more. And so far, they’ve been shockingly good at finding us no matter how random our route.

  I check the map on my phone and lead her onto a side street instead. By the time we get to the bus station, she hasn’t spoken in a while and I’m starting to wonder if she regrets bringing me along after all.

  Because she’s easier to recognize than I am, I leave her with our luggage on a quiet bench out back of the bus station where the un-used busses are all parked, and go inside to buy tickets. The next one doesn’t leave for a couple hours, so I linger in the gift shop, trying to think of what we’ll need. Finally I buy some crackers and a bottle of water and head back outside, nervous for about three reasons I can name and about ten that I can’t.

  She’s on the bench where I left her, elbows braced on her knees, toying with the latch on the guitar case between her feet.

  I take a seat next to her.

  “Stefan was convinced it would ruin my life,” she says without looking up. “Knowing about your world.”

  “I don’t think it’s the knowing that’s the bad part.” I lean my elbows onto my knees too, dropping the little plastic bag at my feet as I clasp my hands loosely together. “It’s when you refuse to see what’s actually there. My friend Vickie got turned into a vampire, and she just didn’t get how dangerous it was, how careful she needed to be. And Bonnie…” I duck my head, my throat squeezing when I say her name. “Bonnie was my girlfriend, and a witch, a very powerful one. She tried so hard to make everything okay for everyone else, she just couldn’t accept that there were things she couldn’t fix.”

  “Magic, huh?” Cali says. “No bullshit. I guess after all that fog and crap I should have known there were witches.” She tugs her ponytail holder out, combing her fingers through her hair absently. “Stefan said that Elena lost her brother because of vampires…” She shoots a sideways glance at me. “She doesn’t have another brother, does she?”

  “Nope.” My foot is jiggling now with nervous energy, and I clamp my teeth together. I never think about this without wanting to run for long, hard miles. “I was dead for weeks and Bonnie used magic to bring me back. Too much magic.” I shake my head. “Magic isn’t what people think. It’s not free. Nothing’s free.”

  I'm not sure what to think of the way she’s looking at me, but it makes my skin prickle. I don’t like people knowing what happened to Bonnie. I wish I wouldn’t have said anything.

  “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

  I nod, swallowing as I watch the lines of the buses blur before my eyes. I blink once, firmly, because there’s no way I’m going to cry right now.

  Cali lets out a low whistle and shakes her head. “That is a bitch of a guilt trip.”

  I choke on my next breath, turning to look at her and I’m not really sure I just laughed until I feel the smile on my face. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  She snorts, jostling me with her elbow. “How do you think I feel? I’m sitting here feeling terrible that I’ve been spooning with the morning wood another girl died for. I’m like, the other woman or something really icky.” She shudders and busies her hands twisting her hair into a spiky little knot at the base of her neck and digging in her messenger bag until she comes up with a chopstick carved of dark wood.

  I grimace. “I don’t think she died for my dick, Cali, jeez.”

  She purses her lips, peeking up at me through her eyelashes as she slides the chopstick into her hair. “What, you think she died for your brain?” She bumps me playfully with her shoulder and I just shake my head, smiling in spite of myself.

  “That’s just…so wrong.”

  “Yeah, well, when I get stressed I get snarky and inappropriate,” Cali says, and makes a face. "It's a personal failing."

  "So, while we're being inappropriate, can I ask you something?" I say, sneaking her a sidelong glance.

  "You already know my breasts are real and that my socks never match," she says. "That's pretty much all my deepest and darkest, so shoot."

  "And you make bunny noises in your sleep," I add.

  She smacks me in the arm. "Bunny noises? Is that some kind of dirty joke?"

  "It's all snuffly..." I demonstrate, making the soft sniffy and sighing noises, and her cheeks turn pink.

  "Ew, let's never talk about that again." I grin and make the sound one more time and she glares at me. "What were you going to ask? Why I sound like a rooting hog while I sleep? Next question."

  My smile fades and I scratch the back of my neck. "Maybe this isn't the time, but I've been meaning to say...you know they could heal your grandma, right?"

  Cali tips her head back against the wall behind the bench and sighs, her cheekbones slanting exotically in the fading evening light. "Can we go back to talking about your supernaturally perfect ex-girlfriends that I can never live up to?"

  My eyebrows pop up and I'm momentarily distracted. Cali Jameson is intimidated by my ex-girlfriends? Seriously?

  She apparently takes my shocked silence as a prompt because she closes her eyes and starts to talk.

  "It's not that I haven't thought about it. I know they'd do it. Your crazy sister especially. But what if it didn't work, or it made Gram worse? Have you ever tried it on a stroke victim before?"

  I blink, trying not to be sidetracked by her comment about my exes. "No, but I've never seen it not work. It won't make her immortal, though. It'll just heal what's wrong with her now."

  "Yeah, but what if it heals her to being young again? If it fixes everything, it should fix the damage age does to the body, too, right? Gram might love that. But she also might not want to start over again. She was proud of her life." Cali tips her head my way. "She was at the original march on Washington, did you know that? For civil rights. I know she has regrets, mostly about my mom, but...I don't know. Gram didn't mind being old, before she got so sick. I just don't feel like I can make that choice for her. And you just said it yourself, there's always a price. Nothing's free."

  “Yeah, but something good ought to come out of all of this, you know?” I shrug, my shoulders feeling bulky and too heavy, and say the thing that’s been playing through my mind nonstop since Damon came in and dropped this bomb on us. “I can’t believe you were in the basement for three days while I was right upstairs.”

  Cali smiles, her eyes opening as she looks up at the sky, dark enough now that street lights are starting to come on. I love the way she looks when she smiles, and I love that after everything that’s happened, she still wants to.

  “You’re going to think this is crazy but that actually makes me feel better,” she says.

  “Yup, that’s crazy,” I decide, and chuckle when she elbows me.

  I like that she doesn’t treat me with kid gloves. Elena’s too gentle now, every time she hugs me or touches me, since Bonnie sent me back. It’s weird, so different from the way she used to be with me.

  “I mean…” Cali toys with one of her rings. “I was stuck in this weird ass little cell but the whole time you were just upstairs, probably playing Xbox and listening to music, showering and eating breakfast…I don’t know. It makes it less scary somehow, safer.”

  I tilt my head, watching her. I should have made it safer for her, should have opened my eyes for five freaking seconds to what was going on around me instead of how miserable I was being stuck in high school all day. I should have realized something was wrong, that my family was lying to me, every one of them. I could have saved her.

  The thought hurts, but not as much as it should. I guess because of the way she’s sitting, slouched almost comfortably on the bench behind the bus station, teasing me. I keep trying to picture her in that cell, scared and in the dark but all I can see is her smirking face as she makes jokes about Bonnie and my penis. I’ve seen Cali scared plenty of times, I guess, but it never lasts more than a few seconds before she does something about it. It’s one of the things I admire most about her.

  “The worst part,”
she says, “is that I liked them. I liked them and then it turns out they kidnapped me and they’re your…” she heaves a breath. “Shit, Jeremy, they’re your family. You can’t go with me.” She throws me a look that’s nervous and resigned at the same time. “Look, you may be mad now but they’re still your family.”

  “I know that,” I tell her, squeezing my hands in my lap until my knuckles ache. Thinking about Matt, and Ric, and how guilty and freaked out Elena’s going to be when she realizes I’m gone. “But I just can’t be around them. Not right now.”

  “What are we even thinking?” Cali gestures at the empty lot and laughs. “We have bus tickets and no plan. We’ve got what, a hundred bucks left? Plus a debit card I can’t use without risking the Augustines being able to trace it. And frankly, that’s going to be all but tapped out once the automatic bill pay goes through for this month’s power and water bills.”