Eternal Choice: (The Cursed Series, Book 2)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  “And Wyatt? I mean, he chose to change, so he must like it, right?” I asked.

  “Oh yeah. He loves it,” she said with a dramatic laugh. “I think that’s why he and Jax get along so well. Those two own what they are. They make no excuses or apologies.”

  “Neither does Trent,” I said, twisting my empty water bottle in my hand. “He likes being a vampire, too.”

  “I offered to change you for him,” Whitney said, her gaze intense and probing.

  My eyebrows shot up, and my jaw dropped. “You did?”

  She nodded. “I know he can’t because of the curse, but I could. Then, you two could have an eternity together. I could give you what was taken from me when David disappeared. Of course, I won’t unless you want me to.”

  I stood and headed to the kitchen, needing some space. I tossed the bottle into the recycle bin and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be a vampire,” I said.

  “Yeah, Trent told me that,” she said. And in the blink of an eye, she was in front of me.

  I yelped with surprise. “Don’t do that,” I said, placing my hand over my now racing heart.

  “Sorry.” But there was nothing apologetic in her tone or her expression. “Look, Trent’s a great guy, and he loves you so much. If you never change your mind about wanting to be a vampire, he’s never going to leave you. But if you do change your mind…” She shrugged. “I’m willing to help.”

  “Thanks,” I said, and I sincerely meant it.

  “Of course.” She grinned, flashing her bright white teeth at me. “Okay, enough gloomy talk. What should we do now?”

  “I don’t know, but no more food.” I laughed and clutched my stomach. “I’m stuffed.”

  Whitney tilted her head, studying me. “You’ve been doing that a lot tonight.” She nodded at my belly. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I think it’s just too much junk food and laughing too hard and stress. I’m fine.”

  “If you say so.” She glanced around. “Oh, let’s put on some music and dance. I haven’t danced in so long.” Her eyes lit up with excitement as she bustled around the cabin.

  After several moments, she held up her cell phone in triumph. “I have all sorts of playlists.” She scrolled through her phone.

  I still stood near the trash can, watching her with amusement. “Um, maybe we can skip the dancing?” I wasn’t sure bouncing around would help my stomach, and I really didn’t want to throw up.

  “When I was a girl, our church used to hold youth dances,” Whitney said, twirling around as if dancing with an invisible partner. “I loved going to those.”

  “Y’know, I’ve never been to prom before,” I said, returning to the couch.

  The pain across my midsection was much less severe when I was sitting. Maybe I could convince Whitney to sit and talk some more.

  “Me either,” she said. “Then again, prom really wasn’t a thing when I was in school. I did go to some parties in college, but it’s not the same thing.” She giggled and flopped down next to me on the couch.

  “I’m really hoping nothing goes wrong this year so I can go to senior prom,” I said.

  A ripple of excitement burst in my chest at the thought of going to prom with Trent. The night of the charity event with Dad and Larissa, Trent had looked incredible in a tuxedo, and even though we’d danced, I hadn’t remembered him. I wanted a magical night like that with him now that I knew who he was and how much he meant to me.

  “Oh, tell me all about high school.” Whitney bounced on the couch like a kid who’d just been handed the biggest present from beneath the Christmas tree.

  I laughed. “It’s awful.”

  She frowned, her brows furrowed. “Really?”

  “The school I attended in Florida wasn’t bad. Malibu was the worst! But I really love going to school in Keene Valley. Everyone is so nice, and I have some of the best friends there.”

  Homesickness collided with sadness in my chest. I missed Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean and Abby and all my friends. I’d give anything for all of this to be over so I could go home.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:

  No More Lies

  FOR THE NEXT HOUR, WHITNEY INTERROGATED me about school, my friends, and my family. She hung on every answer I gave her. I had no idea how she wasn’t bored out of her mind. But for every answer I gave, she asked three more questions.

  “I’d love to go back to high school,” Whitney said, her voice dreamy.

  “You’re insane.” I laughed. “I can’t wait to graduate and be done with it.”

  “School would be a lot more fun if I was there with you,” she said with all the confidence in the world. “I could pretend to be a student teacher or something. That worked out so well for me before.” She giggled.

  Soon, I was giggling right along with her. The image of Whitney as a student teacher was hilarious. Not because she looked too young—which she did—but because I could already see every guy in school drooling over her.

  “You’d be better off going back as a student,” I said, inhaling a deep breath.

  “That would be fun, too,” she said.

  The guys arrived home. Their expressions were somber, yet they gave off a certain energy—excitement, adrenaline, and hyper-activeness.

  Trent rounded the couch. “Looks like you two are having fun.” His eyes sparkled in that way I loved, and a teasing smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

  “We are,” I said, sharing a secretive look with Whitney.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Jax watching me. He was smiling, too, but his was full of longing. Is that how he’d looked at me when he watched me in Malibu? My breath hitched.

  Was Whitney right about Jax? I didn’t want anything she said about how Jax felt to be true. Everything in my life was already complicated enough—I didn’t need to add Jax to my heap of problems I couldn’t seem to figure out.

  “Well?” Whitney asked, brow raised. “What did you figure out?” Her gaze swept from Trent to Jax to Wyatt to Sean.

  “She was definitely killed by a vampire,” Sean said. “But we weren’t able to find any trace of him or her.”

  “And the woman?” Whitney asked.

  “We hid her body. By the time anyone finds her, she’ll have started to decompose,” Wyatt said.

  My stomach churned.

  “Everyone will assume it was another lost hiker.” Sean moved toward the coffee table and began to pick up the game we’d been playing earlier.

  “Oh, I can take care of that,” I said, jumping to my feet. Really, I just needed something to distract me from the mental image Wyatt had planted in my head.

  “Nonsense,” Sean said, waving me off.

  He glanced at me and smiled, and with that small gesture, I suddenly felt like we shared some secret knowledge, that in the short time we’d spent together, we’d managed to bond.

  Trent held his hand out. “Come upstairs with me?” he asked, his voice a raspy whisper.

  Anticipation buzzed through my veins and exploded in my heart, making it beat triple time. Lacing our fingers, he tugged me toward the stairs.

  Each step I took was more painful than the last, each footfall jostling my stomach in the most excruciating way. I clutched my midsection and blew out a slow breath. A chill shook my body, and another stab of pain punched at my abdomen. What was going on?

  “You okay?” Trent asked. He’d stopped and turned to look at me, concern etched across his face.

  “Yeah. My stomach hurts from laughing so much. That’s all.”

  Once Trent and I made it to my room, I released his hand. “I need a minute.”

  I dug around in my suitcase for pajamas, then made a beeline for the bathroom. After washing up and doing my business, I changed into an oversized gray T-shirt. The second the fabric hit my skin, I broke out in a cold sweat. Clutching the edge of the sink, I lowered my head and waited for it to pass.

  “Chloe?” Trent knocked on the door. “Everything okay in there?”


  “Yeah. Be out in a minute.” I splashed some cool water on my face, then rubbed a towel over my cheeks.

  The hot flash was gone, and I felt a little better. That was weird. When I returned to my room, Trent was lying in bed, shirtless. He had one hand tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach. I took a moment to admire how gorgeous he was.

  His dark hair was mussed, as if he’d spent the last few minutes running his fingers through it. His long lashes framed dark, lustful eyes—eyes that were devouring me. His bare skin, perfect in every way, beckoned me.

  My gaze followed his hand as he rubbed it across his chest.

  “You just gonna stand over there and stare?” His tone was all playful amusement, laced with an undercurrent of desire.

  Slowly, I crossed the room, shut off the lights, and climbed beneath the covers. He rolled onto his side and found my lips. I threaded my fingers through his hair and kissed him like I was dying, and he was my only lifeline. I rolled onto my side, too, so we were laying face to face, chest to chest.

  Trent groaned, and it was like he’d pushed the on button for every nerve in my body. His hand landed on my leg and inched up my thigh, over my hip and waist, dragging the hem of my T-shirt with it. Goose bumps spread like wildfire over my skin, and my heart raced harder than it ever had before.

  “All I could think about tonight was getting back here to you,” he whispered as he left my lips and kissed my jawline.

  I tilted my head, giving him both permission and my ultimate trust. “You took forever.”

  He chuckled against my neck, and I trembled. He responded by pulling me closer, and when I wiggled to remove all the extra space between us, he growled low in his throat.

  “I can’t get enough of you, Chloe.”

  The words he’d said to me so long ago breezed through my mind…

  “Every time I touch you or kiss you, it’s like every nerve in my body is electrified, every feeling magnified. It’s like my very skin is alive with energy. I crave you, Chloe, and that’s the best feeling in the world.”

  I finally understood that feeling now. The intense, all-consuming need to always be together, to feel his lips on mine, to bask in his tender touches, to swim in his whispered declarations of love. I knew what I needed to do—what I wanted to do.

  “Trent, stop.”

  He jerked back instantly. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

  “No.” With a heavy sigh, I flopped over onto my back. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Okay.” Confusion filled his voice. He remained beside me, head propped in one hand while the other rested lightly on my belly.

  I blew out a breath and licked my lips. How did I even start to have this conversation with him? What did I say? How did I explain all the conflicting emotions I still couldn’t make sense of in my own head?

  “Chloe, honey, you’re kinda scaring me. What’s going on?” He flexed his fingers across my stomach before flattening his palm.

  His touch sent pain throbbing through my belly button, but I pushed it away. I needed to focus on what I was about to do.

  “I love you so much it scares me at times,” I said. I laced my fingers together tightly and rested them on my ribs, needing the physical pressure to keep me focused. “I think about what I’d do if anything bad ever happened to you, if you woke up one morning and decided you no longer wanted to be with me—”

  “That will never happen. I will never not want to be with you,” he said.

  I put a finger against his lips to silence him. “Let me finish.”

  He kissed my fingertip, then took my hand into his, kissing my palm, my wrist. But he didn’t say anything, so I continued—as best as I could when his lips were distracting me.

  “I worry about what will happen to you when I die,” I said.

  Trent froze. “That’s a long time away.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yes,” he snarled. “It is. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll spend every day of my existence making sure you have another day with me.”

  “Trent.” My voice was strangled with too many emotions. I cupped the side of his face and fought hard against the threat of impending tears. “Did you know that this was one of the main reasons I let you wipe my memories? Because I know that someday, I’m going to die, and you’re not. And the thought of causing you that much pain…” I shook my head, and the first tear blazed a hot trail down my cheek. “I couldn’t do that to you, so I thought if I just left, then maybe you could move on, forget about me.”

  “Never,” he said fiercely. He grasped both of my hands and held them between us, near our hearts. “I could never forget you. I’d never want to.” He lowered his head and kissed my knuckles. “There will always only be you, even when you’re no longer here.” His voice hitched—it was so slight it was almost imperceptible, but I’d heard it, and my heart shattered.

  “My death is going to destroy you,” I said.

  There was a much too long pause before he said, “Yes.”

  I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his shoulder. He rubbed my back, and my tears flowed freely, cascading down my face and onto his chest.

  My choices came into clear focus—I kept my mouth shut, didn’t break the curse, and destroyed the man I loved; or I gave up every human dream I had so I wouldn’t cause Trent an eternity of heartbreak and despair.

  After a moment, he put his finger under my chin and lifted my face to his. “This entire situation sucks, and it isn’t fair, but make no mistake, Chloe. I will live an eternity without you if it means I get to spend a lifetime loving you,” he said.

  My bottom lip trembled, and my tears fell harder and faster.

  “Don’t cry.” He wiped my tears with his thumbs. “Please don’t cry.” There was desperation in his tone.

  “I can’t keep doing this,” I said through sobs. “I can’t keep hiding this from you, but… God, why does this have to be so hard?”

  I hated how weak I was right now. There was no easy way to tell him, so I just had to say it.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered, gently holding my face in his hands and kissing each of my closed eyelids. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

  His constant patience and understanding wasn’t helping. He was making it too easy not to speak.

  I took a deep breath. “I’m the cure, Trent. I’m the key to breaking your curse.”

  There, I said it, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. There was dead silence in the room, save for the pounding of my heart and the blood rushing in my ears.

  Then, slowly, Trent pressed his lips to my forehead before caressing my cheeks. “Look at me, Chloe.”

  I forced my eyes open, and I immediately wished I hadn’t. Trent’s eyes were a crisp blue, unlike anything I’d ever seen, piercing and sharp. His expression was blank, unreadable.

  “You’re the cure?” he said, brow raised.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  Every muscle in my body wanted to stay exactly where I was—pressed safely against his warm body—but I knew I couldn’t while having this conversation. I moved away and sat up, my back against the headboard.

  “How?” Trent moved to sit beside me.

  I recounted the story of how I’d found all the proof in a box of my father’s things, how I’d confronted him and he admitted to everything, and how I’d threatened him so he’d let me leave.

  When I stopped talking, Trent moved again, this time to sit on the edge of the bed, his back to me. And then he just sat there. Not speaking. Not moving. Barely breathing.

  “Please say something,” I said.

  “And you’ve known about this for how long?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and lowering his head.

  “Since the night of Simon’s party. The night I got all of my memories back.” That seemed like ages ago, but it hadn’t even been a full month.

  “This is why the coven wants you.” Tr
ent stood, an angry curse erupting as he did. “They know about you, don’t they? They want to make us change you so the curse will be broken and the magical balance can be restored.” He paced, rubbing the back of his neck. “You knew all of this?” He stopped to face me.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “This is the big secret you didn’t want to tell me?”

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Because you thought I’d find out and force you to change?” He tilted his head as if everything was just finally clicking into place in his mind.

  “Yes,” I admitted, ashamed.

  “Chloe.” The hurt in his tone nearly broke me. He kneeled on the bed and cradled the side of my face. “You have to know I’d never do that, right?”

  “I know, but can you say the same for Sean? Or Jax? If they find out…” I moved away from his touch and scrambled out of bed. “This isn’t just about you and me, Trent. Breaking this curse affects them, too.”

  More than he’d ever know. I crossed my arms against the shiver trying to wrack my body.

  “I won’t let them do anything to you against your will.” He got off the bed and closed the distance between us. “When I said I’d protect you, I meant it. From anything and anyone.”

  My arms fell to my sides. “They’re your family. You can’t choose me over them. I won’t let you.”

  “How, exactly, will you stop me?” His eyes darkened with challenge.

  “Stop,” I pleaded softly, caressing his cheek. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you, because it’s not simple or easy.” I dropped my hand from his face.

  “Yes, it is. You don’t want to be a vampire. Sounds simple enough to me.”

  “What if I’m not so sure anymore?” I sank down onto the edge of the mattress.

  Trent whipped around. “What?”

  “I’ve been thinking about this nonstop since I found out.” I picked at my cuticles, refusing to meet his gaze. “There are things I’ve always wanted to do. Maybe go to college. See the world. Fall in love. Get married. Have kids.” I smiled despite the fresh tears coursing down my face. “I always imagined having a little girl that I’d name after my mom. And a little boy I’d name after his daddy.”