Eternal

“I’m baaack,” came Cece’s singsong voice behind me just as the game loaded.

Relief washed over me as I turned toward her, watching as she sat up and reached for the bottle of water beside her bed.

She took several long chugs, the plastic crinkling noisily as it emptied. “Whew, I’m thirsty,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of one hand.

I clicked my cell’s volume switch back on and tossed the phone to my bed. “From the projecting?”

“Nah, from the Mexican food at lunch,” she answered with a laugh.

I drummed my fingers on my thighs. “So?”

Her brows drew together. “So, what?”

I gave her a pointed look. “Aren’t you going to tell me what happened out there?”

“Oh, right. Well, first off, I wish I could scrub my eyeballs. Did you know that she strips naked before going wolf?”

“Yeah, I know.” Aidan had told me that last year.

“And she’s certainly not shy. The little skank stripped down to nothing, right there in front of Aidan.”

Of course she did.

Cece winced. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”

“No, it’s fine.” I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. “What did he do?”

“You really want to hear this?”

“I have to,” I said. “Go on.”

She shrugged. “He just watched. I mean, he didn’t look like he was turned on or anything,” she added hastily. “He was just, you know, standing there watching. With his arms folded, looking kind of bored.”

“Uh-huh. Go on.”

“So Jenna does her little striptease and then picks up her clothes and walks over and hands them to him. He’s still just kind of watching her. His eyes were on her face the whole time, I swear.”

I wasn’t entirely sure I believed her, but I motioned for her to continue.

“And then she says, ‘You know, for a vampire you’re not that bad.’ And then she kinda . . . I don’t know . . . runs a finger down the side of his face.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“You said you wanted to hear this,” Cece said haltingly.

I swallowed hard. “I do. Continue.”

“So she says, ‘I don’t have to run tonight.’ Aidan didn’t say anything, so she adds, ‘I’m not fragile like your little pet. You could bite me, if that’s what it takes to turn you on. I’d heal as soon as I shifted.’ I have no idea what she meant by that.”

“I guess shifting speeds up the healing process for her or something,” I speculated, fighting the urge to hunt her down and rip her limb from limb. “So what’d he say to her little proposition?”

Cece glanced down at her hands, suddenly unable to meet my eyes.

Uh-oh.

“Just tell me,” I whispered.

“Fine. Just . . . don’t shoot the messenger, okay? You’re the one who made me spy on them.”

“Tell me,” I repeated.

“He said, ‘Maybe later.’ And next thing I know, Jenna drops to the ground. It was crazy, Violet. It’s like one second she’s her, and the next she’s this . . . this . . . creature. But her eyes”—she shuddered—“they were the same.”

“Maybe later?” My mind was stuck on Aidan’s reply—the details about her shifting seemed irrelevant now. “You’re sure that’s what he said?”

She fiddled with her earrings. “Pretty sure. Not a hundred percent, but . . . yeah, I think that’s what he said. And then . . . well, Jenna-the-wolf just took off running. Aidan sort of wadded up her clothes and went and sat on the bench at the edge of the woods. That’s when I came back.”

“I think I’m going to be sick.” I headed for the door.

Cece half rose from the bed. “Wait, where are you going?”

I didn’t stop to answer her. Instead, I hurried out to the bathroom next door, stopping at the sink to splash cold water on my face.

What was this—payback? Or was there more to their relationship—his and Jenna’s—than Aidan had let on? I couldn’t help but think the latter, since he had no idea that Cece was there, watching and listening. And without an audience, well . . . what kind of payback was that? What was the point if I didn’t know about it? Was it possible that he’d been lying to me about Jenna all along? What other explanation was there?

This time, I really was going to be sick.

Fifteen minutes later, my face washed and teeth brushed, I shambled back to my room. Cece was sitting on my bed, my cell clutched to her ear.

“Yeah, she just walked in now,” she said. Matthew, she mouthed, pointing to the phone. “Here, I’ll let you talk to her.”

She held out my cell, and I took it with still-shaking hands. “Hello?”

“Are you okay?” he asked without preamble.

“Yeah, I’m . . . it’s fine.”

“It doesn’t feel fine. I got a really strong sense from you just now. Something’s not right.”

“Yeah, well . . . some things aren’t Sabbat-related, you know. This is just . . . a relationship issue. Private stuff.” My cheeks were flaming now.

“With Aidan, you mean? Then it is Sabbat-related, Violet. Anything to do with a vampire is.”

I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “Not this. I promise, okay?”

“Can you meet me in my office in ten minutes?” he pressed.

“No! Do you know what time it is? It’s after lights-out. I can’t just sneak off to your office.”

“Your mark is fine? What about your bracelet?”

I glanced down at my wrist. “They’re both fine. Seriously.”

I heard him exhale loudly. “Okay, then. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. You need to chill—you’re stressing me out here.”

“Well, how do you think I feel? God, Violet. I suddenly felt physically ill, like someone was ripping out my insides.” His voice was sharp, his frustration evident.

I had no idea that my mental state affected him quite so strongly. “I’m sorry, Matthew. I sometimes forget how connected we are.”

“It’s okay. I just hope—”

I heard a muffled voice in the background. “Is everything okay?” A female voice.

“Everything’s fine,” came his reply. “I’ll let you go,” he said, louder now.

I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table. It was well after midnight. What was he doing with a woman in his room after midnight? “Is that Charlie?” I asked, my voice rising.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow” was all he said before abruptly ending the call.

I stared down at my silent phone in surprise. “That was weird,” I said, glancing up at Cece’s questioning gaze. “Don’t ask.”

“Are you kidding? I mean, the dude sounded frantic. I only answered your phone because he wasn’t giving up, by the way. It started ringing the second you walked out, and he just kept calling, over and over again. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t.” I slumped onto my bed, my heart still pounding. “I guess our connection is getting stronger. But it’s so weird—it’s only one way. You know, him reading my emotional state, but not the other way around. I guess he thought I was in mortal danger or something.”

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

“And,” I added, drawing it out for emphasis, “there was someone there with him. A woman. I’m assuming it was the mysterious Charlie. You know, the one who apparently isn’t his girlfriend but is somehow there in his