Until right then, I hadn’t truly grasped just how much I’d hurt him, how deeply he’d been suffering. I stood and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“I love you, Trent. Please tell me you know that.” My words were strangled by my tears.
“I do.” He sighed and hugged me back. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:
A Bad Idea
I LAY AWAKE, MY MIND RACING so fast I couldn’t sleep even if I wanted to. And I really didn’t want to. I was on a deadline now, and every second mattered.
Trent lay beside me, sound asleep. At least, I thought he was asleep. If not, he was pretending really well. I studied him, my heart aching.
The sound of his voice when he’d asked me to spend an eternity with him… I’d never heard so much want, so much need before. Then, when he asked me why I didn’t want to spend an eternity with him… his questions, his voice haunted me.
He’d been so hurt, and I hadn’t been able to make it better, to tell him I’d change for him. Because that’s what it came down to—if I changed, it would be for Trent. For our relationship. Why couldn’t I make that commitment to him? I loved him, and I couldn’t imagine my life with anyone else.
But… I was hours into being eighteen. What girl my age could make such a concrete decision about their entire future? It’s wasn’t like I could try it out and if I didn’t like it, I could go back to being a human. Becoming a vampire was a permanent decision.
I blew out a breath. I only had two days to make up my mind. If I refused to change, what would happen? The coven wouldn’t just go away. A lead weight landed hard in my gut.
One way or another, Ivy and the Rose Coven were going to break this curse. I could either help willingly, or they were going to force me. And if they forced me, that meant they were going to have to force Trent, too. I knew that with an unflinching certainty.
If Ivy was telling the truth, I could take a couple of years, learn to be a witch, and then break the curse with magic. At least that way, I could still be with Trent and have a somewhat normal life. Trent hated that idea, though, and I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t want to be a witch, either, especially if it meant I had to join the Rose Coven.
I just wanted my normal life back. I wanted to move back in with Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean. I wanted to listen to Abby overdramatize everything that happened. I wanted to hear Ellie ramble incessantly. I wanted to laugh at Gina, Tonya, and Luke as they teased each other. My chest constricted at the thought of them. I missed them so much.
Now, with the Rose Coven breathing down my neck, who knew when I’d get to see any of them again. If I changed, would I be able to go back to my life, my family? Or would I be too tempted to drink them dry?
Trent said it was hard, and I had no reason not to believe him. I needed to see them. Before I made a life changing decision. And it needed to be tonight.
Gently removing the covers, I eased out of bed. Trent didn’t move. I tiptoed out of the room, collecting my clothes that had been strewn across the floor that morning, and closed the door as quietly as possible.
Then, I stood in the hallway, listening to make sure I hadn’t woken Trent. When I was certain he wasn’t going to catch me, I rushed into the bathroom and got dressed.
The entire house was deathly silent, and I prayed everyone was asleep. Just in case they weren’t, I was extra quiet. Trying to sneak out of a house full of vampires with heightened senses wasn’t one of my better ideas, but I was determined.
I shifted my thoughts to mundane things—being unable to sleep, needing a drink of water, lingering aches from my surgery. If Wyatt or Whitney were awake, they wouldn’t be able to read my mind and figure out what I was doing.
I reached the bottom of the stairs and let out a pent-up breath. So far so good. My gaze darted around the room, searching for the car keys. I found them near the microwave, and my heart raced as I closed my hand around them.
The tricky part was going to be getting the car started and out of the driveway without waking anyone. I walked toward the front door, heart in my throat. My pulse pounded in my ears, and my hand shook as I reached for the doorknob. I paused, momentarily rethinking my decision.
Trent would be furious when he woke up and found me missing. Maybe I should leave a note, just so he wouldn’t worry too much. Not that he’d ever left me a note, but at least he’d always told Jax where he was, and Jax would relay the message.
Tiptoeing back into the kitchen, I grabbed a pen from the junk drawer and scrawled a note on the magnetic pad stuck to the front of the refrigerator:
Went home to visit family one last time. Be back soon. ~ Chloe
I had no idea where I was. I mean, I knew I was in a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains, but I had no idea how to get home. Where was my cell phone? My backpack. I’d shoved it in there after I took all those selfies earlier.
My shoulders dropped with disappointment when I thought about going upstairs to get it. But then
