Trent.
Every fiber in my being hurt when I thought about him, about how he’d warned me and I hadn’t listened. God, I’d been so stupid. I should have stayed with him. We should have figured this out together.
I should have said yes to him and let him change me. Then I wouldn’t even be here. But instead, I was too much of a coward, and now I was a prisoner of the Rose Coven. No one was coming to rescue me. Not this time.
I wandered toward the window and gazed outside. Tree branches blocked most of my view, but the sun shone through, and I pressed my hand to the glass, longing to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
Sitting on the small bench, I tucked my knees to my chest and rested my head on the window. From this angle, I could see a small part of what appeared to be a pond, or maybe it was a lake. I had no idea, but the stillness of the water helped calm me. And it reminded me of the pond Jax had shown me.
I closed my eyes, recalling every smell and sound, remembering the way he’d looked at me. It was the way Trent always looked at me. I missed Trent so much. I couldn’t imagine how he must be feeling. Lonely. Scared. Angry. I could picture him pacing, worrying if I was safe, or alive.
The door opened, but I didn’t bother to move. Must be lunchtime. But I didn’t smell any food. I glanced away from the window. Ivy stood in the room, hands clasped in front of her. She wore a billowy yellow skirt with a white blouse. She looked like summer.
“You’ve finally decided to grace me with your presence?” I asked, my tone snarky. I’d been asking to see her since I’d arrived, and today was the first day she’d bothered to show her face.
“I was hoping we could chat.” She flicked her wrist, and the door closed magically.
I remained silent, waiting for her to speak again.
She sat in the desk chair. “Now that you’ve had some time to think, have you made a decision?”
I dropped my feet to the floor and sat up straight. “Well, I’m still not joining your coven, if that’s what you mean.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that’s what she wanted more than anything—a Zoya in her coven. She didn’t really care about breaking the curse; she simply wanted more power.
Ivy sighed and shook her head. “Don’t you realize the consequences of your inaction? The entire magical community is at odds. Lives are being lost. Nature is being upended. And you have the power to stop all of it.”
Sure, and all I had to do was become a witch or a vampire. Such an easy choice.
I stood and stretched. “So, that’s it, then? You’re going to hold me hostage until I agree to help you?”
“You’re not a hostage. You came here willingly, remember?”
“Uh, no, I didn’t. I distinctly remember you kidnapping me.” I crossed my arms, daring her to argue.
“You’re our guest, Chloe.”
I snorted. “Guests are allowed to come and go as they please. Am I free to leave?” I raised a brow. When she didn’t answer, I said, “That’s what I thought. Y’know, even criminals get an hour a day outside.”
“You’re not a criminal.”
“Okay, fine. A prisoner.” I had no idea why I was arguing this with her, but her smug attitude grated on my last nerve.
“Yes, I suppose you’re technically a prisoner here.” She stood. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”
I hesitated. More than anything, I wanted out of this room, but fear and caution kept me rooted in place. Was this some sort of trap?
“Come. Fresh air will help you think clearer,” Ivy said.
Finally, I nodded. She’d already locked me up and admitted I was her prisoner. What more could she do to me? She wouldn’t kill me—she needed me, so that gave me some comfort.
I followed her out of the room and down a short hallway. She pushed open a back door and stepped aside so I could exit first.
The sun hit my face, and I stopped to bask in it. I missed the days of going to the beach with Mom, laying in the sun, staring up at the clouds and dreaming about our future. If she only knew how badly I’d messed things up. She’d be so disappointed, especially knowing the sacrifices she’d made to keep me safe.
“This way.” Ivy walked ahead of me.
The grounds were alive with trees, shrubs, colorful flowers, and animals. A light breeze rustled the leaves, kicking up the unique scent of fresh cut grass and pollen.
“It’s beautiful here,” I said. And that annoyed me beyond belief. I wanted everything around me to be as miserable as I was.
Ivy smiled with pride. “It is,” she agreed with a nod. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry we’ve had to come to this point, Chloe. I had truly hoped we could work together. Amicably.”
“That went out the window the moment you snatched me and locked me up in that room.”
She sighed. “I told you not to run. You disobeyed. What else was I supposed to do?”
“I wasn’t running,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Yes, well, you’re much too valuable to take any chances. Besides, we can’t risk the Zoya finding you.”
My steps faltered. “What?”
“If we know about you, surely the Zoya do, too, and I can promise you they won’t attempt to negotiate. They’ll just kill you and be done with it.” She said all of that as casually as if she were talking about the weather.
Fear snaked down my spine. I hadn’t really given much thought to the Zoya lately, but Ivy was right. If
