Laughing? What was wrong with me?
Trent had been quieter than usual, unless he was snapping at Jax. And Jax was being unusually nice to me—probably because he felt guilty for lying to me. Maybe all of us had lost our minds, and hysteria was the only way to make it through whatever was going to happen.
Because right about now, it was the only thing that made any sense.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
A Coven of Roses
“I ASSUME TRENT FILLED YOU IN on what’s going on?” Sean said, his stare pinning me in place.
I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yes.”
Unease prickled along my skin, and I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. Did Sean know more than Trent and Jax? Was he going to spill my secret? Sitting up straight, my body went rigid, my muscles tightening painfully.
“We haven’t quite figured out why they’re after you, but we have to assume it has something to do with us,” Sean said.
He doesn’t know. Relief swamped me, and tension eased from my body. “Do you think these witches are Zoya?” I asked.
Sean shook his head. “No. It’s the Rose Coven.” His gaze darted to Jax, then to Trent before settling on me again. “Zoya practice dark magic. The Rose Coven are more traditional in their beliefs and practices.”
Trent reached under the table and took my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Remember I told you about the witch who said she wanted to help us break the curse so she could restore the magical balance?”
I swallowed against the nausea rising in me. “The one who disappeared?” I asked.
Samara Rose. The witch my father murdered to protect me.
“Yes,” Trent said. “She’s part of the Rose Coven. They’re the second largest coven in the world. Normally, they’re very… friendly.” His lips thinned into a scowl.
“The second largest?” I asked, though I had no idea why. I could easily guess who was the largest.
“The Zoya are the largest,” Sean said with a frown.
“How did you know the Rose Coven was after me?” I asked.
“We have a friend in common with the coven. She doesn’t get involved in supernatural affairs, but she watches various groups. I helped her out of a bad situation several years ago, and she repaid me by alerting us to the coven’s recent movements,” Sean said.
“Why?” I asked, which earned me curious stares from Trent and Sean. I cleared my throat. “I mean, why did she alert you about the Rose Coven? Do you normally care what they do?”
Sean chuckled humorlessly. “No, but it’s rare for an entire coven to go after one human girl.”
“Right.” I licked my suddenly dry lips.
“None of this makes sense,” Jax said. He tipped his chair back, balancing only on the back two legs. “They wanted to help us once before. Why not just come to us now, too? Why make a move against Chloe?”
Sean heaved a sigh and shook his head. “That’s what we need to figure out.” He closed the laptop and pushed it away from him. “Do you have any idea why they would want to come after you, Chloe?”
“No,” I said much too quickly. “I mean…” I released Trent’s hand and wiped my sweaty palm on my jeans. “Other than knowing you guys… I have no idea.” I shrugged.
“You don’t think…” Trent said, then paused, his gaze distant.
“What?” Sean asked.
“The Rose Coven has been obsessed with finding a way to break this curse and restore the magical balance. You don’t think they found a way, do you?” Trent said. His tone held an edge to it that made me uncomfortable.
“What does that have to do with Chloe, though?” Jax asked, letting his chair fall forward. He folded his hands on top of the table and turned his attention to me.
“Don’t look at me,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. “I don’t know anything about what’s going on.”
Everyone was silent for much too long, and my heart raced as I waited for someone to say something. Was my lie convincing? I might be able to sell my ignorance to Trent and his family, but the Rose Coven had to know the truth. There was no way I’d be able to hide it much longer.
“I don’t know,” Sean said, his expression contemplative. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to do some digging into Chloe’s family. If that’s okay with you.” He raised a brow, waiting for me to answer.
Crap. If I said no, they’d know I was hiding something, but if I said yes, Sean might very well learn my secret. Although, for years, no one knew my true identity—my father had made sure of that—and knowing I had all the proof hidden in my backpack, maybe Sean wouldn’t be able to find anything incriminating.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
Maybe if I told Trent the truth, he’d help me. He’d understand I didn’t want to become a vampire. Then, he and his dad and brother could find a way to stop the coven from coming after me.
Or, I’d tell Trent the truth, and he’d tell his father and Jax, who would then force me to change. Would Trent take my side or theirs? Would he turn on his own family to save me? Could I even ask him to do something so horrific?
My mind circled around each question, my thoughts a jumbled mess, and the room began to spin. I stood abruptly.
Trent was on his feet in a flash, and he gently gripped my elbow. “Are you okay?”
“This is all too much.” I laughed bitterly.
Trent enveloped me in a tight hug, and I clung to him, praying all of this was some bizarre dream that I’d eventually wake up from. But I knew better.
He kissed the top of my head and murmured, “It’ll be okay.”
If he only knew how wrong he was.
“I think I’m going to go lay down.” I gave Sean and Jax tight smiles, then made my way upstairs to my room.
Closing the door, I blew out a breath and rubbed my hands over
