“How do you know about Samara?” Trent asked, his voice level and his words calculated.
“Sean mentioned her,” I said a little too quickly.
“No, he didn’t.” Trent eased himself into a sitting position.
“You must have told me her name.” I shrugged like it was no big deal and moved to get out of bed.
Trent clutched my arm, stopping me. “Chloe… Do you know something?”
I twisted out of his grip, and he released me without argument. “I only know what you’ve told me. And until two days ago, I didn’t even know that.” I climbed out of bed and threw my hands in the air with frustration—mostly at myself for slipping up.
“Samara Rose was the witch who’d been trying to help us. She’s the one who disappeared.” He made no effort to get out of bed.
I paced the room, unable to sit still. Every nerve was on edge, ready to send me over the cliff at a moment’s notice. How could I have been so stupid?
“Before Samara went missing, they were known as the Celestine Coven, named after the mineral they wore around their necks. But then their strongest witch vanished, weakening them even more, and so they changed their name to honor her.” With all the gracefulness in the world, Trent flipped off the covers and got out of bed.
The sight of him—barefoot, bare chested, cotton pants hanging low on his hips, hair mussed—stole my breath. Slowly, he sauntered toward me, and I stood frozen in place.
“If you know something, you need to tell me. I can’t protect you if I don’t know why they’re after you.” He swept his hands along either side of my neck and drew me closer.
I stepped to him willingly. He caressed my cheeks with his thumbs, his touch so tender and loving. I lowered my head and closed my eyes, unable to look at him.
“Chloe?” He tilted my head. “Do you know something?” he asked again.
Nodding, I stared at him through blurry, tear-filled eyes. “Yes,” I choked out.
“What do you know?” His voice was barely a whisper, but the insistence in his tone was hard to miss.
“I can’t tell you,” I whispered. Turning away from him, I wiped the tears away.
“Why?” He sounded distant, like he’d moved to the other side of the room. But he hadn’t—I could feel him behind me.
“Because I don’t want to.” My heart cracked at having to say those words.
I knew they were going to hurt him, and that’s the very last thing I wanted to do. But what other choice did I have? If I told him, one way or another, my life would be over. Literally.
“You don’t want to?” he repeated.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to face him. His expression was conflicted. I hated myself for doing this to him.
“I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his chest. “I can’t tell you. Not yet. I just need some time to figure a few things out.”
After a moment, he returned my embrace, and I sighed with relief. “We might not have time, Chloe.”
“I know.”
Trent would never hurt me, but until I was sure Sean and Jax wouldn’t, either, I needed to keep the truth hidden a little bit longer.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
Lies, Lies, and More Lies
WHEN I WOKE UP, I WAS alone. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting against the familiar—and unwanted—sting of tears. Of course, Trent had gotten up and left. I’d hurt him last night. I might as well have screamed in his face that I didn’t trust him.
Groaning, I grabbed the nearest pillow and covered my face. It smelled like Trent, which made my heart clench with hurt and longing.
After several moments of self-pity, I got out of bed and showered. Dressing in comfortable jeans, I reached for my favorite long-sleeved T-shirt with the Black Veil Brides logo emblazoned across the front.
My heart seized for a completely different reason—Simon. I wished I could’ve told him goodbye or somehow explained… everything.
I yanked the shirt on over my head, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and then headed downstairs. The cabin was eerily quiet, and my steps slowed near the bottom of the staircase. Jax was in the kitchen. Cooking eggs.
I stopped and watched him for a second, amused at the sight of him doing something so normal. “Hey,” I said.
He glanced over at me and smiled. “Morning, sleeping beauty.”
I wasn’t sure if him calling me that was cute or annoying. I shuffled into the kitchen and hoisted myself up onto one of the barstools that was pulled up to the island counter.
“Where’s Trent?” I asked.
“Out.” Jax folded the eggs around, scrambling them.
“Out?” I asked. When he didn’t offer any further explanation, I said, “Out where?”
“He didn’t give me an itinerary. He just said he had a few things to take care of.” Jax returned his attention to the frying pan, his back to me.
I sat there, stunned. So, Trent had just left? Was he really that mad about me not telling him what I knew? It’s not like I was never going to tell him—that would be impossible. I just needed a couple of days to work things out in my mind. Why couldn’t he understand that?
“When did he leave?” I asked as I slid off the stool and went to the refrigerator. My mouth was suddenly dry.
Jax shrugged. “A few hours ago.” He moved the pan from the burner and turned off the stove. Then, he leaned against it, arms crossed. “What’s with the interrogation? Trouble in paradise?” He laughed. “Or are you mad you have to be here with me?”
“Both.” I slammed the refrigerator door closed and shot him a dirty look. Every angry retort I wanted to hurl at him died on my lips, and my shoulders slumped.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked, his tone reminiscent of the Jax I’d grown to trust. But that Jax wasn’t real. He was a liar and a fraud, and I was not going to be swayed by the memory of him.
“Not
