Gathering her hair in her hand, she draped it over her shoulder and sighed.
“He claimed you,” I said, nodding at the bite mark on her neck.
Karina quickly put her hair back so it was covering her neck, and she cleared her throat. “Yeah. It was one of the ways he protected me from Dante.”
I narrowed my eyes in confusion. “How so?”
“Dante would threaten to claim me so that I’d be his and his alone. I don’t know if he was ever actually going to do it, but Colt wasn’t going to give him the chance, so he claimed me instead.”
Understanding dawned on me. “Right, because when a vampire claims you, it’s like being branded. You’re basically off-limits to any other vampire ever.”
“Exactly.” She nodded.
“But… how could he claim you if you’re not his soulmate?” I asked, trying to remember everything Trent had told me about this.
“I am his soulmate,” she said softly.
“Right,” I said.
But did she really believe that? Technically, she was his soulmate because he’d claimed her, but had he claimed her because he knew she was his soulmate? Or was it done solely to protect her from Dante? Could a vampire claim someone who wasn’t their soulmate?
“Has Trent…?” she asked, brow raised.
“Yes.” I shifted my hair away from my neck to show her the bite mark, then quickly hid it again. I didn’t need Ellie or anyone else to walk in and see it.
“You’re bonded to him, too, right?” She folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “What’s that like? It’s gotta be intense, sharing an eternal bond and being soulmates.”
I laughed. “Intense doesn’t begin to explain it.”
Whitney breezed into the room a second later. “What’re you two doing in here?” she asked, then tossed the menu from the local pizza place onto the counter.
“We were putting away the snacks, and then we got distracted talking,” Karina said, standing. “Did you order the pizza?”
“Yup.” Whitney grinned. “I ordered enough fried foods to put all of us into a grease coma.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop from smiling. She really was too much. Good thing I loved her like a sister. I stood and stretched. “Let’s go see if Abby and Ellie found a movie that will scare us senseless.”
Whitney squealed and raced into the living room. I’d left my phone on the kitchen counter to charge. On my way out, I checked it for any messages, hoping I’d have one from Trent. But I didn’t. Disappointment settled around me. He’d called late last night—after I’d already fallen asleep—to say he loved me, and while I appreciated that, I couldn’t help but feel like it was an afterthought.
I debated texting him and decided against it. He wanted time with his family to reconnect, and I wasn’t going to intrude on that. Besides, if he couldn’t be bothered to talk to me, why should I talk to him?
“Chloe?” Karina said, her voice soft and angelic behind me.
“Yeah?” I set my phone back on the counter and turned to face her.
“I don’t force my… knowledge on people, but you deserve to know,” she said, licking her lips.
My heart raced, and my stomach fluttered. She knew something about my future, and she was about to tell me. I swallowed hard. As badly as I wanted to tell her that I didn’t want to know, I couldn’t get the words to form.
“You and Trent are going to be okay,” she said, her gaze unflinching.
Blowing out a breath, some of the tension eased from my body. That was good news, and it wasn’t anything shocking that would cause me to worry or anything. “Thank you,” I said.
Karina nodded. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, but instead, she gave me a small smile, then retreated to the living room.
Clearly, she knew a lot more than what she’d told me, and part of me wanted to chase after her and demand she tell me the rest. But what if the rest of it wasn’t good? My life was finally on track, and I was so close to having everything I ever wanted. If I knew there was a chance something wouldn’t work out as planned, I’d be devastated.
Leave it alone. It was best not to know. I checked my phone again, though I had no idea why, and then I joined my friends, who were huddled in various spots on the floor. The lights had been turned off, and the opening credits rolled across the TV screen.
“Chloe, sit with me,” Ellie said, lifting the blanket draped across her to make room for me.
I settled beside her, content to just enjoy something as normal as watching a movie with friends.
I ROLLED ONTO MY side, my eyes fluttering open, and then I gasped. My heart took off like a spooked horse, and I clutched the blanket tightly to my chest.
“Shh.” Trent placed his finger to my lips, his eyes sparkling. “Everyone’s still sleeping,” he whispered.
I glanced around. Sure enough, all of my friend were sound asleep on the floor. Except Karina—she was missing. She must be with Colt.
“Come with me?” Trent asked.
Nodding, I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet and lead me into his room. He barely got the door closed before I had my arms around his neck. Crushing his mouth to mine, he carried me to the bed and laid me down.
“I missed you,” I mumbled in between kisses.
He groaned in that sexy way I loved, and a shiver of delight wiggled down my spine. “I can’t stand being away from you,” he said, teasing his way from my lips to my neck.
“Then stop leaving me,” I said.
Trent chuckled, his mouth landing on mine once again, each kiss more ravenous than the last. Desire rolled through me, and I eased my hands up the back of his shirt, my fingers finding bare flesh.
With a snarl, Trent reached behind his head and tore his shirt off. “All
