Trent pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. I unhooked my seat belt and reached for the door handle, eager to get this over with as soon as possible, but he stopped me by gripping my arm.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He tugged me across the seat so I was next to him. “I just want another minute with you.”
Sweeping his hands along either side of my neck, he brought his mouth to mine, his tongue gliding across my bottom lip, begging for entry. I welcomed his kiss, and as soon as I did, I was slammed with a myriad of emotions.
An enormous amount of joy for the fact I’d agreed to have his baby. Impatience for having to wait until after we were married, but determination to do this right, to conceive a child with me. His soon-to-be wife.
Longing to be back in our room at the Inn, just the two of us, wrapped up in each other. A craving for my blood so intense it made me want to drink from myself. Fear and uncertainty for what he was about to do. Wishing there was another way.
I pushed him away with a gasp and licked my lips. As cool as it was to get a front row seat to his emotions like that, it always left me dazed and slightly drained.
“Sorry,” he said with a small frown.
“It’s going to be okay, Trent. Everything’s going to work out,” I said, unsure which of us I was trying to convince.
He nodded. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”
We climbed out of the truck, and Trent took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. When we walked inside, Isach was on the couch, head in his hands, and Abby was pacing in front of the window.
“It’s about time,” Abby said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
“We had something else equally as important to deal with,” Trent said, his voice all cool confidence. “Took a little longer than expected.”
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. I was as terrified as everyone else, but if we all didn’t calm down, there was no way this plan would work.
I released Trent’s hand and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Okay, so go over this one more time,” I said.
Isach sighed. “We’re running out of time.” He stood, his shoulders tight with tension.
“I know,” I said. “But I want to make sure we all know what’s going on.”
“Fine.” He dragged his hand through his hair and paced the length of the living room.
Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean were meeting friends for lunch this afternoon, so we decided to do the memory wipe here so when it was over, Isach could just leave with Abby. As far as she’d know, he had picked her up at home to take her to meet his parents.
“Trent’s going to erase himself from her memories, and hopefully, everything else to do with vampires and Ivy and your connection to everything. She’ll meet my father, take the truth test, then I bring her to Trent’s, and he’ll restore her memories,” Isach explained.
“No pressure or anything,” Trent said with more than a hint of annoyance.
He was more worried about this than the rest of us. So many things could go wrong, but my biggest concern was what this would do to Abby. Messing with her mind was dangerous, and the fact that Trent had zero control over any of it made me even more nervous.
“I’m ready,” Abby said with a nod. “Let’s do this.”
I swallowed hard. Why did she seem so… excited about doing this? I was terrified, and I wasn’t the one who had to have my memories wiped so I could meet Rector.
“Okay, you need to go,” Trent said to Isach.
Nodding, Isach gave Abby’s cheek a kiss. “See you in a minute.” Then he stepped outside, ready to knock on the door as soon as Trent did his thing.
“You sure about this?” Trent raised a brow.
“No, but it’s not my choice. It’s Abby’s.” I smiled, hoping it looked encouraging and not terrifying, which was how I felt.
“I want to do this,” Abby said firmly. “I know the risks.” She smiled at Trent. “And I trust you.”
Trent sighed. “Okay.” He turned to me and tugged me into his arms. “I’ll see you upstairs in a minute.” He gave me a quick kiss before releasing me.
As soon as he was done with Abby, he’d use his superhuman speed to get up to my room without her knowing.
I took a deep breath and turned around so my back was to them. Because of how deeply Trent was now ingrained in Abby’s mind, he needed to kiss her like he normally kissed me, and even though I knew it meant nothing—heck, she wouldn’t even remember it—I still couldn’t watch.
The last time he’d done this it had been painful for me. Hopefully, I wouldn’t completely crack this time. I closed my eyes and counted silently to ten. Thankfully, my heart was thundering so loudly in my ears I couldn’t hear what was happening behind me. I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat.
“Chloe?”
I jumped at the sound of Abby’s voice and spun around. Trent was nowhere to be found.
“Yeah?” I said as calmly as possible.
“Isach’s going to be here any minute, so I’m going to be leaving.” She stared at me with a confused expression.
“Have fun.” I smiled. “And make sure you’re home in time for dinner. I really don’t want to listen to Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean complain. You know how they worry.”
Abby laughed. “Don’t worry. I will.”
“So, you’re meeting his parents? That’s a big step.” I tucked my hands into my back pockets and studied her.
She wasn’t acting weird or anything, and she wasn’t mentioning things she shouldn’t be. Maybe this would work after all.
“Yeah.” She grinned. “I mean, he’s met mine, so I guess it’s my turn.”
“Are
