Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

he either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore me.
Colt and Wyatt walked in behind Jax, but they stayed a few feet away, their gazes inquisitive and assessing.
“You have no right to tell anyone about us unless we both agree.” Jax’s hands were balled into fists. “You did it with her”—he stabbed his finger in my direction—”and now you’re doing it with Abby. Are you trying to get us killed?”
“Actually, Isach’s the one who told me about Trent,” I said, and Jax pinned me with a deadly stare. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced.
“And technically, I’m the one who told her about you,” Whitney said. She’d returned to sit on the couch and was studying her nails as if this whole thing bored her.
“Relax,” Trent said. “Abby won’t say anything, and if I even think she might, I’ll wipe her memories.”
“Trent!” I gasped, eyes wide.
“You won’t have to, because I’ll just kill her,” Jax said through clenched teeth.
“No, you won’t.” I planted myself between Trent and Jax. “You’re going to leave her alone.”
Colt sucked in a sharp breath and muttered a curse. I ignored him.
Jax took a step closer. Fear and excitement swirled in my chest. Any sane person would be terrified right now, but I knew Jax—he wouldn’t hurt me—and as much as I hated myself for it, facing off with him like this always gave me a thrill, like he awakened a part of me that was typically hibernating. And to make it worse, all of these reactions were pre-bond. He’d always pushed me, challenged me, made me angry, so I couldn’t blame this on anything but me. On my feelings.
“Or what?” he said coolly, his tone sharp and taunting.
I stared into his eyes, and every single moment we ever shared stared back at me. Even though we were no longer bonded, I knew he still loved me, and that was evident right now more than ever.
“I’ll stake you myself,” I said, jaw clenched.
“I’d love to see you try,” he said, leaning slightly closer.
“That’s enough, Jax.” Trent gently gripped my shoulders and guided me out of the way. “You’re not killing Abby.”
I expelled a pent-up breath and momentarily closed my eyes in an effort to get my bearings. When I opened my eyes, Jax was watching me.
“You were right about her,” Colt said, moving to stand next to Jax. “She’s a firecracker.”
“Really don’t need the commentary, Colton,” I snapped.
He laughed but held his hands up in a show of surrender. “I totally get it now, though,” he said, glancing from Trent to Jax.
A moment later, Abby and Isach emerged from the back room, sparing me from having to respond or listen to Colt a second longer. Isach’s hair was a mess, like he’d spent too much time running his hands through it nervously.
Abby’s face was ghost white, and her steps were sluggish.
“You must be the cousin,” Colt said, stepping forward. “Abby, I assume.” He raised a brow.
Abby glanced at me. “Who is this guy?”
I laughed. “That’s Colt. He’s Trent and Jax’s brother. Until last night, they thought he was dead.”
“Another vampire,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
“And you must be Isach, the witchy best friend,” Colt said, arms crossed. “You don’t look scary.”
I sighed with frustration and shook my head. What was Colt doing? I couldn’t shake the feeling he was trying to cause trouble again. But why?
Isach glared at Colt, but he kept his mouth shut. Thank God for small miracles.
“I want to go home,” Abby muttered.
“Okay.” I knew exactly how overwhelmed she must feel, and I also knew she couldn’t be around any of them right now.
Admittedly, I was more than ready to get out of here, too. I wasn’t sure I could handle another moment with Colt. I gave Trent a quick kiss goodbye, promised to call him later, and then I ushered Abby out to her car.
“Let me drive.” I held out my hand for her keys, and she didn’t hesitate to hand them over. Once we were inside and buckled, I backed out of the driveway. “I don’t think we should go home yet. Want to go somewhere quiet and just talk?”
She nodded and rested her head against the window.
I drove to Bushnell Falls and parked. This time of year, not many people were hiking the trails, so the area was devoid of tourists. I parked but left the car running so we’d have heat, and then I waited for Abby to speak. She probably needed more time to wrap her mind around everything, and I wasn’t going to rush her.
Finally, after almost half an hour, Abby spoke. “Aren’t you scared?”
“Of what?”
“Becoming a vampire,” she said.
“I’m terrified, but I love Trent more than anything.” I shifted in my seat so I was angled toward her. “Vampires have heightened emotions. They feel everything a million times more intense than we do, and when they fall in love, it’s forever. Like, if I decided to stay human and I died, Trent would never love anyone again. He’d have to spend eternity alone and heartbroken.”
Abby frowned. “That sounds terrible.”
“It is, and that’s part of the reason why I’m becoming a vampire. I don’t want to cause Trent that kind of pain. I love him way too much.” I smiled wistfully. “And an eternity with him sounds pretty perfect.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged. “Isach told me he ages slowly, and that I’ll die before him.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “He wants me to become a vampire.”
I placed my hand on her shoulder. “I know.” I took a deep breath. “Did he also tell you he’s willing to become one, too, if you are?”
She nodded, popped open the glove box, snatched a leftover fast food napkin, and wiped her nose. “What if we both change and then realize we don’t like each other?” She glanced up at me with so much uncertainty. “I mean, at least you know Trent loves you no matter what, and you know you love him. But what if Isach and