Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

let him know what happened. I gave him a quick rundown now.
“So, I think she’s maybe considering it. I don’t know, but she’s not totally freaking out, so that’s good,” I said.
“I’m sure it helps that you’re there to answer her questions.” He tugged me into his arms and gave me a lingering kiss. “Are you ready for today?”
I nodded and covered my mouth with the back of my hand as I yawned. Trent raised a brow.
“Sorry. I was up late. I’m exhausted,” I said. But there was nothing that would stop me from meeting with Ivy today.
“Wanna skip and go take a nap?” he asked.
That familiar twinkle was in his eye, which meant napping would be the last thing we’d end up doing today, which sounded like heaven, but I didn’t need the school to call Aunt Beth.
“No, I’ll be fine.” I smiled and patted his chest. “So, did Colt decide to enroll in school, too?”
Trent laughed. “No, he adamantly refused, and Dad didn’t push him. In a few months, none of us will even have to worry about it anyway.”
“True.” I yawned again.
“You sure you don’t want to go take a nap?” he asked, his tone seductive as we headed toward our first class.
“Yes, I’m positive,” I said, even though I wasn’t.
“Okay,” he said like he didn’t believe me.
SCHOOL DRAGGED, AND Ibarely kept my eyes open during my classes, but when the final bell of the day rang, I was suddenly wide awake. I rushed toward my locker.
“Ready for this?” Trent asked. His shoulders were tense, his posture stiff.
“Yup. Are you?”
His only answer was to take my hand and lead me out to his truck. Last night, Abby had begged me to let her come with us to meet with Ivy, but I’d refused. She didn’t need to be any more involved in this than she already was. Not to mention, Isach would kill me if I said yes. He was as protective of Abby as Trent was of me.
When we arrived at Ivy’s, Isach was already there. My stomach knotted as we walked inside.
Isach greeted us with a weary smile. “Ivy and I worked on the wording for the blood oath,” Isach said. “It’s safe. I promise.” His gaze lingered on me before slicing toward Trent, who gave a small nod.
“Good to see you both,” Ivy said as she emerged from the back room. “I assume you both remember how this works?”
I nodded.
“Good, then let’s get to work.” Ivy motioned me forward, and I followed her into the back room. Trent was right behind me.
Ivy positioned herself behind the long table, then crooked her finger at me. My stomach twisted with fresh doubt as I stepped up to her. What if this didn’t work? What if we swore our alliance to her, and then I didn’t get pregnant? What if she did something sneaky to trick us? What if we couldn’t defeat the Zoya?
Like before, Ivy took my left hand and held a knife above my finger. My hand trembled.
Isach’s gaze met mine, questioning and indecisive. I glanced away quickly, not wanting him to think I wasn’t fully committed to doing this. We both had too much invested to back out now.
“In exchange for a potion to allow you to conceive a child with a vampire, do you agree to break the curse within two months of birthing said child?”
Two months? We hadn’t ever discussed any time limit on when I needed to change after having a baby. I glanced up in a panic, and Isach answered with a tight smile.
“Wait a minute,” Trent said, stepping up beside me. “We already swore a blood oath for Chloe to break the curse. This has nothing to do with what we’re swearing now.”
Isach sighed. “She insisted there be a limit on how long Chloe could remain human. There’s nothing like that in your other blood oath.”
“It’s an added bit of security for me,” Ivy said.
I knew this was all too good to be true. But did I really have a choice at this point? I took a deep breath. “Yes, I agree,” I said.
It wasn’t like I planned not to change, and the sooner I became a vampire, the better I could protect myself and my family.
Ivy smiled. “Do you agree that once the curse is broken, you will align yourself with the Rose Coven so that together, we may defeat the Zoya?”
“Yes.”
“And do you agree to pledge these loyalties with your blood?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Chole Madison, you are hereby bound by this blood oath,” Ivy said.
And just like that, my fate was sealed.
Trent swore his oath next, followed by Isach, but I tuned it all out. Equal parts excitement and numbness filled me. I couldn’t believe we’d just aligned ourselves with Ivy and the Rose Coven. What if things went horribly wrong?
“You two don’t need to be here for this next part,” Ivy said. “Isach and I will make the potion.”
Trent took my hand, and we walked out of the room. I flopped down onto the couch, and Trent settled next to me. He’d been unusually quiet during all of this. Was he having regrets?
“This wasn’t nearly as scary as the first time,” I said with a nervous laugh.
He gave me a small smile.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I frowned. “That wasn’t very convincing.”
Trent hauled me over onto his lap, his lips finding mine in a scorching kiss. He speared his fingers in my hair, holding me to him as if he were afraid I was going to get up and run away. Someone cleared their throat, and I pulled away from Trent.
Isach and Ivy emerged from the back room. I stood and so did Trent.
“That was quick,” I said.
“Yes, it was rather easy with such a powerful magical boost.” Ivy’s tone wasn’t the least bit grateful, though. If anything, she sounded bitter and sarcastic. She held out two vials filled with a reddish colored liquid. “Here’s the potion. They’re labeled with your names.”
Trent took both vials. “Thank