Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

to want to watch what happens next,” he said, resting his forehead to mine. “It’ll be extremely painful for you.”
What was he…? My eyes widened. “You have to kiss her,” I whispered, horrified.
Why hadn’t I thought of that before now? The only way he could give Abby’s memories back was to kiss her, and I was guessing because of the depth of the memories, it wasn’t going to be some quick peck on the lips, either.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Just remember how much I love you, Chloe. Kissing her means nothing.”
I nodded, but my throat was slowly closing up, making it impossible to speak or breathe. All I could think about was New Year’s Eve when I’d seen Olivia in Trent’s arms, the way she’d kissed him and giggled. The consuming rage I’d felt—I’d wanted to kill her. And the betrayal I’d felt, despite being totally unwarranted, had left me drained.
“I’ll make this as quick as possible,” Trent said. He placed a tender kiss to my forehead, and then he returned to the living room.
I stayed rooted to my spot in the kitchen. A moment later, Isach joined me, standing with his back toward Abby and Trent, too.
“You failed to mention he had to kiss her,” Isach grumbled.
“I forgot until just now.” I frowned. “Sorry. Believe me, I don’t like this anymore than you do.”
“Yeah, well, if this blows up, just remember that it was all your idea.” Isach crossed his arms and stared straight ahead.
“Well, if you hadn’t done what you did, none of us would be in this position right now,” I shot back, sounding entirely too much like a petulant child.
He sliced a scathing look at me before once again turning to stare at something in front of him. Arms still crossed, his muscles bulged with tension, and I worried he might tear the sleeves of his shirt. Maybe doing this was a bad idea.
I closed my eyes tightly, as if that would somehow block out what I knew was happening behind me. Placing my hand over the bite mark, I tried to remember the night Trent had claimed me. How incredible it had felt when he bit me, how gentle and loving he’d been when we’d made love.
But I couldn’t get the memory to form clearly in my mind. Every time I tried, all I could picture was Trent biting Abby. Trent kissing Abby. Trent undressing Abby and touching her the way he touched me.
I gritted my teeth and yanked my hand away from my neck. Lava-like rage boiled in my veins, and I focused on curling my hands into fists. It’s not real, I told myself. It’s not real. Trent didn’t claim Abby. He claimed me. He loved me.
“Hey.” Trent’s voice jerked me back from the edge, and my eyes snapped open. “It’s done,” he said.
I sagged against him, and he caught me in his arms. Isach was no longer next to me, and I glanced over to find him standing with Abby, who was shaking and crying.
“You okay?” Trent asked.
“I’m fine.” As badly as I wanted to stay in his arms, I needed to make sure Abby was okay. I wiggled free from his hold.
“He tried to kill you?” Abby said to me, her eyes as wild as her red hair.
“Yes,” I said and gave Isach an apologetic shrug. It wasn’t like we could lie to her any longer.
“But…” Abby looked helplessly from me to Isach. “You’re friends. Why? I mean, how…?” She wiped tears from her face. “I don’t understand.”
I took Abby’s hands and guided her down onto the couch. I sat beside her. “I can explain,” I said.
And for the next half an hour, I told Abby everything about Hannah, how she’d been a victim of the curse, how she went crazy with bloodlust. Trent filled in the details as needed, and Isach explained in gruesome detail how he’d found Hannah, promised her vengeance, and then manipulated her mind to make her think she’d been cured.
“You tried to kill my cousin,” Abby said and stood abruptly. “And you used me to trick her.”
“I know,” Isach said cautiously as he stood. He moved as if Abby were a wild animal that he was afraid to spook. “I was doing what I was told back then, but I am not that person anymore, Abby.”
“He was wrong for what he did,” I said, keeping my gaze on Abby. “He knows that, and believe me, he feels bad. But he rescued me from Ivy. If that doesn’t prove he’s changed…”
“This is all too much.” Abby threw her hands in the air. “I need to get out of here.” She moved toward the door, but Trent was faster. He intercepted her before she could get outside. “Let me go,” she said, her voice shaky with tears.
I stood. “Trent, stop,” I said.
He immediately moved out of the way. Abby barged out the front door, and I went after her.
“Abby, wait,” I called.
It wasn’t until she reached the end of the driveway that she finally stopped. She whipped around on me, her face red. “Why, Chloe? Why would you want me to remember all that awful stuff?”
“Because Isach asked you to become immortal for him, and trust me, I know how huge of a decision that is, and I didn’t want you to make it without knowing the truth about everything.”
She was clearly upset and angry with me right now, but if she had become a vampire and then learned the truth about all of this, her rage would be a million times worse. As much as I hated knowing she was hurting, working through this now was the better option.
Her shoulders drooped. “I remember everything about the time I spent with Isach before…” She paused to take a deep breath. “I fell hard for him back then, Chloe, and I have no idea if my feelings were even real. How do I know they’re real now?”
I frowned. “I don’t know about back then, but I swear to you,