Chapter 15: Strange Behavior

Thursday morning, I stood in the living room and stared at the television. Dad was on one side of me, and Jax was on the other. The three of us were unnaturally quiet as the news anchor reported the newest casualty with a cold detachment.

Marc Johnson was dead.

“This isn’t good,” Sean muttered.

Jaw clenched, I focused on my breathing so I wouldn’t snap and destroy something. “The Zoya are going to think we did it, especially if Marc told anyone we went to see him.”

“We should call in reinforcements,” Jax said.

“No.” Sean sighed. “Not yet. We don’t know if Marc said anything to his coven, and on the off chance he didn’t, we don’t need to make the situation any worse.”

“So we’re just supposed to sit around and wait?” I asked incredulously.

If the Zoya descended on Keene Valley seeking vengeance for Marc’s death, no one in this town would be safe, and a lot of innocent people would be caught in the crossfire—including Chloe. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Yes.” Sean nodded.

I opened my mouth to argue, but my attention was once again drawn to the TV. The news anchor announced that school would be closed until Tuesday—both for the current safety of the students and for Rachel’s funeral on Monday. That meant five days without seeing Chloe. I cursed under my breath.

“We should probably go check this out,” Jax said. “See if this was another vampire attack.”

“Absolutely not.” Sean’s tone was stern. “We’re staying far away from this. We don’t know who Marc spoke to or what he said, but the last thing we need is to implicate ourselves.”

I shook my head. Dad didn’t usually shy away from a fight, nor did he back down when things got tough. But when it came to the Zoya, he always chose the path of least resistance. I could understand why, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. I hated that we couldn’t do anything right now.

Sean turned so he was facing us. “Both of you give me your word right now that you’ll stay away from this investigation.”

Jax grumbled but reluctantly agreed. So did I.

By the end of the day, I was going stir crazy. Even hunting with Jax hadn’t helped. All I could think about was Chloe. Was she alright? How was she handling the news about Marc? And then, a terrifying thought struck me. I’d told her that Jax and I had spoken to Marc. Would she think I was somehow responsible for his death? Granted, I would kill for her if I had to, but I was innocent, and I hoped she knew that.

Friday morning found four more dead bodies—this time tourists. The police cut off all access to Roaring Brook Falls and implemented a strict seven p.m. curfew. The local news speculated Keene Valley had a serial killer. If only that were true. At least the authorities stood a chance at catching a serial killer.

When Saturday night rolled around, I couldn’t stand it a second longer—I had to know Chloe was okay. Considering she didn’t have a cell phone, I couldn’t call her, so I did the next best thing. I drove by her house. All the lights were on, and if I listened closely enough, I could hear four steady heartbeats.

Knowing Chloe was physically okay calmed me some, but I was more worried about her emotional state right now. She moved here because her mother died, and now she was surrounded by even more death.

Because of me.

I shook the thought away. I didn’t kill Rachel, Marc, or those tourists. This wasn’t my fault. Though I couldn’t shake the guilt that if I hadn’t crashed into her life, she might not be dealing with all of this. She certainly wouldn’t have had to deal with Marc’s mind games.

Disgusted with myself, I drove home. Sean was once again in the basement, and Jax was sprawled out on the couch. He barely glanced at me when I walked in.

“Chloe all tucked in safe and sound?” he asked.

Ignoring him, I went to my room and slammed the door. How would I ever protect Chloe from the horrors of my world?

***

Sean walked into the living room dressed in a sleek black suit, his steps purposeful.

I did a double take. “You’re going to the funeral?”

He nodded. “Mostly so I can see who else shows up. I plan to be as inconspicuous as possible.”

Even though I didn’t know Rachel, I knew Chloe would be at the funeral, and I needed to see her, just to make sure she really was okay. Jax had agreed to go, too, and I was grateful to know he’d be there with me.

The three of us headed to the funeral home together, and the place was packed. The scent of grief and fear and salty tears hung thick in the air. The cacophony of heartbeats thundered in my oversensitive ears. This was going to be a long service.

I scanned the crowded seats in search of Chloe and found her seated near the front with her aunt, uncle, and Abby. I blew out a long, relieved breath. If she saw me, she didn’t acknowledge me, but that was okay. Just being in her presence was enough.

The service was long, but sweet. Lots of people stood up and said nice things about Rachel, told funny stories of how she was always the life of any party, always the center of attention. Rachel’s mom gave a tear-filled eulogy about how Rachel spent more time volunteering than studying—which earned a chuckle from the crowd—and how she loved to foster kittens.

Throughout the entire thing, my attention was on Chloe. At one point, she fought back tears, and every instinct inside of me screamed to go comfort her, but at this point, we were nothing more than friends. I had no idea if she’d told her family about me, and if she hadn’t, I didn’t want to cause her any problems. So, I stood where I was near the back of the funeral home.

Finally, the service ended. Chloe leaned over to say something to her aunt, then she stood and disappeared. My body tensed as soon as she was out of my sight. I silently counted the seconds she was gone, and when she hit the six-minute mark, I went to find her to make sure she was okay.

I rounded the corner into the hallway that led to the restrooms. “Dad, are you ready?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I stopped cold. My eyes widened, and my chest seized with horror.

Chloe stood facing Sean, and the look on her face was one of stark disbelief. Her heart was out of control, and her breathing was unnaturally ragged. I momentarily worried she might have an actual heart attack.

The reality of this moment crashed down around me. Chloe had found that picture of Sean online, and now she was face to face with him in the flesh. She’d made the connection that the man in front of her was the same man from the photo. I hadn’t even considered that this could be a possibility when Sean said he was coming to the funeral, and I hadn’t told him about the picture, either. He had no idea what was happening right now.

“Miss, are you okay?” Sean moved toward her, but she let out a yelp and flinched away from him. He quickly pulled back.

Chloe’s palm slipped against the wall, and she started to fall.

Without thinking, I moved fast. “Chloe.” I had her in my arms before she hit the floor. “Are you okay?”

“This is Chloe?” Sean asked.

Chloe’s heart once again raced. “Let me go.” She shoved against my chest. “Let me go!”

People around us stared. Her making a scene would only make the situation worse, and as much as I didn’t want to let her go, I had no choice.

I released her, and she backed up until she hit the wall. Her gaze darted between me and Sean as if she were a frightened animal that we’d cornered. My mind raced with all the things I knew I needed to say to her, but I couldn’t get my mouth to form the words. Now was not the time nor the place to explain anything, but if I didn’t say something the situation would only get worse. I opened my mouth to speak, but then she began to hyperventilate.

“Chloe?” Her aunt rounded the corner. “Oh, God. Chloe, honey, what’s wrong?” She was by Chloe’s side in an instant, her hand resting protectively on her back.

I wanted to be the one to comfort her, but knowing I couldn’t, I did take some solace in the fact that she had family to do so.

“I-I’m not feeling well. I want to go home,” Chloe said.

Beth put her arm around Chloe’s shoulders and guided her toward the exit. She was leaving. I couldn’t let her leave without saying something.

As she passed, I reached out and touched her arm, the contact sending a wave of electric energy up my arm. “Chloe, please,” I begged.

“Don’t.” She recoiled.

That small action hurt worse than if she’d shoved a wooden stake through my heart. Shoulders slumped, I watched as her aunt escorted her out of the funeral home. How the hell had I let this happen?

“I’m sorry,” Sean said, resting his hand on my shoulder.

All I managed was a small nod. This wasn’t his fault. It was mine.

“She reacted like she knew me.” Sean stood beside me, arms crossed.

I sighed heavily. I’d already messed things up with Chloe because I hadn’t been honest, and if I had any hope of making things right, I needed to come clean to my father. He wasn’t going to be pleased.

“She found an old picture of you online and showed it to me. I pretended I had no idea who you were, that you must have been some distant relative,” I said.

Sean muttered a string of curses. When he exhausted his large vocabulary of swear words, he raked his fingers through his hair. “You haven’t told her the truth yet, have you?”

I shook my head, ashamed.

“You can’t put this off any longer, Trent.” Sean’s tone was scolding. “You have to tell her. Today.”

“I know,” I mumbled.

I should’ve told her already, but the timing hadn’t been right. Today wasn’t right, either, but now that she’d seen Sean with her own eyes, she was going to want an explanation, and there was no lie I could come up with that she’d believe. My only option was total honesty. I only hoped once I bared my soul to her that she wouldn’t shut me out of her life.

“Are we going to the cemetery?” Jax asked as he approached. “Everyone else has already left.”

Hands shoved in my pockets, I nodded. Not only did we need to pay attention to who showed up at the graveside, I needed to keep an eye on Chloe, see if I could get her to agree to talk to me. I had a feeling that was going to be a feat in and of itself.

We headed to the cemetery, arriving well ahead of everyone else thanks to our enhanced speed. We stood off to the side, almost in the tree line. Close enough to hear and see everything, but far enough away that we could disappear quickly if needed.

Chloe and her family arrived and stood near the front of the group. Her gaze wandered around and landed on me. I held her gaze, though I wasn’t sure if she knew that considering I had sunglasses on. Her heartbeat was still erratic, and I clenched my jaw with frustration. I’d caused that in her, and I hated myself for that.

Eventually, she glanced away, but I didn’t. I kept my attention focused on her, watching and listening for any signs she might give that would clue me in to where her thoughts were headed. Would she agree to at least let me explain about Sean?

Chloe faced forward, her gaze locked on something—or someone—across the plot from her. I followed her gaze to a guy who stood behind Rachel’s parents. I hadn’t seen him before. I nudged Jax and nodded at the mystery man. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear any actual words.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge, and unease tingled down my spine. That guy gave off some seriously dangerous vibes. The fact that he was staring at Chloe only made me more aware of him. I curled my hands into fists, my muscles tense.

Out of nowhere, Chloe screamed. “No!” Intense fear surrounded her in a fog thick enough to choke me.

“No! Stop!” She screamed again.

I moved to go toward her when Jax grabbed my arm, stopping me. I jerked free from his hold, my gaze murderous.

“Abby. No,” Chloe gasped.

I whipped around to stare at the scene unfolding near the grave. Why was Chloe crying out about Abby?

Slowly, Chloe backed up. “No, no, no.” She sobbed.

I had no idea if Chloe was having a mental break because of the trauma of being at a funeral so soon after her mother’s death or what, but I wouldn’t stand here a moment longer and not do anything. I moved toward her.

“No. Don’t. Don’t touch me!” Chloe shrieked, dropped to the ground, and clutched fistfuls of my hair, rocking on her knees. Tears streamed down her face. “Please. Go away. Leave me alone.” Her words were strangled by her sobs.

My steps faltered. What the hell was going on? I glanced around to make sure I wasn’t the only one witnessing whatever was happening, and I wasn’t. A crowd had formed around her, watching with the same confused horror I currently felt.

“Chloe!” Dean shook her gently.

She blinked.

Dean was crouched beside her, worry etched across his face.

I pushed through the crowd to get closer.

“What…?” Chloe glanced up, her gaze landing on her cousin. “Abby?” she whimpered. She trembled with fear.

“Chloe?” I said, voice full of concern. Only then did I notice Jax was by my side.

Her eyes widened, and she scrambled to get away from me. “No.” She shook her head. “Get away from me.” Her eyes were wild, and she looked at me like I was some sort of monster.

Right then the truth hit me square in the face—she was terrified of me. Why? What happened to make her feel this way? This couldn’t be about Sean, could it?

“Hey, it’s me.” I held up my hands in a show of surrender and took a tentative step closer.

She stared up at me as if she couldn’t believe I was really me. “Trent?” Her voice trembled.

I knelt beside her, careful not to do anything to spook her. I shared a look with her uncle, hoping he had some sort of explanation, but his expression was confused. I turned back to her. Her tears hadn’t stopped, but her breathing was beginning to go back to normal. She wiped at her cheeks.

“What happened?” Dean asked softly. “Are you all right?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Okay, c’mon.” Dean helped Chloe to her feet. “Let’s get you home.”

I stood at the same time. Chloe wavered, and I began to reach out to steady her when her uncle led her away. An anvil of dread landed hard on my chest. I needed to figure out what happened to her just now, and then I needed to tell her the truth. About everything.