Chapter 16: Outed

I stood frozen in place and watched helplessly as Chloe left with her family. I had an endless pit in my stomach, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that things would never be the same between us.

Shortly after Chloe’s freak out, the service ended, and everyone left. I still couldn’t bring myself to leave, though. The guy I’d seen moments before Chloe started acting strange was gone. When had he left? I’d been so worried about Chloe I hadn’t paid much attention.

“What the hell just happened?” Jax asked.

“I have no idea.” I shook my head. “Did you recognize that guy I pointed out?”

“No. I’ve never seen him before.” Jax twisted around as if looking for him. “Dad didn’t, either, but when that guy left, Sean followed him. Hopefully, he’ll find out.”

“When did he leave?”

Jax shrugged. “Seconds after Chloe lost her mind.”

I scowled. “She didn’t lose her mind. Something terrified her.”

“Like what?”

“I have no idea, but I intend to find out.” I started to leave, then stopped and turned back. “I’m going to go check on her. I’ll be back later.” Then I left before he could try to talk me out of going.

Jax hadn’t made his feelings a secret—he did not want me to tell Chloe the truth about what we were, but I couldn’t keep hiding the truth from her. One way or another, I had to come clean. Tonight.

I raced back to my house, climbed into my truck, and sped straight to Chloe’s house. My stomach twisted with nerves as I walked onto the front porch and knocked on the door. No turning back now.

Dean answered the door. “Can I help you?”

I had the sudden urge to thank him for being so concerned about Chloe and taking care of her. But that would be weird, so instead I said, “Hello, Mr. Benson. I’m Trent Halstead. I’m a friend of Chloe’s. May I see her?”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Dean said. “Chloe’s not feeling very well.”

I wanted to insist on seeing her, but that wouldn’t help my cause.

“It’s okay, Uncle Dean,” Chloe said as she walked to the front door. “What’re you doing here, Trent?”

The relief that washed over me was intense and all-consuming. She looked perfectly normal. Her complexion was no longer pale, and her eyes weren’t wild with fear. Even her heartrate was strong and steady.

“I was worried about you,” I said. Then I turned my attention back to Dean. “Would it be all right if I spoke to Chloe for a few moments?”

Dean glanced at Chloe, brow raised. “Stay on the porch,” he said sternly.

“We will.” She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. Then she headed for the wooden swing on the far end of the porch. “I’m surprised to see you.” She sat.

The fact that she didn’t think I’d check on her was upsetting. I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Like I said, I was worried about you. Are you okay?”

She shrugged.

“May I?” I nodded at the empty spot next to her.

She shook her head.

I couldn’t keep the disappointment from showing on my face, but I kept my distance. For now. With any luck, by the time this conversation was over she’d let me be close to her again.

“What happened today, Chloe? You were terrified. Of me. And don’t tell me you weren’t. I saw the fear in your eyes.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and cringed. I knew she had been, but part of me had hoped I was wrong. What had I done to make her react that way to me?

“Remember that day you found me in the hallway?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“Yes.” Dread coiled in my stomach.

“Something similar happened, only it was a million times worse.” She kept her head down, refusing to look at me. “I saw you…”

I stiffened. That incident in the hallway had been Marc’s doing, but he was dead. Who else had been at the funeral that could’ve messed with her mind like that? I hadn’t seen any Zoya there.

“You saw me what?” I waited for her to answer, and when she didn’t, I rushed to her side, took her hand into mine, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You can tell me, Chloe.” Now, more than ever, I needed her to trust me.

“I saw you… change. You became a…” She closed her eyes. “You turned into a vampire and killed Abby. Then you started to come after me.” She opened her eyes and cringed.

I froze, my hold on her hand stiff and unmoving. I stared straight ahead, trying to process what she’d just said. I had to be dreaming, right? No way she figured out what I was. Then again, if a witch had been messing with her mind…

“That’s not possible. Marc’s dead,” I said mostly to myself, but I’d spoken loud enough for her to hear me. I quickly realized that was the absolute wrong thing to say at this moment.

She wiggled her hand from mine and rubbed her palm on her leg. Then she stood. I was still too shocked to move or even process what was happening.

“Someone else was there. Right before I saw you… He looked right at me. His lips were moving, but I don’t know what he said.” She rubbed her hands over her face and let out a strained laugh.

I wanted to scream and rage and cry and beg for her to understand. The emotions warred violently inside of me, and if I didn’t move, I’d explode. I flashed to the opposite end of the porch, needing a little bit of distance to get myself under control.

That guy she’d seen, the mystery man I hadn’t recognized… Was he a Zoya? Clearly he’d been the one to make Chloe hallucinate. But why? And why would he out me to her like that? Despite the hatred than ran deep between my family and the Zoya, the one rule we never broke was secrecy. We didn’t tell anyone the truth of who we were, because doing so was dangerous for the entire magical community.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” She cautiously approached me. “What I saw? It’s real?” Her voice rose with impending hysteria. “Not you killing Abby, but the rest of it?”

I glanced at the front door, then the window. “Please keep your voice down.”

Her brows shot up with disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“I can’t risk your aunt and uncle overhearing us.” Sighing, I faced her. My moment of truth had arrived. “I’m sorry, Chloe. You weren’t supposed to find out like this.”

She half gasped, half whimpered, and slapped her hand over her mouth. “It’s not possible,” she mumbled, shaking her head. She took a step back, and I took a step forward.

“Chloe…”

I couldn’t let her freak out. Not now. Not when her aunt and uncle were so close and would undoubtedly come out to check on her if she started screaming. We both needed to stay calm, which was a lot easier said than done.

“No.” She held up her hand to stop me from getting any closer.

Then she raced down the steps. My bloodlust whipped through me in a frenzy, and I snarled. Damn it. Her feet had barely hit the driveway when I grabbed her from behind and returned her to the porch. How could I even attempt to explain when she tried to run away? This was not going at all like I had hoped.

“Your uncle said not to leave the porch.” My hands were on her arms, holding her in place so she wouldn’t run again. “And please, do not run.” My tone was icy.

Simply being close to her triggered my bloodlust, but when she tried to run? I didn’t know how long I’d be able to control myself.

“Let go of me.” Her voice was surprisingly calm, and that’s when I knew I was in a shitload of trouble.

I immediately dropped my hands and took a small step back. “Please let me explain.”

“No.” She backed up until she was near the front door, and she reached for the doorknob. “Just… stay away from me.” She twisted the door handle.

“Chloe,” I pleaded, and she hesitated for the span of a single heartbeat.

“Go away, Trent. Leave me alone.” She rushed inside, then slammed the door in my face.

I remained on the porch for several moments, staring at the closed door. My heart splintered with each passing second. Of all the scenarios I’d conjured in my mind, I never dreamed this would be how things turned out. I was supposed to tell her about me before she managed to find out on her own. But I’d waited too long, and someone had outed me. I no longer had any doubts the guy from the funeral was responsible. Now I needed to figure out why. Maybe Sean had been able to find some answers.

I lingered a few moments longer, listening to make sure Chloe was okay. And to make sure she didn’t tell her aunt and uncle about me. Thankfully, she didn’t. When I heard her close herself in her bedroom, I reluctantly turned and left.

“How is she?” Jax asked when I got home. Surprisingly, he sounded like he truly cared.

“Not good.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Where’s Dad?”

“Kitchen.” Jax tilted his head, eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

Dad emerged from the kitchen, and the instant he saw me, his face clouded with concern.

I couldn’t keep lying to everyone. With a heavy sigh, I sank down on the couch and hung my head in my hands. Dad would be understanding of my situation, but Jax would have a lot to say, and I was in no mood for his attitude right now. I might actually kill him if he started his shit.

“What happened with Chloe?” Sean asked as he sat next to me.

I took a deep breath, then launched into the full story. I told them everything from how Chloe found the image of Sean online, to my pathetic attempt at covering it up, to what happened and the funeral and my epic failure of a conversation with her.

“Great. So now she knows, and she won’t even talk to you.” Jax threw his hands in the air. “I told you that telling her was a bad idea.”

I snarled. “You wanna be pissed at someone, find that guy from the funeral. He outed us, Jax. Not me.” I pointed at my chest, which was slowly burning with fury.

“Sadly, I wasn’t able to learn much,” Sean said. “He managed to elude me. But it certainly sounds like he’s Zoya.”

“Why are the back in Keene Valley now?” Jax asked with a shake of his head. “We haven’t had any contact with them in years, and now they show up out of the blue.”

“I wish I knew.” Sean sighed.

“And why the hell are they attacking Chloe like this?” I stood, hands curled into fists. “I swear to God, if I find this guy, I will kill him.”

“No, you won’t.” Sean stood and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re angry right now, and you have every right to be. But your focus needs to be on Chloe. You have to try to explain things to her.”

“If you don’t make her understand the need for secrecy, I will.” Jax crossed his arms.

I got in his face. “You’ll stay the hell away from her.”

Sean yanked us apart. “You two constantly fighting is not helping anything. I won’t tell you again to knock it off.”

“Whatever.” I shrugged off the scolding. “I’ll talk to Chloe tomorrow, and if I can’t get her to let me explain, I’ll make sure she doesn’t remember anything.”

I spun on my heel and disappeared out the back door. The very thought of erasing myself from Chloe’s mind was horrifying, but I would if I had to. Regardless of how I felt about her, I needed to protect my family, too, and I couldn’t risk exposing them.

Chloe was smart and compassionate, and she had a tendency to always want to do the right thing. Maybe she’d realize that giving me the opportunity to explain was the right thing to do. Even if I couldn’t convince her to let me be in her life, at least I could plead my case, so she knew I wasn’t the monster she envisioned me to be.