Chapter 17: No Harm

“Are you kidding me?” Jax grumbled under his breath.

I rolled my eyes. “What now?”

He’d been complaining nonstop since last night, and I was beyond fed up with him. I knew he was worried Chloe would tell people about us, but I wasn’t. I trusted her to keep our secret. Whether she wanted me in her life was a different story, but that was my problem, not Jax’s.

“They’re over there making plans to go to a party and have a sleepover.” He huffed and shook his head. “They have no idea the danger lurking in this town.”

I scowled. They were teenagers—of course they didn’t know the danger. Why would they? Personally, I was glad Chloe was going on with her life as if yesterday hadn’t happened. Maybe she’d forget all about my secret. Yeah, right. I wasn’t an idiot.

Just then, Chloe glanced over, then quickly looked away, but I hadn’t missed her questioning expression. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what on earth she could be thinking right now. Did she have questions about what I was? If she did, that meant I had a chance of getting her to talk to me.

Seconds before the bell rang, I stood and rushed from the cafeteria. I went straight to Chloe’s locker and leaned against the door, hands in my pockets. She’d been avoiding me all morning, and I hadn’t pushed the issue, but not knowing if she’d even talk to me was bugging the crap out of me.

When she noticed me, her heart began to race, and I was thankful that her physical reaction to me hadn’t changed. Though, her excitement at seeing me was mixed with a healthy dose of fear.

“Please move,” she said, her tone sharp.

Ouch. Not exactly the reaction I’d wanted. Without a word, I stepped out of her way. She didn’t even bother to look at me as she opened her locker and rummaged around inside. I couldn’t tell which was more sporadic—her heart or her breathing. But the scent of fear hung heavy around her, and her body trembled.

I’d done that to her. Made her fearful and uncertain. Now all I wanted to do was take those emotions away, to reassure her that I’d never harm her.

I moved in behind her and put my hands over hers, stilling her search. Her breath hitched, and I stifled a groan at the feel of her body so close to mine.

“Knowing you’re afraid of me is a fate worse than a stake to the heart,” I whispered, my mouth near her ear.

She let out a small, involuntary gasp. “I’m not afraid of you,” she mumbled, but her words held no real conviction.

“No? Then why’s your heart racing? I can smell the adrenaline pumping through your veins. The fear. You want to run.” My body was hard and unmoving behind her.

I wanted her to admit what I already knew, though I had no idea why. Hearing her say the words wouldn’t change anything, but maybe if she confessed her true fear I could show her it was unwarranted.

“Will you stop me if I do?” she asked. Slowly, she turned to face me.

I had no idea what I expected to see in her eyes when she looked at me, but it wasn’t curiosity and compassion. Still, her fear was unwavering. I frowned.

“No,” I said. “I won’t stop you.” I took a step back and held out my arm, giving her the freedom to leave.

But she didn’t leave. Why? She wanted to. Did this mean she’d give me a chance to explain? Was there hope for us after all? But then she lowered her head, and everything inside of me deflated. I wasn’t strong enough to stand here and listen to her tell me to go away, that she couldn’t stand the sight of me.

So, I made the choice for her and took off in a flash. I shoved out the side entrance into the blinding sun. Shielding my eyes and face, I stood there for several moments, unsure where to go or what to do. My skin heated to the point of discomfort, and I headed back inside. Why I didn’t get in my truck and drive straight out of town I had no idea.

Yes, I did. I couldn’t leave Chloe until I knew how this would play out between us. And I’d never know that until I was positive that she knew I’d never hurt her. Regardless of what else happened, I needed her to know that above all else.

I slipped into World History unnoticed. Chloe was in her seat, head on her desk. I eased into my seat beside her, my heart thundered as hard as hers was.

“All right, let’s settle down.” Mr. Patterson clapped his hands once to get everyone’s attention. “Final projects are due in less than two weeks, and I’m feeling a bit generous, so I’m going to let you use today as a workday.”

A rumble of excited murmurs rippled through the room.

“Let’s use this time wisely, shall we?” he said.

As students chatted and moved their desks and chairs, I moved closer to Chloe.

“Do you really think I would harm you, Chloe?”

She snapped her head up. “Jeez, Trent. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Do you?” I asked again.

She fidgeted with her hands, refusing to meet my gaze. I’d given her a reprieve in the hallway because I knew she wasn’t ready to talk, but I couldn’t keep putting this off.

“Chloe.” I tentatively put my hand over hers. “Please look at me.”

She blew out a breath, then faced me. Confusion colored her expression, and I’d do anything to be able to take that away for her. If she’d let me explain, I knew I could. I’d tell her anything she wanted to know if it meant she’d give me a chance.

I smiled faintly and caressed the back of her hand with my thumb. Her skin was so incredibly soft and warm.

She slipped her hands out from under mine and tucked them under the desk. “What’re you doing here? I thought you left.”

“I did, but then I came back. I needed an answer. With an eternity at our disposal, my kind tends to get obsessive about certain things.”

Her jaw dropped. I hadn’t meant to shock her like that, but now that the truth was out there, I had no reason to hide who and what I was. She needed to know everything if I had any hope of her understanding.

“So? Do you really believe I’d hurt you?” I asked.

She sighed. “No,” she finally said, shaking her head. “If you wanted to, you could have. And you haven’t. Thanks for that, by the way.” She shifted in her chair, so she was fully facing me. “But that doesn’t change anything, Trent.”

“I think it changes everything.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

I chuckled, and her heart skipped a few beats. My smile stretched. Whatever was happening between us wasn’t over. Not by a long shot, and now that I knew that, I could focus on letting her get to know the real me.

***

After my last class of the day, Jax caught up to me. He grabbed my arm and yanked me into an empty room. “Did you tell her to keep her mouth shut?”

I jerked free from his hold. “Not yet.”

Jax snarled. “Are you trying to get us killed?”

“Will you calm the hell down?” I snapped. “Chloe could’ve said something to any number of people today, and she hasn’t. She didn’t say anything to her aunt and uncle last night, either, so I doubt she’s going to go screaming from the rooftops that we’re vampires.”

Eyes narrowed, Jax stepped up to me. “You’re not going to say anything to her, are you?”

“Of course I am.” I shifted my stance and crossed my arms.

I just wasn’t going to threaten and terrorize her, which was exactly what Jax wanted me to do. He lived with the belief that fear ruled above all else. And a majority of the time, he was wrong.

“Then you’d better do it soon.” Jax poked my chest, then flew out of the room so fast I barely noticed he’d left.

Shaking my head, I raked my fingers through my hair. He was right—I did need to tell Chloe that secrecy was of the utmost importance to our existence, but there were ways of doing that didn’t involve threats of death.

With a sigh, I headed for Chloe’s locker. In order to tell her everything, we needed to be alone, which might be problematic considering her reactions to me today. But I had to try. When I got to her locker, she was already there.

I leaned against my locker door. “So…”

She closed my locker and stared at me. Chloe looked downright exhausted, yet she still had a fire in her eyes that hadn’t dulled, despite everything she’d learned over the last twenty-four hours. She was tough and resilient, and that was sexy as hell.

My lips twitched, and then I smiled. “I assume you have questions,” I said.

She threw her hands up in the air. “How can you be so calm about this?”

“I’ve had a lot of time to come to terms with what I am.”

She narrowed her eyes. “How much time?”

Bingo! She was finally asking questions. Now was my opportunity. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. You simply have to give me the chance.”

“Oh no.” She held up her hand. “You are not going to trick me into giving you the opportunity to explain. There is nothing you can say that will make me be okay with…” She waved her hands up and down the length of my body. “This.” Then, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the building.

Well, that blew up in my face.