Chapter 3: Obsessed

As Jax and I drove home after school, my thoughts were focused on Chloe. What was she doing? Who was she with? Was she thinking about me, too? What else could I do to spend more time with her, to get her to talk to me? I was quickly becoming obsessed with her, and that was not a good thing, because like it or not, Jax was right -- Chloe was going to end up being big trouble for me. For all of us if I wasn’t careful.

“I need to hunt,” Jax said.

“Huh?” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Oh, right. Yeah, I could hunt, too.” I’d need to stay well-fed if I had to spend all day every day with a building full of humans. And especially if I could figure out a way to get closer to Chloe.

“You’re still thinking about that human, aren’t you?”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to answer. I could barely understand or explain my obsession with Chloe, and having Jax taunt me about it wasn’t helping. Maybe Dad could help me make sense of what was happening. I had never had such a visceral reaction to anyone before, and I’d met a lot of people in my very long lifetime.

I parked my truck in the driveway, and Jax was out in a flash. I followed him inside, my steps considerably slower. Dad was nowhere to be found upstairs, which wasn’t unusual. He spent most of his time in the basement office, trying to find a way to break the curse placed on him decades ago, and inherited by me and Jax when Sean had changed us.

Dropping my books on the entryway table, I headed for the stairs.

“Where are you going? Thought we were going to hunt,” Jax said.

“We will. Let me check in with Dad real quick.” I raced down the stairs before Jax could object. Sure enough, Sean was in the office. He stood with his back to the door, staring at some papers he’d tacked to the wall. “Hey, Dad,” I said.

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Please tell me you and Jax didn’t kill anyone today.”

“We were on our best behavior.” I crossed the room and stood beside him. “Learn anything new today?” I’d asked him that very same question every single day for years.

“No.” He sighed. And he’d given me that very same answer every single day for years.

I understood his need to find a way to break this curse, but it consumed him to the point he had no life outside of this room. I worried about him.

“Jax and I are going to hunt. Want to come with us?” I asked.

Sean shook his head. “I’m good. You two be safe.”

I nodded absently. “Can I ask you a question?”

He turned to face me. “Always.” He crossed his arms. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, suddenly feeling foolish for seeking advice from my father about a girl. Sean didn’t exactly have a stellar track record when it came to romantic relationships. I licked my lips. “I met this girl today, and my reaction to her was… intense.”

“Intense how?” Sean raised a brow.

“Like everything inside of me is suddenly alive and clawing to be freed. My heart won’t stop racing, every time I take a breath, it feels like an anvil is sitting on my chest. I can’t smell anything but her, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. Even now, I want to get in my truck and go hunt her down just so I can see her.” I shook my head. “I’m crazy, huh?”

“No, you’re not crazy, son.” Sean smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re in love.”

“Love?” I laughed. “That’s ridiculous. I only just met her.”

“Is it?” Sean raised a brow. “Think about it. Everything inside of you shifted today. Now, every breath, every thought, every beat of your heart… it’s all for her.”

My body stiffened as the weight of his words settled on me. What he was describing, it could only mean one thing. “That’s not possible,” I said.

“It’s rare but not unheard of.” Sean gave me a sad but encouraging smile. “You can try to deny it all you want, but that won’t change things. This girl is your soulmate, Trent.”

A vampire finding their soulmate was one in a million, and for as long as I’d been around, I’d never met anyone who’d found their soulmate. Sean claimed the love of his life, Annmarie, had been his, but that had ended in a tragedy that resulted in a nasty family curse. If that was destined to be my fate, too, then I wanted no part of it. Or Chloe.

“So, what the hell am I supposed to do now? She’s human,” I said.

“The way I see it, you’ve got two choices. You embrace her for what she is. Tell her the truth and be with her. Or, you remove any memory of yourself from her mind, and we leave Keene Valley tonight.”

Just the thought of leaving this town, of leaving her, had lava-hot rage filling my veins. I curled my hands into fists. “I’m not leaving,” I bit out. “And I’m not exposing what we are. I can’t.”

“Take it from someone who's been down this road before. You have to tell her the truth of who you are. There’s no other way this can ever work, and you might not be crazy right now, but if you try to fight this, you will be.”

Before I could say anything else, Jax hollered down the stairs. “What the hell, Trent?”

I rolled my eyes. “We’ll be back later.” I headed out of the room, then hesitated in the doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll think about what you said.”

His only response was a nod, then he was back to studying the family tree he had affixed to the wall. With a shake of my head, I bounded up the stairs to find Jax waiting near the back door.

“Took you long enough,” he said, his face scrunched with annoyance.

I ignored his attitude and walked outside. My thoughts were a jumbled mess. How could Chloe be my soulmate? I never imagined I’d ever find mine, but I had. Everything Sean said made sense, and the more I thought about it, the deeper the idea became rooted in me.

Chloe was meant for me. She was mine.

When I allowed that thought to enter my mind and stay there, without trying to fight it or deny it, a sense of peace washed over me. I had to stay and find a way to make things work with her, but what if that’s not what she wanted? For all I knew, she might despise me. What if she didn’t feel the same pull toward me that I felt toward her?

“Hey. Earth to Trent.” Jax snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I blinked. “Sorry. Let’s go. I need to run off some of this pent-up energy.”

He bounced on the balls of his feet. “Now you’re talking.” He flashed me a toothy grin.

Running always helped clear my head, and right now, I needed the fresh air. I needed to get out of my own head and give myself over to my instincts. Maybe then I could figure out what to do about Chloe.

“Try to keep up.” I shoved him hard enough to knock him over. Then I grinned and took off around the side of the house.

Jax easily caught up. “You run like a grandma.” He slammed into my side, and I crashed into a massive oak tree. He laughed.

Pain ricocheted down my arm and disappeared just as fast. The tree trunk cracked, and several branches shook loose. Leaves rained down and got caught in my hair. I shook my head to dislodge them, then kicked up my pace. He was going to pay for that.

I raced around trees and jumped over fallen logs. Wind whizzed past my face. My mind cleared, my vision sharpened, and I propelled myself forward on sheer instinct. In the distance, a group of birds took off, their wings beating frantically. Deer scattered, their hooves pounding the ground in fear. Jax veered off after a particularly large buck.

Normally, I’d give chase, too, but I wanted something bigger today. Something that would put up more of a fight. And then, up ahead, I found my prey--a massive black bear. I slowed to a predatory walk. The bear sniffed the air and shifted onto its hind legs. I lunged at it.

***

I swung the refrigerator door shut. Not that I was hungry. I was bored. And antsy. My skin felt like it was crawling, and I couldn’t sit still no matter what I did. I’d even tried to play a video game with Jax, but he was a cheater, and all that did was make me mad on top of being anxious. What I needed was to get out of this house. I put on my sneakers and snatched my keys.

“Are you leaving?” Jax asked without looking away from the TV screen.

“Yeah, I need to get out of the house for a while.” I headed for the door, praying Jax didn’t ask too many questions. I should’ve known better.

“And do what?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Jax paused the game and turned to look at me. A wicked grin lit up his face. “You’re going to see what’s her face, aren’t you? The human girl.”

“Her name is Chloe. And no, I’m not.” I clutched my keys tightly in my palm. “I’m just going for a drive.”

“Past Chloe’s house?” Jax raised a brow, smirked, then turned back around to resume his game.

I scowled. “Don’t be ridiculous.” I wasn’t about to tell him that thought had crossed my mind.

“Don’t be a creep.”

“Jerk.”

“Stalker.”

“I swear to God I’m going to stake you in your sleep,” I mumbled as I stormed out of the house, Jax’s laughter following me outside.

Climbing into my truck, I started the engine, then I sat there. Was I really going to drive by Chloe’s house like some sort of creep? No, of course not. But I was curious as to what she was doing… I shook the thought from my mind.

Backing out of the driveway, I headed in the opposite direction of Chloe’s house--or rather, the Benson house. As the new girl, people were talking about her quite a bit today. Learning where she lived had been easy. But no way could I go there. Instead, I drove aimlessly down Route 73.

Was Sean right? Was Chloe my soulmate? If she was, then my fate was sealed. I couldn’t walk away from her even if I wanted to. Unless, of course, she told me to get lost. My only desire at this point was to make her happy, no matter what that entailed. I hoped this didn’t end in disaster because there was something intriguing about Chloe, and I was desperate to get to know her better.

Up ahead, a car was parked on the side of the road, facing oncoming traffic. I slowed, intent on going around, when the faint scent of something floral wafted through the open window.

Chloe.

Why the hell was she sitting on the roof of her car on the side of the road like that? Was something wrong? I pulled up to stop in front of her car, telling myself I was stopping simply because I was concerned for her safety and would do the same for anyone. When did I become such a liar?

I got out of the truck, and I could hear Chloe’s racing heart. She was afraid, and I was an idiot for thinking she wouldn’t be scared to have some stranger approach her in the dark. I opened my mouth to speak when she abruptly climbed off the car and raced around the back. What is she doing? If I didn’t make myself known soon, she’d probably get in the car and try to run me over.

“Having car trouble?” I asked.

She froze. “Trent?” Straightening, she squinted against the glare of the truck’s lights.

I really should’ve shut off the headlights. “Chloe.”

Her sigh of relief was music to my ears. Hand over her heart, it slowed a tad, and now I was the one sighing with relief. At least she wasn’t terrified of me, just of the situation. I really needed to think before I acted. I moved to stand beside her and cursed myself for not controlling my speed. If she noticed I’d moved too fast, she didn’t say anything.

“What’re you doing out here?” she asked.

“I was driving by when I noticed your car on the side of the road. Thought you might be having engine trouble or something.” At least I could be honest with her about that. I shoved my hands into my pockets.

She studied me, and I stood perfectly still, not wanting to do anything that might give away anything I wasn’t ready for her to know yet.

“How did you know it was me?” she asked.

“I didn’t,” I said, heart pounding. She wasn’t going to simply buy what I said, was she? I needed to shift the focus off me, and fast. “Not until I saw you sitting on the roof. Seriously, Chloe, what’re you doing out here? At night. By yourself.” The more I thought about this, the more worried I became. Anything could’ve happened to her, and no one would’ve been around to help her. If she only knew how dangerous this town could be at times.

“I was looking at the waterfall.” She pointed at it.

My God, she was adorable. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and whisk her to the very top of the waterfall so she could see everything. I lifted a single brow, and the corner of my mouth twitched, but I wouldn’t allow my smile to fully form, because if I did, I might not be able to stop myself from laughing.

“You know, it’s easier to see it in the daylight,” I said.

She chuckled, and the sound squeezed at my heart. “I know.” She hopped up to sit on the trunk, and the car rocked slightly. “Abby is out with some boy, and I’m covering for her. But, being new in town with no friends…” She shrugged.

“May I?” I motioned to the spot next to her.

When she nodded, I sat. Not too close because I didn’t want to freak her out anymore than I already had tonight, but everything inside of me screamed to move closer. I needed a distraction, something safe to talk about so I wouldn’t fall victim to my raging urges.

“How’s your hand?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s fine.” She flexed her fingers. “Still a little sore, but I’ll live.”

“Good.” I looked around, then settled my gaze on her. I couldn’t help myself--I needed to see her, to experience everything about her, no matter how small or insignificant. “You know, there’s a trail that leads to the base of those falls. From there, you can climb the mountain and look down from the top.”

“How do you know that?” she asked.

Shit. I’d told Chloe I was new around here. This girl didn’t miss a thing, did she? I raced through possible answers that would support the story that I was new in town, too. Finally, I settled on, “I went exploring after school.”

“How far is the trail?”

“The entrance is back there a few feet.” I pointed in the direction I’d come from. “It’s less than half a mile to the base. We could check it out if you want.”

“Now?” she asked. “It’s dark.”

I laughed softly. She didn’t want to walk a trail because it was dark, but she had no issues with sitting on the side of the road? Interesting. “Yes, but the trail is very easy to travel,” I said.

“What about the bears?”

I was stunned into momentary silence. She was worried about bears? I nearly laughed at the irony of her question. Not like I could tell her I’d gone hand to paw with a very large, angry bear earlier--and had won. Everything about Chloe fascinated me, but the things she said, the way she attempted to problem solve held me captive, and I needed more.

“The bears?” My voice was all calm confidence, but my tone lifted with traces of humor.

“Yes. The bears.”

I fought the urge to smile at how serious she was right now. She was concerned about bears when she was literally sitting inches from a creature who could drain her blood before she managed to scream.

“What if we get lost?” she asked. The strong scent of fear surrounded her, and I clenched my jaw so I wouldn’t give in to the temptation to physically comfort her.

“I have a very good sense of direction. We won’t get lost.” I leaned back, propping myself on my hands. “But if you’d prefer to wait until the sun is up to—”

“I would,” she interrupted.

Which meant I’d just secured an opportunity to see her again. I gave a quick nod. “Well, when you’re ready, let me know, and I’ll do it with you.”

Eyebrow raised, she fought not to smile. “You’ll do it with me, huh?” she teased.

My entire body tensed, and my ears rang. Did she just say…? Her mind had gone there. I couldn’t believe it, but that meant… I swallowed. “Hiking!” I blurted. “I mean I’ll hike it with you.”

She laughed and nudged me with her shoulder. Rather, she tried, but I didn’t so much as budge. I was still too shocked that her thoughts had wandered down the same path mine had been on since I first laid eyes on her this morning. Was it possible she was drawn to me like I was to her? The idea was sobering.

“I didn’t peg you as a good Samaritan.” She frowned. “I didn’t mean you’re not nice or anything. You are. What I know of you, anyway.”

My heart sank. If she only knew how untrue that was… I turned to look at her, and her breath caught. In that split second, all I wanted to do was kiss her, to make her breath catch for entirely different reason. She held my gaze. Could she see the desire I was fighting? But that was a line I absolutely could not cross, not until I told her the truth about who and what I was. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes that Sean had made with Annmarie. I couldn’t because I’d die before I’d let any harm come to Chloe.

“If you knew me, really knew me, your opinion would change,” I said. What a pathetic attempt to warn her about me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I leaned closer. The scent of whatever shampoo or perfume she used enveloped me. “Just that the monsters hiding in plain sight are more dangerous than the ones you can’t see.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me you’re a monster?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re scary, so…” She shrugged again.

Her rapid breathing betrayed her brave facade, but truth dripped from everything she said and did. It would be so easy to let myself believe her, to forget what I was, forget every obstacle stacked against us and just be human for her.

“Hmm. I guess we’ll see about that.”

Her heart fluttered, and I grinned. Yeah, she wasn’t totally unaffected by me, which meant I stood a chance with her. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to tell her the truth about me.