Chapter 24 – Eternal Curse

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “He killed her?”

I nodded solemnly. “It’s a decision he regrets.”

Shivering, she looped her arm through mine and rested her head on my shoulder.

I was surprised she wasn’t horrified by what I’d just told her, but if she wanted to stay here with me, I wasn’t going to argue. I took her hand, lacing our fingers, and placed a kiss to her forehead. “One that changed so many lives,” I said, then continued the story.

When Rector regained his senses, he was on his knees, hands tied behind his back. The metallic tang of blood coated his tongue, and he gagged. He forced his eyes open and immediately wished he hadn’t. Beside him lay Annmarie, two puncture wounds in her neck, her lifeless eyes staring at him.

“No,” he bellowed.

Sean approached, eyes blacker than the midnight sky, face contorted with his true form. Sean grabbed the back of Rector’s head and forced him to look at Annmarie. “See what you made me do? You tainted her body, her heart, and her mind. She paid with her life. You did this!”

Rector kept his face expressionless. Sean Halstead would pay for what he’d done. Lowering his head, Rector chanted, invoking the spirits of his ancestors, calling upon them to release their anger and hurt. He wanted their fury.

“Look at me when I am speaking to you.” Sean yanked Rector’s head back. “You stole what was mine, and now you will pay as she did.”

Rector continued to chant as he held Sean’s gaze. Each spoken word elevated his anger, increased the heartache in his chest. A gust of wind whipped through the town, stirring up a tornado of dust and dirt. Rector forced his eyes to remain open. The spirits were close. He could feel the change in the atmosphere. The temperature dropped considerably, and the air became thick.

“Shut up!” Sean shouted.

Rector chanted louder and louder until everything around him went silent. Sean seemed to have disappeared amidst the dirty storm. “Why have you summoned us, witch?” The voices were deep but hollow, the words almost an echo.

Rector bowed his head.

“There is much anger and vengeance in your blood. Tell us, whom do you seek to hurt?” The spirits slowly circled Rector.

“The man who put me here. He has stolen from me. The unthinkable. A child. My child. He must pay.”

“Yes,” they hissed with delight. “Killing him is much too easy, no? Ah, yes, suffering is much nicer, do you not agree?”

Rector gave a nod. He did not care so long as Sean was punished.

“Then so it shall be.” An icy cold hand rested on top of Rector’s head. “A lifetime of revenge is yours for the asking.”

“And what is the cost for such a gift?”

“Why, your soul, of course.”

“Do it.” Rector’s body jerked and convulsed as a stabbing pain shot through him, leaving his insides electrified, on fire. He screamed when his back arched sharply and involuntarily. He feared his body would snap in half, that he would not survive whatever was happening to him. Then, just as quickly as it started, it all stopped. Rector gasped for breath, realizing he was hyper-aware of everything around him.

“Curse him…” And with that, the spirits vanished in another cloud of dirt and dust.

Rector looked up at Sean, his mind alive and writhing with dark magic. “You took what I loved most, and I shall do the same. Year after year, for as long as there are Halstead vampires, you will never know love. For upon transformation, your women will go mad with bloodlust. And should you find a way around, immediate and certain death will rain down.”

I fell silent, and Chloe’s jaw hung open. Tears pooled in her eyes.

“You’re cursed,” she said, stunned.

“Yes,” I said softly.

Now was the moment of truth. She’d either accept my fate, or she’d tell me to leave her along for good. She jerked away from me, and my heart sank. Even though I’d known that would be her reaction, it still hurt. I was going to lose her and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about that.

“What does this mean, Trent? That you can never… That we can’t…? Can a vampire and a human have a relationship? Is that even possible?”

“Anything’s possible.”

“But?”

“But it’s not common. My kind… vampires… we love a lot during our very long existences. Until we find our one. The one person we love more than anything else. Our soulmate. Then that’s it for us. We love them with our entire being. For eternity.” I smiled faintly, though the gesture pained me.

Her heart skipped a few beats. Had she picked up on what I was really trying to tell her, that she was my one, my soulmate?

I sighed. “Because of our heightened emotions, losing the one we love is a pain we can never get past, so we don’t make it a habit of falling in love with humans. But sometimes…” I shook my head. “Even we can’t control who we love.”

Her grip on my hand loosened, and she pulled away. The first indication I was losing her. Then, she hopped off the tailgate and walked away from me, taking my heart with her. I hung my head and stayed in place. I couldn’t force her to accept any of this; I simply had to wait to see what she’d decide to do.

Her footsteps suddenly stopped, and I glanced up. She was bent over, clutching her knees. I didn’t need to be able to read her mind to know what she was thinking—she was putting everything together and had realized us being together was next to impossible. I once again lowered my head, unable to handle whatever judgment I might see in her eyes.

“What happens if you try to change someone?” she asked, making her way back toward me.

My head snapped up. Why was she asking me that? She couldn’t possibly want to become what I was, could she? I shoved the thought away. Even if she did, I cold never change her.

“She goes mad. The bloodlust consumes her, and the only thing she wants is to kill. We then have no choice but to destroy her or keep her locked up.”

She gasped. “And… this has happened before?”

“Yes.”

“To who?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

I jumped off the tailgate and cautiously approached her. I’d already confessed so much tonight. I had no idea how Chloe wasn’t completely overwhelmed, but telling her about this would most certainly push her over the edge. But I had promised her total honesty.

“Her name was Hannah, and she’s the woman Jax loved.” I reached for her hand, and she didn’t stop me.

She nodded. “Wait. All of this happened before you and Jax were changed, right? So, why didn’t you two go mad?”

“Because Sean wasn’t changing us to be his soulmate.”

“Oh. Right. It only happens to your soulmate.”

“Yes.”

“What if someone else was to change your soulmate? Wouldn’t that bypass the curse?”

“It’s not that simple. The transformation process is… dangerous,” I said, my words calculated and controlled. “Besides, we already tried that. She didn’t survive the transformation.”

If she only knew how hard we’d tried to find a way to break this curse, or to find a loophole. Nothing had worked, and we’d only managed to hurt people in the process. I wouldn’t allow that to be her fate, too.

“Right. Of course.” She nodded again.

She closed her eyes and swayed on her feet. Before she could tip over, I scooped her into my arms, carried her back to the truck, and set her on the tailgate; then I sat next to her, close enough our bodies touched.

“Marc knew about you? Isach, too?”

I nodded.

“Why haven’t they outed you?”

“They did.” I looked at her. “To you, remember?”

“Right.” She swallowed hard.

I hated that she was in the middle of this, and I really hated that she’d become a pawn in the Zoya game because of me. Like everything else, she had a right to know that, too. I took a deep breath.

“They’re evil, Chloe. They like to play games, and the moment they realized you and I were becoming close, they started messing with you.” I took both of her hands and brought them to my mouth, then kissed each of them. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Her voice cracked, and she pulled her hands from mine so she could wipe at her eyes.

Great. I’d made her cry. That was the last thing I’d wanted to do. I was going to kill every last Zoya just so they could never harm Chloe again.

“I don’t even know why they’re back in Keene Valley. They haven’t been here in over three decades.” My tone turned hard and angry. “Their lack of presence is one of the reasons we returned.”

“You track them?” she asked, somewhat shocked.

“Ever heard that saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer? We always know where they are, and we always try to steer clear of them. And they of us. There’s a reason they’re back now. We just haven’t figured out why.”

“Do you think…? Did they kill Rachel?”

“No. Rachel was most certainly killed by a vampire. So was Marc, which is why you need to stay away from Isach. He assumes it was us who killed Marc, and he’s going to be out for vengeance. The quickest way to get to me is to go through you.”

“Oh, God.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “They’re going to kill me, aren’t they?” Her voice rose in pitch.

The sound and sight of her tears tore me apart. How could I have done this to her? My need to be with her, to have my soulmate in my life, was causing her too much pain. The best thing for her was to walk away, but if I did, how would I know the Zoya would walk away, too? What would stop them from killing her the second I left? That wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

“Chloe. Please don’t cry.” He gently wiped my tears. “I will not let anything happen to you, okay? I promise you’ll be safe.”

And I’d go to my grave honoring that promise. I’d never let anything or anyone hurt Chloe, not as long as there was breath in my body. Even if she decided she didn’t want me in her life, I’d still make sure she was always safe.

“You knew about this curse, and you still chose to become a vampire?” she asked.

“We didn’t know. Sean hadn’t had the chance to tell us, but that was why he’d refused to change us.”

“But then Jax forced him to.”

“Yes.” I moved to stand in front of her.

“I hate him for doing this to you. He had no right.” Her voice was tight with anger. “He shouldn’t have taken that choice from you.”

She blamed my brother for what I was. Maybe doing so made this whole thing easier for her to accept, but letting her believe that wasn’t fair to her. Or Jax.

I held her gaze. “I had a choice, Chloe. I could’ve stayed human, but then I would’ve lost my brother. I chose to give up my mortality so that he could live.”

She rested her forehead on my chest. Every touch, no matter how small, gave me hope that she might not tell me to get lost.

“And until recently, this stupid curse was never an issue. Until you, there was never anyone I cared about enough for it to make a difference,” I said softly.

Hesitantly, she put her hands on my waist and looked up at me. I met her gaze, letting her see me for who I truly was, no longer hiding anything from her. Her breath hitched.

“Is there a way to break the curse? There has to be a way, right?” Her tone was much too hopeful.

“There’s only one way to break the curse.”

She straightened. “What is it? Whatever it is, let’s do it.”

I stepped away from her and rubbed at my neck again. I wasn’t sure what to make of her questions, or the hope that lit up her face. Did she want to become a vampire? I highly doubted that considering her reactions to my lifestyle thus far. Yet, she seemed to be trying desperately to find a way around my family curse. Why would she do that if she wasn’t planning to stay in my life?

“The only way to break the curse is to unite the three bloodlines. We need to find a direct female descendant of Rector Zoya and Annmarie Lewis and change her into a Halstead vampire.”

Her shoulders slumped.

“We’ve looked everywhere, and the Zoya-Lewis bloodline died with the baby. The Zoya ensured there would never be a descendant. Believe me, we’ve tried finding one.” I paced. “When Rector invoked the power of his ancestors, he tipped the magical balance. All the good, responsible witches were angry, and one of them sought us out.

“She said she was aware of the curse and had been watching closely, waiting for us to reset the balance. But her coven had been weakened by the Zoya magic, and she couldn’t continue to do nothing. So, she offered to help us find a descendant, and she claims she found one, but she wouldn’t tell us who or where. She wanted to seek her out without the Zoya knowing, so she left. We never saw her again.”

“What happened to her?”

I shrugged. “We don’t know for sure. I think her lead turned out to be a dead end, and she was too afraid to tell us, so she disappeared. Sean thinks the Zoya found her.”

She shuddered, and then her eyes widened. “Abby… She was involved with Marc. And the other day, I saw her flirting with Isach. Oh, God. I have to warn her.” She moved to get off the tailgate, but I was in front of her quicker than she could get down.

I pulled her toward me, our mouths inches apart. “You can’t.” I lifted her off the tailgate and set her on the ground, but I didn’t release her.

“What?” she shouted, trying to wiggle free from my hold. “I have to. I can’t sit around and do nothing. If I can tell her the truth about him, she’ll leave him alone, and then—”

“And then they’ll come after you more than they already have, Chloe. And if you tell her about Isach, you’ll have to tell her about me.”

She stilled, the weight of my words hitting her like I needed them to. Jax feared she’d telling people about us, and she’d promised she wouldn’t. I believed her, but I also knew when family was involved, all bets were off. I understood her need to protect her cousin, but I needed her to understand that doing so would put my and my family in danger.

“I can’t let her get hurt,” she said, desperation in her tone.

“I know, but you can’t stop it, either,” I said, my tone soothing. I released my hold on her, and she didn’t make an effort to move. “You’ve seen what they can do. With a single look, a few whispered words, they can hypnotize and disorient people. They can make you see things that aren’t there.”

“The hallway and the cemetery. And then earlier, when Isach had his arms around me, it was like I was paralyzed or something.”

“I’m so sorry. I never wanted you in the middle of this.”

She was silent for several moments, and I fought back the urge to ask her what she was thinking. She’d tell me when she was ready.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she mumbled.

My eyes widened. Was this it? Was she finally telling me to get out of her life? Dread crashed down on my shoulders.

“What?” I asked.

“I’ve been gone too long. I’m sure Abby and Ellie are worried. Can we go back to the party?”

“Of course.” I approached her again and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her back.

She buried her face against my chest.

“Will you still give me the two days we talked about? I think if you spend some time with me, I can show you this isn’t as bad as it seems.” I stroked her hair, tugging her closer.

I’d gladly take an eternity of heartbreak and loneliness if that was the price I had to pay for a lifetime with her. And I wouldn’t hesitate to tell her that, either.

She remained silent and unmoving.

“Chloe?” I leaned away and tilted her head back. I placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. “Please?”