Page 11 of The Immortal’s Curse (Bound to the Immortals #2)

DARCIE

My life’s a mess, tangled up in lies and secrets that pull everyone I care about into the same dark web. I can barely get through a day without feeling like I'm suffocating in it.

I shuffle past the crowd of students walking to their next class, holding the straps of my backpack, tucking my elbows to my sides to avoid bumping into anyone. Try as I might to shake away the troubling thoughts, I can’t. I’m trapped in a spiral of questions I have no answers to.

I’ve tried to convince myself that the thing with my hand isn’t a big deal, that the cut was neat and clean, and that’s why it healed so quickly.

But after waking up from that sexy, intense dream about Des, I can’t shake the idea that something is seriously wrong.

It has to be connected to the Immortals, not that I have a clue how to contact them to ask about it. It’s not like they gave me their phone number, and I don’t know how long it will be before Lome makes another spontaneous visit.

Maybe I can send up a smoke signal or something.

I snort at the thought, but my amusement doesn’t last long. My mind drifts to Des, the one Immortal I have no business thinking about as I climb the stairs to the Chemistry building.

I can’t believe I had a dream about Des … A dream like that . It wasn’t exactly a sex dream, but it came pretty close.

It was… intense. And exciting. And confusing. Why couldn’t I have dreamed of Kevin instead?

Because you and Kevin agreed to take it slow.

After not seeing each other for a couple of years, it seemed like a good idea to take our time with the physical stuff while we figured out our relationship. But clearly, my subconscious thinks differently. It decided to fulfill its fantasies with a broody, unavailable Immortal.

I sigh and lift my fingertips to my lips. I can still feel Des’s breath brushing against my mouth, the pressure of his strong hands lifting me.

It felt so real . So intense…

Too intense.

I walk into my chemistry lab dazed. I barely avoid bumping into the lab assistant setting out glassware for our experiment today.

I slide onto the stool at my usual station and take out my notebook and lab manual, opening to today’s lab.

The lab doesn’t start for another ten minutes. I try to prepare by re-reading the day’s objectives, but the words blur together, my mind refusing to release the vivid memories of my sexy dream with Des—wishing it could have lasted just a little bit longer.

“Hey.” My lab partner, Claire, slides onto the stool beside mine, her brown ponytail bouncing. She smiles bright, but her happy expression falls when she sees my face. “Yikes. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” My mouth pulls into what’s meant to be a reassuring smile. Based on Claire’s grimace, the effort falls flat. “Why? ”

“Oh. Um… It’s nothing. You just look a little out of it.”

More like guilty.

Dreaming about Des isn’t technically cheating, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t feel that way. Especially when I can’t get the Immortal out of my head.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Alright, everyone.” The lab assistant, Charles, stands at the front of the room, gesturing to the whiteboard where a simplified version of today’s procedure is displayed.

“You’ll be completing experiment three: filtration methods to separate mixtures.

The instructions are straightforward, but be sure to follow all safety precautions.

I’ll be walking around if you need help. Any questions?”

He adjusts his glasses, scanning the room. His gaze snags on me for the briefest moment, lingering, just like it did the first time we met.

No one raises their hand.

Charles nods. “Great. Go ahead and get started.”

Stools scrape against the tile floor, and papers rustle as the other twenty-nine students set up their lab stations.

“Darcie?”

I blink and turn.

Claire stands beside our workstation, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I shake my head once. “Sorry. Yeah. I’m good.” I snatch the safety apron from the hook at the side of the lab station and toss it over my head. “I’ll grab the chemicals. Can you start setting up the equipment?”

Claire presses her lips together, gives me a long, searching look, before saying, “Sure.”

I turn on my heel and head to the fume hood where today’s chemicals are stored.

Get it together, Darcie . I command myself. It was just a dream .

But what about your hand?

I glance at my palm. The pink scar from yesterday is gone. It looks like I never even cut my hand. I breathe slowly, trying to ignore the unease in my stomach.

A foreboding shadow hovers over my head as I pull the reagents needed for this experiment from the hood, mumbling an apology as I knock over a bottle of Magnesium pellets the guy next to me was reaching for.

I hold the bottles to my chest and weave through the lab, back to my station.

I’m a mess. I need to focus. I need rest, to sleep. But that’s easier said than done when I can’t control what my unconscious mind decides to play when I drift off.

“Darcie?”

I jolt back.

Claire hovers nearby, hands half-reached towards me, her mouth pressed in a frown. “Do you want help?”

My cheeks heat. Wordlessly, I hand her the bottles of iron fillings and calcium carbonate. Then, we walk to our station and set the rest of the chemicals on the lab table.

Claire eyes me for a second, then asks, “You ready to get started?”

I roll my shoulders back and clear my throat. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

The sooner I’m done here, the sooner I can hide away in my house and find a way to get Des out of my head.

And figure out how in the world my hand healed so quickly…

An hour later, Claire and I walk side by side down the wide stone steps of the chemistry building, the afternoon sun casting long shadows over the snow melting on the pavement .

“Do you want to go to the library to finish the lab analysis questions together?” she asks, her voice tentative. “I’ve got a break before my next class.”

I could barely focus during the lab. I spilled our reagents twice and nearly boiled our solution into oblivion. I’ve got no business trying to complete the lab report right now.

“I wish, but I’m not feeling great.” I fake a grimace, forcing my hand to my stomach. “Would you want to meet up tomorrow instead?

Claire’s shoulders sag. I imagine it’s less from disappointment and more from relief. “How about we just email each other our answers to compare before we submit?”

“That sounds perfect.” I exhale, grateful for the easy out. Thanks, Claire. See you next week.”

She waves and heads off.

I turn toward the quad and draw in a breath of brisk air. Fifty-five and sunny—a rare gift for a January in Brunswick. This kind of weather almost tricks you into forgetting you’re drowning in stress.

Almost.

I spot a picnic table beneath a bare-branched tree and walk over. I sink onto the bench, legs stretched out, elbows resting on the table behind me. I tip my head back, eyes closed, letting the cold air soothe the heat behind my eyes.

When’s the last time I had a dreamless sleep? Weeks, at least.

I’m exhausted.

Dad’s doctor gave him sleeping pills when he was first diagnosed. Maybe there’s some at the house.

Normally, I’d never take medication that wasn’t prescribed for me. But I’m starting to feel desperate. Something is off with me. I just need a night of sleep and I’ll be brand new. If not, I don’t know what else to do.

Tree branches creak overhead, whispering in the wind as chirping birds cut through the air. My muscles relax. Sleep presses at the edge of my mind, a picture of a calming ocean painted behind my eyelids.

A throat clears.

I snap upright, eyes open. My heartbeat skips.

Eshe stands a few feet away, calm and composed in a long dark coat with darker, sharper eyes.

“Eshe?!” I gasp.

“Hello, Darcie,” the Immortal says, her tone cool. “I hope I didn’t startle you.”

“No—no, not at all.” My pulse hammers in my throat. “H-how are you?”

She’s the only Immortal I didn’t see after they rescued me from Adir’s stronghold. Despite Lome’s reassurance that she was okay, it’s a relief to find her standing in front of me, safe and unharmed.

“I am well.” She steps forward and sits beside me like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Her gaze rests on the quad filled with smiling, chatting students when she says, “Lome asked me to check on you.”

My spine straightens. “He did?”

But I just saw him…

I glance at my smooth palm. Does he know something is wrong with me?

Eshe’s eyes flick to my hand, then back to the quad. “Do not worry. Lome is fine. He’s just preoccupied with the rebellion.”

She gives a careless wave, but her fingers twitch slightly.

I frown.

I want to tell her about my hand, but something in her demeanor gives me pause.

Eshe, who always commands a room with her confidence, won’t meet my eyes. Her long fingers drum a quick rhythm against her thigh.

The sense that something is wrong rears to life once more. Dread curls in my chest .

“What about everyone else?” I pitch my voice low when a group of guys wearing swim team sweatpants walks by, casting appraising looks on the exotic beauty next to me. “Are they okay?”

“Everyone is managing.”

Well… that sounds ominous. ..

I take a deep breath, dredging up the strength to ask what she’s really doing here, when her gaze snaps to me.

“But I didn’t just come on Lome’s behalf.” Her voice is tighter now, her posture rigid. “I came here to warn you.”

“Warn me?” My stomach drops. “About what?”

She hesitates. My anxiety spikes. Eshe never hesitates.

“You should stop allowing us to visit. All of us.”

What?

I blink. “Why? Lome’s the only one who’s been here and?—”

“He shouldn’t have come.” Her voice cuts through mine like a knife. “You’re not one of us, Darcie. And continuing to let us in your life will only get you hurt.”

The words hit harder than I expect. I thought Eshe considered me a friend.

I swallow down my feelings and lift my chin. “What do you mean by ‘hurt’?”

Her dark eyes are soft, almost sad. She ignores my question. “You want a normal life, Darcie? Then stop letting us drag you into a world that’ll never give you that. It’s not safe.”

The wind picks up, sharp and cold against my skin. “But Thane told me I’d be safe here.”

“I won’t be down here forever. ” Blood drains from my face as Adir’s words play in my head. “Once I’m free, I think I’ll make a trip to… Maine. Is that it?”

A chill races down my spine.

Adir doesn’t know where I am. That was just a dream.

Wasn’t it?

“Thane is blind to reality,” Eshe snaps, her voice tight with frustration. “He thinks staying close to you will somehow keep you protected. But I can assure you, it won’t.”

A heavy silence falls between us, broken only by the distant chime of the clock tower echoing across campus.

“What’s really going on, Eshe?” I stare at her. I’m missing something, something big. “You’ve always been honest with me. What aren’t you telling me?”

Her jaw tightens. She glances away and murmurs, “I think someone close to us is working with the rebellion.”

The breath catches in my throat. “ Who ?”

“I don’t know. Not yet, anyway. But the signs are there. Someone we trust is helping the rebellion. It’s the only explanation for how they’re avoiding capture.”

I start to speak, but she cuts me off again with a sharp shake of her head. “Thane doesn’t believe me. He thinks the threat’s over now that Adir is imprisoned. But he’s wrong.”

The weight of her words presses down on me, stealing away the last bit of peace I’d found since returning to Maine.

“I thought I’d be safe,” I whisper, gazing at the snow-covered lawn beneath my boots.

Eshe studies me, and something almost like sympathy warms her voice. “We care about you, Darcie. That’s why you need to make sure my family stays away.”

But… I don’t want to.

God, what is wrong with me?

I’ve spent weeks telling myself I’m done with the Immortals. And yet, I sing a different tune the moment one comes to visit me.

“What does Des say?” I’ve resisted asking after the Immortal for as long as possible. Just saying his name causes a flutter in my stomach, but I need to know what he thinks about this situation.

Eshe destroys the foolish hope building in my chest when she says, “Des agrees it would be wise for us to cease all contact with you.”

The blow lands squarely on my chest. But what did I expect?

No matter how Des behaves in my dreams, that doesn’t change how he left things between us. How he told me our kiss meant nothing, how he didn’t bat an eye when he left me on my doorstep.

I inhale a shaky breath. “So, that’s it? I’ll never see any of you again?”

She holds my gaze. “Trust me, you’re better off without us.”

Before I can respond, she stands. “It was nice to see you, Darcie. I hope the adjustment back to your life has been smooth.”

Not even close.

“It has,” I lie. “Thanks.”

She gives a faint nod, half acknowledgment, half farewell. “Goodbye, Darcie. Please take care.”

And then, with a shimmer of green light, she vanishes.

I jerk to my feet, heart pounding, eyes scanning the quad. But no one seems to have noticed her magical disappearance. There are no shocked stares, no phones raised to capture the moment, just me and the silence Eshe left behind with her disconcerting advice.

I slump back onto the bench and open and close my palm.

I should’ve asked about my hand.

Eshe may be aloof, but she’s never lied to me. Why didn’t I push?

Because you’re afraid of what you’ll find out.

“Ugh.” I drop my head into my hands.

Coming back to Maine hasn’t solved anything. If anything, the problems are multiplying.

And without the Immortals, how am I supposed to figure out what the hell is going on with me ?

For once, my inner voice doesn’t offer sarcasm or sass—just quiet certainty.

You can’t.