Page 21 of The Immortal’s Curse (Bound to the Immortals #2)

DARCIE

Maine

My soul ignites. Every thought in my mind sharpens, zeroing in on Des’s lips, on how inevitable this moment feels. How right it is.

His fingers dig into my hips, anchoring me like a claim as I straddle his waist, as if afraid I might pull away. I wouldn’t dare.

This is what I want. I’ve dreamed about it for days, but my dreams didn’t prepare me for the minty taste of his lips or the fire that sparks with each brush of our tongues, igniting a heat that coils low and tight in my core.

This is better than any dream. So, so much better.

My greedy hands explore him, sliding over his shoulders, down his arms, and tracing the firm ridges of his chest. Des is solid. Strong. Mine .

The possessive thought startles me, but it’s obliterated by the sharp nip of his teeth on my bottom lip. My hands bury themselves in his thick hair, a sharp moan escaping me. His tongue meets mine with force, and my heart skips, stutters, then races, my body trembling with need.

A faint, hesitant thought about Kevin tries to rise in the back of my mind. I crush it before guilt can take root. Nothing can compete with the pull drawing me to this stubborn, irritating, noble, and devastatingly handsome Immortal. That’s been true ever since our first kiss.

I’ve been lying to myself, trying to convince myself that I only felt physical attraction for Des. But what I feel for this intoxicating man goes far deeper than admiring his rugged beauty. This thing between us… It’s destiny. Fate . And I’m done pretending otherwise.

And from the way Des’s mouth devours mine, I’d say he feels the same way.

Des’s arms band around my back, dragging me closer until our chests crush together, our ragged breaths syncing in a frantic rhythm. Heat coils low in my belly, and when I feel his arousal press against me, I nearly shatter.

A broken moan escapes me, followed by a whimper when Des tears his mouth from mine and leans back.

“No.” My fingers clutch his shoulders, desperate. “Don’t stop.”

But he doesn’t budge. “Wait, Darcie.”

No!

“I don’t want to wait.” My voice trembles with raw need, all pride stripped away. Now that I’ve stopped fighting this pull, I can’t imagine going back to pretending Des is just another Immortal to me. I can’t imagine not following through on the feelings swirling within me.

Des’s gaze burns into me, concern and desire at war in those green eyes.

I lean in to claim his lips again, but he pulls back farther, jaw clenched like steel. “No, Darcie. This is a mistake. ”

The words stab my heart like a knife, lodged deep. My lust-fogged mind staggers under the sharp sting of rejection.

I keep hold of his shoulders, though I’m frozen in place, staring at the conflict etched into every line of his face. Regret. Pain. Resolve.

“This isn’t a mistake,” I say, searching his face, desperate for him to take back those awful words.

His nostrils flare, but he shakes his head and pulls his arms away. “Yes, it is. I’m sorry, Darcie. I shouldn’t have let it go this far.”

The knife digs deeper.

“You’re serious.” My voice cracks.

“I am.”

My heart splinters. All the fire between us, all the desire that consumed me seconds ago, twists into something cruel and unbearable.

I hate myself.

I never should have let my guard down.

I’d been doing so well ignoring this thing between us. I’m not impulsive. I’m not reckless. I always do the right thing. And kissing Des when I have a boyfriend? That’s far from the right thing.

Shame claws at me, tangling with fury, until I can’t tell which one makes me snap.

“When are you going to admit I’m your One?” The words rip from my throat, unbidden, but determined to be heard. “That’s the reason the curse is affecting me, isn’t it? But you won’t tell me, because you’re too damn stubborn to admit the truth!”

My entire body vibrates with the enormity of what I’ve just said. Because if I’m right, if I am Des’s One, then everything changes.

I’ve been fighting it for weeks. So has he. But that first kiss carved the truth into my bones, and no amount of denial can erase it .

I’m done stumbling in lies. If he won’t drag us into the light, then I will.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Des scoots back and rises to his feet, looking down at me with an expression I can only describe as pitying. “As I said, nothing like this happened to Ambrosia, and we were together for years.”

I suck in a sharp breath, his words cutting deep, sharpened by the cruelty in his tone.

He’s pushing me away.

Anger boils up and spills over. “Why are you doing this?”

I search his face, desperate for a flicker of regret, for any sign that he’ll finally stop lying to me. But there’s nothing.

“I’m doing what must be done,” he says, steady and unyielding. “You and I are not meant to be, Darcie. To suggest otherwise is foolish.”

The knife twists deeper. This pain is worse than the agony of my forced vision.

What am I doing?

I’m better than this.

I shouldn’t have to beg someone to admit they want me. Besides, I have Kevin.

Kevin.

Oh God…

I squeeze my eyes shut, as if darkness can hold back the guilt that finally worms its way to the front of my mind.

How could I do this to Kevin? I’ve been in love with him for years. How could I betray him like this?

Clearly, you never loved him.

The thought slams into me, vicious and undeniable.

I want to vomit. I want to cry. But more than anything, I want Des gone.

I can’t let him stand here and watch me break while I come to terms with the mess I made.

I open my eyes, blink away stinging tears, and refuse to wonder what that forlorn shadow that flickers across his face means.

“You should go,” I croak, the words catching on the emotion in my throat.

Des’s shoulders rise with a slow inhale. He averts his eyes. Then, he exhales a sharp breath, and his spine straightens.

My narrowed eyes follow his gaze and land on my desk. Specifically, the key ring resting on the otherwise empty surface. It’s a cheap little Parthenon replica souvenir I picked up in Greece. I’ve been meaning to add it to my car keys.

Des’s throat bobs as he swallows, then his eyes slide back to mine. I don’t know what to make of his tortured expression.

“Darcie, I…"

“Don’t.” I shake my head, and a lone tear slips free and rolls down my cheek. “Just go.”

I can’t listen to him call us a mistake. Not again.

For a moment, Des doesn’t move. His stare returns to the keychain, heavy with meaning I can’t grasp. Then he drags in a breath and nods. “Very well.”

White light flares around him, illuminating every corner of my childhood bedroom.

I ignore the burn and keep my eyes on him as he creates a rip to leave, determined to sear this moment into my memory so that anytime I think of succumbing to the pull I feel to him again, I can remember this humiliation.

I need to remember what happened when I put my heart on the line.

And how Des shattered it into a thousand pieces.