Page 27 of The Immortal’s Curse (Bound to the Immortals #2)

Bella’s back. Her power dims as her head whips from side to side. When she finds us, her eyes widen, and a horrified cry leaves her lips, “NO!”

I spin around and gasp. Three more dark figures have appeared out of an alley, and they’re closing in.

“Darcie!” Eshe shouts.

I spin again. A fiery ball of yellow power flies through the air, passing through Eshe’s shield, heading straight for me.

Time slows.

Dad.

I squeeze my eyes shut.

Dad’s soft blue eyes fill my mind, a perfect match for mine. I picture his proud smile when he looks at me. The warmth of his bear hugs. He’s going to be devastated. I wish I could see him one more?—

“Ah!”

The power hits my chest and knocks me off my feet. My back slams onto the sidewalk. Air punches out of my lungs. I stare up at the night sky, gasping for breath, bracing for the pain to come.

Only… it doesn’t.

There’s no burning. No sting. Besides having the wind knocked out of me, I’m… fine?

How is that possible?

A fierce shriek leaves Eshe’s throat. She jumps into action, reaching my side and throwing her arms in the air.

A green wall surrounds us. It flickers once, twice… before it blinks out of existence.

I plant my hands on the ground and struggle to push myself up. I sit there, working to catch my breath, as Eshe snarls at the approaching Immortals.

“What is this?” The violent edge in her tone cuts through the air, freezing a few of the rebels where they stand.

Shards of green ice fly out around us like arrows, but the Immortals use their powers to block Eshe’s attack.

After sharing a triumphant grin, they take a step closer.

“We’ve…” I wheeze. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

“I can’t.” She growls, sending another volley of icy spikes. This time, she sends some over the Immortals’ heads, letting it fall on them like rain. Wails of pain confirm she hits her marks.

With a grunt, I push myself to my feet, rocking back on my heels before I regain balance.

Eshe throws up another shimmering green shield around us as the rebels begin throwing their power our way. They aren’t nearly as forceful as Eshe’s attacks, but there are more of them than us. It’s only a matter of time before they get close enough to subdue my protector.

The shield flickers out again, but Eshe throws another one up almost instantly.

“The bastard that hit you grounded your soul to the Earth,” she grits out between clenched teeth .

“What the hell does that mean?”

Her eyes flash. “It means I can’t take you through a rip.” Her voice cracks under the strain. “You’re trapped. Until that spell fades, you’re stuck here, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Fuck!

“I didn’t know Immortals could do spells!”

“The tall one is no Immortal,” Eshe grunts, sending another wave of green arrows out in an arc.

Blue lightning zips down from the sky, striking the ground in front of the rebels. Another bolt strikes the group behind us.

Bella has joined the fight.

I shout over the agonized cries of the burning men, “If he’s not an Immortal, what is he?”

“A warlock.”

Oh… shit.

Offspring… half-breeds… the confusing conversations I’ve overheard all make sense. The Originals’ children aren’t lesser Immortals. They’re an entirely different breed of supernatural.

More lightning flies down, sending chunks of concrete and asphalt into the air. The attackers return fire on Bella and then on us. Flashes of blue, green, and yellow light up the sky like a twisted fireworks show.

How has no one come running to see what’s going on?

I duck as a golden orb collides with Eshe’s shield. The green power absorbs the attack, but the surface wavers from the brute force.

Eshe manipulates her power into a green vortex, sending the gust of wind into the group. Her power traps two attackers in its grasp, lifts them like rag dolls into the sky, and flings them over the rooftop of the building on our left.

My jaw drops.

Woah.

My awe swiftly turns into worry when Eshe stumbles back. Beads of sweat gather on her brow. A flash of blue light comes from my left. Bella appears.

Her usually soft, amiable expression is hard, filled with fury. “Let me in,” she commands.

Eshe lowers the shield for a split second. Before the next strike can hit us, the shield is back in place. Now, Bella is on our side.

The petite Immortal puts her back to Eshe’s, blasting out waves of power at our enemies approaching from behind. Her face is drawn tight, pale from exertion.

My heart hammers. They won’t last much longer.

The remaining attackers regroup, huddled close together behind their own shields. Then, they inch forward with even, equal steps, making progress despite the ferocity of Bella and Eshe’s attacks.

“You need to leave.” My gaze swings from Bella to Eshe. “Now!”

Bella snorts.

Eshe grunts, tossing another wave of power. “We cannot take you with us, and we will not leave you behind.”

“There are too many for you to fight.” My frantic eyes take in our attackers’ determined glares. I don’t know what their goal is, but I will never forgive myself if something happens to Bella and Eshe because of me.

“You can’t let them take you,” I insist.

Both Immortals ignore me.

Bella’s lightning strikes again. The men shout and jump back, but they immediately resume their approach.

One of the men, the one who chastised his comrade for letting Bella leave, raises a hand. The synchronized steps stop.

His eyes swirl with hate under the streetlights. “We came for the girl. Hand her over, and you may leave in peace.”

Both Eshe’s and Bella’s flaming hands grow brighter.

“Darcie, when I say run,” Bella murmurs, sounding far different from the easy-going, lighthearted Immortal I’ve come to know. Right now, she is a fighter. And she’s determined. “You will run.”

Blue light gathers in her palms, swelling as she imbues more power into the sparking orbs. Eshe copies her sister-in-law, forming green orbs of power. The shield protecting us ripples.

Panic grips my chest. “No! Don’t do this. They want me. Leave and go get help. They won’t hurt me.”

I hope.

“Not happening, Darcie,” Bella snaps, her eyes burning with fury. “Now, do as I say and run.”

There’s not another opportunity to argue.

Bella’s power flies overhead, exploding like a firecracker, raining down embers of burning power onto the men.

Eshe’s shield drops, but her power soars across the space separating us from the rebels, knocking down those who remain standing like bowling pins.

I stare, frozen.

Cries of pain, shouts of retribution, screams of death… it all assaults my eardrums, making it impossible to think. To move. Until a strong hand shoves me to the side.

My bewildered gaze meets Eshe’s. Her mouth moves, but I don’t hear what she says. She shoves me again. Then, I read her lips.

RUN!

I suck in a breath, turn on my heel, and sprint down the street.

At least, I try to sprint.

The ground shakes. I stumble over upturned concrete. My knee scrapes the ground, ripping a hole in the tights Kayla told me to wear.

Kayla! Thank God she’s not here. I’ll never be able to thank Bella enough for getting my best friend away from this mess.

Now, how about you focus on getting yourself out of here ?

I push myself up, ducking when yellow, dagger-shaped light sails past me.

Pumping my arms, I urge my legs to run like they’ve never run before. I’m a distance runner, not a sprinter, but I channel my inner Olympian as I race away from the sound of my Immortal friends fighting to buy me time.

They will be okay, I chant. They will be okay.

I race into an alley between buildings and glance behind me. Bursts of light, most of them green and blue, soar across the sky.

Bodies litter the street. Smoke wafts off their dark clothes. The sickly sweet smell of burnt flesh makes me want to vomit while indecision tugs at my heart.

I don’t want to leave Eshe and Bella, but I can’t let their efforts be in vain. I need to get out of here. I need to find help.

I spin back around and race into the alley. I have no time to react when a broad torso steps in my path.

I careen into the man, my momentum transferring into his body. Hands shoot out and grab my upper arms, steadying me. Instead of stumbling backward, the sturdy form absorbs all of the kinetic energy without giving up an inch of ground.

I scream and flail my arms and legs. The man’s hold tightens. He says something, but my shrieks drown out his words.

I continue to kick and shout, swinging my arms like a madwoman, trying to force him to let me go.

“Darcie!” A familiar voice barks. He gives my arms a firm shake. “Snap out of it, it’s me!”

Wait… I know that voice.

My vision is blurry. I blink over and over until I catch snippets of the man’s features.

Pale skin. No Immortal power glows around him. Candy-apple red lips and hair as dark as night. Piercing blue eyes that trail over me.

I’m on the cusp of trying to fight him off again, but then… it hits me .

My eyes go wide. “ Alex?”

I’m hallucinating.

I must be.

There’s no way my boss is standing in front of me, frowning at the ongoing attack happening on the street behind me.

But he is.

Alex’s eyes return to me. He dips his chin. “It’s me. Calm down, Darcie. I’m here to get you out?—”

I don’t let him finish.

My gaze locks on the two impossibly sharp fangs jutting from his gums and the smear of red staining his chin.

My heart registers the truth milliseconds before my brain does.

Then, I scream .