Page 31 of The Immortal’s Curse (Bound to the Immortals #2)

DARCIE

The kitchen wall clock chimes a taunting, musical melody at the top of the hour. I stare at the second hand with dry eyes as it ticks around the clock face. The quiet sound taps against my eardrums.

It’s five in the morning, and I haven’t slept a wink. A glass of water sits untouched on the counter in front of me. It’s a miracle I’m even here right now, safely tucked away at home.

Not just because the rebels wanted to capture me, but because I’m certain if the warlock’s grounding spell weren’t still in effect, the Immortals would’ve whisked me away, back to Greece. But they couldn’t.

Thank the Creator.

After Alex and his vampires ran off into the night, Des, Bella, and Eshe escorted me to the limo and rode back to Brunswick with me.

We barely spoke.

I had so many questions—about vampires, warlocks, the curse, how the rebels found me in the first place... I couldn’t figure out which one I needed answered first.

That’s a lie .

Des’s concerned eyes fill my mind, how he appeared when I mentally called for him, and a shudder ripples through me. I press my hands against the counter to steady myself.

Once I safely crossed my home’s threshold, Des, Bella, and Eshe left to tell Thane and Lome about the attack. Apparently, there’d be an emergency Council meeting they’d be summoned to. Otherwise, Bella assured me she would stay here with me.

I’m glad she’s not here. I need to be alone. I need to get my head on straight.

Alex is a vampire.

Even though I saw his fangs and witnessed his supernatural speed, it’s still hard to wrap my head around.

Alex has lived in Brunswick for years. He’s a respected business owner. And yet, he’s been a creature from nightmares and lore this whole time.

He’s connected to the Immortal world I’ve tried so hard to escape, and I can’t help but wonder if it was no coincidence that the Bean Bazaar was hiring when I came looking for a job. Nausea churns my stomach.

Is anyone else in Brunswick secretly linking me to the Immortal world I desperately wanted to leave behind?

And what about Dad? He’s coming back today. We’re supposed to have breakfast. How can I possibly act like everything is okay after last night, after these last few weeks ?

I release a shaky breath and rest my head in my hands, closing my eyes to hold back tears. I honestly believed I could leave the Immortals behind… that I could live a normal life.

But after the cut on my hand, the visions, and now last night… I know I can’t. I can’t afford to be naive. My life depends on it.

I need to tell Dad what’s going on.

But how?

He’s an intellectual, an academic. He’s going to think I’m insane when I start spouting words like Immortals, vampires, and warlocks.

But Dad loves me. He might think I’m crazy, but he will do me the courtesy of asking me questions. He’ll try to understand.

But that’s the problem… He’ll ask questions I still don’t have the answer to.

I have no idea what the curse means for me or why the vampire living in our town, pretending to be an ordinary guy, hired me at his coffee shop and saved me when I was in trouble.

No.

Before I talk to Dad, I need answers of my own. And I’m pretty sure I know how to get them.

Keeping my eyes closed, I think of the dark alley. I think of lying on the hard, gravel. My heart races as screams fill the air after the vampires join the fight. The heat from the power colliding with my chest makes my lungs seize with panic.

Sweat breaks out on the back of my neck when I imagine what would’ve happened to me if the rebels got their hands on me. I’d be a hostage. They could’ve tortured me for information I don’t have.

I let myself feel all the debilitating emotions, the same emotions I felt in that alley.

And just like in the alley, I mentally call out: Des.

The ticking clock cuts through the silent kitchen, the subtle noise deafening.

A loud POP pulses through the air one millisecond before, “ Darcie! What’s wrong?”

I exhale the breath I’d been holding and release my fears. Scooching back on the stool, I lower my hands and open my eyes.

Des’s gaze flies over the kitchen, staring into the shadows, into every nook and cranny, searching for a non-existent threat. His muscles are rigid with tension.

Seconds pass. Finding nothing, his attention finally lands on me. His brows draw together. “What happened? Are you alright?”

I ignore the questions. “Are you finally ready to be honest with me?”

Wariness creeps into his face as he straightens. “What are you talking about?”

Maybe it’s the trauma of the night, or maybe it’s the pent-up frustration of being manipulated and lied to for weeks. Whatever the reason, his words are the blade that cuts the tenuous tether I have on my emotions.

I snap.

The stool screeches against the floor as I jump to my feet, slamming my hands on the island. My palms sting from the impact. “You know what I’m fucking talking about, Des.”

A shadow falls over his features. “You are mistaken, I?—”

“I know I’m your One. I know it!” I shout.

My chest heaves, but my soul is lighter for finally speaking the words I’ve been holding onto all this time. I’ve hinted at my beliefs, but Des has danced around the issue. Now, I’m done with the evasive conversations. I’m done beating around the bush. I am his One.

I’m done pretending that the fact my soul is linked to his has put my life in danger and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I’m freaking cursed , whatever that means. Now, I just need to hear him say it. I deserve to hear him say it.

I stare at Des defiantly, daring him to lie to me. For a moment, the muscles in his jaw slacken.

But just as quickly as his shock revealed itself, he schools his features into bored indifference. “You do not know what you’re talking about.”

“Damnit, Des.” I shove away from the island and throw my arms in the air. “ Stop lying to me! You… you make me crazy !”

His eyes flash green. “I make you crazy? ”

“Yes!”

In a blink, Des is in front of me. I gasp and stumble back.

He crowds me until I’m pressed against the wall. He leaves a foot between us, but the way the heat rolls off his muscular torso makes it feel like he’s pressed against me.

“How do you think I feel, Darcie?” He hisses, but the words' impact makes it feel like he’s yelling. “No matter how hard I fucking try, you keep worming your way back into my thoughts, my days, my dreams. ”

Dreams?

My stomach falls to the floor.

He can’t mean?—

“You come to me, taunting me.” He shakes his head. “If anyone is making anyone feel crazy, it is you. ”

My cheeks burn hot.

“What do you mean?” I whisper, mortified. “How do I taunt you?”

Hazel eyes swirl with a vibrant green. “You know exactly what I mean.”

Oh my god. The visions.

No, the dreams … they weren’t just my dreams.

In one second, I relive every sensual moment. Every kiss. Every brush of our tongues. Every stroke. My body warms. My skin tingles.

“How… how is that possible?”

Heat remains in Des’s gaze, but it lessens to a low simmer. His forehead creases as he steps back. “I am not sure.”

“None of…” I trail off, swallowing the lump in my throat. “None of the… others had something like this happen?”

I already know the curse never affected his previous Ones, but this is different. What Des says happened isn’t a vision. It’s more like a … I don’t know… physical projection versus a mental one?

A soul projection ?

I’m sure the Immortals have a name for it. It can’t be a new skill.

“No.” Des bursts my hopeful bubble. “Your ability is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

Of course it is.

My head falls forward. Familiar frustration rears its ugly head, but a feeling of defeat accompanies it.

No!

I can’t continue to do this, to let the feeling of being overwhelmed stop me from doing what needs to be done.

I lift my head and meet Des’s conflicted gaze.

“I was able to call you here,” I state the obvious. “With my mind.”

He presses his lips together.

That’s okay. I don’t need him to confirm what I already know.

I take a deep breath, willing my racing heart to slow. “My life is in danger. As your One, it always will be.”

He finally opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up a hand. He looks at my palm and stays silent.

Nerves twist my stomach. Just say it, Darcie. Lay it all out there.

Countless explanations for Des’s continual denial have raced across my mind more times than I can count, but there’s only one that’s in my power to change.

If I’m right, that is. If I’m wrong, well… this is going to be embarrassing as hell.

I exhale a long breath. Then, “I… I have feelings for you, Des.”

It’s the truth. Since the moment we kissed in that closet, something stirred to life within me.

Who am I kidding? It happened the moment I saw him in that dark club, the moment his eyes locked with mine.

Try as I might to convince myself otherwise, there’s no denying it. I care about Des. And I’m not interested in fighting it anymore.

Des’s nostrils flare with a sharp inhale.

I drop my eyes. I can’t say what I need to say while seeing his reaction. I’ll lose my nerve.

“I’m drawn to you,” I continue. “I have been since the night we met in Portland. And… I can’t fight the instinct screaming at me to get to know you. To… give this thing a shot. It feels important. It feels like Fate is pulling us together no matter how we try to fight it.”

Silence follows. My heart beat thumps in my chest.

I peer up, nervous, only to lift my chin when I notice Des has turned away. He stands at the kitchen window, shoulders rigid, gaze fixed on something far beyond the glass.

I wait for him to say something, anything. But silence stretches thin. His chest hardly rises with breath, as if even that small act costs him effort.

A knot tightens in my stomach, insecurity rearing its ugly head.

“Des?” I clear my throat. “Did you hear me?”

“I heard you.”

My entire body burns with embarrassment, but I won’t take back what I said. I can’t.

“So…” I twist my hands together. “What do you think?”

“I think the Creator is cruel.” His voice is hard—angry.

Hurt pricks my chest. “Because you don’t feel the same way, or?—”

“No,” he snaps, his narrowed gaze sliding to me. “Because life is meant to be a choice. Yet, you are drawn to me. The Creator promised his creations Free Will, and yet, we have none in this situation. And that infuriates me.”

I press into the wall. My cheeks burn hot.

“I see,” I manage to choke out. Des doesn’t want to want me. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t choose me as his One. “Forget I said anything.”

“ Darcie .” Pity flickers across his expression, making me feel one hundred times worse. “I didn’t mean?—”

“It’s fine.” I shake my head, hating how my voice trembles. I swallow. “I’m fine . Don’t worry about it. Really.”

His jaw clenches. “It’s better this way. Trust me.”

“Sure.” I push away from the wall and lift my head high, pretending like I didn’t just have my heart stomped on the ground. Again. “Whatever you say.”

I step to the right, eager to escape his sight and wallow in sadness in the privacy of my bedroom.

“Wait.” His hand flies out to touch me.

I jump out of his reach.

“No,” I snap. A tear leaks from the corner of my eye. I rub it away angrily. “ No . Don’t touch me anymore. It’s… It’s just confusing.”

Something like pain flashes across his stony gaze, but that can’t be right. Stones don’t feel.

Des lowers his arm and dips his chin. “Understood.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Goodbye, Des.”

I rush to the stairs, eager to escape his presence and the horrible string lassoed around my heart, trying to pull me back to him.

I will see Des again. I’m trapped in the Immortal world for good. There’s no avoiding it. But I vow that the next time I see him, my heart will be walled against him.

My feelings will be contained behind a fortress so impenetrable that nothing he says or does will ever be able to infiltrate it.

Because he doesn’t want me, and that’s something I will have to accept. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day.

There’s no other choice. I will cut the string linking my soul to his.

And the Creator will just have to deal with it.