Page 37 of The Immortal’s Curse (Bound to the Immortals #2)

DARCIE

I never planned to come back here. Not to this mansion. Not to this room. Not to the carved bedposts I once clung to when my problems threatened to make me crumble.

But here I am, right where I swore I would never return.

The guest bedroom greets me like a ghost—eerie and haunted—but there is comfort in it. The grooves beneath my fingertips are as familiar as the lie I chanted repeatedly, vowing I was done with the Immortals.

But I should’ve known better. I did know better.

Now I’m stuck in this gilded prison again, waiting for additional protective wards to be placed around Adir’s prison before I speak with him. With any luck, it will only be one day.

Then again, with how adamant Des was about calling in the best warlocks the Council knows for the task, chances are high it will take longer.

I cross the room, drawn to the bed and its lacy comforter, which is exactly how I left it.

I touch the soft and cool fabric. In the corner, the books I borrowed from Bella sit untouched on the table.

They are the same stack, in the same order, as if I never left.

The slow-burn romances were a distraction from my problems, but I’m afraid their entertaining pages won’t be enough to dull my worries. Not this time.

I’m moving toward the table when a beam of sunlight pulls my attention to the French doors. I gaze out at the green valley that became so familiar during my short visit that I can paint it in my mind when I close my eyes.

I step onto the balcony and rest my elbows on the banister with a sigh.

How many times did I stand here, staring at the garden below, wishing for a way out of this mess? I used to come out here to catch my breath, to process everything I learned about the Immortals and their world. And to talk to Kevin.

A breath slips from my lungs, rough and aching.

I made the right choice. After everything that’s happened, it wasn’t right to keep dating Kevin. We had to break up.

But damn… it hurts.

It really hurts.

A flock of birds soars across the sky, flying away from the setting sun. My stomach grumbles. I should find something to eat. But I could use a dose of normal first, whatever that means now.

I slide my phone out of my hoodie pocket and scroll to my favorites, tapping Kayla’s name.

One ring.

Two.

Three… four…

Come on, Kayla.

Five.

I frown. Kayla never takes this long to answer. She’s practically glued to her phone.

Finally— click .

The rings stop. But no one speaks.

“Hello? I press the phone harder against my ear. “Kayla?”

“What do you want?” Her voice is sharp. Cold .

I blink. “To talk to you? Is now not a good time?”

Silence.

I glance at the screen. Four bars. The signal’s fine. I lift the phone back to my ear.

“Is now not a good time?” I repeat, softer.

Kayla sighs. “Now’s fine. What’s up?”

My words tangle in my throat. I try to keep it light. “I… just wanted to check in. See how you’re doing?”

“I’m fine.”

I stare up at the ceiling, grasping for something else to say. “That’s good… Fine is good.”

The silence stretches on.

Something is obviously wrong. And the fact that Kayla isn’t just coming right out to say what it is fills me with dread.

“Kayla… what’s up?”

“I think you’re smart enough to guess.”

My brain spins.

Could this be about Portland? Does she somehow remember the attack?

No way. The Immortals wouldn’t let that happen.

A dozen possibilities fly through my mind, but only one sticks. “Is this about Kevin?”

“Ding. Ding. Ding.” Her voice could freeze fire. “We have a winner.”

My stomach drops. Seriously?

“I—wait. You’re mad at me for breaking up with him?”

“Obviously,” she snaps.

I fight to keep my tone level, but hurt seeps through. “You don’t even want to hear my side of the story?”

“I think I got the gist,” she bites back. “I know you’re into someone else.”

I close my eyes and wince. “It’s not that simple.”

“No? Then explain it to me. Explain why you broke up with my brother after pining after him for years? ”

I open my eyes and chew the inside of my cheek. I want to scream the truth, but it’s sealed behind Immortal secrecy and too many half-lies.

“Is this because I told you about Amanda?” she asks, her voice quiet and laced with shame.

“No,” I quickly reassure her. “I promise. That’s not it.”

“Then what happened?”

“I freaked out,” I blurt. “Kevin kept talking about the future, making plans, and I just… panicked.”

It’s not a total lie, but it’s far from the whole truth.

“What?” Her tone is colder than ever.

“Things were getting intense,” I rush on. “ Too intense. What with doing long distance and him inviting me to your family vacation... It was too much. There’s stuff going on in my life right now, and I don’t have time to?—”

“You know what, Darcie? Screw you,” she cuts me off.

My breath catches as I stumble back and drop into one of the patio chairs, the cold metal pressing through my leggings.

“Excuse me?” I croak.

“You had a decent guy who was crazy about you, and you tossed him aside like he was trash.” Her voice trembles, not just with anger, but pain. “He’s devastated, Darcie. And for what? Because you got scared? I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

Amid the guilt, something inside me unravels. A knot of fear, frustration, and disappointment rips loose. Kayla has no idea what she’s talking about. No idea what I’ve had to deal with, what I’m going through .

“Pot meet kettle, Kayla.” I rise and stomp the length of the balcony, unable to sit still with the tumultuous emotions flowing through my body.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snaps.

I don’t hold back.

“You throw yourself at every attractive guy who so much as smiles at you, all the while Josh stands in the background like a puppy, waiting for you to throw him a bone. So how about you look in a mirror before accusing me of treating anyone like trash.”

My pulse pounds in my ears, and my skin prickles like a live wire. Even a cloud appears overhead, darkening the bright, sunny sky to match my mood.

“Screw you,” she spits, voice cracking.

Click.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I lower the phone from my ear and stare at the screen.

She hung up on me.

Regret, fierce and all-consuming, flows through me. Tears burn my eyes.

Damnit.

I stare at the phone like she might call back and we’ll laugh, apologize, and pretend we didn’t just set fire to our friendship.

The screen stays black. Cold. Mocking.

My hand drops, and the phone slips from my fingers, hitting the balcony with a dull thud.

I lean on the railing, eyes tracing the valley below, where the sun bleeds gold over the trees like nothing’s wrong. Like the world didn’t just shift under my feet for the fourth time today.

A tear slips down my cheek, and a single, hopeless thought takes root: what if I just lost my best friend in the world?