Page 48 of The Immortal’s Curse (Bound to the Immortals #2)

DARCIE

Thane loses it.

One second, he's pacing like a caged animal in his study, listening to the report from the lesser Immortal overseeing the team searching the grounds. The next, his desk is airborne, crashing into the far wall with a deafening crack . Books scatter. A lamp explodes.

I don't have time to flinch before Alex grabs me and yanks me out of the way. A jagged shard from the broken lamp lands where I stood, glittering with sharp edges.

Thane doesn’t even notice. His eyes blaze. Wild, grief-stricken, murderous .

“Adir didn’t just disappear ,” he roars, voice echoing through the shattered study. “ Find him! ”

“We searched the entire estate,” Des says, calm but firm. “Adir and Bella are gone.”

Des stands steady, facing Thane like someone who’s used to walking into fire and coming out unscathed. His tone is careful and measured, but tightness pulls along his jaw. He’s bracing for impact .

“Then find out where he went,” Thane snarls, unmoved. “And when you do, I’ll tear him limb from limb.”

I don’t doubt it. Thane looks like he’s teetering on the edge of something dangerous, something that he might not be able to come back from.

Des gives a slow nod. “We will. But we need to stop and think, Thane. If we rush this now, we could put Bella at greater risk.”

He’s trying to keep Thane from shattering completely, but it backfires.

Thane’s fists clench. Boom. His knuckles punch clean through the bookshelf beside him. The sound makes me jump, heart leaping into my throat.

Alex’s cool hand lands on my shoulder, anchoring me. A silent stay close .

“I will repay my wife’s injuries one thousandfold!” Thane bellows, his voice cracked and feral. His eyes sweep the room, daring someone to contradict him.

No one does.

He exhales sharply and turns his glare on his brothers. “Well? What are you waiting for? Start the search. ”

“It’s already underway,” Lome says.

Thane shakes his head violently. “No. No more lesser Immortals or half-breeds. I want you and Des on this. You're the only ones I trust now that Adir has escaped.”

His gaze slices toward Alex like a blade.

I stiffen. Is he blaming him ?

“Alexander can be trusted,” Des says, voice rising just enough to draw Thane’s attention back. “He didn’t do this.”

Thane doesn’t reply. Just sneers. Then, his gaze slams into mine like a physical blow.

I try to hold his stare, but it’s too much. His fury is blinding, all-consuming. I take another step back into Alex .

With venom, Thane says, “You’re the one he wants. Why didn’t he just take you ?”

I flinch and stare at the floor, wringing my trembling hands together.

Des growls.

Eshe steps forward. “That’s enough, Thane. Darcie did nothing wrong. She’s not your punching bag.”

Guilt gnaws at me despite the defense. If I hadn’t done whatever I did in that dungeon… if I hadn’t somehow made myself useful to Adir, he would’ve come for me. Not Bella.

Thane ignores them both.

I freeze as he strides across the room, every step deliberate and menacing. Alex’s grip tightens on my shoulder, a silent reassurance that I’m not alone, but fear coils in my stomach.

Des releases another warning growl, but he doesn’t move to intercept his brother.

Thane stops in front of me, nostrils flaring with ragged breaths. I refuse to move. I imagine a shield, thick and invisible, wrapping around me. I believe it will protect me.

The Immortal leans in, lowering his head until his mouth grazes my ear.

“I’m tired of your games,” he whispers. “You will step up and fulfill your purpose… or I’ll hand you over to Adir myself.”

Behind me, Alex snarls, a low, deadly sound. He yanks me back and positions himself in front of me, protective and cold as ice.

Thane doesn’t so much as glance at him. He straightens and walks out of the room, leaving a path of agony and anger in his wake.

I don’t realize I’m shaking until Alex gently guides me toward a chair. But I don’t sit. I can’t. My legs are locked.

My eyes find Des. He’s already watching me. Something twists in my chest .

His expression is stormy, angry, and frustrated. But ... there’s something else , too.

Regret, maybe?

Worry?

Guilt?

He opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but then the moment passes. He looks away. And I’m left wondering what, exactly, I am to this family of Immortals now.

“Drink this.” Alex holds out a stemmed glass, the crimson liquid catching the sunlight on my room’s balcony.

“I don’t drink,” I murmur, turning away from the glass, forcing myself not to think of the one night I did, and what happened on the Portland streets afterwards.

Alex presses the cool glass into my hand, wrapping my fingers around the stem.

“Today,” he says gently, “you’re going to need it.”

I don’t argue. Arguing takes energy I don’t have.

I lift the glass and take a sip. I barely taste the bitterness sliding down my throat. I haven’t felt much of anything since the vision of Bella yanked me under and spat me back into this mess.

Alex watches me with those pale blue eyes, too knowing for my liking. “Better?”

I shake my head once. “Have they figured out how Adir escaped?”

It’s a question no one’s bothered to answer. Or, if they have, I’ve been left in the dark.

“The dungeon’s wards were lowered,” he reveals. “And the enchantment on his cell lifted.”

My stomach churns. “Who did it? ”

“We don’t know for sure, but only a warlock or witch would be able to dismantle those spells.”

I snort as my chest tightens. “Guess I can’t trust my extended family, huh?”

Alex’s features tighten. “This is not your fault, Darcie.”

Tears burn my eyes. “I should have been able to help her. What good are my so-called visions if I can’t do anything with them? I don’t see the future. I don’t see anything that I can do anything about!”

“You just need training.”

“What’s the point?” I turn away. A tear escapes. “Everything I do makes things worse. I should go back to Maine and stay out of the way.”

The words sound pathetic, even to me, but I can’t bring myself to care.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” he says softly.

My gaze snaps to his. “What do you mean?”

“The alliance has voted and determined that your safety is paramount. They’ll object to your departure any time soon.”

“What?” How am I important?

“Your appearance at the meeting has reignited rumors that you are Des’s One.”

I groan. Fucking great.

Alex continues, “Even those who don’t think you’re tied to the Immortals still believe the fact you survived Adir’s attack means you’re important in the battles ahead.”

Just wait until they find out I’m a witch…

I slump against the stone railing, arms folded tight, chin dropping to my chest. The wind brushes my hair back like it’s trying to comfort me.

“I guess I should call my dad,” I murmur.

The words sting. I just got him back. And now? We’ll be separated for Creator knows how long.

“Yes,” Alex says, stepping beside me. “Call your father. Let him know you’re alive. Then go to your room, crawl into bed, and wallow.”

I blink. “Excuse me?”

He meets my gaze. “You haven’t had time to process anything. That’s not fair to you. But once you do… you’ll have to start thinking about what comes next.”

A shiver works its way down my spine.

“I’m just a human,” I whisper. When he gives me a pointed look, I sigh. “ Fine . I’m a… witch… whatever . I still have no business being part of… this .” I wave my hand at the mansion, the gardens below, everything around me that deals with Immortals and the rebellion they’re facing.

“Maybe not,” he says, though the doubt in his voice is nonexistent.

“But Adir thinks you’re important. And he’s not going to stop.

He’ll come for you. So… you need to develop your powers.

You need to keep yourself from being abducted.

And we need to make a plan to get Bella back. Then, we will end the rebellion.”

My laugh is sharp and bitter. “Oh? Is that all?”

He grins, fangs gleaming in the light. “Yes.”

I stare at him. “And who’s going to train me? Do vampire covens keep witches on retainer?”

He doesn’t even blink. “That’s the easy part.” The corner of his mouth lifts, eyes glittering with something between delight and mischief. “I’ll just call your mother.”

Continue Darcie’s story in The Immortal’s Mark , the third book in the Bound to the Immortals series.