Page 42 of The Immortal’s One (Bound to the Immortals #1)

The first thing that registers when I wake up is the pain. Searing, constant, unfathomable pain. It pulses through my skull, a relentless throb like someone took a bat to the back of my head.

Cold dampness seeps into my body from where I lay. But the chill does nothing to ease the soreness in my tight muscles.

I peel my eyelids apart and blink. Blackness greets me: total, oppressive darkness.

I slam my eyes shut, press my mouth closed, and breathe in through my nose. I need to stay calm. Panicking won’t help.

Between each exaggerated breath, I try to piece together what happened.

Getting ready with Eshe and Bella…

Choking down bite after bite during that awkward as hell dinner…

Dancing with Lome…

Then… Des .

His bright green eyes staring into mine, twisting my heart with emotion I couldn’t subdue even if I tried. But then…

“You really do look like her.”

The words float through my mind, soft and haunting.

A shudder runs through me as my mind blanks. The rest of the evening is a fragmented blur.

My lungs constrict as I struggle to hold on to details, but they’re slipping away—sliding out of reach like water through my fingers.

I try again, pushing myself harder to remember, but the more I strain, the sharper the pain behind my eyes becomes. It’s like trying to pry open a door that’s locked tight. My fingers press to my temples, hoping to ease the pressure.

Instead, they encounter a different kind of agony. My wrist throbs. I hiss and drop my arm.

What the hell happened to me?

“You’re awake.”

The voice slices through the fog in my mind, sharp and unexpected. My body reacts before my mind does, twisting towards the sound, but the movement sends a shock wave of dizziness crashing through me.

I press my uninjured hand to my forehead, trying to stop my spinning head, but all I can do is wince at the ache behind my eyes.

My voice shakes. “Who’s there?"

“Another prisoner,” a man replies, his tone deep with a detached edge. “You were limp when they brought you in. I thought you might be dead.”

Cold dread spreads through my veins like ice. “W-where am I?”

“Adir’s stronghold.”

Adir .

The name echoes through my head, a strange sense of discomfort creeping into my brain and down my spine. I try to hold onto the meaning of it, but the effort hurts too much.

My thoughts slip away again. “I-I don’t know what that means.”

A sigh, heavy and resigned, fills the air. The man doesn’t sound surprised by my confusion, but something about his tone tells me he’s disappointed. “Do you know your name?”

“Darcie,” I say before I even consider the risk. I don’t know if the stranger is a friend, a foe, or worse, but I can’t take it back now. “What’s your name?”

“Kaine.”

“Hi, Kaine.”

“Hello, Darcie.”

I blink rapidly, straining against the dark, trying to make out any shape or form, but it’s useless. The blackness is absolute. I swim through my rising panic. “Where did you say we were again?”

“Adir’s stronghold. Specifically, we’re in the dungeon below his estate in Turkey.” He pauses for a beat, as if measuring his words. “Do you really not know who Adir is? He brought you down here himself.”

“I… I can’t remember.” The words spill out before I can stop them. I feel… stupid, weak. “I swear, the name sounds familiar, but I have no idea why.”

Kaine huffs. “He probably wiped your memory. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Dancing with Des.” The memory of his hand against my back, guiding me through the steps, makes my stomach swoop like I’m on rough seas. The warmth of his breath brushing my ear makes my core tighten. “At the ball. ”

“Wait… Des? As in… one of the three brothers?” Kaine’s voice drops in awe.

“Yes.”

“You’re…” He trails off, shock tumbling through the darkness between us. “You’re her . Everyone’s been talking about Des’s One … I had no idea you were her .”

“I’m not.”

Kaine doesn’t seem to hear me. “Adir must’ve taken you from Des. It’s only a matter of time before the Immortal Three find out what’s happened?—”

His voice fades into a background hum, distant and muffled, as he continues rambling.

I lie on my back, hoping the cold floor will relieve the relentless throbbing in my skull. I close my eyes and press the heel of my hand into my forehead as I try to make sense of what’s happening.

How long have I been down here?

When was the ball?

Once Des and the others realize I’m missing, they’ll start searching for me if they haven’t already.

Right?

Kaine has the same idea. His next words break through my spiraling thoughts and aching head. “Do you think the brothers will come to rescue you?”

“I don’t know,” I murmur, my voice barely a whisper.

Again, it’s as if Kaine doesn’t hear me. “How long until you think they’ll be here? Do you think they’ll take me with you? I’m only a lesser deity, but I’ve been locked in here for weeks. Surely, they’ll have mercy and rescue me.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose with my uninjured hand and breathe deeply, trying to trick my mind into forgetting how badly my head aches .

“Darcie? Are you there?”

“I’m here,” I mumble. “Can you not speak so loudly? My head is killing me.”

“Oh, sure. Sorry.” He lowers his voice. “Is this better?”

No.

“Yes.”

The sound of shuffling fills the space. He sounds closer when he says, “So… do you think you can convince the brothers to take me with you?”

“Sure.” I exhale. “If they come to rescue me, I’ll ask them to rescue you, too.”

“What do you mean ‘if they come ’?” Kaine’s voice rises in pitch. “Last I heard, the brothers would do practically anything for their wives. No way Des doesn’t find you.”

“I am not Des’s wife.” A pang hits my chest. I dismiss it.

“I know that,” Kaine says quickly, almost too quickly. “But you will be.”

“No,” I sigh, exhausted. “I won’t.”

A heavy silence hangs in the darkness.

“What do you mean?” Kaine finally asks, his tone uncertain.

“This is all a big misunderstanding,” I speak out into the air above me with as much conviction as my current pained state will allow. I need someone to believe this to be true.

I need it to be true.

Des’s green irises flash. I hear his deep, rugged voice deny that I am his One again and again. The echoing words and the conflicting feelings they elicit within me lend me strength.

“I was mistaken as Des’s soulmate a few weeks ago.” I take a deep breath. “There’s been a target on my back ever since. ”

“But…” Kaine’s voice lowers, “You are living in their home.”

“The brothers’ enemies have tried to hurt me more than once. They offered to protect me until we can prove I’m not his soulmate.”

Offered is a stretch, but Kaine doesn’t need to know Thane locked me in his mansion against my will. Until I made my side deal with Lome to save my dad, that is.

Dad!

Will he know I’m missing?

Will the brothers’ Masking let him worry about me when I don’t call?

What will happen if he does?

What about Kayla? Or Kevin?

An ache pulses through my heart just as painfully as my head.

I blink hard, fighting the tears burning the corners of my eyes. Crying won’t get me out of here. I need to hold it together.

“I don’t understand.” I imagine the faceless man frowning within the shadows. “Why would the brothers protect you if you aren’t Des’s One ?”

My words are flat as I lie, “Guilt.”

Thane and Lome wanted to keep me safe because they think I’m Des’s One . But part of me wants to believe they’d help me even if I weren’t; that they might actually feel bad for endangering an innocent woman by drawing their enemies' attention to her.

“Interesting.” Kaine's voice shifts, dropping an octave. “Very interesting.”

A sharp clap rings out. The sound is so loud that it vibrates through the darkness, echoing off the walls .

Then a bright, blinding light floods the space.

I wince and shield my eyes against the onslaught. My head throbs from the unexpected light. I take four steadying breaths before daring to crack my eyelids open. Slowly, they trail over my surroundings.

A cold, black-and-white checkered tile floor spreads out underneath me.

My gown clings to me, damp and wrinkled.

The metallic taste of fear lingers in my mouth as I take in the four walls—three made of concrete and one made of steel bars—stretching around me.

The space is small, no more than ten feet wide.

I jerk back when I see a man—Kaine, I assume—standing less than five feet from me, on my side of the wall of bars. He’s dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that looks straight out of a historical novel, all fine silks and polished boots.

He doesn’t look like a man who's been imprisoned for weeks.

Dread coils deep in my gut.

“Did you turn the lights on?” I force the words out, trying to calm my racing heart and stop fear from overwhelming me.

His lips stretch into a smile—far too wide, far too pleased. “Indeed. Welcome to my home, Darcie.”

His home?

The walls feel like they’re closing in.

Truth sinks in with cold certainty. Still, I ask, “Are you Adir?”

“Indeed,” he replies, the word sliding off his tongue like honey—smooth, insidious. “Let’s make sure you remember everything, shall we?”

I flinch when he lifts a hand and waves it over my body. Cold air blasts at me, pressing into my skin. I gasp, cradling my throbbing head in my hands, ignoring the agony in my wrist, but before I can cry out for him to stop, my mind is flooded with memories.

The patio.

Adir’s eyes, cold as ice, staring down at me.

The raw, painful grip of his hand as he tore me through the rip in the fabric of the world.

I scramble to my feet, my legs shaking. I fight to keep my composure, but my voice betrays me. “W-what the hell is wrong with you, Adir? Why am I here?”

The Immortal crosses his arms, leaning against the bars. His face is like stone, cold and impassive, as he stares at me. The faintest trace of a smirk tugs at his lips. “Forgive my methods, Darcie, but I wanted to be sure I got the truth.”