Page 43 of The Immortal’s One (Bound to the Immortals #1)

I press my lips together and glare at the Immortal. I know exactly what truth he was after. Thank God I didn’t reveal my doubt to him when I thought he was Kaine. That would’ve been a disaster.

Don’t be na?ve. This is still a disaster.

My nostrils flare.

“Nothing to say?” Mockery gleams in Adir’s eyes, his calm demeanor replaced with something darker. “Come now. Aren’t you curious about what I plan to do with you next?”

Terror seizes my lungs.

Breathe, Darice. Don’t let him win.

I inhale a ragged breath and exhale one that’s equally shaky, but I’m proud of myself for not looking away from his dangerous stare.

“No?” he tsks. “Very well. It doesn’t matter. I’m eager to share the true history of the Original Nine, and the role you’re about to play in our futures.”

The words sink in like a slow poison, paralyzing my muscles .

What does that mean?

Adir walks over to a chair that wasn’t there a moment ago, sitting down with a practiced ease. He laces his fingers behind his head, kicking one leg over the other.

“When Originals first came into existence, we each went our separate ways,” he begins, his voice soft, almost nostalgic.

“Human civilizations were on the cusp of development, and each of us was intrigued by mortals. Their inventions, their rise—they fascinated us. I, for example, spent a long time among the early groups in the Fertile Crescent, guiding them toward the agricultural revolution.”

My pulse pounds in my ears, but I do my best to focus on his words while also trying to figure out how to get myself out of this situation.

There are no windows in the walls, and there are no seams on the vertical surfaces to indicate a hidden door. The floor looks solid. And no matter how many times I look, I don’t see any hinges blended in with the wall of bars.

The unwelcome realization that I won’t be able to leave this place without an Immortal’s power sinks into my gut.

I tune back into Adir’s evil speech. I have no doubt that’s exactly what this is.

“After years living among those mortals, I began to notice something.” His grin twists, his stare leering.

I decide to heed the silent command, not seeing how going along with his antics would put me in a worse situation than the one I’m already in. “What did you notice?” I ask.

His eyes sparkle. “That whenever I came across humans in the middle of an argument, a pleasant warmth grew in my chest.” He pats his sternum. “Right here. And my body… I cannot describe the strength and resilience I felt when I encountered conflict. It was… exhilarating . ”

I nod slowly. “You gain power from conflict. Like war.”

“Exactly.” His grin morphs into one that’s more genuine. “See? You do know something.”

I decide his praise is worse than his disdain.

Yet I still ask, “What does any of this have to do with me? I’ve already told you… I’m not Des’s One .”

“Patience.” He holds up a finger. Irritation darkens his features. “I’m getting there.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. Fear makes my pulse spike.

Adir blinks. And just like that, his expression clears. How easily he goes from amused to angry is more alarming than consistent anger would be.

“Like I said.” He lowers his hand, holding my stare.

“I reveled in the sensations human conflict elicited within me. So much so that I even began orchestrating rather memorable disagreements between early civilizations.” A mischievous glint sparks in his gaze.

“Ever heard of the Persian Wars, by chance?”

My lips part in shock, then I snap my mouth closed. “You can’t be serious.”

“And yet, I am.” He leans back in his chair. “It was enjoyable riling up those Persian tyrants, and so easy to get them to rush into war with the Greek city-states.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

Adir facilitated the well-known Greco-Persian Wars?

Impossible.

Is it?

I’m forced to admit it’s not.

He continues, “But as you might imagine, I was not the only one to realize how humans strengthened my powers. In less than a century, each of my fellow Originals figured out how mortals enhance their powers .

“It became quite a debacle.” He tilts back, staring at the stone ceiling, reliving a memory. “We all grew in power, but the interactions and manipulations we orchestrated began to threaten human existence. It was actually Thane who brought all of us to the table to discuss the matter.”

I struggle with the weight of his words, unsure whether I can believe them

I thought Originals came into existence knowing how humans fueled their powers. This version of how Original Immortals manipulated humanity makes the reality of the Immortals’ influence darker and more twisted than I’d ever imagined.

Why would Bella and Thane not tell me the entire story?

Far past the point of pretending not to be interested in this story, I ask, “What happened at the meeting?”

Adir’s gaze lingers on the ceiling, his tone far too casual for the gravity of the words coming from his lips.

“At first, nothing. Each of us promised to limit our interference in human history. We agreed to live among the emerging civilizations but with the condition that we would no longer manipulate their destinies to feed our powers.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m guessing that didn’t last long?”

“No.” He chuckles. “It did not.”

“What happened?”

His lips curve into a small, self-satisfied smile, and his eyes drop to meet mine. “The Fall of Rome.”

What?!

The words slam into my head. The air around me thickens with disbelief. My brain refuses to grasp the enormity of what he’s saying.

Adir doesn’t let my silence stop him.

He continues explaining how each of the Original Nine played a pivotal part in destroying the greatest empire the Western world had ever known.

Faine encouraged the arts. She became a patron to many musicians, actors, and artisans in the Roman Empire. Her influence dulled their warriors’ focus on conquest.

Eros thrived in the civilization obsessed with pleasure and excess. He subtly influenced military tactics, encouraging soldiers to seek companionship with women during their campaigns, weakening the Roman army’s discipline and strength.

“Evetta sowed jealousy among the emperor’s children, making it easier for usurpers to rise.

” Adir shifts and plants both feet on the ground, leaning forward in his chair to rest his elbows on his knees.

“While Julisanna encouraged parents to show favoritism toward one child, fostering deep, rivalrous bonds between siblings. Evetta then exploited those ties, turning them into weapons that led to civil wars.”

This is crazy… and yet completely believable.

For the one hundredth time since being thrown into the Immortals’ world, I can’t help but link stories of their antics with those told in classic myths and legends.

Little did my fellow humans know just how true those stories were.

“What about Charmian?” I ask after the only Original he hasn’t mentioned, aside from the brothers.

He snorts. “Charmian took a more direct approach. Her love for the Germanic, nature-loving tribes and their mistreatment by Roman soldiers led her to empower them, stirring revolts and making the empire’s hold on its borders more tenuous.”

A wave of nausea hits me as the sheer scope of the Immortals’ manipulation becomes clearer. They tore apart Rome from the inside out.

“And Thane, Lome, and Des?” I struggle to say their names without my voice shaking. “How did they contribute to the fall of Rome?” Just the idea that they played a part makes my gut churn with dread.

“They did nothing.” Adir’s expression shutters, then fills with vehement hatred. “But neither did they act to stop the inevitable downfall once they saw it coming.”

I release a shaky breath. At least the brothers didn’t actively contribute to the empire’s collapse. But they also didn’t try to stop it.

I’m not sure which is worse.

“What about you?” I dare to ask.

His lips curl. “I encouraged as many battles, street brawls, and wars as I could manage. Every conflict, no matter how small, fueled my power. And let me tell you, Darcie, I’ve never felt so alive. ”

I recoil. His madness is palpable now—his hunger for chaos suffocating.

Where are you, Des?

“I’m sure you can see why things had to change after that.

” Adir watches me with a contemplative look, one I’m not certain I want to understand.

“The Fall of Rome led to the Dark Ages for the Western world.” He continues, rising from his chair and stalking toward me.

“It became clear that my fellow Originals and I could not continue to interact with humans the way we had been. We couldn’t risk their extinction without also risking our own. ”

My heart thuds painfully as he stops just a foot away from me. I tense, but I refuse to cower. I hold his gaze, and a flash of what could be approval flares in his blue eyes .

“By that time, lesser Immortals had sprung into existence,” he continues his history lesson. “So, the Council was created. Our purpose was to ensure all Immortal influence on mortal existence remained minimal to guarantee our survival.”

He glances down at my injured hand.

“May I?” He holds out his palm.

Every instinct screams at me to refuse, but I’m in a precarious situation here. I can’t hope to fight him.

Slowly, I extend my hand.

The moment Adir’s fingers close around mine, an electric sensation snakes up my arm. It’s nothing like the feeling when Des touches me. This is… sharp. Invasive.

I bite my lip to keep from crying out. Adir’s eyes never leave mine as his touch lingers. When he finally releases my hand, I draw it to my chest, shocked to find the pain in my wrist is gone. I flex my fingers, amazed.

What in the ? —

“All Immortals can heal,” Adir answers my unspoken question, his voice calm but still carrying that unsettling edge. “Though some are more skilled than others.”

I imagine Lome is one of the more skilled ones, considering he cured Dad’s cancer.

Adir’s swing from manipulative abductor to concerned healer makes my skin crawl.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” I try to keep my voice steady despite the growing unease gnawing at me. “What’s your angle?”

He tilts his head, his eyes glinting under the dim light.

“Because I think it’s important for you to know your protectors were appointed the enforcers of the Council’s agreement.” Disdain drips from his words. “Any Immortal suspected of interfering with human history answers to the three brothers.”

Okay…

My forehead creases. “And that’s a bad thing?”

His nostrils flare. He leans closer, his voice lowering as if sharing a secret. “Any idea why the brothers were given that role? Why they were designated as the Council’s police?”

It takes all my willpower not to take a step back.

I purse my lips together, thinking. "Because mortals don’t influence their powers? They’re… reliable? Constant?”

“Is that what they told you?” Adir laughs, a cold, mocking sound that chills me to the bone. “How fitting.”

I lick my dry lips and swallow the bile crawling up my throat. The anger rolling off his shoulders presses down on my skin, hot and oppressive. I fight the urge to fidget.

He continues his speech with fiery eyes and unrestrained hatred, “Thane, Lome, and Des are the most powerful Immortals because their power is fueled by the most inevitable aspects of the human condition.

“Destruction, whether through war or natural disaster, strengthens Thane. Pain, physical or emotional, fuels Lome. And dear Des…” He sneers as he speaks his name.

“Death, whether through war or the inevitable passage of time, increases Des’s strength.

He is the most powerful of us all, and he doesn’t even have to try . ”

Death ?

A deafening roar slams into my ears, rattling my skull. All the blood drains from my face, leaving me cold.

Des’s power is tied to … death ?

No. Adir is lying…

Is he?

I… I don’t know .

How could I know?

I’m not clairvoyant like Charmian. I can’t see things. All I know is what I’m told or what I read. And right now, Adir is telling me the Immortal I trusted with a plan to help me get home is basically the God of Death.

My entire body shakes.

Hades.

Thanatos.

Hel.

Yama.

Osiris.

Different myths and legends Dad shared with me throughout my life, all involving a supreme being who oversaw the dead or controlled death for mortals, races across my mind with rapid, frantic speed.

Even if only a fraction of those stories are based on real events, I’d still be a fool not to fear Des.

The world tilts.

I stumble back and collide with the wall behind me.

The ground has been pulled from under me. The trust I’d placed in Des—and his brothers—shatters like glass crashing to the floor.

Why didn’t the brothers tell me?

Why hide it from me?

“So, you see…” Adir’s voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts, “Des and his brothers enforce rules to limit the power of other Immortals. All the while, they grow stronger with every new soul that enters this world… and inevitably leaves it. That doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

He closes the distance between us, his finger strokes my cheek. I stiffen, but I have nowhere to escape .

“No,” I whisper, nausea rising in my throat. “It doesn’t seem fair at all.”

Adir’s hand slides down and rests on my shoulder, his thumb brushing against the delicate pulse at the base of my neck. “I’m glad you see it my way, Darcie. That will make everything so much easier.”

Ice floods my veins. “Make what easier?”

He lowers his chin, his eyes locking with mine, burning with malicious intent.

“How about we move to somewhere more… comfortable?” With a flick of his wrist, the bars behind him dissolve into thin air, vanishing as if they’d never existed. “And I’ll tell you how you’re going to help me overthrow the Immortal Three.”