Page 45 of The Immortal’s One (Bound to the Immortals #1)

DARCIE

Bang!

Adir throws open the heavy wooden door in front of us with a slam. I jolt back and wince when I roll my ankle.

“Welcome to your new home.” He strides inside and glances back to me in the dimly lit hallway adorned with stone walls and ornate tapestries that remind me of a medieval castle. “Come on, Darcie. Don’t be shy.”

The cold fear that’s been gnawing at me since I woke up in a dark dungeon flares, sharp and clear. I stay put, my feet glued to the floor.

“What are we doing here?” My pulse thrums in my neck as I take in the massive bed situated in the room in front of me.

Adir’s smile is all teeth. “My staff filled the closet with clothes for you.” He gestures to the door off to the left. “I thought you’d want to change.”

I look down at the wreckage of my gown. Eshe’s stunning creation is torn and smeared with dirt. My hands and arms are a mess, too. I’m far from the picture-perfect image Eshe and Bella created for the ball… before I ended up in Adir’s clutches.

He’s right. I want to change. But I want answers more.

I lift my chin and meet Adir’s gaze. “I don’t understand what you want from me. How am I supposed to help you take down Des and his brothers?”

Back in the dungeon, when Adir lifted the veil of secrets dangling in front of me for weeks, he told me Des, Lome, and Thane siphon power from human suffering and death. It made them the strongest Immortals to exist.

Adir explained that the inequity of their power made other Immortals uneasy.

More like jealous .

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand their perspective. But what sucks is that Des, Lome, and Thane never told me the truth.

Thane offered me protection from the rebellion. Lome cured my dad’s cancer. And Des helped come up with a plan for me to return to Maine.

I’d trusted them all—stupidly, it turns out.

Now, I’m Adir’s prisoner, and he claims I can help the rebellion overthrow the brothers’ rule.

But I have no idea how.

“Come now, Darcie,” Adir tsks. His voice is too smooth, too calculated. “Surely you must know what the rebellion has planned for you?”

“I thought you believed me when I said I’m not Des’s One .”

“I do,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t have a role in all this.”

That’s what I’m afraid of.

“What role? ”

He waves a hand towards the bedroom. “Clean up. Change. Rest. When I return, we’ll discuss the details.”

“But I?—”

A flash of blinding light flares through the room. I raise an arm to shield my eyes, and when I lower it, Adir’s gone.

A scowl twists my lips. “Damnit.”

I realized Adir was unhinged the moment he revealed himself to be Kaine, my supposed co-prisoner back in his dungeon. The fact that the Original Immortal even has a dungeon is enough to sound all my internal alarms.

But the fact he so easily tricked Des into trusting him makes Adir that much more formidable. I don’t know what the Immortal with power fueled by human war and conflict is capable of, but common sense says nothing good.

With a shaky breath, I step into the bedroom and shut the door behind me. I search for a lock, but there’s none.

I sigh.

Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the floor in front of the door.

Looking around the room, I can’t help but compare it to my room at the Grecian mansion. The space is large, but everything about it feels oppressive, like the walls are closing in. Expensive dark furniture. Fine burgundy fabrics. They’re all beautiful, but not comforting in the slightest.

I search for a clock to figure out the time. No luck. A window sits on the far wall. I shove aside the velvet curtains and peer out. Darkness greets me, concealing any identifying landmarks or scenery.

How long have I been here? Hours? Days?

Have Des or the others noticed I’m gone?

Des.

A memory hits me, unbidden.

“You look beautiful… you really do look like her. ”

His words echo in my mind, followed by the warmth of his touch. My stomach twists in a way that’s both painful and confusing.

I close my eyes and cringe.

Des promised I’m not his One . Multiple times. But then he said that to me…

He was caught up in the moment. And I won’t lie, so was I.

Dancing with Des, moving so easily together, the way we teased each other… I had started to wonder if the others were right. What if Des and I are meant to?—

Enough, Darcie!

I cut off the wandering thoughts, just like I did on the patio outside the ballroom… before Adir abducted me.

None of that matters now.

I need to get back home. That's harder to accomplish now that Adir has abducted me, but that doesn’t change my goal.

I move farther into the room, soon locating the bathroom. It’s large and opulent with a huge shower and massive soaking tub. I turn on the shower, then walk to the granite vanity where two folded towels sit. I stare at my reflection in the mirror as I wait for the water to warm.

The eye makeup Bella applied is smeared, and my hair’s a tangled mess. My hands shake as I free my blonde strands from the bobby pins Eshe used for my updo, then reach behind me to loosen the straps holding the gown’s bodice together.

I slide the sleeves down my shoulders, and the gown pools at my feet. I step out of the fabric and walk into the shower, hissing when the warm water stings my cold skin. I clutch my arms to my torso and wait for my body to adapt to the temperature .

What if the Immortals don’t find me?

What if Adir is too smart, too powerful?

What if no one realizes he’s responsible for my abduction? What horrible things will he try to make me do for the rebellion?

Will I be bait? I honestly have no idea what he has up his sleeve.

I wish the others were right and that I were Des’s One . I could really use some powers right now.

Focus on what you can control.

I blow out a heavy breath and listen to my inner voice, snapping myself out of the spiral.

There’s no room for doubt, not now.

I let the warm water roll over me, willing my muscles to relax as the steady stream washes dirt and debris down the drain.

A door creaks, faint but unmistakable.

I freeze. My heart skips a beat. It’s close—too close. I inch toward the edge of the shower, careful not to make a sound. The bathroom door is still closed.

“Hello?” My voice comes out hoarse but strong.

Nothing.

“Hello?” I try again, louder. “Who’s there?”

Silence.

There’s no way I’m going to keep showering with someone lurking in the next room.

I grab a towel from the vanity, wrap it tightly around myself, and step out onto the cold tile. My pulse is steady but fast as I approach the door. I lean my ear against it. The faint clinking of what sounds like metal travels through the solid surface.

I lean back and bite my lip .

My instincts scream to stay in here—lock the door, wait, hide.

Cowering won’t get you answers.

Before I can reconsider my plan given the fact I’m only wearing a freaking towel, I throw open the door and shout, “Who are you?”

The young man standing next to the end table by the bed fumbles, dropping a fork and spoon with a loud clatter. His eyes widen before quickly lowering to the floor. His cheeks turn red. “Apologies, my lady. I didn’t think you’d hear me.”

The grip on my towel tightens, but I narrow my eyes, trying to look intimidating despite my lack of clothes. But before I can speak, I take in the man’s brown hair and submissive posture.

A thought hits me. “Do I know you?”

“No, my lady.” He keeps his head bowed. “I’m just a servant. Lord Adir asked me to bring you food.”

I study him closely, something about him pulls at my memory. He’s familiar, but from where?

He shifts his feet, still not looking up. “Is there anything else I can get you, my lady?”

I frown. “No… I’m okay.”

“Very well.” His posture slumps with relief. “Lord Adir will retrieve you in an hour. He requests that you rest until then.”

I open my mouth to ask how I’ll know when an hour has passed, but he bolts out of the room with unnatural speed before the words leave my lips.

I gasp.

He’s an Immortal.

A sickening realization floods over me. I know I’ve seen that man before, and the fact that Adir’s servant has been lurking around me confirms a terrifying truth. Despite what Thane and the others believed, I haven’t been safe—not in Maine or Greece.

Ever since the brothers crashed into my life and tossed me into the middle of their Immortal war, I’ve been in danger.

And now, I fear it’s only going to get worse.