Page 49 of The Immortal’s One (Bound to the Immortals #1)

DARCIE

Hands dig into my biceps, shaking me hard.

“Wake up!” someone yells into my ear. “Darcie, wake up! We need to get out of here!”

The shout cuts through my muddled mind. I hear the voice, loud and desperate—but no matter how hard I try, I can’t pry my eyelids open.

I’m trapped.

I try to move my arm, hand, fingers—anything—but nothing responds. My mind’s wide awake, but my body’s frozen.

Crash!

The ground beneath me shudders.

My heartbeat accelerates as flashes of Adir’s study play behind my eyelids. His power… he shot it through my head. It felt like he fried my brain and burned a hole in my skull.

It was excruciating .

I don’t know if I passed out from the pain or if Adir did something to knock me unconscious. Either way, the fact I can’t open my eyes right now isn’t good. I can only pray the damage to my head isn’t permanent.

“Bella!” a second voice—a man’s voice—sounds from somewhere farther away. “What’s the hold-up? We need to get out of here. NOW!”

Bella!

Of course! I should have recognized her. But it was like my mind couldn’t come up with the name on its own. It had to be heard first.

I really hope this is a short-term side effect of whatever the hell Adir did to me.

“She won’t wake up,” my Immortal friend’s voice cracks. “I-I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Move.” The other voice comes closer. It’s harsher, more demanding.

A warm hand presses against my throat, and the contact sends a shiver through me, followed by a shocking but pleasant spark. “She has a pulse, but she’s cold as ice.”

Another crash. The room shakes, and a gust of air ruffles my hair, blowing it across my face. My fingers itch to push it away, but my arms won’t cooperate.

“We have to go,” the man says again, more urgently now. “I can’t create a rip. We’ll have to get out of here the old-fashioned way.”

“We can’t leave Darcie!” Bella protests.

“We’re not leaving her,” he says, determined. Strong hands slide under me, lifting me as if I weigh nothing. More sparks race over my skin, shocking me with their electrifying sensation, but it’s not enough to pull me out of my mental fog. “Now, move!”

Footsteps pound against the ground as they run. I bounce in the man’s arms, but his grip remains firm through every sharp turn. His name is at the edge of my brain, but every bounce jostles it out of reach.

“Adir will know we’re here,” Bella pants. “The fighting won’t keep him distracted for long.”

Adir.

Some of my muddled thoughts clear.

Bella came for me.

Hope springs to life.

I’m not alone.

“You’re right,” the guy carrying me says, slowing to a stop. “You need to get out of here.”

“We all do. Come on, let’s go!”

“We have a better chance of escaping if we split up. Get as far from the stronghold as you can so you can create a rip and return to Greece. I’ll do the same.”

“No, we should stay together!”

“If Adir finds us, I can defend myself and Darcie. But I can’t guarantee the safety of all three of us. Not with whatever magic Adir is using to stifle our abilities right now.”

My blood runs cold.

“No.” Bella’s voice cracks. “Come on, Des. We’ll find a way out of here together.”

Des!

My heart skips a beat, then goes wild. The spark from his touch surges through me again, making every inch of skin tingle in a familiar way, and yet I don’t understand it.

The haze over my thoughts continues to lift, but I still can’t open my eyes.

“Adir’s got the whole place surrounded,” Des warns. “He’s warded this place so we can’t leave. Eshe was right, he wanted us to come.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t help?— ”

“This is a trap, Bella,” he snaps. “We made a mistake, and it’s only by the grace of the Creator that we were able to find Darcie in this fucking mess. Now, the best thing you can do is get out of here before it’s too late.”

“Adir won’t hurt me,” she replies weakly, as if she’s not certain what she says is true.

“Look what he did to Darcie.” Des’s voice catches, thick with something he’s trying to hold back. His grip on me tightens just for a second, then eases as he gives a soft, desperate shake.

A heavy silence falls. I wish I could open my eyes to see what’s happening.

“Fine,” Bella murmurs, defeated. “Just… be careful.”

“You do the same.”

I sense my friend’s hesitation before her light footsteps reach my ears, fading before Des turns and runs in the opposite direction.

I count every step he takes, every pause to scan the area around us. Des moves fast, Immortal-level fast, and he’s stealthy. I don’t realize we’ve entered a room until I hear a door click shut behind us.

Des lowers me onto something hard. I guess it’s the floor.

“There.” He pulls his hands away. I immediately miss the warmth of his touch, but its absence doesn’t last long.

He presses a hand against my forehead. If my eyes were open, they would flutter closed.

His touch slides down to my cheek, then my throat, before his palms move lower. “What the hell did he do to you?”

He sounds so worried. I ache to tell him I’m fine, even if it’s a lie.

“I’m so sorry, Darcie.” He shifts. His leg brushes against my arm.

“I said you could trust Adir. I was wrong. I never should’ve agreed to that fucking ball,” Des goes on, his voice rising and falling in frustration.

“It was a terrible idea from the start. I just… I wanted to show everyone they were wrong. When Adir came to me, I took the bait. My own brothers didn’t believe me, and that bastard knew exactly what to say to get me to trust him over them. ”

I take in every word. This is the most Des’s said to me, ever . Outside of discussing our scheme for the ball, he’s always been so distant, so careful with his words.

He lifts my hand, the warmth of his fingers overriding the electric sensations, but both feelings are outshined when he presses a soft kiss to the back of my hand before setting it down on his leg. “I hope you can forgive me.”

The heat from his touch spreads through my hand. For the first time since Bella found me, something in my body responds.

It’s like my blood is a frozen lake, but a crack forms, allowing a thin stream of blood to flow through to where Des holds me.

I try to move my hand. My index finger twitches.

“Darcie?” His breath warms my cheeks as he leans over me, clutching my hand. “Can you hear me?”

I try again to move more than just my fingers, but the best I get is a small spasm in my left forearm.

“You’re in there.” Relief floods his words. “Come on, Darcie. Keep going. You can do this. Open your eyes.”

I want to say I’m trying—that I’ve been trying ever since Bella woke me up, but nothing comes out. The minutes drag on. Des doesn’t stop whispering encouraging words, telling me how strong I am and how much he believes I can do this.

I appreciate the effort, but I don’t need extra motivation. I’m adequately motivated to open my eyes. I just need my body to catch up to my mind.

“Why can’t you move?” he murmurs. His thumb brushes the back of my hand.

Ugh, come on, Darcie! You can do this!

I envision the block that’s holding me back. I imagine Adir’s power is like the dark bars from the dungeon. I imagine that wall is the only thing standing between me and complete consciousness.

I reach out to touch one of the bars, my fingertips glow with bright white power, and the metal begins to disintegrate?—

“Fuck,” Des hisses, tearing my focus off my efforts.

His grip tightens, and a loud swallow follows.

What’s going on?

I strain my ears, but I don’t hear anything. No one has found us.

I swear I feel Des’s eyes trained on my face. My cheek twitches as I try, but fail, to open my mouth.

Ugh!

Why can’t I just open my stupid eyes!?

The silence between us stretches, thick and heavy with tension that I don’t understand.

Des lowers my hand back to my side. Then, in barely more than a whisper, he says, “Please forgive me.”

My throat tightens. I want to scream.

Forgive you for what?!?

Des shifts once more. I sense his broad torso hovering over me. My heart stutters as the air shifts. He draws closer.

Breath tickles my lips as he whispers, “Creator, let this work.”

Then, his mouth is on mine.