Page 120 of The Immortal's One
How long will I be trapped in this web of Immortal intrigue and lies?
How long will it be before I can go home?
Those questions and more spin around my head, distracting me from my injured hand and the aggressive Immortal in front of me.
I don’t notice Adir closing the distance between us again. Not until his fingers grip my upper arm, yanking me so roughly into his chest that I lose my footing, the world tilting as everything blurs around me.
No!
I open my mouth to scream for help, but before the sound can escape, his palm slams over my face. His eyes are stone-cold.
“Don’t,” he orders, his voice as hard as iron.
A rip in space and time opens.
My vision warps, and I’m dragged away from the safety of the Grecian mansion.
32
The first thingthat 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.
