Page 136 of The Immortal's One
Taking my silence as acceptance, Adir walks over to the fireplace streaked with dark ash and pulls on a gold cord hanging on the wall.
A tiny chime sounds. Then, a scantily clad woman enters the room.
Well, I think she’s scantily clad.
In truth, the short shorts and strapless top could just be the woman’s style. But I doubt it. The study is frigid, only slightly warmer than the dungeon I first woke up in.
“A drink,” Adir says to the woman without looking her way, his unsettling attention resting solely on me. “For our guest.”
She bows her head and leaves as quickly as she entered. Unlike Eric, she doesn’t spare me a glance.
“What makes you think you won’t be punished for kidnapping me?” I ask, still searching for a way to plant a seed of doubt so Adir will abandon his plan. “The brothers could agree to step down as the Council’s enforcers but continue doing it once I’m safe.”
“It’s simple, really.” He smirks, crossing his arms and leaning against the fireplace mantle. “Honor among Immortals, especially the Original Nine, is valued above all else.”
Not to you, apparently.
The woman glides back into the room with two stemmed glasses of wine. With her head lowered, she approaches Adir and holds one out to him. He takes it without a word.
When she hands one to me, I murmur, “Thank you.”
Her eyes dart up to mine, and I’m taken aback by their violet color. She averts her gaze before I can confirm I didn’t imagine the unusual shade.
“I plan to reach out to the brothers,” Adir continues, pulling my attention away from the woman as she hurries out of the room. “I’ll inform them of your presence here. I will tell them I’ll release you to their custody once they publicly denounce the limitations placed on immortals by the Council. Then, they’ll step down, and you’ll be returned to their care.”
I barely suppress my snort. There’s no way that plan will work. It relies too heavily on factors beyond Adir’s control.
“And then what? The rebellion will exploit humans to make themselves stronger. Then they will attack?”
“Precisely.” He winks and lifts the wine glass to his lips.
I turn toward the window, my thoughts spinning.
Now that I know Adir’s plan, I could easily inform the brothers once I’m back with them. Either Adir overlooks the major flaw in revealing so much to me, or he has a way to ensure my knowledge won’t threaten him.
I hate to admit it, but chances are it’s the second. And that sends a fresh chill of fear through my veins.
“Don’t look so worried.” Adir chuckles. From the corner of my eye, I can tell he’s watching me. “Although the brothers took you into their home for protection, you must know by now that it was done only with selfish intentions.”
I turn back to him. “What do you mean?”
He takes a slow sip of wine, letting tension build.
I wait, gritting my teeth, refusing to let him see how much he rattles me.
Adir finally lowers his glass, licking a drop of wine from his bottom lip, then says, “No matter how much they claim otherwise, Thane, Lome, and Des enjoy their power. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to secure more of it, including abducting and holding a young woman hostage.”
Pot meet kettle.
I lift a brow. “Isn’t that what you’re doing?”
He ignores my question. “Despite Des’s constant report that you’re not his future companion, Thane and Lome insisted you stay with them at their home. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
Um… no.
“They were protecting me from their enemies,” I say in a flat voice. “I was attacked twice.”
“Indeed.” Sympathy tugs on his lips. “Those members of the rebellion were out of line. No one should have attempted to harm you. You’re an innocent. That’s not the way the rebellion likes to do things.”
