Page 143 of The Immortal's One
“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 nevershould’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?
