Page 53 of The Immortal's One
His eyes cut to me, and a flicker of regret softens them before they harden again. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, but it’s a mistake.”
I freaking hope so.
He turns to Thane and Lome, his glare cold and unforgiving. “This is on both of you to fix.”
Without another word, he stomps out of the room, the door slamming behind him with a violent crash that rattles the pictures on the wall.
Ignoring the twisted feeling in my stomach at seeing Des walk out, I face the man I met at the library. If I’d known the mess I’d find myself in, I never would have spoken to Thane in the first place. But just like he told Des… you can’t change the past.
Though, I’m not quite sure what he’d been referencing with that remark. Whatever it was, it sure struck a chord with the surly man.
I break the silence, my voice hoarse. “What did you mean, Thane, when you said I was one of you?”
His lips press together. “We should wait to talk about this, Darcie. Until Des is ready to?—”
“No,” I cut him off, my frustration boiling over. “I’m not willing to wait around while you all figure out how to sugarcoat whatever it is you want to say to me. I deserve to know.Now,” I emphasize with a glare.
Lome blows out a heavy breath. “She’s right, Thane. Just tell her.”
Thane mumbles a curse. His eyes flick from Lome to me. “Fine. But I’m afraid this is going to overwhelm you,” he warns.
“Too late.” I snort. “Just tell me. Not knowing is worse.”
Thane walks over to the plush armchair and sits down slowly, tension still vibrating off him. Bella takes a seat on the sofa and pats the cushion next to her. Inhaling another breath, I force my feet to move.
Once I’m seated, Thane begins. “When I say we are Immortal, I mean we cannot die.”
That’s pretty much what I thought.
Still, disbelief bubbles up like acid in my stomach. “You—you can’t die?”
“Correct.” He meets my gaze with a quiet intensity. “Lome, Des, and I were created as we are. We do not age. We do not die.”
My mind spins, the words lodge in my brain, twisting, refusing to make sense. My dad’s voice plays in the back of my mind, lecturing about myths and legends, but this… this is not a lecture. It’s real.
“Wait.” I look at Bella in confusion. “Are you not immortal?”
She bites her bottom lip. “I am, but I wasn’t born this way.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means…” she trails off, shifting in her seat. “It means that, in theory, I can die. But it wouldn’t be easy. I’ve lived through things that should have killed me.” Her gaze shifts to Thane, then Lome. “But I’m not the same as them.”
Thane leans forward, lacing his fingers together, and picks up where she left off. “There are nine Original Immortals. My brothers and I are three of them. We were created exactly as you see us now. The Nine are the Creator’s first, and most powerful, creations.”
My fingers dig into the edge of the cushion, my knuckles whitening. I shut my eyes. The walls close in on me.
Original Immortals?
The Creator?
What would a psychologist diagnose me with if I told them this story? Delusional thinking? Stress-induced psychosis?
“I know this is a lot, but you shouldn’t be afraid,” Bella says softly. I open my eyes. She smiles tentatively. “The Original Nine are protectors of humanity. Their divine task is to ensure the safety of the human race.”
But then her eyes take on a faraway, troubled look. “Though, the Creator only bestowed half of their powers upon them at their creation.”
I swallow down the bile crawling up my throat. “Why would they do that?”
