Page 56 of The Immortal's One
He frowns. “I know none of this makes sense to you, but you have to trust me when I say this is the safest place for you to be right now.”
I don’thaveto trust anything you say.
The hope of escape had kept me going, but now, as the adrenaline fades, the weight of my predicament pushes down on me. I bite my lip to hold back tears, my fists clenching so tight I hiss as I aggravate my scraped palms. “For how long?”
Lome tilts his head to the side. “How long, what?”
“How long will I be stuck here?” I swallow hard, my throat tight. “A week? A month?”
His gaze softens just a touch. “I don’t know, Darcie. It depends.”
“On what?”
“On how long it takes for my brothers and I to deal with the rebellion.”
“I have nothing to do with a rebellion.” I throw my hands in the air, exasperated. “This is the first I’ve even heard of it.”
His lips pinch. “I know. I’m sorry.”
My shoulders sag in defeat. “I don’t belong here, Lome. I don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt me. This is all a huge misunderstanding.”
It has to be.
“Perhaps,” Lome says, though doubt flickers in his eyes.
Hope stirs in my chest. "So… you’ll let me leave?"
“No.”
A tear slips from the corner of my eye, and I angrily swipe it away.
“Right. Of course not.” I turn away, frustration boiling over. “I’ll just go back to my room now.”
And figure out another way to get home.
“How about we make a deal?” Lome’s voice stops me mid-step.
I set my foot on the ground and glance over my shoulder, my eyes narrow. “A deal?”
He nods. A section of brown hair falls over his forehead. He brushes it aside.
I turn around to face him again. “What kind of deal?”
“The kind that might make you less inclined to see your time here as a prison sentence.” He gives me a wry smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
I don’t respond to his attempt at humor. “What are you talking about?”
Lome’s smile falls, and his eyes dart from left to right. Then, he straightens and takes a step closer, lowering his voice. His next words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What would you say if I told you I could cure your dad’s cancer?”
Shock tears through me.
How does he know about Dad?
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’d say there’s probably a catch.”
Lome rubs his top teeth over his bottom lip and nods. "A catch? Not exactly. But you know… everything has a price."
My heart beats wildly.
