Page 93 of The Immortal's One
Des takes in my actions with a furrowed brow. “What’s wrong?”
It hits me then that Des handed me my phone.
Why would he do that if he planned to take it away?
It doesn’t matter. I can’t risk losing my only connection to the outside world. My grip tightens. The hard case digs into my palm.
Des continues to look at me, bewildered. Argos trots to his side, giving me an equally puzzled stare.
“You…” I shift my feet, self-conscious. “You’re not going to take my phone away?”
“Why would I do that?” His lips curl into a sly smirk that makes my heart skip a beat. “I’m the one who gave it back to you in the first place.”
25
The next day,I stand on a six-inch platform in the middle of a parlor on the third floor, trying to ignore the discomfort of stiff fabric and sharp needles covering my body. Eshe walks around me, pinning the cloth draped over my shoulders with practiced precision.
“Remind me again why I’m letting you poke me with pins?” I ask.
“Because this ball is your first introduction to our community,” Bella answers for her sister-in-law, her tone light as she steps away from the window where she’d been watching Thane and Lome practice archery on the back lawn. “And first impressions matter.”
I bite my tongue to refrain from saying I have no intention of attending their ball.
Less than an hour after I spoke with Des in the forest, Bella came to my room to tell me about the holiday ball. She’d been shifty, nervous. No doubt, she expected me to react poorly to the news. After all, I’d just had the wholereincarnation information thrown in my face. No one in their right mind would be “okay” after that.
But I put on the performance of a lifetime, pretending I knew nothing about the Council’s plan to throw a party and introduce me as Des’sOneto the rest of their community.
Kayla would have been impressed with my acting skills.
With Des’s promise to find a way to use the event to our advantage, I agreed to go along with preparations for the ball. But I needed to play the part of an unwilling participant to avoid rousing suspicion.
Which isn’t hard to do when every time I try to scratch the itch on my nose, a pin pricks my ribs.
I stare at Bella through the reflection and frown, ready to put on another show.
“A party seems reckless. I thought you guys were keeping me here so I couldavoidother Immortals.” A cool needle brushes my hip. “Hey! That was too close!” I wince.
Eshe rolls her eyes, removing the pins between her teeth. “I’ve done this before, Darcie. Relax. You don’t need to be so jumpy,” she says dryly.
“Yeah, well, I’m not used to people jabbing sharp objects at me.”
Eshe’s lips curve as she mutters something under her breath, her tone more amused than annoyed.
I wouldn’t say I have the Egyptian Immortal figured out, but I think she hides a lot of her personality behind a beautiful mask. She has a sense of humor. And she’s honest. Under different circumstances, I believe we could be friends.
Bella stands next to Eshe, watching her work as she answers me, “Thane believes introducing you to lesser Immortals will demonstrate trust on our part. Rumors are circulating about you. He hopes to contain them.”
I press my lips together to refrain from saying we both know Thane wasn’t the one who came up with the idea for the ball.
Eshe pulls the fabric at my back. I roll my shoulders back to straighten my posture. She hums in approval, her eyes scanning her work, adding more pins.
I take care not to move and ask Bella, “Do any of the rumors say how Des denies I’m hisOne?”
Her lips turn down. “Something like that.” She walks over to the tea cart in the corner of the room and pours herself a cup. I know avoidance when I see it.
I chew the inside of my cheek, watching her stir sugar into the brown liquid, debating whether to press her for more information.
Before I decide, my phone rings on the side table. Since finding out Des was the one who gave me the phone, I’ve stopped hiding it. So far, only Eshe and Bella have seen me with it, and neither questioned me for having it.
