“Are you determined to sulk, then?” Alexander’s question drew Darcie’s gaze. Neither Des or Argos even glanced the vampire’s direction.
Still staring straight ahead, Des replied, “I am not sulking.”
“No?” Disbelief covered Alex’s tone. “What would you call this? Silently brooding? Regardless, whatever you are doing does nothing to help Darcie… or Bella.”
Des ignored part of the reprimand. “I have teams searching thoroughly for Bella. There is nothing else I can do.”
Darcie’s jaw dropped. Since his sister-in-law had gone missing, Des did nothing but strategize and plan on new ways to increase the search for Bella. Her eyes roamed his entire body. It was only after she found no physical ailment that she released a relieved sigh.
He isn’t hurt, but maybe he is sick?
“Darcie would not want you to stop searching for her friend. You need to conquer this.”
“You presume to know her well,” Des stated without so much as a blink. Did she imagine it, or was there a slight edge to the words?
With great care, Darcie slowly climbed the curving stone stairs until she stood on the landing. Now that she was less than ten feet from Des, she could easily see the dullness which clouded his features. His normally luminous skin flickered in the sunlight.
Red lips turned down, Alexander moved to stand beside Des’ chair. Argos lifted his head and sniffed the air before promptly laying back down.
“Quite a guard dog,” he commented.
Des ignored the joking comment.
Alexander sighed. A chair appeared beside him, and he sat down heavily. “She will get better, Des,” he tried to console his friend.
“She is in agony,” Des replied. The hand armrest clenched. “I felt her pain.”
Confused, Darcie glanced down at herself. She suspected Des was talking about her, but there was not an ounce of discomfort in her body. She rotated her wrists and ankles, turned her head from side to side, but there was nothing. In fact, she almost felt like her body was made of air. Or some other light material that pain would be unable to grab ahold of.
Looking back up, she watched as Alexander leaned forward and put himself in Des’ line of sight. The move forced the immortal to focus his distant gaze on the vampire.
Having his attention, he said, “Darcie feels nothing at the moment. I compelled her mind into detachment. She feels nothing.”
The immortal stiffened.
Darcie did not know what he would do. For a moment, she thought he might lunge at the vampire. His face twisted with some unreadable emotion as Alexander revealed whatever trick he used to alleviate her pain.
Compel?
Detachment?
The words were not unfamiliar, but Darcie had never heard the vampire use the vocabulary. What reaction would they elicit in the protective immortal?
Instead of leaping off his chair in fury, Des turned his gaze away from Alex and released a low, shaky breath. “Thank you.” The words were spoken with sincerity and immeasurable relief.
The sounds of the response elicited a fresh wave of concern in Darcie. She’d never seen Des so… worried.
Suddenly, it all came together.
Alexander may have disconnected her brain from her body, but visions had nothing to do with her body. Darcie was unconscious in the brothers’ home, but her mind was traveling the estate in a vision.
Of course, my mind always feels inclined to check on Des.
Head clearing, Darcie observed the situation with fresh eyes. She had no idea how much time had passed since Alexander knocked her out. Observing both men, however, she noted they both wore the same clothing from their encounter in Des’ bedroom.
But that doesn’t mean anything, Darcie told herself.
If Des was this lifeless and guilt-ridden, who is to say he would take the time to change clothes? As it was, it looked like he and Argos had been sitting out on the patio for a significant amount of time.
As she was busy piecing together the reality of her situation, Darcie must have missed a crucial piece of information.
“WHAT?” Des roared, causing Darcie to leap back in fright. “Why did you not say anything?” Gone was the passive worry. Now, Des’ eyes filled with resentment and anger.
“It is only a hypothesis,” Alexander replied, not bothered by Des’ violent outburst.
“How do you know this?” asked Des, not even attempting to reign in his fury. “Why wouldn’t you mention it?”
“As I said, I spent a significant amount of time with her during adolescence. She experienced the same type of symptoms just before her eighteenth birthday. I had no idea it could happen to Darcie. The moment I suspected, I came to find you.”
Hearing the words, it seemed Des finally decided that the vampire meant no harm and didn’t intentionally hide information. The immortal’s head fell into his hands, and he shook his head in denial. “She has a birthday coming up,” he admitted in a mutter.
Darcie could not believe that Des chose to focus on that aspect of the conversation. She cursed herself for being too busy thinking to have heard what Alexander originally said. She was picking up tidbits, but something told her she had definitely missed out on the main idea. And whatever it was, it had to be big enough to rile Des from his sedated state.
Argos stood up and stretched his long, furry limbs. Noticing his master’s duress, the creature shuffled forward and nuzzled the back of Des’ neck with his snout. The immortal dropped his hands and turned to face the animal.
“Good boy.” Des reached out and patted Argos’ thick neck. “I’ll be okay. Go play. I will find you later.”
Darcie could have sworn Argos bobbed his head in agreement before he licked Des’ cheek and trotted off. Seeing he intended to depart via her direction, she quickly stepped to the side to allow Argos passage. She had no idea what would happen if the large creature collided with her.
A breeze chose that moment to move across the patio. It ruffled Darcie’s hair, sending strands flying as it blew from behind. The hedges around her rustled as it passed before it hit Argos.
The animal was seconds from passing her when he instantly stilled. Lifting his nose in the air, Argos sniffed the incoming breeze. Following the scent, his massive head turned and he locked eyes with Darcie.
It wasn’t a joke. Argos wasn’t merely looking in her direction. Darcie swore that she and the intelligent creature made eye contact. Not for the first time, she wondered just how aware the dog-like animal really was.
Argos’ head tilted to the side and his tail started wagging. She contained her groan. Instead, she shook her head and mouthed, “No, Argos.” Moving her hands towards the steps she continued, “Go on. Go play.”
Please don’t let them know I’m here.
The animal paused, hesitating. His tail stopped moving as he lowered his head in submission. With one last pitiful look her way, Argos resumed his path towards the open lawn. Once he hit grass, he bounded off into the trees without looking back.
Darcie slumped against the stone railing, glad her position hadn’t been revealed. She moved her gaze from Argos’ retreating shape to the powerful beings on the patio. They, too, were looking in the direction of Argos’ departure.
Well… Des was.
The immortal stared after his furry companion while Alex’s focus alternated between Des and the disappearing animal. The vampire did not attempt to hide the concern from his expression; his eyes were full of the emotion as he watched Des resume his absentminded staring.
“You really care about her. Don’t you?”
“Yes,” Des did not hesitate. And the simple word sent Darcie’s heart fluttering. She knew exactly who Alexander asked about, and Des’ unreserved admission after the weeks of denial still sent the young woman’s pulse racing.
The desire to walk over and console him was almost overwhelming. Her soul ached to see him look so forlorn – especially because of her. Darcie dug her fingers into the hard stone to k
eep herself from strolling over and wrapping her thin arms around his neck in an embrace.
“You need to hide it better, Des.” The statement was firm, but kindness surrounded it, too. Alexander did not elaborate on the reason Des needed to conceal his feelings. Both the immortal and concealed eavesdropper remembered the vampire’s outburst in the bedroom.
“I am trying,” Des said plainly. He gave Alexander a pointed look. “It’s why I came out here where no one would see me.”
Alex nodded once, recognizing the not-so-subtle dismissal. “I will reach out to my sources… see if any of them know how best to help her.”
Darcie watched Des open his mouth to speak when, abruptly, everything around her shifted and disappeared. A black curtain dropped on the scene before her, concealing her in a never-ending darkness.
She frantically spun around, looking for any flicker of illumination. She found nothing but a black hole of night. Her heart started to race for a completely different reason. Reaching out, she realized her fingers lost their connection with the stone railing on the patio. She tried to reconnect with the steady structure, but felt nothing as her invisible hands collided with empty air.
Don’t panic. Darcie closed her eyes, finding comfort in the more familiar darkness. She attempted to calm herself.
You were in a vision. It just ended. Alex said you weren’t connected to your body. Everything will be okay. This is probably totally normal. Don’t freak out.
Surprisingly, the self-talk seemed to be working. The adrenaline seeping out of her cells gradually decreased. The cold-sweat which had soaked the satin material lessened.
With a calming breath, Darcie opened her eyes with the hope she would see more than blackness. As it turned out, her hope was not in vain. Unfortunately for her newly composed state, the sight greeting her was anything but reassuring.
Terror seized her limbs and turned her blood to ice. Darcie observed a group of seven individuals off in the distance, but they were approaching quickly. Their dark-purple cloaks trailed to the floor and shimmered eerily despite the lack of light. The groups seemed to glide, their steps concealed in the dark silence. Deep hoods concealed the faces of those within, making it impossible to distinguish any feature of the unnatural strangers.
Darcie took a step back. “S-stop,” she choked out. “Stop!”
The group did not heed her command. They continued their path without the slightest hesitation, walking in a V formation with one hooded being the point.
The moment the front individual raised his or her palm outward, Darcie turned on her heels and ran.
The darkness looked the same; Darcie could not see if there were any objects in her path, but she didn’t care. She would gladly fall down some invisible pit or run off a hidden cliff if it meant she was further away from the brigade of creepy, cloaked beings.
Thin arms pumped by her torso, further propelling Darcie away from the strangers. Unable to resist, she chanced a glance over her should to gauge how far away they were. She screamed in fright as she noticed the group of seven had stopped walking, but they were within three feet of her, even though she was running.
Darcie whirled around and sent a fresh burst of energy into her legs. But when she peeked back again, there was absolutely no increase in the distance between her and the army of cloaks.
That’s not possible! Darcie was so distracted by the unbelievable sight, she stumbled and went rolling to the ground. Even after tumbling a good distance, when she looked back at the group, they were still just a couple of feet away.
This can’t be real. Darcie shook her head vigorously, her breath coming out in terrified and desperate spurts. Wake up, Darcie. Wake up!
Movement to her left caught her attention. The teenager rolled over and watched as the individual in the front of the group lifted a palm. Warm, white light filled his palm. The brightness blinded Darcie.
She cringed away and shielded her eyes, not realizing the orb of power already left the hand until it collided with her.
11
A soothing and melodic voice danced through the darkness filling Darcie’s mind. Through the inky blackness, she strained to make out the words. It sounded like someone was singing, but the song was not one she had ever heard before.
She released a sigh of frustration when she was unsuccessful in decoding the strange lyrics. As she continued to cling to the beautiful sound, she noticed it slowly rose in volume until the distant melody successfully drew her out of unconsciousness.
Darcie’s eyes flew open and stared at the familiar cream-colored ceiling. Gasping for breath, she lifted a shaky arm and let it land heavily on her stomach.
I can move. She squeezed her eyes in relief. I can breathe. I’m okay.
“Thank the Creator,” an accented voice murmured. Darcie turned to the left and was greeted by relieved almond-shaped eyes.
“Eshe,” she croaked.
“Shhh. Don’t try to talk yet.” Eshe slid her arm underneath Darcie’s back and lifted her slightly. She winced, anticipating a fresh wave of agony from the contact, but there was none. The immortal finished by placing two fluffy pillows beneath her head before quickly turning to the nightstand to pick up a glass of water.
Its sides were slick with condensation, threatening to slip out of Darcie’s hands as she took the offered glass. Holding carefully with both hands, her arms shook as she tried to bring the rim of the glass to her lips.
“Hold on,” Eshe said, noticing the struggle. She turned back to the table beside the bed and came back with a green-striped bendy straw.
The immortal popped the item into the water. “Try that.”
With a quirked eyebrow, Darcie complied. After gulping down more than half of the glass, she finally lowered her arms and said, "Bendy straws?”
The corner of Eshe’s mouth lifted. “It was all Des could find. He thought you might need it.”
Des.
Hearing his name reminded her of the sorrowful vision she’d witnessed. “H-how is he?” she choked out. She grabbed the glass for another soothing sip.
Eshe did not seem surprised by the question. “He will be better once he knows you are awake.”
Darcie gave the immortal a probing look, but Eshe did not elaborate. “Where is he?” she asked.
“Probably with Lome or Alexander. They have been trying to keep him occupied.” Eshe leaned forward and took the empty glass. She turned and placed the item on the table while saying, “He visits you at night. When no one is around to notice.”
Because he doesn’t want anyone to see how much he cares.
“How long have I been out?”
Eshe’s expression softened. “Five days.”
Darcie’s eyes widened and she glanced down at her body. No wonder she felt so frail and had shaky limbs. She’d gone five days without eating or drinking.
Somehow knowing where her mind had gone, Eshe provided, “You had an IV, but it was removed this morning.”
Her gaze moved to the inner crease of her elbow. Sure enough, there was a nude bandage strategically placed over the bluest vein. Darcie was glad the IV was removed before she woke up; she really wasn’t a fan of needles.
Her body shivered, and she pulled the blanket closer. “H-has anyone talked to my dad?” There was no way the middle-aged scholar wouldn’t have tried calling his only child in five days, especially since he was waiting for her reply regarding his proposed visit.
Darcie was in the middle of formulating some outlandish excuse for the radio silence when Eshe said, “Yes. Des and Lome personally visited him in Italy. They convinced him you were well, and that you would speak soon.”
Convinced. Darcie fell against the pillows. Altered his mind, is what she meant.
Even though she disliked the manipulation, Darcie knew there wasn’t a better alternative given her situation. “That’s good,” she said aloud, running slender fingers through her tangled hair.
Though, shockingly, her hair wasn’t that dishev
eled. She looked at Eshe with a question in her eye.
“I brush your hair every day,” she revealed. “And kept you in clean clothes.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” Eshe had better things to do than be Darcie’s personal nurse… like continuing the search for Bella.
“It was nothing,” the immortal waved away the comment. “I used to take care of my father all the time. Next to him, you were an easy patient.”
“Your father was ill?” It was a new piece of information about Eshe’s past. Despite her still recuperating mental state, Darcie was aware enough to know she couldn’t pass up on the chance to learn more about the secretive Egyptian.
Eshe nodded, folding her hands in her lap as she settled back on the edge of the bed. “For a long time. Ever since my mother passed.”
“I am so sorry.” Darcie did not know what to say. Based on those two short sentences, it sounded like Eshe did not have the easiest life as a child.
“Do not be. It was a long time ago.” Eshe grabbed the edge of the blanket and lifted it to Darcie’s shoulders.
Then, changing the subject, she asked, “How are you feeling now that you are awake? Besides cold?”
“Weak,” she admitted. “Maybe hungry? But I can’t really tell.”
The immortal nodded approvingly. “No pain then?”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Des will be relieved to know the clan was right.”
“Clan?”
“Of witches. Several members of Clan Nightsbane arrived this morning. They claimed they were here to help you through your transition.”
Darcie struggled to keep up. “A clan of witches came to help me? Through a transition?”
“Your powers were emerging,” she explained. “They came to help your body adjust to the transition of power.”
“I’m glad they were right,” Eshe added on the side, not-so-subtle amusement filling her expression. “I think Des would have ripped their heads off if they were wrong. Alexander, too. And the alliance definitely does not need internal conflicts at the moment.”
Envisioned (Immortal Chronicles Book 3) Page 7