Just like an opera house, the balcony seats were connected through a wide-open space often used for cocktail hours or other social pursuits. Gregory placed her in a large Queen Anne chair on the far side of the room. He and Eshe moved to close any doors which might carry the sound of their voices back to the ballroom.
Once their task was complete, both Gregory and Eshe returned to her side.
“What happened?” he asked, concern marring his handsome features. “Is the pain returning?”
Darcie shook her head, but the movement made her dizzy. “No,” she replied, holding a steadying hand against her forehead.
Maybe I did get out of bed too soon.
“Then what is it?” Eshe lowered her long legs until she knelt at Darcie’s eye level. “Tell me before I run out of here and demand one of those witches come here to help you.”
“No!” Darcie cried out a little too quickly.
Eshe’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
She met the immortal’s gaze and released the shaky words, “That’s my mom.”
No one said a word.
Then, “What?” Eshe’s grip tightened on the armrest. “The one Alexander has been searching for?”
“Yes.”
Gregory growled low. “She’s been hiding with the clan this whole time?”
Darcie managed a hesitant glance at the vampire, unsure why he seemed so upset. “I-I guess so.”
“Don’t move.” Not waiting for a reply, Gregory left the room soundlessly. Both women were dumbfounded as they watched his exit.
“Where’s he going?” Darcie asked quietly. Her throat was beginning to feel tight, and she wished she had some water.
“My guess,” Eshe began. “Is to report to his superior.”
Sure enough, Gregory returned with Alexander right on his heels. The moment his pale blue eyes landed on her, Alex used his vampire speed and was immediately at her side.
“Why are you out of bed?” he demanded. His displeasure filled the space around them as he crossed his arms and stared down at her.
“Well hello to you too,” Darcie said back. Neither she nor her sensitive head appreciated the harsh tone. “Long time no see.”
Alex did not alter his disapproving stance, but the tightness around his eyes eased ever so slightly. “You underwent a major mental transition as well as a physical one,” his voice was softer this time. “You will need time to recover.”
“I am fine,” she said. “I just wanted to watch the meeting.”
“Then why did Gregory tell me you nearly fainted?”
Darcie’s eyes moved to the vampire hovering by the exit.
Tattle-tale.
“I’m fine,” she repeated. “I wanted to watch the meeting and see the witches who helped me.”
Alex’s arms dropped to his side. “Recognize anyone?”
Her chin jerked up. “Oh, you mean the mother who abandoned me? Yeah. Now that you mention it, I’m pretty sure I saw her stand up with the recognition that she is one of the seven most powerful witches in that group!” The rant left her a little breathless, but she refused to tear her angry gaze away from Alex. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know. Last I spoke with Jennifer, she had abandoned the Nightsbane clan.”
“Yeah?” She refused to believe it. “And when was that, exactly?”
Once again, his arms crossed his chest. “When you were a child. I believe you were four.”
Darcie froze. The memory of the man kneeling before her and speaking to her in a soothing and melodic voice hit her like a freight train. Suddenly, the stranger’s inky black hair and long, slender fingers also came into view.
Darcie leaned back in the chair and observed the familiar, icy-blue eyes warily. “So, that was you.”
“I’m surprised you remember. I recall placing a strong mental block on you that day.”
“Well, my brain is getting pretty good at conquering the latest mind challenge. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Alex found no amusement in her haphazard attempt at a joke. It probably did not help that she practically threw the words at him.
“As I said before,” he moved the topic back a few statements. “I did not know she was associated with the clan, nor was I aware she helped with your healing. Regardless, I am glad she did.”
“If you didn’t find her, how did she even know what was happening to me?” Darcie asked, realizing Gregory had carried her out of the room before her mother had answered Des’ original question.
“Because the same thing happened to her when she transitioned.”
Darcie struggled to find a response to that. All she could come up with was, “Why?”
Alex shook his head. “I do not know for sure, but I suspect you both have rather strong clairvoyant and cognizant abilities. When your mother underwent her transition, I recall the Nightsbane clan putting her in a rejuvenating coma until she finished.”
Understanding dawned. “That’s why you did the same thing to me.”
He nodded. “Your body would not have been able to survive the physical assault your powers were causing. You needed a break.”
Darcie heard the subtle worry in the words. He was afraid she was upset. “I get it,” she told him. “And I appreciate it, but you technically didn’t succeed in shutting me off from my abilities.”
Alex’s head turned to the side, but it was Eshe who asked, “What do you mean?”
Darcie had forgotten there were other people in the room.
She turned to the immortal. “I had a vision while I was out,” she explained.
Then, turning back to Alex, she added, “You and Des were speaking on a patio.”
“Ah,” his eyes lit with acknowledgement. “So, you already heard me discuss the similar situation occurred with your mother.”
Darcie shook her head. “I missed that part. All I heard was you two discussing a ‘she’, but I had no idea who ‘she’ was.”
Alexander believed her. “I spent a good amount of time with your mother while she was growing up, and I remember the horror and agony of all her loved ones when she began experiencing the unrelenting pain. I am sorry that I did not suspect the same situation would happen to you. I could have been able to prevent it.”
“It’s fine,” Darcie murmured, staring at the burgundy carpet beneath her feet.
“It’s not fine,” Alex stated. “If your situation is anything like Jennifer’s, which we now know it is, you need to be in bed and resting.”
“Gregory,” Alex snapped at his second-in-command. “Take Darcie back to her room.”
The vampire moved without hesitation, his long arms reaching out to take Darcie in his arms.
“No,” she said, leaning away from Gregory’s grasp. “Stop it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yes, you are.” Alex’s cheek twitched.
“No. I. Am. Not.”
“Darcie,” Eshe’s feminine voice interrupted the tense atmosphere.
The teen’s furious eyes turned to the immortal.
“What?”
The beauty did not let the angry tone deter her. “Why don’t you want to return to your room? You nearly passed out.”
“That was from shock,” she explained with a frown. “I haven’t seen my mom in years. Forgive me if I was a little stunned.”
Eshe nodded. “Okay. But your body is still trying to recover from five days of sleep. You can’t walk. Why not just go back and rest for a while? Give yourself one more day.”
She shook her head, refusing to be swayed by the logic. Nothing about the situation was logical. “I want to know what they are talking about,” she said. “I-I want to hear her explanation. I want to talk to Des.” As she was speaking, Darcie began to realize she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted.
“Allow Gregory to escort you back to your room,” Alex started. “I will go, right now, and pull Des from the meeting. Then, he and I will come speak with you about what transpired at the meetin
g, as well as anything else you would like to know.”
She looked up, and her gaze darted between his blue ones. Sincerity and concern shined out of the pale irises, making Darcie slowly resign herself to his suggestion.
“You promise you will come right away?” she asked in a last-ditch effort to have some say in her current situation.
“I promise.”
She released a breath. “Okay.”
Taking the word as his signal, Gregory dipped down and Darcie allowed him to lift her effortlessly from the chair. Eshe stepped in front of them and led the path through the immense mansion, back to the residence wing.
Gregory took great care to not bounce or shift Darcie as he traveled across the home. Feeling relaxed, she let her head fall against his chest as he moved through various doorways and hallways.
“Glad to see Alex didn’t kill you for watching a movie,” she muttered with her cheek pressed against his shirt.
He did not chuckle. “I am fortunate my punishment was nothing more than a tongue-lashing. I deserved worse.”
Darcie wanted to roll her eyes. “You were keeping me company. If Alex has a problem with that, he can take it up with me.” Her newest friend did not deserve to be reprimanded on her account.
This time, Gregory did release a small laugh. “Careful. Someone listening might think you are not at all intimidated by Alexander, or vampires, in general.”
She smirked and closed her eyes, letting the smoothness of their movement lull her into a sense of security. “I’m not intimidated by you.” She muffled a yawn with the back of her hand.
Gregory’s fingers tightened against her arm. In the time it took for Darcie to notice the slight change in pressure, he already relieved it. “That, Darcie, is what makes you a valuable friend.”
Whatever else he might have said faded away as Darcie’s tired mind and body finally won their battle, dragging her down into another renewing doze.
14
The unanticipated nap ended the moment Gregory placed her on the immense bed centered in the bedroom. Though Darcie was sure he placed her down gently, her body instantly became alive once it touched the purple comforter. It seemed all her weakened limbs needed was a brief respite from the shock in the ballroom. Now, she was able to prop herself up on thin arms with ease.
Eshe appeared beside her and placed two immense pillows behind her back, again.
“Thanks,” Darcie said, settling against the comfy items. Just because she could hold herself up didn’t mean she wanted to.
“You’re welcome.”
“I never would have pictured you for a caretaker,” Darcie said, looking for a way to pass the time. Getting more information out of the immortal seemed a good way to do it. She watched Eshe flutter around the room, picking up and repositioning various objects. It was obvious she’d acted as one before.
Darcie wondered if the position suited the immortal better when she was younger. Maybe she was more… caring?
That wasn’t the right word. She didn’t find Eshe uncaring, but she’d pictured the Egyptian living an exciting and exotic life prior to meeting Lome. Not locked inside taking care of an ill parent.
Eshe chuckled. “I was not a natural by any means. Nebet was more suited to the task.”
“Nebet?” The unique name sounded funny on her tongue.
“My older sister,” Eshe revealed, turning around and sitting on the cushioned windowsill. From her peripherals, Darcie watched as Gregory moved and sat on the chair closest to the door.
“I didn’t know you had a sister. Was she older or younger?”
“Older by two years.”
“And she was the better caretaker?”
Eshe grinned, a memory lightening her expression. “Without question. She was the best of us.”
Darcie smiled. “I always wanted a sister,” she admitted. “Or any sibling, really.”
Eshe shook her head in amusement. “I had three. Let me tell you, it can get pretty crowded sometimes. I tried to spend most of my time outside of the house rather than be suffocated by Sabaf and Ruia.”
The teenager tilted her head at the unfamiliar names.
Eshe noticed and offered, “Sabaf and Ruia are… were my two younger brothers. They were twins.”
Darcie did not miss the pang of sadness cross the immortal’s face. She tried to distract her from it. “Two brothers and one sister,” she repeated back. “Did Lome ever meet them before…”
Cue, putting foot in mouth.
She cringed at where her mind had decided to go. She was trying to make Eshe feel better, not make things worse. She knew the couple’s history was a sensitive subject.
Eshe, however, was surprisingly unaffected by the leading question. “Did Lome meet them before we got married?” she finished for Darcie.
All she could do was nod.
“Yes,” Eshe answered. “Nebet and I met Lome at the same time. Well,” she paused, thinking back to the day over a thousand years ago. “We both saw him the same day, but I met him first.”
Darcie frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I was doing chores, I think. Lome popped up behind me and introduced himself.” Eshe pulled her legs up onto the window seat, wrapping her arms around them. It was the most relaxed position Darcie had ever seen from her.
“It’s hard to remember the details,” she continued. “But I know he had to go out of his way to find me… and talk to me. I wasn’t the most social girl in Alexandria.”
Darcie smiled without thought. “So, he saw you somewhere… and then figured out a way to run into you again? Talk about a stalker,” she joked.
Eshe laughed. “I certainly found it strange. But you know Lome. He is charming. He managed to maintain a decent presence with me and my family.”
“My brothers loved him,” she added. “My father too. Even Nebet couldn’t believe I’d gotten so lucky.”
Darcie refused to move or even blink; she did not want to interrupt any of the information coming her way.
Eshe continued talking, but it was almost like she’d forgotten she was talking to anyone in particular. That, or her normal reserved filter had momentarily shut off. “They were all overjoyed when Lome announced our engagement. If I didn’t know them better, I would have thought they were happy to be rid of me.”
Her mind screamed at her to ask about the fallout. There had to be one. The way Eshe discussed Lome and her family… it seemed like things started off okay between them. For the one-thousandth time since learning there was a painful past between the couple, Darcie wondered what could have possible happened to strain the relationship so much.
As she readied herself to ask the plaguing, and potentially conversation-ruining question, two expected guests entered the room. The opportunity vanished in a puff of smoke.
The wooden door swung open, allowing Alex and Des to glide inside. As Alex shut the door behind them, Des was already halfway across the room and gazing down at Darcie. His laid-back demeanor from the meeting was gone.
She tried to sit up higher. “Uh… hi?”
His breathing was ragged, and his muscular shoulders heaved up and down. She wondered if he ran there, but she knew that, even if he did, Des would not show physical signs of exhaustion. He was an immortal, after all. He was in crazy good shape. Her eyes roamed over his white dress shirt, taking in the fitting fabric showcasing his physique.
“Leave.”
Darcie’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Des shook his head once at her before turning to look at the other three individuals in the room. “Leave,” he repeated. “Now.”
Eshe eyed her brother-in-law. “Des,” she said cautiously. “Are you sure that is a–”
“I’m not kidding, Eshe,” Des scowled.
Darcie stared at him in complete and utter shock. She’d never heard him talk to anyone like that.
Without another word, Eshe stood from the window and walked to the exit. Gregory, wisely, did the same
. Only Alex maintained his position by the door as he observed Des.
His muscles tightened, noticing the vampire’s hesitation. “I need to talk to Darcie… Alone.”
Whatever hidden meaning was behind that word, or silent conversation the two shared within the span of five seconds, was enough for Alex to give Darcie an encouraging nod before leaving them alone.
Once the door closed, Des whirled around and stared at Darcie. Hard.
Her mouth fell open.
Is he mad at me?
She did not know how to react to the man beside her. He was acting like a person on the brink of freaking out and destroying anything in his path, but she couldn’t take the silence.
“What has gotten into y–” There was no chance to finish the question. Des wrapped strong fingers around her neck and crashed his lips into hers, stealing every potential word and breath from her throat.
The kiss was hard and unrelenting. It was nothing like the few they shared before. While she may have believed their previous kisses were full of passion, Darcie now knew that was not the case. Des had been holding back, afraid to either let himself go or allow her to feel just how much he felt for her.
Des did not hold back now. He lowered himself onto the bed. A hand tangled in her hair while the other lifted her off the pillows and brought her towards him. She could feel the heat coming of his chest through her cotton t-shirt. The stubble from his jaw scratched her cheeks, but she did not care. Darcie was as caught up in the kiss as Des.
Her hands gripped his biceps, holding her close to him as he worshiped her lips. Wanting to feel more of him, Darcie’s fingers began roaming across his shoulders, around his back, and down his chest. He was so big, much bigger than any guy she’d ever embraced. She couldn’t help but think of Kevin.
Her first boyfriend had a strong build after years of playing football. He wasn’t out of shape by any means. But Kevin’s size was nothing to note when compared to Des. Everything about him: his muscles, his jawline, his hands… they all revealed unimaginable strength and power. And he wanted Darcie.
This man… arguably the most powerful immortal… wanted her.
The thoughts and feelings were becoming too much, but she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t stop. Darcie’s hands traveled to his thick, brown hair as she ran her nails across his scalp.
Envisioned (Immortal Chronicles Book 3) Page 9