Enraptured: Immortal Chronicles Book IV

by Britt, Samantha

  Charlotte turned her face away. From where she stood, Darcie could see sorrow twisting her features. “I know I am breaking promises I made, and I am sorry for the pain I have caused you.” She took a fortifying breath. “But you must know why I chose Des. We are destined to be together.”

  Against her will, Darcie felt bad for Adir. From what she heard, he and Charlotte had a relationship long before Des came into the picture. It must be hard to be dropped for someone else.

  “You do not understand. I cannot allow you to be with Des.”

  Charlotte blinked at his ominous statement. “I am afraid you have no say.”

  Adir shook his head. His expression alternated from pained to furious. “Do you know how many times Des has found his soulmate?”

  When Charlotte remained silent, he answered for her. “Many. Too many times. Have you ever wondered why he has never been able to actually marry one?”

  Darcie’s heart thudded so loud, she was sure they would hear it. Neither one spared a glance. Adir and Charlotte were focused on each other.

  “Why?” she whispered, eyes wide. “Why hasn’t he?”

  Adir did not hold back. “Because they have all been killed, Lotte. All of them. The Creator has obviously decided against Des and his soulmate. You would be better off fulfilling your promise to me. Otherwise, I fear you will come to harm.”

  In that moment, there was no doubt. If the scene Darcie observed was in the past like she suspected, Adir had murdered Charlotte.

  Darcie had always imagined the murders took place in some detached form. She pictured Adir’s actions were those of someone making sure Des did not complete a bond which would increase his brothers’ powers. But it was an entirely different matter for Charlotte.

  Maybe there is hope for her.

  Adir did not want to kill Charlotte; that much was obvious. He was trying to convince her to not force his hand. But if Charlotte chose Des, Darcie knew what Adir would do.

  Silence fell across the room. Adir waited for her to respond, and Charlotte looked afraid. She wasn’t sure what to say.

  Finally, she whispered, “I cannot help my choice. Des is the one for me.”

  Adir stood with eerie grace. “I hope he is worth your future.” The statement could have been considered a gracious concession, but Darcie knew better.

  Charlotte was blind to the threat. “Thank you. Again, I am sorry for the pain I have caused you. I hope you know I will always care for you.”

  Darcie cringed away from the empty words. Adir had professed his love for Charlotte–given her a chance to change her mind–and all she had to say was she would always care?

  Once again, Darcie unwillingly felt sorry for the rejected immortal.

  “What have we here?” A voice spoke to her subconscious. “Intruding, are we?”

  Darcie looked at Adir. She would never forget the sound of his voice. But the immortal was not looking at her. She feared she was going crazy.

  “You aren’t crazy.” The imaginary voice continued. “It seems you have developed a new skill. You are able to dream walk.”

  In a blink of an eye, the parlor dissolved. Now, Darcie stood in the same pitch-black room from before. Only this time, Adir stood across from her, illuminated by a lone spot light.

  Adir clapped slowly. “My, my. You never cease to surprise me, love. Is there anything you cannot do?”

  Darcie ignored the question. “Did you really cause all of this trouble because you loved one of Des’ soulmates?” she asked with contempt. “That is pathetic, even for you.” The idea formed in her head with little coaxing, but Darcie suspected it was correct. Adir’s vendetta against Des was more personal than she could have ever imagined.

  Instead of getting angry, Adir laughed. It took a moment before he was able to speak. “Oh, Darcie. You are a delight. Only a romantic would consider love to cause such motivation.”

  “Well, didn’t it?”

  “Of course not. If you were paying attention in my dream, you would have noticed the time period. I disposed of many soulmates long before Des discovered Charlotte.”

  Darcie choked back her disgust. He admitted his crimes with complete detachment. The immortal standing before her was not the same one who cared for Charlotte.

  “But you killed her?” she asked. “Charlotte. The woman you loved. All because she picked Des, her soulmate, over you?”

  “I killed her because she chose Des. It had nothing to do with Des stealing a love right out from under me.”

  “Really?” Doubt laced her tone. His word choice had revealed his true frustration.

  Adir shrugged, maintaining his stance. “I’ve lived many millennia. One learns to handle disappointment.”

  “However,” he took a step towards her. “I will admit, I am glad to have the opportunity to return the favor. Tell me, why did you run before we could complete the bond.”

  “I’m pretty sure you know why.”

  Adir shook his head. “Darcie, dearest. If only you could see the good we could accomplish together. Just like I tried to warn Charlotte, you need to know that aligning with Des will lead to nothing but your own demise.”

  Darcie did not respond. She would not let him bait her.

  “I see you are set in your ways. What a pity.” Adir tried his best to appear defeated. “I only wished to offer you an alternate fate. You get to choose, you know. Despite what the poster-family tells you, you do get to choose what you want.”

  “I choose Des.”

  “Then you will die with him,” Adir barked back. Then, remembering himself, he composed his emotions.

  “Thank you for your visit, Darcie, but I believe it is time for you to return.” With that, Adir waved a hand towards her. A gust of wind blew Darcie off her feet. She fell backwards as the world turned sideways. Her feet never touched the ground as she fell down a continuous black hole. Screaming filled her ears.

  Wait. The screams were not hers.

  Darcie jolted awake and popped up off the floor. Breathing heavily, she spun around to survey the room. Paige sat on the bed with her hands in the air.

  “It’s just me.”

  The screams continued.

  Darcie’s stomach clenched. “Who is that?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Without wasting another second, Darcie ran out of the guest bedroom. She didn’t know how, but she knew something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong.

  Racing down the long hallway, she used her immortal speed to rush towards the source of the sound. Jumping down the steps of the central staircase, Darcie approached a crowd of servants huddled around something on the floor.

  Shoving the lesser immortals aside, Darcie fought her way to the middle. What she saw knocked all of the air out of her lungs.

  Eshe sat on the floor, sobbing and screaming in equal measure. Her long, tan arms were wrapped around an immovable figure. When Eshe pushed the brown hair away from the still face, there was no denying the identity of the limp body.

  Bella.

  25

  “Amazing, Darcie!” Mistress Lola called from behind her. “Your control is much improved. What is your secret?”

  Panting, Darcie reached down for her bottle of water. She gulped the precious liquid before huffing out, “Concentration.”

  Ever since the meditation session with Paige, Darcie felt a closer connection to her powers. It was like she still held the golden thread in her hands. When she needed strength, she pulled on the strand and withdrew her power. It made training and practice much more successful.

  Her mother closed the distance from across the field. Jennifer had been firing shots at Darcie for over an hour, and she had deflected or neutralized each one. “Brava!” her mother beamed. “That was extraordinary.”

  “You are welcome,” Paige stood from the grass and gave a dramatic bow.

  All three women chuckled.

  “Thank you, Paige,” Darcie said for probably the fiftieth time. She had initially
been against the werebeast’s methods, but the techniques actually solved her problem. The meditation broke through the mental block that kept Darcie from the source of her power, and Paige was determined to never let her forget it.

  She looked back at her trainers. “I think I need a break.”

  Mistress Lola looked at the sun. It was positioned directly overhead. “It is just as well,” she said. “The Alliance’s meeting is within an hour. You should go clean up before Des comes looking for you, or I will be reprimanded for training you too hard.”

  Darcie rolled her eyes. Des wasn’t overbearing, but he was definitely overprotective. Though, she really couldn’t blame him. She had been unconscious and/or hurt too many times to count. He was just looking out for her. Still, she felt embarrassed to be so diligently looked after.

  Paige snickered, noticing Darcie’s reaction while Jennifer frowned. Darcie met her mother’s gaze. “What?”

  “Nothing.” She looked to Lola, saving herself from the need to answer. “We should go prepare ourselves. The rest of the clan leaders will be arriving shortly.”

  Lola agreed. She and her mother said goodbye and disappeared to their rooms.

  Once they were a good distance away, Paige released a low whistle. “I don’t think your mom is too fond of Des.”

  Darcie watched her mother’s retreating figure. “I think you are right.”

  Jennifer rarely acknowledged her daughter’s connection to the Original immortal. When she did, it was always accompanied with disapproval. “But she will have to get over it.” As far as Darcie was concerned, Des wasn’t going anywhere.

  * * *

  The meeting was smaller than she expected. In the past, crowds of half-breed offspring and lesser immortals had filled the foyer leading up the chamber. As Des and Darcie moved towards the open door, no one impeded their path.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “This is a strategy gathering rather than a ‘town hall’ type of event. Each major group has elected one to two representatives to speak on their behalf. Everyone’s voice will be heard today, though not directly.”

  Darcie nodded. It would be too chaotic to give every supernatural being time to speak.

  “How are you feeling?” Des asked. “We haven’t really spoken about Bella’s arrival.”

  The fingers on his arm tightened. “You mean since Adir dropped her body like a bag on the front porch?” Darcie had tried, but failed, to erase the heartbreaking image from her mind. Bella wore the same clothes as the day she was murdered. Her hair and skin looked recently cleaned, but the manner in which she was found screamed disrespect and aggression. Adir wanted a reaction, but she could not figure out which one.

  “Yes,” Des answered. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine.” She refused to let Adir win. “I’d be more concerned for Eshe.” Darcie had never seen such a strong reaction from the immortal. Eshe was always so composed, but the immortal could not hide how the delivery of Bella’s body affected her.

  “My sister-in-law is recovering. Now that we have honored her with the memorial, we all have the chance to move on.”

  Darcie remembered the emotional memorial service Eshe had arranged for Bella. Hundreds of lesser immortals had appeared to show their respect to the deceased immortal and to the Original family. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room during Eshe’s, Lome’s, or Des’ speeches.

  Thane opted not to address the crowd, but Darcie could still picture the haunted expression on his gaunt face as he gazed down at his wife’s unmoving body. He had disappeared not long after the service ended. She was worried about him.

  “I hope so,” Darcie replied to Des’ statement. They did not have time to say anything else as they arrived.

  The crowded room quieted when Des and Darcie crossed the threshold. They were the last to show up. Some of the room’s occupants were familiar, but the majority were strangers. With a second glance, Darcie acknowledged she may have seen them before, but they were never officially introduced.

  All eyes landed on the couple. Their gazes alternated between Darcie’s face and her hand loped around Des’ arm. Their expressions revealed a mixture of reactions.

  “Oh my,” Charmian broke the silence. Darcie’s eyes swung to her. “I cannot believe he actually did it.” Darcie only needed one guess to know what the matriarch of the witch-bloodline spoke of.

  “As you see,” she replied, gesturing to her new immortal body.

  Sounds of mumbled shock and awe filled the room.

  Don’t show fear, she told herself. And don’t look ashamed. Darcie was an immortal. Now, everyone knew.

  Eros broke from the crowd and approached Darcie with a warm expression. “Welcome to the family, love.” He grabbed her free hand and bent down to kiss it. When he straightened, he gave her a supportive wink. Some of the tension eased out of her shoulders.

  “Why were we not informed right away?” Master Ben, the leader of the Bane witch clan spoke out, bringing up a delayed grievance. “Darcie is one of us. We should have been notified about her… change.”

  Des stiffened beside her. “Lest you forget, Ben, Darcie is not an official member of your clan. You are not entitled to anything when it comes to her. No one is.”

  The warlock frowned. “Not even her mother?”

  “Please, do not attempt to speak for me,” Jennifer called out from her spot by an illustrious oil painting on the East wall. “I am not upset with the delay in learning about my daughter’s change. We all know there have been breeches in our intelligence. I am relieved to know Darcie’s condition has been concealed from many.”

  Condition? Her mother made immortality sound like a disease.

  “You are not the least bit annoyed that Lord Des and King Alexander concealed this truth from The Alliance?”

  “No.”

  The admission made Master Ben balk. “We should have been there to protect her. If Adir had gotten his hands on her, we would have been done for.”

  “I think you are forgetting that Adir already managed to get his hands on Darcie,” Alex said with a chill. “Under your clan’s protection, I believe.”

  Darcie smirked as Master Ben continued to flounder. “T-that was not our doing. Henry turned on The Alliance.”

  “Yes,” Alex bit out. “Henry, a warlock, betrayed us. So, forgive me if I did not think it wise to entrust any of your kind with Darcie’s whereabouts or change in mortality.”

  Discontent rose from the group of witches and warlocks. They took offense to Alex’s words.

  “Enough,” Des spoke. The room instantly quieted. “We are not here to bicker. Everyone, please sit so we might get the meeting underway.”

  No one disobeyed. Des smiled gently at Darcie. He led her to the end of an extremely long rectangular table. He pulled back the chair to the right of table’s end for her before taking his seat at the head of the table. Her skin felt cold from lack of contact. She tucked her hands in her lap to hide the discomfort. Dozens of leaders surrounded the table and the walls around the room.

  “Well,” Des began, “one item is already crossed off the list. You are now all officially aware of Darcie’s immortality. And, as some of you might be wondering, the rumors are true. Adir used an Elder to complete the transformation against Darcie’s will.”

  Sympathetic and outraged glances landed on her. She dipped her eyes down to avoid seeing their scrutiny.

  “But how is that even possible?” Lucas, Paige’s father and the representative of the werebeast community, asked. “Elders do not roam Earth every day. How did Adir manage to convince one to help him?”

  “Threatened.” Darcie lifted her eyes to the room. “The Elder was threatened to comply with Adir’s wishes.” She might have resented the being for giving in to Adir’s demands, but she owed the Elder for helping her escape before the immortal forced a bond between them.

  Lucas frowned. “How could Adir threaten an Elder? They are much more powerful than Original Immortals.
”

  The information surprised Darcie. She never would have guessed the frail looking Elder could best any of the immortals.

  Then again, she supposed an Elder would need to have a significant amount of power. After all, they were the ones who were able to create immortals out of the brothers’ wives.

  “That is what I am trying to find out,” Des replied to Lucas. Murmurs traveled throughout the room. Master Ben looked less than pleased.

  “What news of The Veritas?” Julisanna’s lovely voice ascended the noise.

  “The Veritas?” An unknown witch choked out with fear. Darcie watched her mother and Mistress Lola glare at Julisanna.

  The beautiful immortal picked at her nails and shrugged. “I thought this meeting was about no longer keeping secrets.”

  Jennifer’s eyes filled with mistrust. “How do you know about The Veritas?”

  Julisanna lowered her hand and met Jennifer’s stare with a bored expression. “There is very little in this world that I do not know about.”

  Before a cat fight ensued, Master Ben spoke up. “The Veritas was written by the first magical clan. It holds many great and terrible spells within its covers. How did you manage to obtain it?”

  “And what are you planning to do with it?” Charmian tacked on. She looked knowingly towards Darcie.

  The teenager cleared her throat. “I am going to use The Veritas against Adir.”

  Quiet settled for less than one second before chaos ensued.

  “How is that possible?

  “There is no way. She is just a child!”

  “It is suicide. Total and complete suicide.”

  Cries of disbelief and astonishment continued to chirp from those around the table. Darcie leaned back in her chair. She wished she hadn’t been so quick with her words. She looked at Des. Nothing but support and approval shined in his gaze. He reached over and lightly placed a comforting hand on top of hers.

  “Enough,” Charmian’s normally collected voice shouted across the table. “Silence.” Everyone heeded the immortal’s command.

  Charmian turned to Des and Darcie. “How did you obtain The Veritas?”