Enraptured: Immortal Chronicles Book IV

by Britt, Samantha

  Even if Darcie risked falling into the detached state for the rest of her immortal life, she wouldn’t hesitate if it meant she helped those she cared for.

  Des kissed her temple and rested his cheek against her head. “I know.” He rubbed a hand down her back. “Your selflessness is one of the reasons I love you.”

  The words hit her, and Darcie stiffened. She leaned back to look into his face. “What did you just say?”

  He continued to rub her back, gazing into her eyes with affection. “I love your capacity to care for others. You are very selfless, Darcie.” He, obviously, did not understand why she was so stunned.

  Feeling brave, she swallowed and asked, “You love me?”

  Des stopped his caress. He looked at her with open sincerity. “Of course, I love you.”

  Darcie’s heart fluttered. “Really?” She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

  “Surely this isn’t a surprise,” Des stated. “I’ve expressed my feelings for you. I’ve told you how much I care.”

  Darcie bobbed her head. “Yes… but I didn’t know you loved me.”

  Love was a totally different level of caring for someone. Darcie cared for all of her friends, but she wasn’t romantically in love with them.

  Instead of speaking, Des wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck. He held her in place as his lips lightly pressed against hers. Darcie’s toes curled.

  He leaned back. “I loved you the moment I laid eyes on you in Athens. I’ve loved you for millennia, Darcie. The more time I spend with you, the deeper that love grows. That’s why I stayed away for so long. Loving you was already hopeless for me, but you still had a chance. You had an opportunity to live a normal life. I do not regret meeting you, but I do regret being the reason you will never have a life without complication.”

  Darcie listened to his words. Her heart alternated between soaring and falling. She understood what Des was saying, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “I never had a chance,” she told him, realizing the truth of the words seconds before she revealed them. “You were stubborn, cold, and distant. But I felt drawn to you anyway. I never had a chance for a normal life because a normal life wouldn’t have you in it.”

  Darcie eyes glistened as she smiled. “I would have spent my entire mortal life searching for you, Des. My soul would have refused to settle for anything less than you… I know it.”

  She reached up and brushed away the lone tear that escaped from the corner of Des’ sea-green eyes. He smiled softly, staring at her in wonder.

  “Are you saying you love me?” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His gaze darted between her eyes. They were full of cautious hope.

  Darcie wanted to convince him beyond any tiny thread of doubt.

  “Yes,” she whispered, lifting herself onto her toes. “I love you… despite your over-protective and bossy tendencies.”

  Des laughed and crushed her chest against him. Still cupping her head, he lowered his own and kissed her soundly.

  Pulling back, he said, “As much as I want to continue this, I think people might be waiting for us.” He looked pointedly towards the path to the compound’s main building. It was empty. Everyone had gone inside.

  Darcie wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping them intertwined. “We’ve waited for centuries and multiple lifetimes to be together. I think they can wait a few more minutes.”

  Without waiting for a reply, she drew his lips down and became enraptured by the feel of his lips, hands, and body pressed against hers.

  Des groaned, but he didn’t fight her kiss. His hands roamed to her backside and lifted her up so her legs could wrap around his lower back. The elevated position allowed her to control the kiss.

  Darcie knew she and Des still had a lot to work out to make their relationship work. She wasn’t sure what their next step would be, or when it would take place. All she knew was nothing would ever change the way she felt about the immortal who selflessly tried to protect her from harm, even at the expense of his own happiness.

  Darcie tangled her fingers in his thick, brown hair and scratched his scalp with her nails. Des nibbled at her lip and deepened the already-passionate kiss. She poured all of her pent-up longing into his lips, doing her best to show Des the depth of her love.

  Even if it took the next one hundred years, Darcie vowed to love her One until all heartbreak or sadness caused by her past lives faded into distant memory.

  Epilogue

  Des

  “You want to know how I know I love you?” Des asked as they were putting on their shoes, preparing to venture outside.

  Darcie smiled, stealing the breath from him like always. “How?”

  He exhaled dramatically. “I am suffering the presence of an ex-boyfriend to make you happy. Any man on the planet would agree that I am being incredibly mature and must love you beyond belief.”

  Darcie rolled her eyes and stood up once her heels were in place. “It’s Marie’s graduation party. A ton of people will be there. We won’t have to say more than two words to Kevin.”

  Darcie had returned to her childhood home no more than two weeks ago. His One had graciously waited until The Alliance tracked down all of the rebel leaders, but once the last troublesome lesser immortal was imprisoned, Darcie demanded to be allowed to return home. Des was sorry to lose her constant presence at the Grecian mansion, but he understood her desire to return to Maine and to see her dad.

  Fortunately, Des did not have to endure an extended period of time without her. Since Darcie’s departure, he had traveled to Maine to spend some part of nearly every day with her.

  Though, he did stay away the first few days.

  Darcie and her mother had not wasted any time in coming clean about everything to John Abernathy. As a team, the women admitted the real reasons behind both of their departures and filled him in on all that had happened.

  The professor, surprisingly, took it all very well. Of course, he expressed dismay that his daughter hadn’t confided the truth to him sooner, but the man claimed to understand her reasons for secrecy.

  “Come on you two,” Professor Abernathy brushed past them in the hallway. “We are going to be late.”

  “There isn’t a rush, John,” Jennifer told him, trailing behind him with a wrapped box. “The Jamesons said to come whenever. I see people walking in and out of that house constantly.”

  John held open the front door and motioned for Jennifer to walk through. When she got close, he closed the gap to make her stop. Leaning forward, the professor gave Jennifer a quick kiss on the cheek. “One for the road,” he told her with a wink. The witch blushed and shook her head at his flirtatious gesture. John proceeded to re-open the door and both of the adults left.

  Des eyed the departing pair and couldn’t help but smirk at Darcie. He knew how weird she felt when she saw her parents show affection. Seeing his teasing expression, Darcie nudged him with her elbow. She followed her parents out of the house.

  He jogged after her, shutting the door behind him. “How long do you think it will take you to get used to that?” he asked, pointing towards the leading couple.

  Darcie sighed. “Who knows? I mean, I’m happy they are happy. It’s just weird. It’s been me and my dad for so long, you know?” The internal conflict played clearly across her beautiful face.

  Des wrapped an arm around her. “I know.”

  The two crossed the lawn connecting Darcie’s house to her best friend’s. When they neared the porch, Des dropped his arm and contented himself by grabbing hold of her hand. They followed her parents and the rest of the party’s arriving guests into the colonial-style home.

  Loud conversations and music reached his ears. Des had to tone down his hearing to make the sound more comfortable. Glancing over at Darcie, he raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she’d done the same.

  She gave his hand a squeeze and said, “Your training is coming in handy.” Des and Darcie had spent t
he past weeks working and controlling Darcie’s immortal abilities. She proved to be a quick study.

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Moving through the entryway, they arrived in a busy kitchen. Across the room, a pretty brunette in a summer dress rushed over with a squeal. “Darcie! You made it.” Des dropped her hand right before the collision.

  “Of course,” Darcie said, returning the surprise embrace with a laugh. “I wouldn’t miss it!”

  Marie beamed. Then, she turned and gave Des a shy wave. “Hi, Des. Thanks for coming.”

  He smiled. “It was nice of you to invite me. Congratulations on your graduation.”

  “Thank you!” She grew a little more relaxed talking to him. Darcie had told Des how intimidating Marie believed him to be, so he aimed to seem more approachable.

  Turning towards one another, the childhood friends began a conversation about some other local high school graduates. Not knowing anyone they mentioned, Des preoccupied himself by observing those around the room.

  In the back corner, talking to a couple he identified as Marie’s parents, John and Jennifer had one arm wrapped around the other as they socialized. More than ten years may have passed since the two parted ways, but you would never know it by watching them. John and Jennifer were perfectly in sync and obviously in love. He suspected a wedding wouldn’t be far off.

  Thinking of weddings led his eyes back to Darcie. Her skin was glowing pink as she laughed at something Marie said. Des’ fingers twitched, longing to reach out and touch her.

  The two had discussed their future plans: Darcie was going to go to college, and Des would move to whatever city she lived in. He had mentioned the possibility of them moving in together, but they had yet to make a decision on that front.

  Des wasn’t going to push the subject. He had waited for Darcie for millennia, he wasn’t going to pressure her about their living situation or even their bond… despite the outcry it raised from his siblings on The Council.

  “Hey, Darcie.” Des heard someone say. He recognized the male’s voice from the many phone conversations he had listened in on.

  Kevin appeared beside Darcie.

  “Kevin,” Darcie greeted with a genuine smile. “Nice to see you.”

  “Nice to see you, too.” His eyes moved over Darcie and her summer dress. The scrutiny agitated Des, but he remained where he stood. He wouldn’t embarrass Darcie by acting like a territorial ape. Darcie looked back at Des and motioned him forward.

  “This is Des,” she told Kevin.

  The human’s mouth twisted for a second before he held out a hand. Des accepted the gesture, and the two shook hands.

  “Kevin, where is Amanda?” Marie asked her brother, breaking the tension before it could really settle.

  He looked at his sister then pointed over towards the snack table. “Getting food, I think.”

  “You’re here with Amanda?” Darcie asked, sounding like she knew the girl.

  “Yeah,” Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re sort of dating.”

  Des couldn’t control his reaction–his eyes widened in surprise. He wondered how anyone could ever move on from dating Darcie. He knew he certainly couldn’t.

  Des looked towards the snack table and caught sight of a pretty brunette teenager. She was picking at the chips. Feeling several pairs of eyes on her, she looked up and waved sweetly towards their group.

  From the corner of his eye, Des saw Kevin return the wave. Looking back at Kevin, Des guessed he must have some genuine feeling for the new girl. His face revealed as much.

  “That’s great,” Darcie said sincerely. “I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks.” Kevin shifted on his feet. “Well, I should get back over there. Enjoy your party, sis.” With that, Darcie’s ex-boyfriend disappeared into the crowd.

  “Want to get something to drink?” Darcie’s question pulled Des’ attention back. He looked at her and noted her amused grin.

  “Sure.” Turning to Marie, he said, “Congratulations, again.”

  With a knowing smirk, Marie waved them away, and she moved on to talk with her other guests.

  Once Des and Darcie both had a cup of punch, they moved outside and sat on a cozy outdoor sofa positioned by the fire pit. The weather was nice, but it was still cool enough to enjoy the fire.

  They sat in silence, sipping on their punch. After a few minutes, Des decided he had enough quiet.

  “So, your ex has moved on. How will you manage?” he asked it as a joke, but a small, insecure part of him wondered if Darcie was at all bothered seeing Kevin with another girl. It was obvious seeing Darcie with Des had irritated him.

  Darcie looked at Des with an incredulous expression. “I think I’ll manage just fine,” she told him. “I’m happy for him.”

  “Are you sure?” His confidence had been boosted by her reaction. Now, he was set on teasing her. “I’m sure you could still salvage the situation. Tell you what, I’ll go distract Amanda to give you time to work it out.”

  Darcie rolled her eyes and made sure he saw. “You know, I miss the days when you weren’t so talkative.”

  Des grinned and reached out to pull her close. “No, you don’t. Otherwise, how would you know how much I love you.”

  Darcie made a show of tapping her chin. “You could prove it,” she suggested.

  His eyebrows raised, intrigued. “Prove it? How?”

  She wasted no time. “You could agree to let me train with the Elder… in Eirie.”

  Des groaned and leaned back to stare at the sky. “Darcie, you know that idea terrifies me.”

  Des had never been to the mythical realm of Eirie–no immortal had. When Darcie told him of the Elder’s offer to train her in his home realm, Des’ first reaction was to forbid it.

  However, he quickly realized he couldn’t forbid Darcie from doing anything. So, he had revealed his fear about her traveling to an unknown realm and begged her not to go. Darcie, thankfully, had agreed.

  But despite his momentary success, Des knew the victory was not permanent. Exhibit A: the conversation he found himself in.

  “I know,” Darcie validated his statement. “But hear me out. No one in any clan has been able to help me use The Veritas again, and no one understands my powers. There is apparently a lot of information in there about people of multiple immortal bloodlines, but I can’t read any of it. The Elder offered to help me when he visited last week, but he can’t leave Eirie as much as he’d like. He proposed giving me access to transport directly into his city so I can come and go as I please. It’s not like I’d have to be there for long.”

  Des lowered his eyes towards her. “What if something happens to you? I am not able to go to Eirie. I wouldn’t be able to help you.”

  She trapped him in her gaze. Reaching out, she pushed the hair back from his eyes. “Do you trust me?”

  It wasn’t fair. He could never resist her when she looked at him like that. “Yes,” he answered. “I trust you.”

  Her expression softened. “Then trust me. I have a feeling training with the Elder is exactly what I need to master my witch and immortal abilities. Once that is done, I will have one less unknown to juggle on my plate. The Elder gave me his word that I would be safe there. He wouldn’t lie.”

  Des shook his head. The Elder’s words wouldn’t mean anything to him if he didn’t know that his race couldn’t lie. They were physically incapable of lying. It was that fact and Darcie’s gentle determination which finally won him over.

  “Alright,” he agreed. “Even though you don’t need my permission, I support you training with the Elder.”

  “In Eirie?”

  Des ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes,” he conceded, “in Eirie.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Darcie threw her arms around his neck and squeezed tight. “Thank you for not fighting me on this.”

  Des chuckled and ran his hand down her back. “Well, one thing’s for sure… life with you will never get boring.”

 
Darcie laughed with him, leaning back to look in his eyes. “I’m counting on it.” Then, she moved forward and kissed him.

  Des’ heart thudded in his chest. He lifted his hands to steady her arms. Her fingers tangled in the hair above his neck and their movements sent shivers down his body.

  Des had waited so long to have such a relationship–to be with his One without fear of losing her. He was grateful for all of their past adventures which guided them to one another, and he looked forward to the new ones to come.

  It might have been minutes or seconds later when Darcie broke the kiss–Des always lost track of time when she was in his arms.

  Smiling at him, Darcie said, “I love you, Des. Thank you for being so understanding and sweet. I can’t imagine life without you.”

  Des doubted he would ever tire of hearing those three words leave her lips. Darcie was his dream come true, and he was determined to spend the rest of his days helping make sure all of her dreams would come true.

  He tucked her incessantly loose hair behind her ear. “I love you too, Darcie. More than I will ever be able to say.”

  The End.

  Acknowledgments

  THANK YOU to all the readers who followed Darcie’s story until the very end! I loved hearing your thoughts throughout the Immortal Chronicles series. I am beyond blessed to have such eager and involved readers, and I cannot wait to get my next project out for you all!

  Monika from AmpersandBookCovers, thank you for an amazing series of covers! I loved each and every one, but Enraptured’s cover is probably my favorite. :)

  Huge appreciation and thanks to Rob for editing my work (often with a short deadline). You helped make the series the best it could be, and I cannot thank you enough for your help.

  To my family and friends, thank you for your constant support and encouragement. There is no way I could have published the entire series in 7 months without you all!