Darcie didn’t miss the insinuating pause. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a loud crash outside their door.
Des jumped to his feet, managing to gently place her back on the floor at the same time, and faced the sound. It took all the strength in her to rise into a sitting position. If she needed to run, she would be toast.
Tense seconds passed where Des looked ready to destroy anything that came through the door.
But nothing happened.
After a few more moments, the immortal’s shoulders relaxed with the passing threat.
He looked down at Darcie. “Can you walk?”
She glanced down to her heavy legs. “I don’t know.”
“Shit.” Des ran a hand through his hair.
“I-I can try.” She hated seeing the negative reaction, let alone being the cause for it.
“No,” Des crouched down to her eye level. As he stared at her, Darcie watched thoughts pass behind his eyes.
Finally, one stuck. Whatever it was, it caused Des to look very uncomfortable. He averted his gaze.
“Whatever Adir did,” he cleared his throat. “Whatever he did hasn’t left your body. We need to get your strength back if we have any hope of getting out of here uncaptured.”
She nodded in complete agreement. “Alright. How?”
Des turned back to her, and she read the answer in his expression. Only then did she remember Des’ kiss just before she opened her eyes.
“Oh,” she breathed. Her face filled with heat.
“I don’t know what Adir did,” Des repeated after observing her reaction. “But I know physical contact helps. Maybe I give you my strength?”
That makes sense.
She nodded. “Maybe.”
Des placed his hand on her shoulder. “The kiss worked quickly. We are working against time, otherwise I would let you gain strength back another way.”
Darcie was mortified. She was under no illusion Des kissed her for his own benefit, but hearing him say it to her was awful.
She looked over his shoulder, unable to meet his eyes. “Alright.”
With a fortifying sigh, Des leaned forward. Using his other hand, he guided her cheek to the side and pressed his lips to hers.
At first, Darcie refused to move underneath his touch. She did not want Des to mistake any participation as desire for what was happening.
He made it perfectly clear it was only a necessity.
However, as Des’ ministrations became more probing, she found it difficult to remain stoic.
Des’ hands cupped the side of her face. His lips urged hers to part, and their breath mingled together. She didn’t know what to do. Every part of her wanted to throw herself into the kiss, but she could not stop telling herself it was not a romantic kiss.
Des had been clear: he knew of no other way to help her regain strength.
This is the only option.
But Des didn’t act resigned to the task. With each moment that passed, his kiss became more and more passionate. His breathing increased, and he pressed closer to Darcie.
Try as she might, she could not stop her body’s natural reaction. Darcie lifted a small hand to Des’ cheek and tilted her head to deepen the kiss. Her blood pulsed with fire. Her heart swelled. Her entire body experienced a myriad of sensations in response to each press of Des’ lips.
Darcie always wondered what her first kiss would be like. Movies led her to believe it would be timid and sweet, but that was definitely not the case. Des’ natural intensity played into the passionate kiss. It was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Control returned to Darcie’s legs. She pulled them behind her and sat on her legs, careful not to break the kiss. She was just about to advance further when an odd sound reached her ears.
She paused to listen, but Des continued to move his lips against hers. Darcie stiffened as her mind finally made sense of the noise.
Slow clapping sounded above their heads. “Look what we have here.”
25
Darcie leaned away from the kiss and froze when she saw Adir’s sardonic grin looking down on her. Des stood and turned to face him, stepping in front of her.
She rose to her feet, no trace of numbness in her body, as she observed Adir’s state. He was covered in black smudges. His shirt was torn in various spots. It was obvious he’d been in a fight.
“Stand down, Adir,” Des commanded, his tone full of the authority Darcie realized was bestowed upon him by the immortal council. “You are acting against the orders of The Council.”
Adir’s laugh was maniacal. “I do not recognize the authority of The Council.” His grin grew. “Their orders do not apply to me.”
“This is treachery,” Des growled. His body tensed. “Don’t be a fool, Adir. Stand down.”
“I don’t think I will.”
Darcie watched as Adir threw forward his palm, and a bright red light shot from its surface. Des deflected the light with his forearm, but the impact sent him careening back into Darcie and pressed her against the wall. The breath flew out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for breath.
Des bolted forward and crashed into Adir, sending both immortals flying out of the closet and into the adjacent hallway.
Darcie stumbled forward, still trying to catch her breath. She used the door frame for balance and took in the scene before her. The entire hallway looked as if it had been blown away by an explosion. The walls were crumbled. Debris littered the floor. It looked like a war zone in an expensive mansion.
Adir and Des continued to try and harm the other with the sources of light. Darcie blinked multiple times and shook her head, but the scene before her didn’t change. The brothers never mentioned any ability to shoot light out of their body. The acknowledgement made her more inclined to believe Adir when he said the brothers didn’t tell her everything. The evidence was right before her.
But Des came to rescue me.
A loud boom reverberated through the door frame.
Darcie didn’t know where she was in relation to any exit. Knowing her safety depended on Des winning and helping her escape the house, she crouched down and watched the immortals fight.
Adir continued to shoot red light from his hands, and Des expertly dodged or deflected every attack. He returned counter attacks with a blinding white light emanating from his hands.
One large burst sent Adir jumping back into an adjacent room. Through the crumbling wall, she could see Des pursue the rebel immortal and continue his assault.
For the life of her, she could not tell if someone had an advantage. Both immortals looked evenly matched. Des would appear to be on the offensive but, in the blink of an eye, Adir would begin pressing and Des would have to move to defend himself. Neither was able to gain the upper hand.
Briefly, Darcie wondered if Des was only stronger in the presence of his brothers.
As if the universe heard her question and decided to offer assistance, she heard a distant voice she recognized. “Des? Des, where are you?”
Another shake caused Darcie to lose balance. She lurched forward and caught herself with her palms. She hissed as her skin made contact with shards on the ground.
“Des?” The voice sounded closer. “Darcie?”
“Over here!” she shouted. Despite the effort, she was sure her reply was lost in the sound of the fighting taking place all around her.
“No!” Des cried.
Darcie turned her head and the world seemed to slow down.
One of Adir’s red bolts progress through the air.
She watched it pass by Des as if it were not meant for him at all. She saw Adir’s lips turn up at the corners, happy with the move he made.
Blood pounded in Darcie’s ears as she realized the attack was intended for her.
Her eyes moved back to Des. His face registered shock and horror. He didn’t anticipate Adir’s move, and he didn’t know how to stop it.
Darcie refocused on the red ball of light. There wa
s no time to do anything but close her eyes and await the inevitable.
She released her last breath and thought of her father, Marie and Kevin, wishing she could have seen them one last time.
26
As it turned out, that was not the end for Darcie.
Just as the bolt of Adir’s power was moments away from hitting her in the chest, a green streak coursed through the air and collided with the red orb.
At least, that’s what Lome told Darcie later when he bragged about saving her life.
The voice she had heard in the distance turned out to belong to Thane. He and Lome finished battling the rebel attackers and managed to take control of the stronghold.
Once secure, the brothers immediately went in search of Des and Darcie. Bella proved invaluable in providing the last location she had seen the pair before Des insisted she try and escape.
Now, Darcie sat beside Bella on a debris covered couch and watched the brothers detain and secure Adir in the middle of a battle-wrecked room.
“It’s over, Adir,” Thane’s eyes shined with triumph. “Your rebel conspirators are either annihilated or have surrendered to The Council. You lose.” Lome and Des held on to Adir, both of their hands glowing as they pulsed whatever power they possessed into their captive’s flesh.
Adir, weakened by the brothers, could barely lift his head to meet Thane’s gaze. “The war has just begun,” he told him. His lips turned into a knowing smile.
Before Thane could reply, Adir turned his eyes and locked onto Darcie’s. “Remember what I told you,” he said. “Don’t be fooled by their words. They want power, even if it means stealing lives from innocents.”
“Enough,” Des growled, yanking Adir back. Darcie watched the brothers remove Adir from the room.
As they were crossing the threshold, Des spared a concerned glance for Darcie, silently asking if she was okay before he left her presence.
Touched by the gesture, she willed her lips up, trying to look okay. The tension in his back lessened slightly.
The moment he was out of sight, Darcie’s false expression fell.
“Where are they taking him?” she asked the air in front of her, staring at the room’s exit.
“Our house,” Thane replied. “We have prison cells where he will be held until his trial.”
“Trial?” She turned towards him. “I didn’t think immortals would have trials.”
“We are not unjust,” Thane stated. “The Council will decide Adir’s fate. Not us.”
She turned back to the empty doorway. “Good.” She hoped his fate stayed far, far away from hers.
“What did Adir mean, Darcie?” Thane asked. “When he told you to remember what he said?”
She thought about telling him the truth.
Darcie thought about revealing she knew the brothers were the only immortals still benefiting from tragedies in the human condition.
She thought of telling Thane how she resented being dragged into this mess by him. He should have never said a word to her in Maine. He should have believed Des when he denied a connection. Instead, Thane and the other immortals were the reason Darcie’s life was uprooted and thrown into chaos.
“Nothing,” she replied. “He spent the entire time rambling. None of it made any sense.”
Easily satisfied with her answer, Thane turned his gaze to his wife. “Take Darcie home, Bella. She needs rest.”
“No.” Darcie surprised the couple when she stood and crossed her arms. “Enough is enough. I want to go home.”
“Darcie.” Bella reached out a soothing hand. “It isn’t safe.”
She stepped out of the immortal’s reach. “I don’t care. None of this concerns me, and I shouldn’t have been brought into this situation in the first place.”
She turned and stared directly at Thane. “If you want to keep me with you, you will have to lock me away again. And we all know how well that turned out.” Darcie gave him a meaningful look. Half of their trouble started when she accidentally stumbled into a meeting of immortals.
After speaking with Adir, she suspected her opinion and wishes would have little consequence to Thane and Lome. Regardless, she needed to return home.
While she knew the brothers meant her no harm, she also knew they would do anything to have her acknowledged as Des’ other half. The immortals might present the life changing decision with a smile, but it would not be a choice they would allow Darcie to deny. They wanted more power. Now more than ever.
What they didn’t realize, however, was Darcie refused to give up her life.
“I appreciate you helping me,” she continued, “but you are the only reason my life was ever in danger. I believe you didn’t mean for that to happen, but it did.”
“And now,” she sighed, unable to hide how tired she felt. “I just want to go home.”
No one said a word.
Thane observed Darcie, and she watched him in return. Neither of their eyes wavered. The teenager willed resolve into her expression, refusing to give Thane any indication she doubted her decision.
“Surely you won’t allow this,” Bella told her husband when he did not immediately reply. “She could be harmed.”
Thane pursed his lips, and Darcie raised a brow.
“That is her choice,” he finally said, stunning the two women. “We will do everything we can to convince our community Darcie has no relevance in our lives. For those we can’t convince, we can at least ensure they do not discover her whereabouts.”
Relief swept through Darcie, and her shoulders relaxed. She sent up a silent cry of relief. “Thank you,” she told him, throwing all the gratitude she could muster into the simple phrase.
Thane tilted his head forward. “It is the least we could do after everything we have put you through. Please know, if I could go back in time and change the way things happened, I would.”
A small voice whispered, doubt it.
“I appreciate that,” Darcie said.
“I hate this,” Bella spoke up and gave a dramatic sniffle. Her tousled brown hair fell forward when she lowered her head. “I feel like I’m losing a friend.”
“I don’t belong in this life,” Darcie stated. Upon seeing the hurt cross Bella’s face, she decided to tone down her speech.
She stepped closer, reached out and pulled Bella into a tight hug. “But I feel like I’m losing a friend too. I will miss you.”
Bella sniffled again. “Can we at least visit you?”
Darcie chuckled and squeezed the immortal–the sole reason she did not lose her mind while contained in the brothers’ home. “Only if you do it on the down low.”
The immortal returned the squeeze. “Deal.”
27
“Darcie!”
She turned around and watched as Kevin leapt out of his vehicle and ran up the driveway towards her. Darcie lowered the ice-scraper to her side.
One week passed since the immortals finally returned her home. In that time, Darcie’s days were mostly spent at home with her father or with Marie. Kevin, unfortunately, went on a spontaneous trip with college friends just before she returned.
Marie, ever the matchmaker, revealed Kevin tried calling to tell her friend about the trip, but Darcie’s phone was out of range every single time.
Darcie had shrugged and blamed the inconsistent towers in Greece. She couldn’t tell her friend the silence was due to her being kidnapped by a rebellious immortal and held captive in his home. She doubted Marie would believe her even if she did.
However, once Kevin knew she was back in Maine, the two texted plans to meet up when he returned from his trip.
Apparently, he couldn’t wait for their scheduled dinner later that evening.
“Hi, Kevin.” Not knowing what to do with her hands, Darcie rested the ice-scraper on the Jeep’s hood. A decently thick layer of ice had formed in her two and a half week absence, and she was having a heck of a time trying to get it off.
“Hi, Darcie.” The air fogged from hi
s breath. Glancing down, she noticed the large bouquet of roses in his hands.
“You brought me flowers?” she asked. They must have been hard to come by. Roses weren’t exactly in season.
Kevin made the last few steps until he stood next to the Jeep’s passenger door. “These are for you.” He extended his arm to officially offer the beautiful bouquet.
She took the flowers and inhaled their scent, reveling in their sweet smell. Darcie lifted her head and met Kevin’s admiring gaze. She blushed.
It was easier to handle her reactions through a phone. Darcie felt completely unsure of how to act now that she and Kevin were together in person.
Did he still want to go on a date? What if he came by early to cancel the date? What if he changed his mind?
“What are you thinking?” Kevin asked, able to see the frantic emotions splayed across her expression.
She masked her face. “Nothing. Thank you for the flowers.”
“I’m glad you like them.” Kevin shifted his feet.
“H-how was your trip?” Smooth, Darcie. She wanted to kick herself.
“Good.” Kevin nodded. “It was a fun time.”
“Good.” Darcie didn’t know what to say, where she should look, or how to position her hands. She found herself at a complete loss for how to interact with Kevin.
“This is awkward, huh?” He cracked a smile.
Darcie released an uncomfortable laugh. “Yeah, a little.”
He shook his head ruefully and said, “I’m an idiot.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“All I could think about when I got back was seeing you today. So what do I do?” He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I decide it’s a great idea to buy you flowers and surprise you by showing up early.”
The corners of Darcie’s lips turned up.
“But instead of having something to say, I show up and stand here looking like an idiot.”
“You don’t look like an idiot,” she murmured. All her life, she never knew Kevin to be insecure. In every phone conversation, he never seemed anything but self-assured and confident. She did not know where his current self-doubt came from.
Enlightened Page 20
