Lucas bobbed his head. “I will accompany you upstairs.”
Without another word, Jennifer and Lucas turned and disappeared down the hall. Darcie vaguely heard their ascending steps as they climbed the stairs. Alex, however, remained behind. He approached the couch until he stood less than three feet from Darcie.
“How was the trip?”
She wanted to roll her eyes. The trip was nothing. Traveling through the portal felt instantaneous, and the drive was nothing abnormal. “It was fine,” she said. “What do we do now?”
“Find your room. Settle in. I believe Eshe and Gregory took great pains to ensure your comfort.” He said the last part with an amused smirk.
Darcie exhaled. “And then what? My mother mentioned a meeting?”
“Do not concern yourself with that,” he replied without hesitation. “It is a strategy meeting, nothing more.”
It didn’t sound like nothing. Darcie crossed her arms. “I want to go.”
“No,” Alex replied. “Only Jennifer, Lucas, Mistress Lola, and I will be formulating our strategy.”
“Why?”
“Because we are the superiors, and that is how this will work.”
Darcie balked, and her gaze swung to the other two subordinates in the room. Her eyes locked onto Paige. “You’re okay with that? With being left out.”
The teen shrugged, looking totally unbothered. “It’s normal.”
Glancing at Gregory, he nodded his agreement that the arrangement was normal. Darcie wanted to argue. She saw no reason why she, Paige, and Gregory couldn’t be a part of the strategy meeting. They would know the plan, eventually, anyway.
However, it seemed like she was the only one bothered by the plan. With a resentful huff and mumble, Darcie accepted the illogical decision.
Alex’s gaze softened, noticing her disappointment. “Be patient, Darcie. Soon, you will know all there is to know about anything and everything.”
Darcie bobbed her head in non-committal agreement.
She didn’t realize it then, but the words sounded more like a bad omen than a reassuring promise.
20
The condo sat on the Atlantic side of the peninsula, and Darcie’s bedroom faced the eastern coast. It was a beautiful view, but she could have done without the early morning sunlight currently pulling her into consciousness.
She moaned and flipped to her side on the twin size mattress. Though the bed was small, it was covered with soft sheets and fluffy pillows. Even with a racing mind, the teenager had no problem falling asleep in the foreign bed the night before.
Now, however, she was unable to return to the restful sleep due to the traitorous brightness. Off in the distance, Darcie heard the stairs creak. Someone else was already awake. She glanced at her clock and acknowledged it was later than she thought. Her body would need to adjust to the time change, and she figured the best way to do that was to get up and start her day.
Flinging her legs over the edge of the mattress, Darcie lifted her arms and arched her back in a stretch. Her cell phone buzzed, drawing her attention.
Dropping her arms, she leaned over and grabbed the device. She couldn’t fight off her happy smile as she read the message from Des:
Alexander has reported your safe arrival. I hope you had a good night of rest. I will be thinking of you today. - Des
The message was formal, especially with the sign-off, but it was charming nonetheless. It was the first time he had messaged her. Darcie didn’t even know he had a phone. Quickly, her fingers flew over the keys and saved the number.
Then, she replied:
Thanks! I slept like a rock. I hope you had a nice, quiet evening without me yesterday. ;)
Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she added:
I will be thinking of you today, too. - Darcie
She chuckled at her own sign-off as she tapped send. Placing the phone down on the bed, she quickly moved to gather toiletries for the bathroom. Just as she was about to walk out the door, the phone buzzed again. Unable to resist, she rushed back over to the bed and looked at Des’ reply.
My evening was too quiet. I eagerly wait for you to return home. – Des.
Darcie’s stomach fluttered. Home. She knew she shouldn’t read too much into the word choice, but her adolescent heart couldn’t stop her if it tried. Using up her last bit of bravery, she texted back a pale pink heart and promptly left the device behind, running out into the hallway.
Following the beige walls, Darcie found the bathroom and disappeared inside to take a hot shower, and willing herself to not hyperventilate over her brief text exchange. She must have stood in the shower for twenty minutes before finally remembering she was supposed to be cleaning her body.
Ten minutes later, Darcie finished towel drying her hair, changing, and exited the bathroom.
She nearly screamed when she opened the door and saw a person leaning within the doorway across from her. Gregory stood there, shirtless, with a towel hanging over his right shoulder. His arms were crossed over his bare chest.
Darcie placed a hand over her racing heart. “What the heck?” she asked, steading herself with the doorknob still in her grasp. “How about a little warning next time?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt,” Gregory stated plainly. Then, he added. “You were in there a long time.”
Darcie’s gaze had unknowingly travelled down his torso, taking in the prominent lines when she heard his comment. Snapping her eyes back up, she stepped forward and moved to walk back towards her bedroom. “Sorry, I lost track of time. It’s all yours.”
Without waiting for his response, she turned her back on Gregory and practically jogged to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and tried to shake away the memory of the interaction.
Darcie couldn’t believe how she stared at Gregory. Sure, he was fit, but that didn’t mean she needed to ogle him like a kid in a candy store. Despite the fact he had the figure of a Greek Adonis and she had no idea he’d been hiding it under his loose, black clothing, she should have had enough sense to not stare. What was wrong with her?
Pushing away from the door, Darcie moved to the bed and picked up her phone for distraction. She was disappointed that there was no reply from Des. Before she let herself overthink his lack of response, she scrolled through her contacts and selected her dad. She typed out a quick message to complete her daily check in. Once it had been sent, she left the phone behind and made her way out of the room and downstairs towards the kitchen. She was starving.
As she walked down the beach themed hallway, trying not to bump into the long tables covered with fragile seashells and other oceanic figurines, Darcie heard the sound of someone opening and closing cabinets. Rounding the corner, she watched as Paige huffed in frustration before letting the open counter close shut with a loud bang.
Darcie cleared her throat. “Everything alright?”
Paige spun around to face her. “Oh,” she let loose a breath. “It’s you.”
Darcie nodded. “Yup. It’s me. Are you alright?” she asked again, moving further into the kitchen.
Paige sighed heavily. “No. There is absolutely nothing to eat in here.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” she stepped up to the closest cabinet and looked inside. It was full of dishes. “My friends said they stocked the house with the essentials. There should be food.”
“Well, I can’t find it,” Paige said mournfully.
“Did you check the pantry?” Darcie moved towards one of the two closed doors in the kitchen. Opening the first one, she found an oddly placed washing machine room. Closing it, she proceeded to cross the space and open the second door.
She grinned as she swung the door wider and turned to show Paige the food-lined shelves. “Ta-da!”
“God, I’m an idiot. I didn’t even think about looking for a panty!” Paige stated with as self-depreciating laugh. “We don’t have a closet pantry at my house.”
Darcie gave the girl an obliging
smile before turning back to face the stocked pantry. “I’m going to have cereal. What do you want?”
“Cereal is good.”
She removed the box from the pantry and closed the door. Paige opened the fridge and pulled out the milk before setting it down to hunt for bowls.
Once the girls had prepared their breakfast, they each sat down at the tall island in the middle of the kitchen. Neither one said a word as they each devoured the sugary cereal. It was one of Darcie’s favorite, and she suspected its presence in the condo’s pantry had been Eshe’s doing.
“So,” Paige broke the silence, swallowing the last bit of her food. “You’re the chosen one, huh?”
Darcie nearly choked on her spoon. Coughing, she sat the hazardous silverware down. “Chosen one?”
Paige didn’t waver. “Yeah. You know, the whole soulmate with the original immortal thing. Apparently, you’re a big deal.”
Darcie pushed the bowl away, no longer hungry. “I’m not a big deal.”
“You’re all anyone talks about. Well…” Paige paused and looked towards the ceiling in thought. “You and Adir. And the rebellion. But you pretty much all relate to one another. It’s all anyone seems to talk about these days.”
Darcie groaned and leaned forward to place her elbows on the island counter. She let her head fall into her hands. It was too early for her to have to try and lie to conceal what she really was to Des. But if she didn’t, Paige would only continue to add to the circulating rumors. She couldn’t have that. Not while Adir was still out there, somewhere.
“Hey,” Paige said before she could formulate words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Darcie lifted her head. Paige’s eyes were apologetic. “My dad says I don’t exercise restraint in delicate situations. He’s right. I’m sorry.”
“Your dad seems stern.”
Paige nodded, allowing the conversation to change topics. “He is, but he has to be. Being the pack leader means he is in charge of a lot of beta men and women. That’s a lot of dominate personalities to keep under control.”
“I thought betas were naturally submissive to their alpha?” Darcie tried to draw information from her knowledge of animals, more specifically wolf packs. “If a beta isn’t submissive, aren’t they kicked out of the pack?”
“In the past, betas used to fight the alpha to the death if they demonstrated insubordination. In the rare occurrence where a beta beat the alpha, they would become the new alpha.”
Darcie gasped. “That’s… barbaric. Those are people.”
Paige shrugged. “The system is more democratic now, but you have to admit, fighting until one dies is a good way to ensure uprisings don’t happen that often.”
“I guess.” The whole thing sounded awful, but who was Darcie to judge others? She didn’t know anything about their hierarchy or everyday life.
“So, your father is stern to maintain his reputation as a strong alpha,” she summarized.
“Exactly,” Paige bobbed her head. “He took over the position from my great-uncle back when he was in his early twenties. No one has physically or politically challenged him yet.”
“How did he take over?” Darcie paused at the thought the abrasive man might have actually killed his uncle to become the pack leader.
“He was elected,” Paige said, relieving Darcie of her dark thoughts. “Alphas tend to come from the same bloodline. A member of my extended family has been the leader of the Northwestern pack since its creation over three hundred years ago.”
Darcie dragged her hands down her cheeks. Packs, clans, witches, vampires… she was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the new terms and information. “This is all so bizarre.”
“So… it’s true?” Paige asked, tilting her head to observe her. “You really didn’t know about anything? You were raised as a normal human?”
“Yes,” she exhaled. “It’s true.”
“Wow,” Paige stared. “That’s crazy.”
“Not as crazy as all of this,” Darcie half-laughed. “Sometimes, I can’t believe any of this is real. Immortals were one thing, but vampires and werewolves?” She shook her head emphatically and reiterated, “It’s crazy.”
“And witches,” Paige added with a smirk. “Don’t forget about warlocks and witches.”
“How could I forget witches?” she mumbled.
The girls stopped talking, letting an awkward silence settle as they both were lost in their own thoughts. For Darcie, she was preoccupied with wondering how she was going to interact with the half-breeds surrounding her. She knew she needed to keep her and Des’ feelings a secret, but Paige had openly addressed it as if their relationship was a known fact. Darcie knew she needed to deny it, but how could she do so without being blatantly obvious?
And then there was the whole issue of her mother. Was she going to interact with Jennifer Bane at all? Or would the woman keep her distance like she had for more than a decade?
Just as her anger and frustration was being to boil, Gregory soundlessly entered the kitchen, drawing Darcie away from the negative thoughts.
She waved in greeting, glad to see his distracting torso was safely covered.
Gregory grinned in return. “Darcie,” he greeted. Then, moving his eyes to Paige, he bent his head forward slightly. “Ms. Paige.”
The girl fidgeted uncomfortably, focusing her attention on the bowl in front of her. She muttered something unintelligible, but it vaguely sounded like a greeting. Darcie observed her with raised brows.
Gregory did not seem bothered by the odd interaction. He moved through the kitchen and walked directly towards the refrigerator. Pulling the handle, his head dipped forward as he perused the various objects in the fridge.
Unable to resist, Darcie cleared her throat and said, “I’m not sure we have what you are looking for, but I think there is a blood bank down the street.”
She heard Paige gasp. At the same time, Gregory let loose a genuine chuckle. He reached in and withdrew a solid grey container. He held it up and shook it in demonstration. “I think I’m all set.” He popped the lid and took a long sip.
“Ew,” Darcie’s stomach rolled. “That was in there the whole time? My food is in there.”
“So is mine,” he countered. The only thing saving the conversation from being completely disgusting was the fact that the blood was not visible through the container. Darcie convinced herself to just think of it as cranberry juice.
“Gross,” she flung back.
Gregory ignored her comment, tilting back the container for another sip. His intense eyes never wavered, but his lips held the slightest smirk as he wiped the back of his hand across his lips.
“What’s this?” Alex entered the room soundlessly. “Did I miss the memo about breakfast?”
From the corner of her eye, Darcie noticed Paige shift uncomfortably as Alex positioned himself directly beside her. He leaned over the counter and snatched the box of cereal. He briefly scanned the information on the back of it before swiftly placing it back down.
“What is the plan for today?” Darcie asked him, getting straight to the point after she was excluded from the previous night’s meeting.
“The witches have gone on a scouting excursion,” Alex replied. “They should be back shortly.”
“What are they scouting for?”
“Any trace of Adir,” he said. “We are scheduled to search this area for no more than three days if we find no lead.”
Three days?
“Shouldn’t we move faster than that?” Darcie asked. “A lot can happen in three days.”
Like Adir moving Bella somewhere further away.
The chances that her group might actually find Adir were slim already, but allowing so much time to pass between search areas seemed like a poor decision.
Alex sensed her thoughts. “Our search party casts a wide net. Do not worry. We cover a lot of ground in three days.”
“Of where? Florida?” Despite Alex’s attempt of
reassurance, she could not let the matter go. It was frustrating to not know the details surrounding their group’s search.
Alex rolled his shoulders and gave her a knowing look. “Can’t you just trust your superiors?”
She crossed her arms. “No.”
Paige balked at the reply, seeming stunned and fearful as she tilted her head down to stare at the counter.
Did the girl think Alex would actually be upset?
For her benefit, Darcie added, “The only ‘superior’ I know is you. I don’t know anyone else enough to say I trust them.”
Alex mimicked her motion and crossed his arms. His formidable pose remained by Paige, continuing to make the werebeast uncomfortable. “Can you at least try to be agreeable?”
Darcie scowled. “Can you at least try to be open and honest?”
Instead of continuing their tense conversation, Alex dropped his arms. “I would prefer to not waste my energy arguing with you, and you shouldn’t either. You have a training session scheduled with Mistress Lola.”
It was news to Darcie. “I do? When?”
“This afternoon. At two.” Alex turned and retreated into the hallway. Over his shoulder he added, “Don’t be late.”
He left the kitchen in awkward silence. Gregory, searching to alleviate the situation, cleared his throat. Darcie looked away from Alex’ exit to look at him.
The vampire’s eyes were gentle. “I am going to return to my room. I’ll be in there if you need me.”
She nodded in acknowledgement, but she was unable to do much more. Fortunately for her, Gregory was not one to require anything else. He disappeared before Darcie could count to five.
Once both vampires were out of sight, Paige finally regained her voice. She released a shaky breath.
It drew Darcie’s attention. She observed Paige and noted her pale cheeks. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Totally.” Even her voice was shaky.
Darcie’s concern grew.
“I’ve just…” Paige swallowed. “I’ve never been around vampires. At least, not that close.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to say.
“I can’t believe you speak so casually to them,” Paige added. “Gregory is well-known for his ruthless nature. And Alexander is the king. I have heard horrible stories about people who betray him.”
Envisioned (Immortal Chronicles Book 3) Page 15
