“You are here to help Adir. As am I.”
Darcie sucked in a breath. She pressed herself against Gregory’s still form for balance. “What are you talking about? You were kidnapped. Why are you helping Adir?”
Bella gave her a patient look. “Adir did not kidnap me. I left with him by my own free will.”
“WHAT?” she shouted, not even trying to hide her disbelief. Bella’s words did not make any sense.
Maybe she is brainwashed or something…
Darcie thought back to the waking sleep Adir had managed to put her under after he kidnapped her from the ball. The immortal, obviously, had some skills with manipulating the mind. He must have done something to Bella. It was the only explanation for her weird behavior.
“I know this seems confusing,” Bella continued calmly, “But I am helping Adir for the good of everyone. I am helping him to end the rebellion.”
Darcie did not buy it. She remembered the vision she had of the night Bella went missing. Adir had found the immortal on the stone balcony. The two were talking, and then Adir had tried to attack her. She did not know what happened after that, but she was sure the two did not have a cordial conversation.
No, Bella was hiding something. She did not leave the mansion with Adir willingly.
So why is she saying she did?
“Adir is the cause of the rebellion,” Darcie pointed out, hoping logic would be enough to snap her friend out of whatever spell she was under. “If he wants to end it, all he needs to do is turn himself in.”
“It’s not that simple,” Bella countered. “Adir needs to win. The Council needs to change their policy regarding immortals and their interactions with humans.”
Darcie processed the words, but she wished she’d never heard them. Nothing made sense about what was happening, but Darcie could not deny that her friend looked and sounded like she believed every word she said. Bella was helping Adir, and she did not regret it.
“How could you do this to us?” she asked in a low voice, her chest hurting from the betrayal. “How could you do this to your family? To Thane?”
“I am doing this to help Thane,” she stated strongly. It seemed that mentioning her husband’s name was enough to spark some life back into Bella’s dim eyes.
The teenager scoffed. “I sincerely doubt Thane would consider this helping. He would never approve of you working with Adir.”
How can you not see that?!?
Darcie held in the last thought. She wanted to break through Bella’s delusion, but she suspected that pushing too much would have the opposite effect. It was unfathomable, but her friend seemed adamant about supporting Adir and his rebellion.
“Thane will understand. His role as the leader of his brothers is wearing on him. It is time for The Council to stop using the brothers as their enforcers.” Bella’s statement sounded eerily like something Adir would say.
She must be brainwashed.
Darcie decided to try a different tactic. “Couldn’t you just talk to Thane about stepping down in his role for The Council? I bet, if you asked him, he would resign. He’d do anything for you. He hasn’t been the same since you left.”
He’s actually been a raging maniac, but telling you that won’t help anything.
Instead of convincing Bella to turn against Adir and return to her husband, Darcie’s statements caused the immortal’s face to fall. She looked distraught, yet determined. “I have asked him to resign many times. Despite my pleas, Thane refuses to do so.”
“Maybe he didn’t know how much you wanted him to quit? He misses you, Bella. I’m sure if you go back to Greece, things would be different. He will listen if it means you are back.” Darcie felt like she was grasping at straws. Even though she was trying to make the situation better, her words seemed to only make things worse.
Bella’s emotions began to spiral out of control. Moisture gathered behind her eyes, and she clasped her hands tightly together before crossing them across her chest. “I spent years asking Thane to step down. He never listens. He doesn’t care what I think. Only Adir ever seemed to care, and look where that got me.” Immediately after the words passed her lips, Bella looked like she regretted them.
Darcie shook her head in disbelief. “You know Adir can’t be trusted.”
The immortal looked away. “I don’t have a choice.”
“What do you mean?” Darcie latched onto the semi-explanation. “Why don’t you have a choice?”
Bella sighed, darkness clouding her eyes. “Do you remember that night before you visited Adir in the dungeon? Do you remember when I came to your room during dinner and we talked?”
She bobbed her head as a vague memory resurfaced:
A soft knock sounded at the door. Darcie did not have to guess who would be visiting her around dinner time. She called for Bella to come in. The immortal entered carrying a tray full of food just like when the teenager stayed at the brother’s home before. She stood and cleared the table for Bella to place the load.
Setting down the silver tray, she turned and offered Darcie a hollow smile. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Actually, she was starving, but something in Bella’s expression made her hesitate. The immortal uncovered the various plates and offered an empty one to Darcie.
“Are you alright?” she asked, taking the dish.
Bella avoided her gaze. “I have been better.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Let us eat first, shall we?”
It took all of her strength to not pry as the two filled their plates with the delicious-looking food. Even though Darcie knew immortals did not need to eat to survive, she still frowned at the small amount of food on Bella’s plate.
The pair sat in the antique chairs and ate quietly. Every now and then, one would make a generic comment about the food, but the heavy silence would always return. Discreetly, Darcie eyed her friend. Gone was her lively presence and welcoming smile. In its place sat a woman who looked tired… drained.
Darcie really started to worry when the immortal woman declined the sweet pastry she offered. Bella never turned down pastries. “Are you sick?” She didn’t think immortals could get sick, but there was a lot of new information flying around. Who was to say she knew the truth?
It took some coaxing, but Bella finally explained some of what was bothering her. “Visiting you... Trying to convince Des you belonged with us... Portland,” she paused and took another shaky breath, looking down at her lap. “I have done nothing but put your safety at risk. Eshe was right. We should have stayed away.”
Darcie tried to console her friend, but she was running out of ideas. If Bella was resigned to wallowing in guilt, there was nothing she could do to stop her. But the teenager could not shake the feeling something more was going on.
Following her instinct, Darcie asked, “Is there something else?”
Bella’s head shot up, her eyes widening. “What?”
“Is there something else you aren’t telling me? Another reason why you feel so guilty about everything?” Darcie asked the questions without really expecting an answer. So, when Bella replied, the response completely shocked the teenager.
The petite immortal’s arms began to shake and she avoided eye contact as she said, “I felt so alone. I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought it was over,” the immortal continued. “I didn’t think it would still haunt me so many years later.” Bella closed her eyes and grimaced at whatever she saw behind her eyelids. After a few agonizing seconds, she added, “I just want it to be over.”
Wanting to comfort her friend, Darcie reached over and placed a hand on Bella’s. The immortal jumped, and her eyes flew open. The teenager reared back, not sure the woman wanted to be touched.
Bella saw the reaction and her expression filled with remorse. “Sorry. I’ve been jumpy lately.”
Darcie hesitated before she managed to ask, “Tell me what’s going on.”
Squeezing her eyes closed, her friend di
pped her chin slightly, and began, “A long time ago, I was struggling wi–”
Whatever Bella was about to reveal was effectively silenced by the sound of the door’s knob turning. Both girls stood and faced the entrance. Alexander entered, and effectively interrupted whatever the immortal had planned to reveal.
Coming back to the present, Darcie eyed Bella questioningly. “I remember,” she said. “You were going to tell me something. Something you thought was over, but it isn’t.”
Bella nodded. “Yes. I was going to tell you that I,” she hesitated, her eyes darting across the empty room. “I was going to tell you that I made a mistake. In the beginning. When I first joined the family…”
Darcie held her breath and remained silent. She did not want to interrupt the explanation. Apparently, it had been a long time coming.
“I was young,” Bella continued. “And not the best with handling my emotions. Thane and I had been married for almost a decade, and I already noticed how poorly others perceived the brothers due to their role as The Council’s enforcers.”
She faced the crouching girl and continued, “I asked Thane to step down. I proposed he, Lome, and Des stand up to the other immortals and demand to be released from their duty. And do you know what he did?”
Darcie realized she waited for a response. “No,” she murmured. “I don’t know what he did.”
A tear finally escaped the immortal’s eye. “He laughed at me. Thane thought the idea was hilarious. He did not even consider giving it a second thought. Essentially, he patted me on the head and told me everything would be okay.”
Darcie wasn’t sure what to think. Why was Bella telling her the story? It happened centuries ago. What did it matter?
“I don’t get it,” she admitted. “What does this have to do with you helping Adir?”
Would you really turn against your husband for something that happened so long ago?
For a moment, Bella closed her eyes. Darcie watched her take a deep breath before opening her eyelids and looked back down at her.
“Adir saw me... after Thane dismissed me following my suggestion.”
Darcie stilled, and a tendril of dread began to take root in her stomach.
Bella continued. “I was crying. I wasn’t even sure where I was. I just knew I needed to get out of the hallway before someone walked by and found me crying like a child. I stumbled into a room, and Adir was there.” Her gaze filled with guilt and regret as more tears ran down her cheeks.
The horrible sensation began to expand as Darcie’s thoughts jumped ahead and pieced together what Bella was about to reveal.
The immortal took a steadying breath and disclosed the most unbelievable confession Darcie had ever heard, “I had an affair, with Adir.”
28
“No,” Darcie whispered, not even realizing the word escaped until it was too late. It couldn’t be real.
This can’t be happening.
“I made a mistake,” Bella said. “Like I said, I was young. And Adir consoled me…. he agreed with me.”
“So, you cheated on your husband?” Darcie could hardly believe it. How could Bella stand there and admit that she cheated on Thane? It wasn’t like her. Not at all.
Bella winced. “I made a mistake,” she repeated.
“But I thought you and Thane were perfect,” Darcie was beginning to fear that everything she knew about the immortal couple was a well-constructed lie. “I saw it myself. You guys love each other.”
Don’t they?
“Of course, we do,” Bella replied, answering the silent question. “But no one is perfect. No relationship is perfect.”
“So, what?” Darcie’s voice had an edge to it. “You cheat on Thane with Adir, so now you are helping him? You are turning on Thane because at one point in time Adir agreed with you?” It seemed like the weakest excuse in the world.
“It is not like that.”
“Then what is it like?” she snapped back. “Because, from where I sit, you look like a two-timing monster who has sided with the enemy!” Darcie couldn’t control herself. The emotions took over, and her own betrayal fueled them.
How could Bella do this to Thane? To everyone?
For a moment, she did not say anything. Then, Bella replied quietly, “I didn’t have a choice.”
Darcie had enough of sitting down. She stood up for the rest of the conversation and crossed her arms. “I’m listening.”
Bella shifted her feet. “Adir threatened to tell Thane about the affair. It was a while ago, before the whole rebellion really started. I didn’t believe him at first. But I spoke with him after the brothers placed him in the dungeons, and I knew he was telling the truth. I offered to help him escape if he didn’t say anything.”
Her mouth fell open, but she immediately snapped it shut. Darcie gave Bella a withering glare. “You helped free Adir? All because he threatened to tell Thane about an affair?” She recalled how The Alliance believed Adir escaped with the help of double-agent warlocks. What would The Council say when they realized Bella, one of their own, had helped free their enemy?
“I didn’t just help him to keep my affair a secret,” Bella revealed, her spine straightening. Even with the show of determination, the immortal still looked weak and forlorn. “I helped Adir because I truly believe The Council needs to reevaluate their policies. Their rules only widen the divide between us and the rest of the immortal and half-breed populations. We cannot continue going on like this, and Adir knows it.”
“Adir wants power,” Darcie countered. She couldn’t believe her friend was falling for whatever act the rebellious immortal construed. “He told me he wants to kill you, Bella. And Eshe. You can’t trust him.”
The immortal’s brown eyes narrowed. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“I saw him attack you on the balcony,” Darcie argued back, throwing a hand towards Bella. “I saw your shock and his resolve. He was trying to hurt you. I don’t know why he didn’t go through with it, but you have to know you cannot trust him. He wants to weaken the brothers, and the best way to do that is to get rid of you and Eshe.”
How can you not see that?
Bella shook her head, choosing to remain in denial. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Adir is going to overthrow The Council, but he will leave us alone. All he wants is for things to be fair, and all I want is to not have a target on my, or my husband’s, back.”
It was like she argued with a mindless zombie. Darcie did not believe a single word coming out of Bella’s mouth was her own. If Adir was blackmailing her, she could understand why Bella would feel inclined to go along with what he wanted… to a certain extent. But nothing should have been able to convince the immortal to turn on her family.
Before Darcie could figure out what to say next, the metal door behind Bella began to open.
The teenager took a step back, once again positioning herself in front of Gregory. He hadn’t moved once during the entire conversation, but with a quick glance back towards him, Darcie was relieved to see his chest moved up and down with each breath.
Turning back to face the door, her blood ran cold as she watched Adir slowly saunter into the room.
“Hello, Darcie.”
She didn’t say a word. Instead, she just stared at the evil immortal, throwing all of her hate and resentment towards him through her gaze.
“Oh, come on, Darcie,” his voice was slick as oil. He flicked a strand of golden hair away from his forehead. “Don’t be that way. I went through a lot of trouble to find you.”
Try as she might, she could not hide the responding shiver of fear as it trailed down her spine. Still, she refused to speak.
With a disappointed sigh, Adir stepped closer until he stood beside Bella. He placed a hand over the immortal’s bony shoulder. Darcie resisted the urge to demand he not touch her. “I suspect Bella has updated you on the state of our dealings. I’m sure you are happy to see she is unharmed, and that she is not my prisoner as the alliance
would lead you to believe.”
Darcie would hardly call Bella’s subdued state unharmed, but she kept the thought to herself.
Adir’s lips turned down, and his sapphire eyes hardened. His patience had run out. “I suggest you start responding to my questions, Darcie, or I am afraid I will not be able to guarantee your friend over there remains unharmed.”
Unconsciously, she took a step closer to Gregory. “He’s your offspring,” she shot back. “Are you really the type of person who would harm your own family?”
Adir smirked, moving his hand off of Bella. “That vampire is an abomination. He is the result of a vampire/human relationship, and his kind should not exist. The only reason he isn’t already dead is because my son is fond of him.”
Darcie willed herself to not react to hearing Adir mention Alex. Based on the information from the night of the raid, the immortal might not trust his son as much as he once did. She refused to give him any information on the subject.
Her silence did not go unnoticed. “Nothing to say, Darcie? I must say, I’m disappointed. I thought you cared for your friends more than that.” He raised an ominous hand towards the unconscious vampire.
“What do you want?” she asked, stepping to position herself in the path of his hand. “Why am I here?”
Adir lowered his arm. “That is a complicated question,” he began. “At first, my goal was to obtain you to utilize your rather powerful abilities. You must understand, not every witch or warlock has the strength to withstand an immortal’s powers. For that reason alone, you are valuable.” His lips lifted into an eerie grin. “Not to mention, possessing you would cause unfathomable distress to the rest of my siblings.”
He was rambling, and Darcie did not know what to make of it. She felt like he was trying to throw her off only to turn around and deliver a debilitating blow. “And now?” she asked, letting her annoyance cover each word. “Why do you want me, now?”
Envisioned (Immortal Chronicles Book 3) Page 22
