Chapter 2
DARCIE
The Immortal family sits in silence around a long dining table. The cherry wood gleams under the chandelier’s glow, freshly polished, no doubt.
If I didn’t already know Immortals don’t need to eat, I might think they were waiting for dinner. But there isn’t a single plate or fork on the glossy surface. Just stillness.
And that’s how I know this isn’t reality. At least, not my reality.
A soft, weighted awareness settles over me, familiar now, like slipping into someone else’s dream as I acknowledge this is the start of a vision.
I take a cautious step forward, the sound swallowed by the thick air hovering around me.
My hands brush the back of a velvet chair as I make my way toward the end of the table, opposite where the others sit. The fabric’s texture feels too solid, too vivid for a vision, but I’ve learned not to question it.
My visions always feel real.
Unnervingly so.
I lower myself into the high-backed chair and take in the scene.
Thane sits at the opposite end of the table, posture sharp and shoulders drawn like a bowstring. Des and Lome sit on opposite sides of their brother. Eshe sits next to her husband.
I use the opportunity to take in the Immortals. Despite living in their mansion, I haven’t seen any of them in days. They’ve all been busy, searching for Bella and preparing for war with Adir and the rebellion.
“Well?” Thane’s voice cuts through the stillness like a blade. “Is no one going to say anything?”
“You invited us here.” Eshe’s golden earrings swing when she tilts her head, dark eyes narrowed at the volatile Immortal across from her.
“Yes.” Thane’s voice trembles with restrained rage. “But no ‘Hello, Thane, how are you feeling, brother? Don’t worry, we’re working to find your missing wife.”
His voice cracks on the last word.
That tiny fracture makes my stomach twist.
Lome rubs a hand over his jaw. “We are working on it, Thane.”
“Not hard enough,” Thane shouts.
I flinch.
Des, as stoic as ever, doesn’t react. He might as well be carved from the same marble as the columns lining the edge of the room.
“I’ve summoned a pack of were-beasts to our home,” Des says. “They’ll join the search once they’ve scented Bella’s belongings.”
Thane’s face twists. “I told you, I don’t want this in the hands of half-breeds.”
Des doesn’t so much as blink. “This isn’t about bloodlines but strategy. We should use every resource available to help us find Bella.”
Thane leans forward, the muscles in his forearms tightening like coiled wire.
“Those resources could be working for the enemy. No.” His gaze cuts through the air and lands directly where I sit.
For one awful second, I fear he sees me, but I realize he’s looking through me.
His eyes fix on the wall behind my head before looking back at Des. “Only you and Lome will search for Bella.”
“Be reasonable.” Eshe’s voice is soft but firm. “Adir has gone underground. We’ll need help if we want to find Bella quickly.”
Thane’s eyes narrow at Des, ignoring his sister-in-law.
“Why isn’t your little vampire friend helping, then? If you trust the half-breed so much, why hasn’t he contacted his father? He could end this in a day.”
“Alexander needs to tread carefully,” he says. “If Adir questions his loyalty, all of his efforts these past years will be for nothing.”
Thane scoffs, leaning back in his chair. “I doubt that’s the reason for his lack of urgency. I see how Alex wanders around my home, trailing after Darcie. Maybe you’ve got competition for the girl’s affection, brother.”
The words hit me like a slap.
What the hell?
Alex has been nothing but helpful during my training. The last thing I need is Thane turning that into something ugly.
Des’s calm demeanor doesn’t waver. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” Thane’s gaze sharpens. “He never leaves her side. He’s taken with her. Anyone can see it.”
Lome shifts in his seat. Eshe’s jaw tightens.
“Stop this, now,” she snaps. “The enemy isn’t in this room. He’s out there, holding Bella hostage. That’s where our focus should be.”
Thane’s knuckles whiten.
For a moment, I think he’ll explode again, but something inside him breaks instead.
His shoulders drop, and the fury drains out of his face, leaving only exhaustion.
“I can already feel the loss,” he mutters, staring at his hands as he uncurls his fists. “My strength fades with every second she’s gone.”
I swallow hard, blinking back the sudden sting in my eyes.
“I feel it, too,” Lome murmurs, voice low.
“She’s alive,” Des says, quiet but certain. “Otherwise, the loss would be much worse.”
“It feels worse enough,” Thane snaps.
Des dips his head. “Forgive me. I only meant to reassure you.”
As they speak, the truth threads itself together in my mind. They’re not just grieving, they’re weakening.
Bella’s absence isn’t just hurting them emotionally. It’s literally draining their power.
Exactly like Adir promised.
“I don’t want your apologies,” Thane snarls, his anger snapping back into place. “I want us to take action. You need to claim the girl.”
Not this again…
I brace myself.
Des spent weeks denying I’m his One, but after recent events…after our conversations and stolen moments that he promptly regretted…I don’t know what answer he will give this time.
Des’s tone stays cool, but steel runs under it. “I understand your fear, but Darcie can’t replace Bella.”
“She can replace her power,” he fires back. “If we want to defeat this rebellion, that’s what we need.”
Des folds his arms. “No.”
The sound of his refusal is sharp. Final.
Thane slams his hand against the table. The crack echoes like thunder.
I jerk backward, the chair legs screeching against the floor.
Shit.
Four sets of Immortal eyes whip toward the sound, scanning the air around me.
My heart stops.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe.
The air around me thickens.
The doors behind me swing wide with a screech of iron hinges, and a soft rush of cool air spills over my head.
Charmian’s auburn hair shimmers under the chandelier, waves falling down her back like ribbons of copper, as she struts into the room. The dark green dress she wears brushes against her calves, the fabric whispering as she walks. There’s something deliberately unhurried about her steps.
I study the Original’s face, searching for any resemblance to mine, only to find nothing.
Nothing except the ache in my head that always blooms when I think of the Original Immortal, my alleged ancestor, and her connection to my mother.
Charmian’s eyes flick in my direction as she walks by my chair, and the corner of her mouth curves. Her fingers twitch subtly.
She knows I’m here.
My breath catches, but no one else notices.
“You’re late,” Thane snaps.
Lome gives him a warning scowl.
He ignores it. “Where were you?”
Charmian stops near the center of the room, posture impeccable.
“I’m not your servant, Thane. You’re lucky I found the time to come at all.” Her voice is smooth as silk, but there’s danger slithering underneath. “If you’d like faster responses, I suggest you start sending proper invitations instead of barking orders.”
Thane leans forward in his chair, elbows braced on the table like he’s restraining himself from flipping it.
“You serve the alliance,” he grits out. “And this is important.”
Charmian arches a brow.
“Oh? Is this an official meeting?” She glances around the table, eyes glinting with amusement. “Strange. I don’t see anyone taking minutes.”
A low, dangerous growl escapes Thane’s throat. “We need your assistance.”
“With what?”
“Your offspring.” Thane’s nostrils flare. “We need to know which half-breeds helped Adir escape the dungeon. You’ll interrogate them and report back what you find.”
He’s talking about the ward that was meant to hold Adir in the brother’s dungeon. Apparently, only a warlock or witch would’ve had the ability to dismantle the security measures they put in place to hold the Immortal of War prisoner.
A slow exhale flows past her delicate lips. “That is why you called me here?”
“Yes.”
Charmian scoffs, but the sound is sharp enough to draw blood. “An investigation is already underway.”
Thane’s eyes narrow. “Who leads it?”
“Me.” The single syllable drips with challenge.
Finally, Thane backs down.
“Good.”
“Wonderful.” Charmian flicks her hand as though brushing dust from her skirt. “Are we done here?”
“Actually,” Des interrupts, “I’d like to make a request.”
Her eyes drift toward him. “A request?”
“I’d like to request a meeting with your strongest descendants.”
Her brows lift. “Why?”
“To ask if they will assist in our rescue efforts.”
Thane’s growl fills the room again.
Charmian doesn’t react. Her gaze remains locked on Des. “You heard your brother. It’s likely some of my descendants’ loyalties have been compromised.”
“Then call only the ones you trust without question,” he replies. “I’ve already enlisted half-breed trackers, but they’ll need magical support. A witch or warlock can extend a were-beast’s natural senses while they search for Bella.”
Charmian’s lips press into a line. “Most of my offspring want nothing to do with this conflict.”
“Good,” Thane cuts in. “I don’t trust them anyway. Tell them to stay far away from my home.”
Des’s glare cuts to his brother. “You can keep your mistrust, but I won’t let it limit us. Bella is my family, too.”
“She’s my wife.” Thane shoves back his chair so hard it screeches against the floor.
He stands, braced on his hands, towering over the table like he could break it in half.
“She’s our sister.” Lome rises as well. “We all want her back. Don’t be an idiot.”
“I will not sit by—”
“Enough,” Eshe’s voice cuts through the chaos, calm but commanding. She stands, spine straight, eyes steady. “All of you. That’s enough.”
She turns to Charmian, her voice respectful but firm. “Please ask your most trustworthy offspring to meet with us. If they decline, fine. But at least give them the choice.”
Charmian studies her, her features shifting into an expression that might be approving. Then she nods. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The air shifts, as if everyone in the room lets out a collective sigh.
Thane falls back into his chair, staring at the tabletop with unfocused, pained eyes.
Lome exhales, rubbing his temples.
Eshe sits back down, graceful but drained.
Des remains motionless, unreadable. The weight of leadership sits heavily on his shoulders, but he bears it quietly, like always.
My heart aches for all of them.
And for Bella… wherever she is.
My gut twists, and I taste bile.
I hate that I can’t do more to help.
My magic is weak and difficult to control.
The only thing I’m good at is visions, but they come and go when they want, never when I need them most.
If I could control my visions, maybe I could find Bella. Maybe I could discover where Adir is hiding or what his next move is.
Maybe I could actually have a say in my future and the role I play in this Immortal conflict…
Charmian turns to leave, her gaze flicking to me once more. This time, there’s no mistaking the glimmer of a smile touching her lips.
You see me, don’t you? I think.
Of course, I do, child, her musical voice rolls through my mind.
My pulse kicks hard, and I stifle my gasp as she strolls past.
Her smile grows, but she doesn’t speak into my mind again.
The moment Charmian disappears through the doorway behind me, the world begins to thin around the edges.
Colors leach from the room, and the polished cherry wood fades into shadow. I look back at the Immortals, and my gaze focuses on Des.
It’s been days since I’ve seen him…weeks since he told me he cared about me after Alex went to warn Thane about my vision with Bella and Adir.
I’ve wanted to ask him about that night so many times, but there’s never been a good time.
I rarely see him, and when I do, we are never alone.
I trace his troubled features, lined with something heavier than fear.
My arm extends, my hand reaching out with the undeniable urge to console him, when the world tilts.
Des’s vivid eyes snap to mine right before I’m yanked into the dark.