Enraptured: Immortal Chronicles Book IV Read online

  Evetta had confronted Darcie in the women’s restroom along with two of her accomplices. The immortal spoke to her like a child and with total disbelief that she could possibly be Des’ soulmate. It still baffled Darcie that Evetta had been so hateful and angry. It was not her fault Thane found her in the library and reported back her existence to The Council. Darcie was an innocent bystander, but Evetta did not see it that way. Apparently, she had wanted Des for herself.

  Using her immortal abilities, Evetta attacked Darcie. The pain was unbearable. The teenager had been convinced she would die during the attack… until Des arrived and saved her.

  Darcie shook her head, shoving away the memory.

  “Here?” Alex questioned. “Where?”

  She quickly relayed the story.

  His expression turned grim. “Evetta was a fool. She deserved the fate dealt to her.”

  The statement seemed harsh. “She wanted Des,” Darcie pointed out. “She thought I would be in the way.” Though her methods were unreasonable, Darcie could at least understand why Evetta did what she did. That is not to say her actions were not insane and over-the-top, but love was known to make people do crazy things.

  “Evetta knew better,” Alex stated. “She knew about the brothers and their chosen Ones. There will never be another for Des. She was delusional to hope otherwise.”

  Realizing nothing she said could convince the vampire to feel pity for Evetta, Darcie decided to let the conversation drop. But she hesitated when his words sparked a different thought.

  She cleared her throat, struggling to put the question into words. “You say there will never be another for Des…” she repeated his words back to him, pausing to allow herself more time.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “What about it?”

  She swallowed. “Then, why did Adir change me? W-why did he plan to bond with me?”

  Alex stopped walking, forcing her to do the same when he put a firm hand on the cart. His pale blue eyes held her in place, but he did not say anything.

  Darcie fidgeted beneath his stare. “Would he have really been able to do it?” she blurted out, unable to stand the silence between them. “I mean, you said I am Des’ One. How could Adir bond me to him when I am meant to be with Des?”

  Around them, customers passed by with questioning glances. The tension between them was obvious, but Darcie could not bring herself to try and dispel it. She needed to know the answers to her questions, and she did not care if they caused a scene by stopping in the middle of an aisle.

  Alex’s gaze did not waver. Behind his eyes, Darcie swore she could see his thoughts swirling round. He was trying to think of the best reply.

  After a lengthy stint, he finally answered all of her questions. “I believe Adir planned to bond with you for multiple reasons. First, he wants access to your considerable power. He felt it when he touched you in the dungeons, and he has been obsessed with attaining you ever since.”

  Darcie bobbed her head. “I know that, but why the bond?”

  “A bonded pair share all of their powers,” Alex elaborated. “Once the bond was forged, Adir would be able to tap into your abilities with or without your consent.” That was news to Darcie.

  She had no idea she would lose the right to give or deny her powers if she bonded with someone. It hardly seemed like a good idea.

  “Plus,” Alex added after a brief pause. “Adir would like nothing more than to deprive Des of having your soul for forever.”

  Forever?

  She gaped up at him, finally realizing exactly what her immortality meant for her and Des.

  “I’m going to live forever,” she murmured. “The cycle of soulmates will stop.”

  * * *

  Alex looked pained. He did not want to be the one to confirm Darcie’s fears. Regretfully, he replied, “I’m afraid so.”

  Her body grew numb. “Bella?” she choked out the name of her departed friend. “Will her soul ever come back?”

  His eyes dimmed. “I do not know. Her soul cycle ended centuries ago…”

  Darcie understood what Alex did not say; he did not believe Bella’s soul would return to find Thane. She was gone.

  Her limbs felt heavy. “So, even if Adir is unable to bond with me, Des will not be able to find his soulmate if I die. I’m the end?”

  “I believe so, yes.”

  Darcie closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe. It was too much. She could not handle the heart-wrenching news. Bella would never be coming back, and if Darcie met the same fate, Des would be alone forever. It seemed like no matter what, Adir’s chances of winning were high.

  “Can he really do it?” she repeated one of her original questions, opening her eyes to observe Alex. “Could Adir really force a bond with me?”

  Bleakness permeated his expression. “If he convinces an Elder to perform the ceremony, then yes. Adir could force a bond.”

  “That is bull.” Anger replaced her sorrow. “How could he do that? I am Des’ soulmate. Right?”

  Alex shook his head. “It is complicated magic, one that the Elders only know the secrets of. I cannot know for sure, but if my father had one in his employ as you say, then there must be a way for it to be done.”

  Darcie had enough. She pulled the cart back to break his hold and turned to walk the opposite direction. “Let’s go home.” She did not want to break down into tears at the local grocery store.

  They passed by the snack aisle in silence and were feet away from reaching the checkout counter when a body stepped in front of the cart. Darcie jerked to a stop to avoid hitting the man, but her limbs froze when her brain registered what her eyes were seeing.

  “Kevin?” she choked out.

  Her tall ex-boyfriend turned around. His face registered surprise before it quickly switched to contempt. “Darcie?”

  She took him in with her newly enhanced vision. As she expected, Kevin was still good-looking. Kevin, one of her two childhood friends, was often the object of every girls’ affection when they were growing up. Darcie, of course, was included in that group.

  When she was in the beginning stages of adolescence, Darcie realized she had feelings for her male best friend. It had been mortifying and heartbreaking. She knew Kevin did not feel the same way about his little sister’s best friend. Why would he? She was a childhood friend. Practically family.

  So, Darcie resigned herself to pine after Kevin for years. But her feelings did not change, not even when she and her father left Maine for his two-year sabbatical. Neither time or distance was enough to make her forget her childhood crush.

  When she returned to Brunswick, however, the state of their friendship was not as she left it. To Darcie’s shock and delight, Kevin revealed he had feelings for her. Apparently, he had ever since she left. The two promptly began dating, much to the delight of Kevin’s sister and Darcie’s best-friend, Marie.

  To avoid inevitable sadness, Darcie immediately moved her thoughts away from her best-friend.

  “How have you been?” she asked, focusing on Kevin’s face.

  Darcie should not have been surprised to see Kevin’s expression was anything but warm. His eyes were like brown daggers, stabbing her with his irritation. It took all the strength she possessed not to cringe.

  “Fine. Same as always.” His tone was short. It was obvious he did not want to be in his current situation.

  Regardless, Darcie could not give up the chance to rectify their friendship. If it were not already obvious, they had not ended things on good terms. “How is Marie?”

  Kevin shrugged. “Excited to finish her senior year.”

  Darcie could not stop her smile. “Sounds like Marie,” she said with amusement.

  Despite his foul mood, Kevin smirked. “Yep. You know her. She’s wanted to be done with high school since she was a freshman.”

  They both chuckled. The progress was small, but Darcie was just glad he had stopped scowling at her.

  “I thought you were out of town,” Kevin
said, his eyes trailing the length of her. “When did you get back?”

  “Yesterday,” she answered. “But I leave again in a couple of days.”

  Kevin opened his mouth to say something, but he snapped it shut when his eyes landed on something over Darcie’s shoulder.

  In the blink of an eye, his expression shuttered back into contempt. Then, he bit out, “Your boyfriend is coming.”

  “What?” Darcie turned around and watched Alex walk towards them through the aisle. She gave him a curious look. She thought he was behind her the entire time. She turned back around and looked at Kevin just as Alex stepped up to her side.

  “There you are,” the vampire said to her. “I got lost looking for you.” Then, he moved his attention to Kevin and held out a hand. “I do not believe we have me. I’m Alex.”

  Kevin stared at the hand before begrudgingly taking it. “Kevin.”

  “Ah, yes,” Alex’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Darcie has told me a lot about you. It is nice to put a face to the name.” Darcie resisted the urge to smack Alex on the arm.

  What does he think he is doing?

  “Right.” Kevin’s scowl deepened. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Have a good day.” He spun around and briskly walked away before Darcie could say another word. She watched him go, unable to ignore the subtle ache in her chest.

  “He hates me.” The knowledge pained Darcie. Kevin was once one of her best friends. It really sucked that they were no longer friends. She knew it stemmed from her ending their romantic relationship, but Darcie did not have a choice.

  At the time, she was being pulled into the immortal world and their rebellion more and more. She did not want to risk any of her loved ones by remaining in Maine.

  And, if she was being honest, Darcie knew her relationship with Kevin was not meant to last. He was the best first boyfriend she could have ever asked for, but he was not going to be her forever love.

  Darcie pushed away the responding vision of sea-green eyes. It was not the time to start daydreaming of Des.

  “It’s not you he hates,” Alex stated. “It’s me. Or, should I say, it is any man he will ever see you with.”

  Darcie peered up at the vampire, confused. “What?”

  Alex looked at her with an obvious expression. “He’s jealous as hell, Darcie.”

  Her mind worked to follow his thinking. “You think Kevin was jealous of you? No way.” That was ridiculous. Her childhood friend wasn’t that petty.

  “Think what you will, but I know for a fact he was jealous.”

  She rolled her eyes. “How could you possibly know that?”

  Alex flicked an imaginary piece of lint off his black shirt. “Because I can read weak minds.”

  At first, Darcie thought he was joking, but when his expression remained serious she had no choice but to consider his words seriously. “What?”

  Alex waved a hand in the air. “Weak minds are easy to penetrate. It is a gift few vampires have. Usually, it depends on our bloodline. The more immortal heritage, the stronger the gift.”

  “Why am I just now hearing about this?” Darcie asked with frustration. After everything that had happened, she had believed all surprises were behind her.

  Alex shrugged. “You never asked.”

  “That is not something I would ever think to ask!”

  “It is nothing that affects you,” he said calmly. He looked around them. “Shouldn’t we go purchase these items?”

  Darcie was not letting him escape the conversation that easily. “That totally affects me,” she countered. “It would’ve been nice to know one of my friends has the ability to read my mind!” She tried to remember all of the potentially embarrassing thoughts she might have had around the vampire. There were too many to consider.

  Alex stared at her with a quirk of his lip. “I said ‘weak minds’, Darcie. I am unable to read your mind.”

  Her eyes searched his, looking for a sign of deceit. When she found none, she allowed herself to relax. “Well… that’s good.”

  “Indeed. Now,” Alex gestured forward. “Shall we go?”

  With a quick nod, Darcie turned and pushed the shopping cart towards the registers. Alex helped her place the groceries on the moving belt and made small talk with the pretty cashier. Darcie resisted the urge to laugh as she observed the girl’s flirtatious gestures and comments.

  Same nonsense as always.

  As they were leaving the store, Darcie paused when she noticed Kevin standing near the automatic doors. He faced her direction and talked with an employee. Having no desire to endure another awkward encounter, Darcie pulled the cart around and walked towards the farther exit.

  Alex followed her without objection, but his keen eyes missed nothing. Darcie felt his gaze but kept her eyes forward. Once they were at the Jeep, they loaded the groceries and quickly entered the vehicle.

  Safely inside the vehicle, Darcie finally showed her frustration by laying her head on the wheel. She felt Alex’s stare.

  With a groan, she pushed off the wheel and faced her friend. “Can you believe he thought we were dating?” She looked out the front windshield. “He’s determined to hate me forever.”

  A momentary silence landed until Alex said, “Should I be insulted?”

  Darcie looked away from the busy parking lot and scowled at her friend. “You know what I mean.”

  Obviously, Alex was not the worst person to be mistaken for dating, but the point was her childhood friend and ex-boyfriend used their friendship as a reason to remain angry with her. It was frustrating, and Darcie did not know how to fix it.

  “Perhaps you should worry about your strained relationship at another time. It does no good to burden yourself at the moment.”

  Darcie looked down at her lap. “I know.”

  Resolved to push away her worries, she started the car and carefully drove out of the parking lot. She saw Kevin exit as she drove past the front of the store, but she quickly averted her gaze. She had no desire to see his loathing or resentment. As Alex covertly pointed out, she had enough to worry about.

  “In case you were wondering,” Alex said a little too lightly, “he’s even more jealous now.”

  “Be quiet, Alex.”

  8

  Professor Abernathy returned just in time for dinner. When Darcie asked what had taken him so long, he told her he’d lost track of time updating his colleagues of his recent findings in Rome.

  While she did not begrudge his chance to catch up with friends, Darcie had been worried when he did not show up in the early afternoon as planned. Alex had to continually assure her that the ward around Brunswick extended to the university and would keep her father safe. It was the only thing that kept her from running out to search for him until he arrived.

  The trio was having quiet dinner in the formal dining room when her father quietly slipped a wrapped box onto the table between them.

  Darcie stared at the object. “What is that?”

  “Your birthday present. I know it is late, but better late than never.”

  She continued to stare at the present. She had forgotten all about her birthday. The last she thought about it was when her dad had expressed a desire to return home to celebrate with his daughter. She hated to do it, but she asked Des to manipulate her father’s mind and convince him to forget his plan to return to Maine. It would’ve been hard to explain her absence when he expected her to be at home. For her safety, she had to remain in Greece under the protection of The Alliance.

  Realizing her father waited for a response, Darcie cleared her throat. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Of course I did.” He pushed the present closer to her. “It is not every day your daughter turns eighteen.”

  Darcie picked up the rectangular box and blinked. What was she even doing on her birthday? She could hardly remember.

  Was she sulking in her room at the safe house in Florida?

  No. It was before then.

  Darcie rac
ked her brain. Suddenly, she remembered her birthday passed while she’d been unconscious.

  Days before, she had been ill and suffered from debilitating symptoms. It wasn’t until Alex revealed her magical heritage that Des found a healer capable of helping her. She eventually recovered and woke up to a world where she was now known as a witch.

  Everything happened so fast after that. Darcie had not taken a moment to stop and think about the fact that she had never celebrated her birthday.

  “Thank you, Dad.” She started lifting the corners of the wrapping. Careful to not tear the paper, she unwrapped the gift and observed a dark blue, rectangular box. Finding a small metal clasp at the front, Darcie turned the small latch and lifted the lid. Inside was a silver bracelet with a setting holding a bluish-green stone. It was thin and delicate… and completely stunning.

  “Oh, wow.” She removed the bracelet with care. She held the stone closer to her face and was able to see splashes are white in the marble-like stone. She had never seen anything like it.

  “Do you like it?”

  Darcie looked up and saw her dad’s hesitant expression.

  “It’s beautiful,” she informed him. She leaned over and wrapped her arm around his neck. “I love it, Dad. Thank you.”

  He gently returned her embrace. “I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. Happy late birthday.”

  Darcie pulled back and beamed at him. She placed the bracelet over her wrist and held it out for him to help her close its clasps.

  Her father fumbled with the delicate object. “I have not done this in years,” he said as he laughed at himself. Darcie’s chest tightened. She knew his thoughts had turned to her mother. She pressed her lips together, holding her comment.

  At last, her father secured the bracelet and pulled back. Darcie held her wrist out and admired the delicate jewelry. She glanced at Alex with a grin. “Isn’t it pretty?”