Page 139 of The Immortal’s Mark

I nod slowly.

Bella had been apologizing for insisting that we go to Portland to celebrate my birthday. She tried to blame herself for my troubles.

And she was trying to tell me something…something that bothered her.

But then Alex showed up, and she left.

“I remember,” I say. “You were going to tell me about something you said you thought was over…but it isn’t.”

Her eyes close with a pained wince.

“Yes. I was going to tell you that I…” She trails off, taking a deep breath. “I was going to tell you that I made a mistake. In the beginning, when I first joined the family…I struggled.”

My stomach knots. I press my lips together and listen, dread growing with each word that passes her lips.

“I was young,” she continues, voice quiet but steady. “And not the best at handling my emotions. Thane and I had been married for almost a decade, and I already noticed how poorly others perceived the brothers because of their role as the Council’s enforcers.”

She opens her eyes and meets my gaze. “I asked Thane to step down. I proposed that he, Lome, and Des stand up to the other Immortals and demand to be released from their duty.”

Her throat bobs. “And do you know what he did?”

She waits.

“No,” I whisper. “What did he do?”

A tear slips down her cheek. “He laughed at me. Thane thought the idea was hilarious.”

I stare at her, struggling to connect the dots.

That happened centuries ago. Why does it matter now?

I can’t believe Bella would turn against Thane after all these years. They are in love. They’re happy. I know they are.

“I don’t get it,” I admit. “What does this have to do with you helping Adir?”

Bella glances at the metal door to gather herself. When she turns back to me, something volatile swirls beneath the deadened calm in her expression.

“Adir saw me,” she says. “After Thane dismissed me.”

The knots in my stomach tighten.

“I was crying,” she continues. “I wasn’t even sure where I was. I only knew I couldn’t stay in the hallway, not where someone might walk by and find me.”

Her voice breaks, then steadies again like she’s gripping it with both hands. “I stumbled into a room, and Adir was there.”

Tears slowly begin to slide down her cheeks.

My thoughts leap from one to another, struggling to make sense of what she’s about to tell me.

But never, in my life, could I have ever anticipated her next words.

With a shaky breath, Bella delivers a confession with quiet finality that makes me question everything I know about the Immortal.

“I had an affair with Adir.”

34

DARCIE