Page 163 of The Immortal’s Mark

And to think, if I had been too late, it could have been Adir’s soul she connected with…

My blood heats with rage.

I shift forward and place my hands on the railing, grounding myself with slow, deep breaths—breaths that match the sleeping woman behind me.

“I failed. After all this time…I failed.”

“Really? I would say you succeeded.”

My head snaps up, and I scowl. “How could you say⁠—”

“You have bonded your One,” he interrupts. “After centuries of tragedy and heartbreak, you have finally sealed your fated connection.”

My mouth snaps shut.

“It was a forced bonding ceremony,” I counter. “A ceremony Darcie never had the chance to consent to.”

“And that is a tragedy.” He nods, eyes solemn. “But if you do not believe Darcie feels for you the way you feel about her, you are a fool.”

I cut off the tendril of hope that tries to creep to the forefront of my thoughts.

“You’re wrong.” Another lightning bolt rips through the dark sky. “I have done my best to keep my distance.”

“And yet…” His gaze takes on a knowing look. “I suspect you have failed.”

Memories of holding Darcie in my arms, of feeling her soft body press into mine as our mouths meet in a storm of want and desire, assail my senses.

“It doesn’t matter.” I swallow the longing clogging my throat. “She will hate me for the rest of time for what I’ve done.”

“You do not know that.” His voice hardens. “And instead of assuming what Darcie thinks, you should simply ask her.”

I sigh and rub a tired hand down my face.

“I agree,” a delicate voice rises from behind me, strumming the strings of my soul.

I jerk and spin toward the balcony door.

Darcie stands just inside the threshold, wearing a pair of rumpled clothes, but everything else about her is…flawless.

Long, golden hair falls over her shoulders, luscious and curling. Her skin glows. Warmth floods her cheeks, and her eyes are bright.

My knees weaken. I stagger back to lean against the stone railing to keep from falling.

Words escape me.

My eyes drink in her beauty, and every fiber of my being thrums with awareness.

Is this the bond?

I’ve always felt connected to my One, no matter what century or circumstance, but this?

I have never experienced this.

“Darcie.” Alex clears his throat. “You’re awake.”

Her stunning gaze doesn’t leave mine. “I am.”

My heart thumps.