Page 168 of The Immortal’s Mark

“We had to complete the bond.”

My heart thumps painfully, and my blood turns to ice.

“You mean…Adir⁠—”

“No.” Ire flashes in his eyes. “I already told you, you did not bond with that asshole.”

Relief flows through me, but confusion prevents it from taking root. “Then, who?”

“Me.”

My breath hitches, and my heart soars. “You?”

Des rolls his shoulders back and holds my stare. “Me.”

My skin draws tight, and tingling erupts all over my body.

I urge my body to calm down—to temper this reaction.

From the expression on Des’s face, he isn’t thrilled by this news. His reaction reminds me of our conversation outside the Parthenon⁠—

Wait.

My eyes blow wide.

Memories…

Memories I didn’t remember before this moment race through my mind.

The National Gardens.

The Parthenon.

The café.

Des picking out the keychain with a miniature of the monument…

The truth hits me like a punch to the gut, and I gape at the Immortal in front of me.

“We’d met before,” I whisper. “In Greece.”

Understanding floods his features. “Your transition has removed the Masking.”

“Masking?” My temper sparks. “You put a Masking on me?”

“I had to.”

“No,” I snap back. “You didn’t.”

Des didn’t mention anything about our connection during that stolen day together in Greece.

Sure, I was attracted to the handsome man who’d approached me in the National Garden. Any woman with eyes would’ve been.

And while I found it odd how desperately I wanted to spend time with him, nothing about it felt unnatural.

Or alarming.

Des did not have to erase the moment from my mind. There was no danger in keeping the pleasant memory of one of the most thrilling days of my life.