Page 25 of The Immortal’s Mark

“Hello.” The man who cleared his throat grins. His accent is Italian. “Sorry to bother you, but I see you have a map.”

“Oh.” She looks down at the folded paper in her hands. “Yes, I do.”

I sidestep a family with a toddler who has plopped onto the ground in the middle of the path to gather a handful of rocks.

“Could you tell us which direction to take to get to the Parthenon?” His grin widens. “Or, better yet, would you like to come with us?”

My hands clench into fists.

Her delicate brows arch. “Oh, um…I⁠—”

“Go East,” I say, stopping two feet away from the woman’s back. She turns to look at me, but I keep my stern gaze leveled on the two men in front of me. “Follow the signs. You can’t miss it.”

The men blink at me, then each other. The one who’d spoken looks at my One.

“Signorina?” he asks. “Do you know this man?”

“I…” she trails off, her words are quiet, but they ring in my ears like the most delicate, beautiful music that emanates from harp strings.

My pulse spikes, and every single thing around me fades into a blurry background as I lock eyes with the woman whose soul was designed as the perfect complement to mine.

Flecks of navy shine under the sunlight, striking her ocean blue eyes as she tilts her head to the side. Her pale pink lips purse in thought.

Then, she murmurs four words that threaten to unravel centuries of resolve and distance, “Yes…I know him.”

7

DARCIE

Two agonizingly long hours later, Henry clears my mind of the residual pressure from my visions and builds mental blocks to prevent them from reforming.

“These blocks are voluntary,” he tells me, leaning back and rolling his shoulders. “You trigger them when you want the visions to stop. They won’t erase your gift, and they won’t last forever, but they’ll suppress them long enough to keep their effects from overwhelming you.”

The news is music to my ears.

“But how do you even know how to do that?” I ask once the last lingering threads of pain and nausea finally drain from my body. I still can’t believe my trainer has access to something that incredible. “And why haven’t you told me about it before now?”

Henry cracks his neck, clearly stiff from hours of bending over me. “I thought you were managing the visions without issue. If I’d known otherwise, I would have mentioned it.”

“It was a mighty fine trick to keep hidden up your sleeve,” Alex cuts in. He steps forward and clasps Henry’s hand in a firm shake. “Thank you.”

Henry pumps his arm once before releasing him. “Think nothing of it. I’m only glad I managed to find Des and enlist his assistance. Healer Mark has a reputation for stubbornness, but I knew he would listen to his superior.”

Hearing the Immortal’s name reminds me that Des is no longer here.

“Where did Des go?” I ask.

Alex says, “I don’t know. I didn’t hear him leave.”

“Nor I,” Henry says. “Would you like me to go find him?”

“No. That’s okay.” I shake my head, unwilling to be seen pining after Des.

I don’t want to spark rumors about our relationship, especially not after the vision I had of the Immortal family. Thane’s already too eager to turn up the heat on the whole soulmate thing.

“I’ll talk to him later,” I add when both men give me curious looks.

“Of course.” Alex lifts a hand and brushes a sweaty strand of hair out of my face. The gesture feels brotherly. “We should let you rest. I put your cellphone on the nightstand. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”