Chapter Thirty-One
Brigid
Eira talked me into eating a late dinner with her and Finn in the dining hall after the labyrinth challenge, but it ’ s a sweet relief when I finally get back to my room. I ’ m happy to be alive, but the image of my doppelg?nger ’ s cold, dead eyes haunts me. As soon as I close the door behind me, I make a beeline for my bed.
“ Hard day at the office, honey?”
I jerk upright at the masculine voice. Marius lounges in the armchair by the window, the glow from the moon catching his sharp features.
“ What the hell are you doing here?” I snap, even as I feel a tug of something else deep in my belly.
He smiles, dark eyes raking over me. “ Waiting for you, little bird. We had an agreement, remember?”
I swallow, torn between wariness and a traitorous spike of desire. “ I remember. I just didn ’ t expect—”
“ Me to actually hold you to it?” Marius rises, stalking towards me. “ I always keep my word, remember that. One night alone. That was the deal.”
I scoot back up on the bed until my back hits the headboard. He sits down close to me, and the scent of embers and night air fills my senses.
“ Tell me about the wraith,” he murmurs, lips brushing my ear. “ About what you saw.”
What I saw was horrible. And also tempting. But I ’ m not telling him that. “ I…I saw myself. But not myself. Colder. Crueler. More powerful.”
Marius pulls back, studying me intently. “ And how did that make you feel?”
“ Scared,” I whisper. Then, for reasons unknown, I reveal the truth. “ Excited.”
His eyes darken further. “ Good girl.”
The praise sends a fizz of arousal through my body that surprises me.
Marius chuckles, trailing a finger along my jaw. “ We ’ re two sides of the same coin, you and I. Darkness recognizes darkness.”
I want to deny it, but deep down, I know he ’ s right. There ’ s a space inside me, hungry and aching to be filled. And Marius is the only one who truly sees it.
“ What do you want from me?” I ask.
His grin is humorless. “ Everything.”
I look away.
“ Are you ready to accept your destiny, little bird?”
“ You ’ re always so enigmatic, aren ’ t you, Marius?” I ’ d assumed he wanted to fuck me, plain and simple. This talk of destiny is dangerous territory. “ Why can ’ t you just tell me what you want with me?”
His fingers trace patterns on my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I watch as his face, watch him as he considers his next words. But something shifts in his eyes and he pulls away from me. “ I should go.”
What? “ I ’ m confused,” I say. “ What just happened, Marius?”
He turns to me, his eyes intense and unblinking. “ What do you feel when you look at me, Brigid?”
“ What do you mean?” I can ’ t answer him because I don ’ t know what I feel, exactly. I mean, I feel anger, annoyance, yes. But I also feel a pull towards him, along with a desire that makes me lose my breath. I watch as he runs his tattooed knuckles over the appearing scruff on his jaw.
“ Nevermind.” He starts to stand up.
To everyone ’ s shock, I snake out my hand and catch his wrist. He blinks at me in surprise. “ Don ’ t go.”
“ Careful what you wish for, little bird.”
My chest clenches at his words, and I feel a tightening between my legs. What I ’ m pretty sure now is a mate bond, throbs between us, a call I can ’ t ignore.
He watches me, his gaze on my face, then lower and lower. He smiles and I ’ m pretty sure he knows exactly what I ’ m feeling right now.
Marius ’ s hand slides up my arm, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. His fingers skim over my collarbone, tracing delicate patterns that make me shiver. When he touches my face, his thumb brushes my lips, and I can ’ t help but part them slightly.
“ This is insane,” I whisper, even as I lean into his touch.
Marius chuckles darkly. “ Maybe. But you feel it too, don ’ t you? The pull. The need.”
I nod, unable to lie. His presence overwhelms my senses, drawing me in.
I can ’ t deny the magnetic current running between us, but my mind races with doubts. Marius is dangerous, unpredictable. Can I trust him? Should I?
His hand slides to the nape of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair. “ Stop thinking so much,” he murmurs, his breath hot on my skin.
I shudder, still torn between wanting him and suspicion. “ I can ’ t help it. You ’ re... you ’ re not exactly trustworthy.”
Marius ’ s eyes flash with something. It ’ s gone too quickly to tell what it was, but his voice is hard when he speaks. “ And yet here you are, begging me to stay.”
He ’ s right, damn him. His other hand finds my waist, pulling me flush against him. I can feel the hard length of his cock pressing against my stomach.
“ Fuck,” I breathe, my resolve crumbling.
“ That ’ s the idea, little bird,” Marius growls, and then his mouth is on mine.
The kiss is searing, with barely contained urgency. I moan, my fingers clawing at his shoulders. Part of me hates how easily I give in, how desperately I want this. But a larger part doesn ’ t care anymore. Fighting fate is exhausting, and it feels so fucking good to give in and let go.
Marius breaks the kiss, leaving me gasping. “ Tell me you want this,” he demands. “ I need to hear you say it.”
I hesitate, teetering on the edge of no return. If I do this, everything changes. But the mate bond tugs incessantly, and my own traitorous body screams for more.
“ I... I want this,” I finally admit, the words both terrifying and freeing. “ I want you.”I do. I can ’ t believe it, but I do.
Marius ’ s eyes have a hunger in them that scares me.
His hands are everywhere at once, shoving up my shirt, palming my breasts roughly. I arch into his touch, gasping as he pinches my nipples.
“ So responsive,” he murmurs approvingly. “ I bet you ’ re already wet for me, aren ’ t you?”
I nod, beyond words as he yanks my pants and underwear down in one swift motion. His fingers slide between my thighs, finding me slick and aching.
“ Fuuuck,” Marius groans. “ You ’ re drenched.”
He slides two fingers inside me without warning, and I cry out, clamping around them. It ’ s too much and not enough all at once.
“ Please,” I ’ m not sure what I ’ m begging for.
Marius ’ s thumb finds my clit as he pumps his fingers in and out.
A low moan escapes me.
“ That ’ s it, little bird. Sing for me.”
Marius ’ s fingers work me into a frenzy. I wriggle against him, chasing the building pressure. His mouth latches onto my neck, sucking hard enough to leave marks.
“ Marius,” I gasp. “ I ’ m close, I ’ m—”
He pulls away abruptly, leaving me trembling on the edge. I whine in protest.
“ Not yet,” he growls. “ I want to taste you first.”
Before I can react, he ’ s sliding down my body. He spreads my thighs wide, dark eyes locked on mine as he lowers his head. The first swipe of his tongue has me arching off the bed with a cry.
Marius devours me like a starving man. His tongue explores every fold before focusing on my clit. He sucks the sensitive bud into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue as his lips circle around it.
“ Oh god,” I moan, fisting my hands in his hair.
He hums in approval, the vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure through me. Two fingers slide back inside, curling to hit that perfect spot.
The dual stimulation is overwhelming. My thighs shake and I clamp my mouth closed so I don ’ t scream.
“ Don ’ t hold back,” he growls against my pussy. “ I want to hear every sound you make.”
His words send a fresh wave of arousal through me. I let out a keening moan as he increases the pressure, my orgasm building rapidly.
“ That ’ s it,” Marius praises. “ Such a good girl for me.”
The praise hits me like a physical caress. I arch my back, chasing the high as I get closer and closer to the edge.
“ Are you going to come for me?” Marius asks, his voice muffled.
“ Yes,” I gasp. “ Yes, please, I ’ m so close... ”
He stops sucking my clit and instead uses his thumb and index finger on his other hand to pinch it. “ Then come,” he commands.
The sensation and his dominance push me over. I cry out as the orgasm crashes through me, clenching around his fingers. Marius works me through it, drawing out every last tremor until I ’ m a quivering mess beneath him.