Chapter 35
Brigid
I pace the secluded alcove, a quiet place away from everyone and everything. My hands tremble as I try to steady my breathing, but it's no use. The shadows are agitated, responding to the turmoil in my mind.
Lochan's face flashes before me—the distrust and loathing in his eyes too much to take. My stomach clenches. "Damn him" I mutter, clenching my hands. The shadows pulse, growing darker.
I can feel my control slipping, the magic surging just beneath my skin. It terrifies me. What if I lose control completely? What if I do hurt someone? That’s not who I am.
Is it?
The air shifts subtly, a change in energy that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. I spin around.
Marius materializes from the shadows, moving with fluid grace. His eyes lock onto mine, dark and intense.
"Problems, little bird?"
I take a step back. "Are you stalking me again?"
He glides closer, movements like silk. "I sensed your distress. Like calls to like, after all."
My pulse quickens. There's something hypnotic about his gaze, drawing me in even as every instinct screams danger.
"I'm fine," I snap, but my voice wavers. “And we’re nothing alike.”
Marius reaches out, fingers barely grazing my arm. Even that light touch sends electricity coursing through me. "Are you? Your shadows say otherwise."
I jerk away, wrapping my arms around myself. The shadows swirl more violently. "Stay back. I can't...I might lose control."
"Then let go," he whispers. "Embrace the shadows. I can show you how."
For a moment, I'm tempted. So tempted to give in, to let the shadows out. But Lochan's face flashes in my mind again. I stumble back, shaking my head.
"You're afraid," he says softly. "But fear is just another emotion to be harnessed."
I shake my head again, trying to push away the thoughts that threaten to consume me. No, I can't. I won't.
"No. I won't become a monster."
Marius's eyes narrow, something dangerous glinting in their depths. "Oh, little bird. To them, that's what you already are."
His words cut deep, echoing my darkest fears. I feel the shadows pulse around me, responding to my turmoil.
"You're wrong," I whisper, but doubt gnaws at me. Because he’s right, isn’t he? All my life people have treated me like I’m wrong, like I’m damaged. Like I’m dangerous.
Marius steps closer, his presence overwhelming. "Am I? I know how they look at you, Brigid. The fear in their eyes. The whispers behind your back."
I clench my fists, fighting to keep my voice steady. "That doesn't mean I have to become what they fear."
He looks at me questioningly. "Why not? Accept it, and they'll never hurt you again."
"And what's the cost? My soul? Losing who I am?"
"Sometimes you have to lose something to find what’s been there all along," Marius says.
Again with the cryptic replies. More riddles, never an answer. I shake my head and move to leave.
Marius's hand shoots out, gripping my arm. His touch is like fire on my skin, leaving me tingling where he touches me. I meet his gaze.
"Stay," he says, his voice a command... and a plea.
I swallow, trying to focus on anything but the heat of his hand on my arm, the way my body floods with want when he’s near me.
This is Marius. The Marius who everyone warns me about. Stay away from him, they said.
But...
Even with all the riddles, there’s an honesty there.
"You’re going to have to do better than that,” I counter. “You want me to stay? Tell me what you know."
Marius's eyes darken, his grip on my arm tightening. He leans in. "I know the power that courses through your veins, Brigid. I can feel it calling to me. I know what it wants.”
My shadows stir inside me, restless. They are responding to him, reaching out.
“You feel it too, don't you?" His lips brush my skin. "The connection between us."
I can't deny it. I’ve felt it since I first saw him. My body's on fire, every nerve ending alive with sensation. My breath comes in short gasps, and I'm acutely aware of how close he is, how easy it would be to close that last inch between us.
"Give in," Marius urges, his voice too seductive. "Let me show you what you're capable of."
His hand slides up my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. I should pull away, should run as fast and as far as I can. But I'm rooted to the spot, caught in his dark gaze.
"I..." I start, my voice barely a whisper. "I don't know if I can control it."
Marius's lips curl into a wicked smile. "Let it consume you. Let me consume you."
The weight of his body presses against mine, and I can feel every hard muscle through our thin layers of clothing. My shadow magic responds with equal intensity, coiling around us like a living entity, feeding off our desire.
His hands reach up to cup my face, thumbs grazing my cheeks as he stares into my eyes with smoldering intent. My heart throbs wildly in my chest as I feel a growing wetness between my legs.
He leans in further, lips finally making contact with mine in a bruising kiss that steals my breath away. Our tongues dance together as we explore each other's mouths hungrily, tasting and devouring every inch, sending sparks of pleasure throughout my body.
One of his hands trails down my neck, tracing along my collarbone before dipping lower still to tease at the swell of my breasts. I arch into his touch instinctively, moaning into his mouth as he cups me firmly through my shirt. My nipples harden under his palm, aching for more attention. He obliges by rubbing his thumb over one sensitive peak before pinching it lightly between two fingers. A jolt shoots straight to my core at the sensation.
I run my hands over his chest, feeling every ridge and valley of muscle beneath his shirt.
His hands roam lower still, grabbing onto my hips roughly as he pulls me closer against him so I can feel how hard he is for me already.
I jerk back, my heart pounding. "No," I gasp, pressing my palms against Marius's chest. "I can't."
His eyes narrow, searching my face. "Can't? Or won't?"
"Both," I manage, my voice shaky. I take another step back, putting distance between us. "I don't know what game you're playing, Marius, but I won't be a pawn in it."
He doesn't move. "This is no game, little bird."
"Stay away from me." I turn and flee, not daring to look back as I race towards my room. I slam the door behind me, leaning against it as I try to slow my breathing.
My legs give out and I slide to the floor, trembling. My body still hums with unfulfilled desire, my shadow magic roils beneath my skin.
"Shit," I mutter, burying my face in my hands.
I take a shaky breath, forcing myself to stand. My legs feel like jelly, but I manage to stumble to my wardrobe and open the doors. Dropping to my knees, I loosen the bottom panel, feeling around until my fingers brush against cool leather of the book I took from the library. I’ve read about half of it already but haven’t found anything useful yet.
I pull it out, cradling it to my chest as I sit on the edge of the bed. The worn cover is warm against my skin, almost alive.
I open the book to where I left off and I flip through a few pages covered in cryptic text and bizarre illustrations, with no idea what they mean. My fingers brush over an intricate drawing of a man shrouded in shadows, ravens swirling around him. The Raven King.
I study the image. There's something hauntingly familiar in those eyes staring back at me from the page.
As I squint at the tiny text beneath the illustration, the words hard to make out. They snap into focus, and I can read them clearly:
"The Raven King's power lies not in shadow, but in blood. His heir shall rise, born of two worlds, to claim the throne of night."
I go numb as the implications sink in.
The Raven King's heir...
Could it be me?
The visions, the ravens that have haunted me my whole life—suddenly, they take on a new, terrifying meaning.
I slam the book shut, my hands shaking.
Marius's words echo in my mind, tempting and dangerous. He could help me understand this power, master it. But at what cost?
I think of Rory. Of Tiernan. They deserve to know. They all do. But what if they turn on me?
A soft tapping at the window makes me jump. Another raven perches on the sill, its beady eyes fixed on me. As I watch, more gather, their wings a whisper against the glass.
"What do you want from me?"
I sense... something. A presence. Watching. Waiting.
I back away from the window. "Who's there?"
Only silence answers, but I can feel it, lurking just beyond my sight.