Chapter Thirty-Seven
Brigid
I wince at the too-bright light as I turn toward Callen who is standing in front of the window. Even non-fae wine here is strong enough to give me a hangover after just a couple of glasses, and my unexpected visitors are not helping with the bomb they ’ ve just dropped on me.
My mind is going six ways to Sunday. The words he ’ s just spoken hang in the air. “ The Council—killed the dean?”
Callen nods, his pale blue eyes intense. “ And they ’ re planning to use you as the vessel for the Morrigan.”
My stomach lurches, this time not from too much mulled wine last night. I grip edge of my desk, steadying myself. “ But why? How?”
“ Power,” Callen says, his voice tight. “ They want to harness the Morrigan ’ s power for themselves.”
I glance around my room, taking in the faces of my companions. Rory and Tiernan look grim, but it ’ s Lochan who catches my eye. He ’ s pacing, running a hand through his brown hair. Something ’ s off about him.
“ Lochan,” I say, “ you okay?”
He stops, meeting my gaze. There ’ s something different about his eyes. I realize he ’ s not glaring at me like he usually does. “ I ’ m fine,” he mutters, but his clenched jaw says otherwise.
I frown.
“ So what do we do?” I ask, turning back to Callen. “ How do we stop them?”
Callen sighs. “ That ’ s the tricky part. We need more information, more allies. The Council is strong. No one goes against them and lives to talk about it.” He makes a face. “ Ask a shadow rebel. Oh wait—you can ’ t because the Council hunted most of them.”
As they discuss strategy, my attention keeps going to Lochan. I can ’ t help it. He ’ s fidgeting, his eyes darting between me and the others. When our gazes meet again, he doesn ’ t look away. Instead, he steps closer.
“ We won ’ t let them use you,” he says quietly. His voice is gruff, but there ’ s an undercurrent of... something. Protectiveness?
Huh. Interesting.
I blink, surprised. “ Okay. Thanks.” I ’ m unsure how to respond to this new side of him.
We talk a while longer, not really figuring anything out, more just processing it all. Or at least I am trying to process it. It ’ s a lot.
My mind wanders as the guys continue strategizing. I realize that this is one of the first times all five of us have been in the same place together, not fighting. I can ’ t help but mull on the bonds tying us together.
It ’ s wild, really. The best I could do back home was frigging Donal, a guy who treated me like I was nothing. Being with him made me feel more lonely than being alone. Then fate decided to saddle me up with not one, but four mates. And each of them... dang.
Callen, with his charm and wit. The way his eyes glint when he ’ s plotting something wicked. Those damn lips of his.
Lochan, all broody intensity and brawny strength. Even when he ’ s being an ass, there ’ s something about him that I can ’ t stop wanting.
Tiernan ’ s calm logic grounds me, his quiet strength soothes my chaotic mind and his desire for complete control allows me to let go of everything.
And Rory? That goofball with his infectious laugh and protective instincts. He makes me feel safe, even when the world ’ s going to shit. He is the sun on my darkest days.
These bonds, they ’ re not just magical woo-woo. They ’ re real, tugging at something deep inside me. But as I look at them, guilt gnaws at my gut. There ’ s something I need to tell them. Something big.
“ Guys,” I start, my voice catching. They all turn to me, expressions ranging from curious to concerned. “ There ’ s... there ’ s something you should know.”
I take a deep breath but I can ’ t get the words out. But I can ’ t keep this a secret. I squeeze my eyes shut and just spit it out. “ I have another mate bond.”
The room goes dead silent. I can practically hear their heartbeats. I open one eye, still wincing.
“ What?” Callen ’ s voice is barely above a whisper.
I take a deep breath before continuing. “ It ’ s Marius. I ’ m bonded to Marius, too.”
The shock on their faces is enough to make me want to close my eyes again. Callen ’ s mouth hangs open, Tiernan ’ s eyes are wide, and Lochan... he looks like he ’ s been slapped.
But Rory? He just nods, a small smile playing at his lips. “ Figured as much,” he says with a shrug.
I blink at him. “ You did?”
He grins. “ C ’ mon, love. That fucker wouldn ’ t lift a finger to help anyone if it didn ’ t help him. But he helped you get me out of the void. Because you asked.” Rory shrugs. “ And it was written all over your faces every time you looked at each other. Still don ’ t trust him as far as I can throw him.
“ Fuck,” Lochan growls. He turns away, his shoulders tense.
Callen runs a hand through his hair, his usual confidence cracking. “ Marius? Are you sure?”
I nod, my stomach twisting. “ Yeah. I ’ m sure.”
Tiernan steps forward, his brow furrowed. “ This complicates things.”
No shit. I want to laugh, but the sound catches and won ’ t come out. There ’ s really nothing funny about any of this.
“ Complicates things?” Lochan spits. “ It ’ s fucking Marius. He can ’ t be trusted.”
“ Neither can the Council,” Rory points out. “ And they ’ re the ones trying to use Brigid.”
“ Marius may be a lot of things, but he ’ s never tried to hurt me. Can ’ t say the same for the Council.” Even as I say it I ’ m not sure it ’ s the truth. Being around Marius makes me feel like I ’ m always one step away from falling off the edge of a cliff, and he can either grab my hand or push me over.
The room goes silent again. I can feel the weight of their stares, the tension thick enough to choke on.
Tiernan clears his throat, drawing our attention. His voice is calm, analytical. “ While this is unexpected, we can ’ t lose sight of the bigger picture. The Council ’ s plans pose a far bigger threat than Marius at present.”
I feel a rush of gratitude for his level-headedness.
“ He ’ s right,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. “ We need to figure out how to stop the Council from turning me into some kind of shell for the Morrigan to take over. And what are they waiting for? Why haven ’ t they already done it?”
Lochan stays silent but at least he doesn ’ t argue. Small mercies.
Rory moves closer. He places a hand on my shoulder, solid and reassuring. “ Whatever happens, we ’ ve got your back, Brigid. All of us.” His eyes meet mine and I can see the protectiveness in them. Possessiveness even. It ’ s not entirely unwelcome. “ You ’ re not facing this alone.”
I lean into his touch almost involuntarily. “ Thanks, Rory.”
The tension in the room eases slightly, but I can still feel the undercurrent of distrust. We ’ re walking a tightrope here, with very few options. They all know a lot more about this world than I do though, so I have hope. Hope that we can figure this out and stop the Council.
Tiernan nods, his expression thoughtful. “ We should gather more information, perhaps consult the old texts for any mention of similar prophecies or rituals. We need to know what the Council knows.”
“ Good idea,” Callen agrees, seeming relieved to have a plan of action.
“ Eira,” I say. “ She can help us.”
Lochan scowls. “ No. This stays between us.”
Callen considers. “ We need all the help we can get right now. If Brigid trusts the girl, we should too.”
Tiernan looks at me. “ Do you trust her, Brigid?”
“ I think so.” Again, I ’ m not sure. I mean, I think I do. She ’ s my friend. But my issues with trust run deep and I can ’ t be sure I ’ m the best judge of it anymore.
Lochan grunts. “ Not exactly reassuring.”
I glare at Lochan. “ Look, I get it. You don ’ t trust easily. Join the club. But Eira ’ s been nothing but helpful since I got here. She knows things about the academy, and the Morrigan, that could be useful.”
Lochan opens his mouth to argue, but Callen cuts him off. “ Brigid ’ s right. We need allies, and Eira ’ s in a unique position to help. Let ’ s bring her in.”
Lochan ’ s mouth is set in a hard line, but he doesn ’ t push it further. Finally, he nods curtly.
“ Fine,” he growls. “ But if this blows up in our faces, don ’ t say I didn ’ t warn you.”
I roll my eyes. “ Noted.”
Rory slaps his hands on his legs. “ Right then. So we ’ ve got a plan. Research, recruit Eira, and figure out how to stop the Council from using Brigid as a magical meat puppet. Anything else?”
I wince at his phrasing, but he ’ s not wrong. “ Yeah, actually. We really need to figure out why the Council hasn ’ t made their move yet. What are they waiting for?”
Callen ’ s brow furrows. “ Good question. They ’ ve had plenty of opportunities.”
“ Maybe there ’ s something else they need,” Tiernan muses. “ Some ritual component or specific timing.”
“ Or maybe they ’ re just biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike,” Lochan adds.
I shudder at the thought. The idea of being used as a vessel, of losing myself to the Morrigan, it terrifies me. But there ’ s also a part of me—a dark, twisted part—that ’ s curious about that power. What would it feel like to have a goddess inside me? To be more powerful than almost anything?
I push the thought away before it take root. “ Whatever their reason, we need to be ready. I ’ m tired of being caught off guard.”
Rory nods. “ Agreed. We should start training more intensively. All of us.”
“ Including you,” Callen says, eyeing me. “ Your shadow magic is powerful, Brigid. You need to learn to control it.”
I swallow hard, nodding. “ Yeah, I know. It ’ s just, I don ’ t know, scary sometimes. The way it feels when I tap into it.”
Lochan ’ s eyes narrow. “ What do you mean?”
I hesitate, not sure how to explain it. “ It ’ s like there ’ s this well of darkness inside me. And when I use the magic, it ’ s like I ’ m diving into it. Sometimes I worry I might not come back up.”
The room goes quiet. I can feel their eyes on me.
Tiernan steps forward. “ That ’ s shadow magic. It ’ s tied to elemental darkness, to chaos. Learning to control it is crucial for anyone who has it.”
“ I can help with that,” a voice says from the doorway.
We all spin around. Marius leans against the frame, his dark eyes fixed on me. My heart skips a beat.
“ What the fuck are you doing here?” Lochan snarls.
“ How did you get in here?” Callen narrows his eyes.
The door is firmly closed.
Marius ignores the question. “ I sensed Brigid ’ s distress. Thought I ’ d check in on my mate .”
The word hangs in the air. I feel the others tense around me. Lochan looks ready to lunge at Marius, while Callen ’ s eyes glare daggers.
“ Easy, boys,” Marius drawls, holding up his hands. “ I come in peace.”
“ Bullshit,” Lochan spits. “ You never do anything that doesn ’ t benefit you.”
Marius ’ s eyes flick to me, a hint of a smirk on his lips. “ Oh, I think helping Brigid would benefit me quite nicely.”
Heat rushes to my face at his words, and I hate myself for it. Damn him and his stupid sexy voice, the way his crossed arms make his biceps bulge, and those fucking tattoos. His sleeves are rolled up and his forearms are crisscrossed with black ink in swirling shapes and symbols. My eyes flutter like I ’ m some damsel in a romance novel.
It doesn ’ t go unnoticed.
“ You ’ re not touching her,” Rory growls, stepping closer to me.
Marius raises an eyebrow. “ Possessive, aren ’ t we? Don ’ t worry, puppy. I ’ m not here to steal your toy.”
Arrogant prick. “ Enough,” I snap, spell broken. “ What do you want, Marius? And I ’ m no one ’ s toy.”
“ What I want is to help you, Brigid. That ’ s all.”
I cross my arms. “ And you ’ re offering out of the goodness of your heart?”
He chuckles, and it ’ s a dangerous sound. “ Oh, believe me, there ’ s nothing good about my heart. But we ’ re connected, whether we like it or not.”
“ Connected,” Lochan scoffs. “ Like that means anything to someone like you.”
Marius ’ s eyes narrow. “ Watch your tone, fae. You have no idea what I ’ m capable of.”
The tension in the room ratchets up another notch. Awesome.
“ Stop it. Both of you. This isn ’ t helping anything.”
To my surprise, they both back down, though Lochan still glares at Marius.
“ I think we all need a breather.” Standing here, in the middle of my five mates, it ’ s a lot. “ I need you all to leave for a bit. We can talk later, okay?”
The guys exchange looks, clearly reluctant to leave me alone. Marius smirks, making no move to exit.
“ All of you,” I say firmly, meeting each of their eyes in turn. “ I need some space to think.”
Callen nods first. “ Of course. We ’ ll regroup later to make plans.”
He magics up a portal and walks through, followed by Tiernan. Lochan keeps looking back at me as he walks towards it. It ’ s weirding me out.
Rory lingers. “ You sure you ’ re okay, love?” he asks softly.
“ I ’ m fine, Rory. Just need to clear my head.”
He nods, squeezing my shoulder before stepping through the portal. I watch as it blinks out of existence.
Marius remains, leaning against the wall like he has no plans to go anywhere.
“ That means you too,” I say, glaring at him.
“ We ’ ll talk soon,” he says. It ’ s not a question.
As I watch, Marius ’ s form starts to blur at the edges, like a charcoal sketch being smudged. The shadows deepen, growing denser until they ’ re almost solid. His features become indistinct, melting into the darkness. Just before the darkness takes him completely, Marius winks at me. Then he ’ s gone, leaving nothing but empty air where he stood moments ago.
Cool trick. I ’ m impressed with how effortlessly he controls his shadow magic. Not for the first time I wonder about his background. He ’ s clearly skilled, he had to have learned that somewhere. From somebody.
My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven ’ t eaten since yesterday. I sigh, running a hand through my tangled hair. Food. I need food. And coffee. Definitely coffee. All the coffee. I decide to make a quick run to the dining hall.
“ Oh!” Eira ’ s standing at my door when I open it. “ Brigid, hi.”
“ Eira?” I blink. “ What are you doing here?”
Her eyes widen slightly. “ I, um, I was just coming to see if you wanted to grab breakfast together.”
How long has she been out here? I start replaying everything that was said in my room.
“ That ’ s... thoughtful of you,” I say. “ I was actually just heading down myself.”
“ Perfect timing then!” Eira chirps, but there ’ s something off about her cheerfulness. She keeps looking over my shoulder, into my room.
As we start walking, I sneak glances at her. Her face is carefully neutral, but there ’ s tension in her shoulders. She knows something. Or thinks she does.
“ So,” I say casually, “ how long were you waiting out there?”
Eira stumbles slightly, recovering quickly. “ Oh, not long at all. I only just got there when you opened the door.”
But there ’ s a note in her voice that makes me think otherwise. Maybe it ’ s my trust issue rearing its ugly head again.
Or maybe not.