Page 41 of Shadowed Fate

Just when I think I can't take it anymore, Rory stops, his forehead pressed against mine, both of us panting for air.

“Brigid...” he whispers, his voice hoarse. “I've wanted to do that since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

I can feel my heart thudding. I should push him away, but all I can manage to do is to thread my fingers through his shaggy blond hair, pulling him back down for another kiss.

Rory doesn't hesitate, claiming my mouth once more, his tongue tangling with mine, our bodies pressed together, the heat between us almost unbearable.

Lost in the moment, I moan, a sound I didn't know was possible, a deep, primal sound that surprises even me.

Suddenly, my mind kicks into gear, and reality comes crashing down around me.

I'm in the middle of a public area, in broad daylight, with Rory's hands up my shirt, where anyone could see us. Old taunts come back to me.Slut.

I pull away from Rory, my cheeks on fire, and scramble to adjust my shirt, trying to regain some semblance of modesty.

“I... I should...” I stammer, panic creeping into my voice.

Rory's eyes are dark with desire, but there's also a hint of confusion in them as he adjusts his obvious erection.

“Brigid, I'm sorry if I overstepped...”

“No, it's fine. I mean, no, I mean, it's not fine, but it's...” I trail off, my cheeks flushing even more. I’m aware that things are different here than what I’m used to—romantically speaking. I’ve already seen a few throuples making out in public, and a couple of the girls have packs of four or five guys always around them. But…

I grab my jacket and I rush off, mumbling a quick thank you for the session. I glance back once and see Rory scratching his head, looking bewildered.

As I make my way up the walk that leads back inside the building, my cheeks are on fire. I can’t believe what I just did. What I’vebeendoing with Callen. That’s not me. Even as I think it, another voice in the back of my mind says —why can’t it be?I don’t understand any of this. It’s like I’m not the one in control anymore.

I push through the heavy door to the academy, the cool air inside a stark contrast to the heat of my flushed skin.

A silky voice cuts through my tumultuous thoughts. "Well, well. Quite the training session, wasn't it?"

I whirl around to find Marius leaning against a stone pillar, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. My heart rate, which had just begun to slow, picks up again. I haven’t seen him since that first class.

"What do you want?" I try to hide my unease.

He pushes off the pillar with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it movement that makes my mouth go dry. I realize I don’t know what he ‘is’. He could be a vampire like Laria, or a fae like Callen and Lochan. “Oh, I think the question is, what do you want, Brigid? Or rather, what are you capable of wanting?"

I take an involuntary step back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Marius moves closer, his voice dropping. "You have no idea of the power that lies dormant within you. The things you could do, if only you knew..."

My skin prickles. What does he know about my magic? About me?

"Cut the cryptic bullshit," I say, even as a part of me leans in, desperate to hear more.

“Your origin is far more than you realize."

I open my mouth to demand answers, but Marius' gaze flicks over my shoulder. His expression shifts, almost imperceptibly.

"Until next time, little bird," he murmurs, then turns and vanishes down a shadowy corridor.

I spin around to see what caught his attention and spot Lochan rounding the corner. My mind races. Did Marius leave because of him? What the hell is going on?

As Lochan approaches, his hazel eyes narrowed and glaring at me—because what else is new—I’m left with nothing but frustration and a gnawing hunger for answers that slip further from my grasp with each passing moment.

Chapter 20

Lochan

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