Page 79 of Shadowed Fate

See? his eyes seem to say. I told you she was dangerous.

Maybe you were right all along, asshole.

I push past him, fleeing through the doors and out into the hallway. My footsteps thud against the floor, and I feel more alone than ever in this unfamiliar place.

And the thought comes unbidden.

Maybe I really am as dangerous as they all think.

I stumble out of the academy's grand entrance, my chest heaving. The perfectly groomed grounds blur as tears sting my eyes. My feet carry me forwards. I don’t know where I’m going and I don’t care. All I can think about is getting away. Away from Callen, away from Lochan, away from Laria and everyone else who thinks of me as something dark and wrong.

"Leaving so soon, little bird?"

Marius materializes from the tree line. I jerk to a stop, my heart lurching painfully.

"Fuck off, Marius. Didn't you hear? I'm dangerous."

A smile plays at his lips. "Oh, I'd hoped for nothing less."

I laugh bitterly. "Right. Because that's what everyone wants – a ticking time bomb for a classmate."

"You misunderstand," Marius says, closing the distance between us. His eyes, dark as pitch, bore into mine. "The most dangerous thing about you, Brigid, is your potential to bring their entire house of cards crashing down."

"What the hell does that mean?"

He reaches out, trailing a finger along my jaw. I shudder.

”It means," Marius murmurs, "that you're far more important than you think."

I swallow hard, my throat dry. Marius's touch lingers, sending tingles across my skin.

"Important to who?" I demand, voice barely above a whisper.

His lips curve. "To me, Brigid.”

Before I can process his words, Marius's hand slides to the back of my neck. He pulls me close, crushing his mouth against mine. The kiss is fierce, hungry. I gasp, my body a traitor as I melt into him.

His tongue sweeps past my lips, tasting of darkness and danger, of smoke. I should push him away. Run. But my fingers tangle in his hair instead, drawing him closer.

When we break apart, I'm breathless. Marius's eyes gleam.

"They fear you and they don’t even know what you're capable of," he continues, his voice hypnotic. "What we're capable of together."

"We? There is no we, Marius. You don't even know what I am."

His eyes flash.

"I know you better than you know yourself," he counters. His hand slides lower, resting over my thundering heart. "I can feel it, the shadows inside you. They calls to me."

Part of me wants to run, to get as far away from Marius and his treacherous words as possible. But a larger part, the part still trembling from our kiss, yearns to hear more.

"What am I?" I whisper.

Marius leans in close, his lips brushing my ear. "You're the key, little bird.”

Chapter 34

Lochan

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