Page 100 of Shattered Veil
I stay back a few minutes after Brigid leaves. The room smells like sulphur and candle wax, it’s stuffy and between it, and the weight of that conversation, I feel like I can’t get a deep breath in. I need some fucking air.
I push out of the room, my boots echoing down the empty corridor. The winter air hits my face as I step outside, and I take a deep breath, trying to clear my head.
The grounds are quiet. Even most of the faculty are gone now. I start walking, no real destination in mind. Just need to move, to do something with this restless energy coursing through me.
That’s when I see him. Marius.
He’s standing near the forest boundary, talking to someone. Someone in a hooded cloak. I don’t recognize them, whoever it is has their face hidden in shadow. It’s definitely not someone from the academy.
I move behind a tree and stand still, not wanting to be seen. Who the hell is Marius meeting out here in the middle of the night?
I strain to hear their conversation, but they’re speaking too low. Marius’posture is tense.
The cloaked figure hands Marius something—can’t see what—before melting back into the darkness of the trees.
Marius stands there for a long moment, staring at whatever he’s holding. Then he shoves it in his pocket and turns, heading back towards the academy.
I stay hidden, blending into the dark. As Marius passes, I catch a glimpse of his face. He looks... worried. And Marius never looks worried.
What the fuck is going on?
Chapter Forty-Two
Brigid
I pace the length of my room, shadows flickering at my fingertips. Lochan’s words echo in my head. Fucking asshole. Just when I start hating him he does something that draws me back again. I know he was sincere, but it doesn’t make up for everything he did. Doesn’t make up for that night. I remember how savage it was when we crashed together, how exquisitely rough his hands were. Not like Tiernan with his precise, detached control. Not like Rory, with his playful dominance, or Callan with his manipulations that send me over the top. Not like Marius with his possessiveness.
No. With Lochan it was raw. Brutally beautiful.
A caw breaks through my spiraling thoughts, making me whirl around towards the window. A raven perches on the sill, its black eye boring into mine.
“Go away,” I mutter, flapping my hand at the bird
The floorboard creaks behind me. I spin back around, heart pounding.
Marius stands in the doorway, silent as a ghost. His dark eyes rake over me, setting my skin on fire. I hate how my body reacts to him, even now, after everything. Like it has a mind of its own.
“What do you want?” I say, crossing my arms. I’m in no mood for another conversation with any man right now.
He steps into the room, closing the door with a soft click.“We need to talk, Brigid.”
“About what?”
Marius sighs, running a hand over his tattooed arms.“It’s complicated.”
“Can it not wait? It’s been kind of a day, you know?”
He moves closer, and I want to step back. I should step back. But I don’t. My fucking body wants to slam into his, wants his lips on mine. She’s not going to get her way, however, and cross my arms over my chest, standing firm.
“There are things you need to know,” he says, and I’m annoyingly disappointed that he doesn’t move closer.“Things about the prophecy.”
My stomach drops.“What do you know that I don’t? And why are you just telling me now?”
His eyes bore into mine, intense and pleading.“Please, Brigid. Just listen.”
“Talk.”
Marius hesitates and I see his eyes look at the window, then the door, like he’s waiting for something. But then he speaks.“The prophecy isn’t just about the Morrigan. It’s about the Raven King too.”
