Page 102 of Shattered Veil
I blink, trying to process the bomb Marius just dropped.“Wait, back up. You said the Council doesn’t know the full prophecy?”
Marius steps closer, his voice low and urgent.“They only know about the Morrigan’s return. The Morrigan created this prophecy to bring back her lover—the Raven King.”
My stomach twists.“Bring him back from where?”
“Death,” Marius says flatly.“But the price was steep. The Morrigan sacrificed her own life. Now she only has one shot, one vessel—you. The Raven King, though? He can come back every generation, over and over again. And that’s what he’s done. Waiting for her.”
I feel sick.“That’s where we come in?”
Marius nods grimly.“Once they’re reunited, they’ll be unstoppable. More powerful than the Council, the King, anyone. They’ll put an end to the persecution of the shadow witches and mages, stop the Council in their tracks.”
“So what, I’m just supposed to roll over and let some goddess take over my body?”
Marius’s eyes flash. He crowds me against the wall, one hand braced next to my head.“You don’t have a choice, little bird. Neither of us do.”
“There’s always a choice,” I whisper, but even I don’t believe it. I straighten my spine, meeting Marius’s intense gaze.“We make our own destiny.”
His eyes narrow, but there’s a glint of something—in their dark depths.“You don’t know what you’re up against, Brigid.”
“Maybe not,” I concede, my voice steadier than I feel.“But I refuse to be a pawn in some ancient love story. There has to be another way.”
“Many have been anticipating the reunion of the Morrigan and the Raven King for a long time. They want this to happen. It’s not just the Council that you’ll be up against.”
“Then help me understand,” I challenge.“We’re in this together, aren’t we?”
He laughs, a bitter sound.“Together? I was sent here to ensure you embrace your destiny. To make sure you’re ready to be her vessel.”
“And now?” I almost don’t ask.
Marius hesitates, conflict etched across his face.“Now... I don’t know. This fucking fated mate bond is complicating everything.”
He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small object. He holds it up—a polished black stone, shot through with veins of silver. It glows with a faint, otherworldly light.
“What is that?” I ask.
“The key to my transformation,” Marius says grimly.“Given to me by the Raven King himself, in a deteriorating vessel. He needs me as his new host.”
I stare at the stone, horrified.“And you’re just going to let him take over your body?”
Marius’s laugh is hollow.“It’s what I was bred for, Brigid. My entire life has led to this moment.”
The weight of his words hits me like a punch to the gut. I want to argue, to tell him he has a choice too, but the resigned look in his eyes stops me cold.
Marius’s fist clenches around the stone, his knuckles turning white.“But this goddamn bond... it’s fucking everything up. I can’t—” He breaks off, frustration twisting his features.“I can’t let him have you.”
My heart races, a mix of fear and something else I can’t name.“What do you mean?”
He steps closer, his eyes burning with an intensity that makes me shiver.“Even if it’s not really you anymore once the Morrigan takes over, I can’t stand the thought of him possessing your body. Because you’re mine, Brigid. You’re fucking mine.”
His words hit me like a physical force. I stumble back, my legs hitting the edge of the bed.“Marius, I—”
“I know,” he cuts me off.“I know it’s fucked up. But this bond... it’s making me want things I shouldn’t. Things that go against everything I was raised for.”
I struggle to find words, to make sense of the storm of emotions swirling inside me. Finally, I manage to ask,“What happens if you don’t do what the Raven King wants?”
Marius’s shoulders slump, the fight seeming to drain out of him. He looks... lost. It’s an expression I’ve never seen on his face before, and it scares me more than his anger or intensity ever could.
“I don’t know,” he admits, his voice almost inaudible.“I don’t fucking know, Brigid. And that terrifies me.”
