Page 99 of Awakened Destiny
"Now you understand," he says quietly, sitting beside me on the bed. His fingers brush damp hair from my forehead with unexpected tenderness.
I can only nod, words beyond me. The shadows have shown me something I can no longer deny—that the darkness in me isn't something to fear, but a power to embrace. And that Marius, for all his dangerous edges, might be the only one who truly sees me for what I am.
A warm laugh draws my attention as Rory steps forward, his golden-brown eyes sparkling with mischief. The contrast between him and Marius couldn't be more stark—where Marius is shadow, Rory is pure sunlight. The air in the room shifts, lightens.
"Look at her," Rory says, his Irish accent thickening with desire. "Our girl's absolutely fucking glowing."
He sits beside me on the bed, his large hand cupping my cheek. His thumb traces my lower lip, and I instinctively part my lips, wanting to taste him.
"Seems someone's still hungry," he teases, leaning down to brush his lips against mine. "Aren't you, love?"
"Yes," I whisper against his mouth. Despite the intensity of what just happened with Marius, I find myself craving more—craving him.
Rory's grin widens. "That's my girl. Always so eager." His hand slides down my neck, my collarbone, tracing a path to my breast, where he rolls my nipple between his fingers. The casual confidence in his touch makes me gasp.
"How do you want me?" I ask, my voice breathier than I intended.
He chuckles, the sound vibrating through me. "Just like this. On your back, legs spread for me." His words are crude but spoken with such warmth and affection that they make me feel cherished rather than used. "Want to taste every inch of you."
I comply willingly, spreading my thighs as he positions himself between them. Where the others exude dominance through intensity or control, Rory's dominance comes wrapped in playfulness—no less powerful, just differently expressed.
"Gods, look at you," he murmurs, eyes drinking me in. "So wet and ready. Did the shadows leave you wanting more, or are you just that greedy for all of us?"
Heat floods my face. "Both."
"Honest girl." He rewards me with a kiss on my inner thigh, then another higher up. "Going to make you feel so good, Brigid. Going to make you come on my tongue while they all watch."
The thought of the others watching—of Marius, Lochan, and Callen seeing me surrender to Rory—sends another pulse of arousal through me. I'm beyond shame now, want overtaking everything else.
Rory's mouth hovers over my center, his breath hot against my sensitive flesh. "Tell me what you want, love."
"Your mouth," I manage, fingers tangling in his shaggy blond hair. "Please."
"Since you asked so nicely..."
The first stroke of his tongue makes my back arch off the bed. Unlike Marius's controlled precision or Lochan's aggressive intensity, Rory approaches this with the same enthusiasm he brings to everything—whole-hearted and joyful. His tongue laps at me in broad strokes, gathering my wetness, his approving moans vibrating against my flesh.
"Fuck, you taste amazing," he growls against me.
I can't form words, can only gasp and writhe as he works me with his mouth. His large hands grip my thighs, holding me wide open and in place as he devours me. The wet sounds of his mouth against me fill the room along with my increasingly desperate moans.
When he seals his lips around my clit and sucks, I cry out, my hands tightening in his hair. "Rory—"
He looks up at me, chin glistening with my arousal, eyes dark with lust but still holding that spark of playfulness. "That's it, love. Let me hear you. Let them all hear who's making you feel this good."
The possessiveness in his voice, so at odds with his usually carefree demeanor, sends another rush of heat through me. I realize then that for all his easy charm, Rory is just as dominant, just as determined to claim me as the others.
He returns to his task with renewed vigor, tongue circling my clit before dipping lower to thrust inside me. The sensation of being penetrated by his tongue while his nose bumps against my clit has me seeing stars.
"You going to come for me?" he asks, voice husky. "Going to flood my mouth with how good I make you feel?"
"Yes," I gasp, hips rocking against his face now. "Yes, please, don't stop—"
"Wasn't planning on it." He grins wickedly before diving back in, adding a finger alongside his tongue, curling it inside me to hit a spot that makes my vision blur.
I'm climbing again already, the pleasure building impossibly fast after what Marius did to me. Rory seems to sense it, doubling his efforts, his finger working in and out while his tongue focuses on my clit.
"Rory," I warn, feeling the tension coiling tighter. "I'm going to—"
