Page 11 of Awakened Destiny (The Dark Ascendant #3)

Brigid

I hear Marius, and I try to speak to him, but then I ’ m pulled backwards, back into a fathomless chasm.

The Morrigan won ’ t give up that easily.

Darkness whirls around me, a roiling black sea threatening to swallow me whole. Her presence surges, her essence seeping into every crevice of my mind again and once more I'm drowning in her power, gasping for air that doesn't exist in this mental battlefield.

"You cannot resist me, child," the Morrigan's voice rings out, a sinister sound that reverberates through my skull. "You are nothing but a vessel. This is your destiny."

I push back against her onslaught and try to hang on to who I am, but my thoughts scatter like leaves in the wind, memories there, then gone again, as the Morrigan's influence threatens to erase me.

"I won't let you take me."

The goddess laughs, a vicious sound that chills me, paralyzes me. Her power presses down, crushing my identity. I'm losing myself, piece by piece. Even the Raven King ’ s magic isn ’ t enough to stop her.

No. I can't give in. I won't.

I reach out, grasping for something to anchor me. In the murkiness, five threads of light emerge—as fragile-looking as a spider ’ s web, but far stronger. Unbreakable. The fated mate bonds.

Rory. His unshakeable support and the way he ’ s always there for me. Callen, with his wicked smile that makes me weak in the knees. Tiernan, how he gives me such sweet relief from having to be strong and controlled. Marius, and how we see the darkness in each other and love not despite it, but because of it. And Lochan, his fierce loyalty inspires me while his passion has my heart.

I cling to these bonds, these tethers to reality. Each one has life, reminding me who I am. Who I belong to.

And it ’ s not her.

"They can't save you," the Morrigan hisses, her frustration palpable. "You will be mine."

"No," I growl, drawing strength from the bonds. "I'm theirs. And they're mine."

The threads of light grow brighter, weaving together into a rope that tows me towards them, towards reality and away from this purgatory-like state.

Smoke wafts at the edges of my vision. Reality bleeds through in uneven pieces—muffled voices, pressure against my palm, the taste of blood on my tongue. My body feels like a rag doll left out in a hurricane, but the bonds pull harder. Five distinct tugs. Five lifelines.

Rory ’ s voice slices through first, low and urgent. “ Fight it, mo chroí. We ’ re right here.” The pad of his thumb strokes the inside of my wrist, rough and familiar. Tiernan ’ s laugh drifts in next, strained but anchoring. “ We ’ re here, Brigid.” Callen ’ s touch skims my collarbone, deliberate, a spark of warmth. “ Come back to us, darling.”

Lochan says nothing. He doesn ’ t have to. I can feel him. Feel his desperation and his fear. His anger. His love. Above everything else that comes from Lochan through the mate bond is love. It catches me off guard.

Marius ’ s hand rests over my sternum, his shadows feeding me, conjoining with my own. “ Take what you need,” he murmurs, though his voice cracks.

The Morrigan ’ s laughter shreds the fragile connection. “ Pathetic. You think these little boys love you? They love the idea of salvation. Of playing hero.” Her claws dig into my mental walls, venom seeping into every crack. “ When they see the dark inside you—when they realize you ’ re just like me—they ’ ll abandon you. Or you ’ ll be their destruction. Just. Like. Them.”

A mental image of a photograph of my parents.

A thought pushed into my mind.

Everyone around you dies. Save them, if you really love them. Let them go.

The bonds fray.

No.

Marius ’ s fingers twitch against my skin. He is giving everything for me. He is sacrificing himself to save me.

“ Exactly.” Her voice is smug. “ Everyone who cares for you will die. Sacrifice yourself instead of them.”

“ You ’ re wrong.” The words tear free. “ They see the darkness. And they stayed. They ’ re strong. And we ’ re stronger together.”

The mindscape we are in shudders. Cracks web across obsidian walls.

She snarls. “ Sentiment makes you weak.”

“ No. It makes you obsolete.” I step forward, Marius ’ s borrowed power surging up through me, joining the Raven King ’ s shadow magic. “ Because love isn ’ t transactional. It doesn ’ t come with terms and schemes and corpses piled up like bargaining chips.”

Her glare sharpens, but the ground beneath her feet crumbles.

Callen ’ s voice again, closer now. “ That ’ s it. Find your way back.”

Tiernan ’ s whisper in my ear. “ We ’ re not going anywhere.”

The Morrigan lunges, but her form blurs, edges dissolving. “ You ’ ll beg for my mercy when they turn. When your precious bonds burn.”

The Morrigan ’ s words scrape through my skull like rusted blades, but the cracks spreading across her temple of shadows don ’ t lie. She ’ s unraveling. For a moment, her composure shatters, and through the fissures, I see it—a vision not meant for me.

A golden crown set with obsidian stones.

Not hers.

The image sears into me before she can snatch it back. Her panic tastes metallic, coppery, and sour. “ You see nothing, vessel.”

I laugh. “ Your little fairytale has an alternate ending.” My voice doesn ’ t shake anymore. “ Turns out you ’ re not the queen of this story.”

Her ghostly hands scratch at my consciousness, but they pass through like smoke. “ Arrogant child. You think your borrowed power makes you worthy?”

“ No.” I flex the new shadow magic winding inside me, alive and eager. “ But they do.”

Five threads of light blaze through the dark. The bonds sing, severing her hold.

The Morrigan ’ s laughter curdles. “ You think shackling me changes anything? You carry me now. Every breath, every heartbeat—my essence in your veins.”

Her form splinters, dissolving into shards of black glass.

“ Enjoy the cage,” I whisper.

Cold evaporates as sensation floods back in uneven waves through my limbs, and warmth fills me. God, the warmth. It spills across my chest, down my arms, liquid gold threaded with five distinct frequencies.

“ Brigid.” Callen ’ s voice.

My eyelids are leaden, but light stabs through, hazy and too bright. Shapes resolve slowly, five faces hovering.

“ There you are.” Tiernan brings my hand to his lips.

Rory exhales, half-sob, half-laugh. “ Took your damn time, love.”

Lochan says nothing. He doesn ’ t have to. His palm settles against my cheek, and the bond between us hums, steady and real.

Marius lingers behind them. Always a step apart. His gaze locks onto mine. Blood stains his skin. His blood. His sacrifice, given freely, to save me.

I try to sit up. Tiernan ’ s hand slides behind my shoulders, supporting without asking as the room tilts.

“ Easy,” Callen says. “ You ’ ve been gone for three days.”

“ Three—” My throat cracks.

Tiernan ’ s grip tightens almost imperceptibly.

Marius hasn ’ t moved.

I reach past Callen ’ s shoulder, fingers trembling. Marius ’ s hand meets mine halfway, knuckles stained with pale gray markings brushing my skin.

"You saved me," I say.

Marius's eyes, dark as night, flicker with an emotion I can't quite name. His fingers tighten around mine, and for a moment, the world narrows.

"We all did," Marius says. He glances at the others, a hint of uncertainty in his stance.

To my surprise, it's Lochan who breaks the silence. He steps forward, his mouth set, but his eyes are clear and steady as he meets Marius's gaze.

"You risked everything," Lochan says, the words seeming to cost him. “ What you did," Lochan says, his tone gruff but lacking its usual edge where Marius is concerned, "was damn near suicidal. But it worked."

The admission hangs in the air, heavy with meaning. Marius's eyebrows lift slightly, a split second look of surprise crossing his face before he controls his expression again.

Rory claps Marius on the shoulder, his usual exuberance tempered by exhaustion and relief. "You crazy bastard. I thought we were gonna lose you both."

Marius tenses at the contact, but doesn't pull away.

Callen moves next, his usual smooth charm replaced by a solemn intensity. "What you did for Brigid... thank you doesn't begin to cover it." He extends his hand to Marius, a peace offering. "We owe you a debt."

Marius hesitates, his gaze darting between Callen's outstretched hand and my face. I nod, encouraging him. Slowly, he clasps Callen's hand.

"No debt," Marius says.

The moment stretches, fragile as spun sugar. I hold my breath, afraid the slightest movement will shatter it. The tension that's always simmered between Marius and the others seems to have eased, if only a fraction. It's a start.

Tiernan squeezes my hand, drawing my attention back. "How do you feel?" he asks, his eyes searching my face.

I take stock of my body, surprised to find that while I'm exhausted, I don't feel the searing pain or overwhelming darkness I expected. "I'm okay," I say, my voice rough. "She's still there, but contained."

Rory's brow furrows. "Is that safe?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But it's better than before. I can think clearly now."

Marius steps closer, his shadows curling around my ankles. "The Raven King's power is yours now, and that should help keep her in check," he says. "But we'll need to be careful. She won't give up easily."

I nod, a shiver running through me at the memory of her fury. "What about you?" I ask Marius. "The Raven King... "

"Is still present, but not in control," Marius finishes. "Like you, I can feel him, but he's... contained."

I search Marius's face, noting the new lines of strain around his eyes. What he's done for me, the risk he took... my chest tightens with gratitude and guilt.

"We'll figure this out together," Callen says, his tone leaving no room for argument. "All of us."

The others nod in agreement, and I'm struck by how united they seem now. The petty rivalries and distrust that plagued us before seem to have melted away in the face of what we've been through.

I try to stand, but my legs buckle. Five pairs of hands reach for me at once, steadying me. The warmth of their touch, the solid presence of their bodies around me—it grounds me in a way I've never experienced before.

"Take it slow," Tiernan murmurs, his arm wrapping around my waist.

"We should get you back to the academy," Lochan says.

"Wait," I say, my voice hoarse. "Before we go anywhere, I need to know—what happened while I was... gone?" A memory comes back to me. Stacy crying. And then another image, broken bodies on the ground.

The five of them exchange glances, a silent conversation passing between them.

My stomach drops. "How bad?"

"None of it is your fault," Tiernan says, as he tightens his grip.

"He's right," Callen says. "The blame lies with the Morrigan, not you."

I want to argue, but I ’ m too exhausted.

"There's something you need to know. When I was... in there, with the Morrigan, I saw something."

The guys exchange glances, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity.

"What did you see?" Callen asks, his voice gentle but urgent.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "A crown. But it wasn't the Morrigan's." I look at each of them in turn, my gaze lingering on Marius. "I think... I think it's meant for me."

The room goes still. I can almost hear the gears turning in their minds as they process this information.

Marius is the first to speak. "The other prophecy," he says, his voice low.

Rory runs a hand through his hair. "But that would mean..."

"That Brigid was never just a vessel," Tiernan finishes.