Page 21 of Awakened Destiny (The Dark Ascendant #3)

Brigid

His lips brush mine, soft and tentative at first, then with growing urgency. I surrender to it, letting the heat of his kiss chase away the cold knot of guilt in my chest. His fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer until there ’ s no space left between us.

When he finally breaks away, his breath is ragged, his eyes dark with desire.

I press my forehead against his, my heart pounding in rhythm with his. “ Callen,” I murmur, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and longing. “ What happens now? With you as king… what does that mean for us?”

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his pale blue eyes searching mine. His hands slide down to my shoulders, grounding me. “ It means I ’ ll have more power,” he says, his voice even, like he ’ s choosing each word carefully. “ More resources. More ways to keep you safe.”

I bite my lip, the words bubbling up before I can stop them. “ What if it changes… us?”

His expression softens, and he brushes a strand of hair from my face. “ Brigid, listen to me. I ’ m not going to let this throne change who I am. Not with you, or the others.” He pauses, his thumb tracing the curve of my cheekbone. “ If anything, this will only make it easier for me to protect you. To keep the Council and anyone else who wants to hurt you at bay.”

I let out a shaky breath, my hands gripping his arms like they ’ re the only thing keeping me upright. “ I don ’ t need protecting,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. It ’ s half a lie, and we both know it. I want his protection, even if I hate admitting it. The thought of him shielding me from the world makes something warm and heavy settle in my chest, but it also scratches at the part of me that ’ s spent years building walls to keep people out.

Callen raises an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “ Oh, you don ’ t?” His voice is light, teasing, but there ’ s a flicker of something darker in his eyes—something possessive. “ Because last I checked, you ’ ve been dodging death and disaster since the moment I met you.”

I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickens when he looks at me like that. “ I ’ ve survived this long without you playing bodyguard,” I shoot back, crossing my arms over my chest.

He steps closer, his smirk widening. “ Survived, sure. But thriving? That ’ s debatable.” His hand brushes against my arm, sending a shiver through me. “ Face it, Brigid. You ’ re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

I narrow my eyes, but I can ’ t stop the smile tugging at my lips. “ Arrogant much?”

“ Realistic,” he corrects, his tone smug. He leans in, his breath warm against my ear. “ And you love it.”

I shove him lightly, but he doesn ’ t budge. Instead, he catches my wrist, his fingers wrapping around it with a firmness that sends a spark of heat straight to my core. His expression shifts, the playfulness fading into something more intense, more deliberate.

“ You think you don ’ t need me,” he says, his voice low, almost a growl. “ But I know better.”

My breath hitches as he pulls me closer, his other hand sliding around my waist. The air between us feels charged, like the calm before a storm, and I can ’ t look away from his ice-blue eyes, dark now with something that makes my stomach twist in anticipation.

“ Callen,” I start, but the words die in my throat as his lips brush against my jaw, trailing down to the sensitive spot just below my ear.

“ Tell me I ’ m wrong,” he murmurs, his teeth scraping lightly against my skin.

I swallow hard, my mind scrambling to form a coherent thought. “ You ’ re… insufferable,” I manage, though my voice wavers.

He chuckles, the sound vibrating against my neck. “ And yet, here you are.”

His hand slides up my back, fingers tangling in my hair as he tilts my head to meet his gaze. There ’ s no teasing now, just hunger, and it makes my knees weak.

“ You don ’ t get to push me away, Brigid,” he says, his voice rough. “ Not me.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he silences me with a kiss that ’ s anything but gentle. It ’ s demanding, possessive, and it leaves no room for doubt about how much he wants me. My hands find their way to his chest, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as I kiss him back. The taste of him is sharp, like winter air and something darker, addictive. I can ’ t help but lean into it, into him, even as a small part of me wants to pull away just to prove I can. But I don ’ t. I won ’ t. Not this time.

His lips break from mine, and he ’ s looking at me again, that same intensity in his eyes. “ You ’ re mine, Brigid,” he murmurs, a low, threatening tone in his voice. “ Say it.”

I shake my head, a smirk tugging at my lips despite the heat pooling low in my belly. “ You ’ re going to have to make me.”

The corner of his mouth lifts, and there ’ s a flicker of amusement in his gaze. “ Careful what you wish for.”

I know what ’ s coming. I ’ ve seen that look before—the one that says he ’ s about to follow through on a promise. My heart skips a beat, but I don ’ t back down. Instead, I tilt my chin up, meeting his stare with a challenge of my own. “ Is that a threat, Your Majesty?”

His hand tightens in my hair, not enough to hurt, but enough to make my breath catch. “ It ’ s a promise,” he says, his voice steady, but there ’ s an edge to it now, a hint of the king he ’ s becoming. “ And you ’ ll do well to remember who you ’ re speaking to.”

I laugh, soft and breathless, because I can ’ t help it. He ’ s so serious, so determined, and it ’ s equal parts infuriating and irresistible. “ Or what? You ’ ll punish me?”

He doesn ’ t hesitate. “ Yes.”

The word sends a shiver down my spine, but it ’ s not fear that makes my pulse quicken. It ’ s anticipation. We ’ ve been here before, but this time feels different. Maybe it ’ s everything that ’ s happened, or maybe it ’ s the way he ’ s looking at me, like he ’ s already won.

“ Go ahead,” I say, my voice steady despite the way my body feels like it ’ s on fire. “ Try.”

For a moment, he doesn ’ t move, just stares at me with that same smirk. Then, without warning, he shifts, pulling me over his knee in one swift motion. My stomach flips, and I let out a startled gasp. But I don ’ t fight him. I can ’ t. Not when I ’ ve been waiting for this, craving it, even if I ’ d never admit it out loud.

His hand rests on the curve of my ass, warm through the fabric of my dress, and I bite my lip to keep from making a sound. “ This is your last chance to behave,” he says, his tone calm, almost conversational. “ Are you going to obey me, or do I need to remind you who ’ s in charge?”

I glance over my shoulder, meeting his gaze with my own smile. “ Do your worst, Callen.”

His eyes darken, and I know he ’ s enjoying this as much as I am. The first strike lands hard, and I gasp, the sting sharp and immediate. My hands grip the edge of the bed, but I don ’ t try to move. I don ’ t want to. The second strike follows, then the third, each one sending a wave of heat through me that has nothing to do with pain. By the fourth, I ’ m squirming, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps, and I can feel how wet I am, how much my body is betraying me.

“ Still feeling defiant, darling?” he asks, and I can hear the smirk in it even if I can ’ t see his face.

I don ’ t answer. I can ’ t. All I can do is press my face into the mattress and try to steady my breathing. His hand slides up my thigh, slow and deliberate, and I find my hips lifting instinctively toward his touch. He chuckles, the sound dark and full of promise.

His fingers brush against me where I ’ m most sensitive, and I gasp, the sensation is so intense. He doesn ’ t tease, doesn ’ t draw it out—he pushes two fingers roughly inside me, my wetness making it easy, then curling them just enough to make my back arch. I try to keep from crying out, but it ’ s useless. A low moan escapes me, and he laughs, the sound of his satisfaction sending a fresh wave of heat through me.

“ You ’ re soaked,” he murmurs.

My mind is fogged with need, my body focused on the way his fingers move inside me, slow at first, then faster, deeper. I ’ m panting now, my hips rocking against his hand, and when pushing in a third finger, I nearly come undone right there. But he stops, pulling his hand away, and I whimper at the loss, my whole body trembling.

“ Callen—”

He cuts me off, lifting me effortlessly and laying me down on the bed. His eyes lock on mine as he strips off his shirt, his muscles rippling with the movement. I can ’ t look away, can ’ t stop the ache that builds in my chest and between my legs. He ’ s so damn beautiful it hurts, and it scares me how much power he has over me, even as I crave it.

He kneels between my legs, his hands sliding up my thighs, spreading me open. His gaze is hungry and when he leans down to press his mouth against me, devouring me whole, I cry out. My hands grip in his hair, holding him there. His tongue is relentless, teasing and coaxing until I ’ m writhing beneath him, my breaths coming in short, desperate gasps. I feel the sharpness of his teeth as he bites softly, before soothing my clit with the tip of his tongue, swirling lightly in circles, then he sucks the whole bud into his mouth, hard.

“ Callen, please—”

He doesn ’ t make me wait. He moves up my body, his weight pressing me into the mattress, and I feel the head of his cock nudging against me. He pushes in slowly, inch by glorious inch, and I groan, my nails digging into his shoulders. He ’ s big and the stretch burns in the best way, even after he readied me for him with his fingers. When he ’ s fully seated inside me, he pauses, his forehead resting against mine, and I can feel his heartbeat, wild and erratic, matching my own.

“ Are you going to be a good girl and come on my cock for me?” he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin.

I don ’ t answer, can ’ t answer, because he starts moving, his thrusts deep and hard, each one hitting a spot that makes me see stars. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, deeper, and he groans, his pace quickening. The room is filled with the sound of our breathing, our moans, the slick slap of skin against skin, and I ’ m close, so close, but I want him to come with me.

“ Callen,” I gasp, my voice breaking. “ I ’ m—”

He doesn ’ t let me finish. His hand slides between us, his fingers finding my clit, and that ’ s all it takes. I shatter, my body convulsing around him, and he follows, his thrusts becoming erratic as he spills inside me. For a moment, everything is still, the world reduced to the two of us, and then he collapses beside me, pulling me into his arms.

We lie there in silence, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my skin, and I close my eyes, letting myself drift in the afterglow.

Callen ’ s lips trail down my chest, warm and slow, like he ’ s memorizing every inch of me. He kisses each breast, then his mouth closes over a nipple, sucking gently, and I arch into him, a soft gasp escaping before I can stop it. He shifts to the other breast, his tongue flicking over the peak, and I thread my fingers through his hair, holding him there. My skin feels too sensitive, like every touch is electric, and I can ’ t think straight.

“ You ’ re so fucking beautiful,” he murmurs against my skin, his voice rough. “ I ’ ve never seen anything lovelier in my life.”

The words hit me harder than they should. My throat tightens, and I blink up at the ceiling, trying to steady myself. I don ’ t know how to take this—this kind of adoration, this intensity. I want to believe him, but there ’ s a part of me that still whispers I don ’ t deserve it.

He moves up, and his lips find mine. The kiss is soft, almost tentative, like he ’ s asking permission, even though I can still feel the sting of his delicious punishment. I kiss him back, my hands sliding up his back, feeling the muscles shift under his skin.

When he pulls back, his eyes meet mine, and there ’ s something in his gaze I can ’ t quite read. Something that makes my chest ache.

“ Brigid,” he says.

I don ’ t let him finish, instead I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer, and bury my face in the crook of his neck. His scent fills my lungs and I cling to him like I ’ m about to be washed out to sea.

“I ’ ll always protect you, no matter what.”

I nod, my heart swelling with emotion. “ I know,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “ And I ’ ll never let you go.”

Callen ’ s lips curve into a smile, and he pulls me closer, his arms wrapping around me like armor. “ You don ’ t have to,” he says. “ Because I ’ m never letting you go, either.”