Page 31 of Marked
Damien and Blair were curled together under the warmth of the blankets.
The room was bathed in the soft, silvery glow of the mid-morning sun.
It was late, the world outside quiet and still, and the peaceful rhythm of their breathing filled the space between them.
Blair nestled closer, her head resting against his chest as she drew lazy circles on his arm, her touch gentle and comforting.
Damien's fingers traced faint patterns on her arm, slow and absent, as though he was soaking in every second with her.
Blair looked up at him, sensing a quiet turmoil in his mind. She gently cupped his face, her thumb brushing across his cheek, bringing him back to the present. “Top three?” she asked softly.
Damien's eyes flickered to hers, his expression distant for a moment.
His fingers began lightly grazing her hips as he started to explain his thoughts, “The men hunting us? The ones that attacked you?” She nodded, moving her hand to rest under her chin.
“One of them, Alec, he trained me when I was younger.”.
“So, he was from your camp?” Blair asked, her fingers drawing circles on his skin .
Damien nodded, watching her hand move, “Yeah. He became an Enforcer and for a while, we matched in ability.”
Blair looked up at him, her hand pausing. “The ranks have stayed the same? Can you explain them one more time?”
“There are Hunters. They’re the lowest of the low.
They have minimal skills when it comes to fighting and training in hand-to-hand combat.
They’re nothing more than scouts. They can’t do much except track people, follow them, and report back if they find someone who could potentially have a shadow. They don't have shadows at all.”
Blair’s gaze never left his face, but she shifted slightly, her legs pressed against him, as though she knew there was more.
Damien paused for a moment, his eyes flickering to the side before he continued.
“Then there are the Enforcers,” he said, his voice taking on a darker tone.
“They’ve been... gifted with shadows. Not by their own doing, but through trinkets, special objects they wear that give them power.
It could be a ring, necklace, or anything like that.
These shadows are harder to control and angrier.
They’re stronger than the Hunters, but they still lack something crucial.
They can fight, they can track, but their shadows don’t fully belong to them.
They’re limited and sometimes their bodies can't handle the strain from the shadows.”
Blair sat up at this, shifting the blanket to cover her exposed skin and bringing her knees up to her chest, crossing her arms over them. “And then what happens?” she asked quietly, her voice tinged with apprehension .
Damien’s eyes grew colder, his fingers moving the blanket aside and trailing up and down her legs. His voice lowered, almost as though the memory of them was a personal threat. “It makes them deteriorate if they use the shadows longer than necessary. It's like they’re burned from the inside.”
He watched her closely as he explained more, “The third kind... the more dangerous ones... are the Phantoms,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper.
“These people... they’re branded. They’re forced to take on the shadows.
The body usually rejects it, and can’t handle the strain.
The strong ones who survive and accept the darkness become lethal.
They can manipulate the shadows, to an extent.
They are strong. It’s possible to take them down but the shadows they have enhance their abilities.
Then there are people like me, who are born with the shadows.
Shadowborn . The others were created to mimic us.
.. but we have unmatched power in the abilities we carry. ”
Blair felt a shiver run through her at his words. “So, you are stronger than the Phantoms? Stronger than them all?” She asked, seeing the intensity in his eyes, the way his body stayed tense. “So, you can defeat them?”
Damien stilled, his jaw tightening. “It all comes down to potential. Shadowborn have a higher skill set but we still must train to work for it. A well-trained Phantom, or even a highly trained Enforcer can overpower a novice Shadowborn. Like I said, I was six when my shadows awakened, and I was forced to train with all kinds of people... Hunters, Enforcers, and even a few Phantoms. The Phantoms were the worst. They were ruthless, the shadows they had, brought out the darkness in them like they were more shadow than person.” Damien pulls her down, moving her close as she nestles against his chest. He moves, exposing a tattoo on his upper chest right under his collarbone, a spiral made of shadows.
Blair's hands skimmed the markings on his chest, “What is this?”
Damien breathed for a minute before pulling her in closer.
“Think of it as a birthmark. All shadowborn should have one somewhere on their body.
It's what gave them the idea for Phantoms. They are implanted with shadows through a brand.” Blair turns on her side then, coming face to face with him as he finishes that sentence.
“How come I’ve never noticed it?” She asks, running her finger over the spot.
He sighs in response, “My shadows hide it to keep me safe. If the wrong person sees it, the marking can be used to identify me.”
Blair nods, running her hand away from the mark and across Damiens chest. “So, what else can your shadows do?” She asks quietly.
“Well, I already know I can blindfold you and spread your-” Blair slaps his forearm as her mouth pops open in surprise. Damien chuckles in response and sits up. Pulling her between his legs. “I’ve told you before. My shadows morph into things.”
“But you’ve done other things with them? Beyond morphing them?” she asks, her eyebrows coming together in wonder .
“When I must, yes,.. But it's out of instinct.” he answers back, using his thumb to rub the wrinkles furrowed in her forehead.
“Is that how you survived?” she asked, her voice full of concern, but also awe.
Damien’s lips curled into a slight, bitter smile. “Before I got out of there? Yeah. I trained hard and they took notice. Once I ranked up, The Enforcers got me. When they tried to push, I pushed back, sometimes subconsciously, so... yes?”
Blair shuddered at the thought.
“What we’re going up against, it's dangerous,” Damien continued, his eyes locked onto hers. After a moment, his gaze softened slightly as he reached up, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I just want you to understand the full picture.”
Blair watched his eyes as they searched her face for any sign of regret. The blue pools full of sincerity and adoration. She took his hand and cradled her face with it, placing a soft kiss on the inside of his palm.