MARKED BY THE ENEMY

Chapter 3: The Mate Bond

MARLOWE.

The last thing I remembered was those massive shadows hovering over Hadrian. My stomach twisted as I imagined the worst.

Carmien's calm expression shifted when he saw the fear on my face. "You don't need to worry about him. He's safe."

Hadrian was safe?

My shoulders sagged in relief, but it was gone the moment I remembered where I was.

“What happened? How did I get here?” I asked, my brows wrinkling. I tried thinking back, but I couldn’t remember a single thing before waking up in this bed.

“Why was I knocked out?”

“You wouldn't like my answer.” He looked away and locked the door behind him.

My eyes narrowed and I quickly pulled away the sheets wrapped around my body to stand from the bed. “Where is this place?”

Carmien sighed, but before he could take a step closer, the bathroom door swung open.

A rush of steam escaped, engulfing the room in a thick, sweet scent of caramel and honey. Through the thinning mist, a boy with dark blonde curls stepped out.

I watched, my mind going blank, as droplets of water clung to his skin, sliding down the hard dip of his chest and abs. The veins on his hand bulged as he gripped the towel around his narrow waist tighter.

He didn’t say a word at first, his dead grey eyes slowly moving from Carmien to me.

"You're finally awake,"he noted, lifting a curious brow.

His deep voice snapped me out of the trance I was in and I looked away, my face heating up.

I could hear my heart pounding, but it was nothing compared to the tingling and burning sensation I felt at the lower base of my spine. My birthmark.

My mother had told me about this. A witch's birthmark would always burn when they had found their linker. Their fated mate.

My face paled. Why were all these confusing things happening in a row? When will I finally catch a break?

I gripped my right arm as my heartbeat quickened, trying to ground myself from going into a panic.

If this had been years ago, back when I was obsessed with finding my linker, I would have handled things differently. But those days were long gone; all I wanted now was to get away from this confusing place. Away from him.

He stood there, dripping wet from the shower, while I stood in the middle of the room, reeking of sweat with a bitter taste in my mouth. This wasn't how I had imagined meeting my mate.

I wasn't the type of girl to confront my emotions head on, and right now, I would rather die than make a fool of myself.

I turned to flee, but Carmien was still at the door, blocking it. He must have seen the look on my face because he began to move toward me.

“Marlowe, wait.” He said, sounding exhausted.

I bit my lip hard, desperately scanning the unfamiliar room for a way out. I was

trapped with two guys I barely knew. While Carmien seemed trustworthy, he still hadn't explained why he knocked me out, making me highly suspicious of him.

Deciding I had no choice, I went with my other plan which was to force my way out of this problem. Magic flowed like a stream into my fingertips and I focused on the closest object beside the door.

I shoved my hands forward letting my magic wrap around the large wooden cabinet and with just a slight gesture, It screeched across the floor, hitting Carmien sideways. A loud cuss escaped his lips as the cabinet plowed him backward until he hit the opposite wall.

“I'm sorry.” I muttered, scrambling around the mess to reach the door.

But the moment my fingers grabbed the doorknob, a heavy hand clamped down on my wrist, pinning me flat against the wood.

I gasped as a violent wave of heat rolled up my spine, stealing my breath away. The tingling sensation at my lower back flared into a sharp burn the instant his skin touched mine.

What was wrong with my body?!

I whipped my head around to get a better view of him. My insides melted when I saw stormy grey eyes staring down at me. His free hand was still gripping his towel tight, holding it secure like it was about to fall off.

Up close, his scent of caramel and honey was dizzying, clouding my ability to think straight.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he questioned, pressing into me. The contact set my nerve endings on fire, doubling the heat that flooded into my body.

“Let go of me,” I choked out, trying to yank my wrist back, but he didn't budge.

From across the room, I heard Carmien groan, followed by the scrape of the cabinet as he shoved it away. The sound strangely fueled me into action, and I swung my head back as hard as I could, hitting him right on his jaw.

He groaned, pulling his head back. “f**k! You crazy bitch.”

Instead of letting go, his grip got tighter, numbing my hand.

This guy's insane! I need to get him off me.

I glanced down at the ring on my free hand, trying to withdraw energy from it, but for the first time since I'd worn the gem, it didn't follow my instructions. It was as if an invisible force was cancelling out my magic, making it impossible to reach.

“Dane.” Carmien called, his voice flat. “That's enough. Let her go.” It was silent for a while and for a second, I thought he was going to listen and let go but nothing happened. He didn't even flinch.

“Dude, stop. She just woke up in a strange place so she's scared. I promise you she doesn't know what she's doing. So let her go.”

Dane’s gaze pierced through the top of my head, suffocating me. “She knows exactly what she's doing.”

The dangerous drop in his voice made my legs weak, driving the heat straight to the pit of my stomach. I pressed my forehead against the door, trying to breathe through the fever taking over my body.

“Dane, come on.” Carmien urged.

Suddenly, he let go of me. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor.

“Marlowe!” Carmien called, stepping towards me, but he stopped when Dane lowered himself to the ground and lifted me up.

Hot. Everything was too hot. It felt like my insides were being scorched by open flames. I groaned as his hands shifted, and the moment his cold fingers grazed the side of my neck, an intense wave of pleasure rippled through me, making me moan from how good it felt. It was driving me crazy.

I needed more of his cold touch to put out the heat. My body craved it.

“Hey! Stay awake.” Dane said, his voice filled with concern.

His hands began to pull away, but I grabbed onto them, pulling them around my body. Jolts of pleasure rushed through me, and the urge for more grew. I lifted my upper body and flung myself at him.

Dane tried to shove me away, but I clung to him, pushing him down until he was lying flat on his back. Somewhere behind me, Carmien was saying something, but I couldn't even process his words. The only thing that mattered right now, was satisfying the heat.

More.

I lay on top of him, hooking my arms around his neck as I straddled his waist. More.

It was like invisible hands were guiding me as I raked my hands through his damp soft curls, eliciting a low grunt from him. The motion sparked a wave of excitement through me and I wanted to pull another moan from him.

More.

My hands slid down his muscled arms, caressing his toned chest and stomach. When he grabbed my wandering hands and tried to get up. I quickly leaned in and slammed my lips against his, swallowing his gasp.

Mint and something else spicy flooded my taste buds as I slipped my tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. The taste of him was so intoxicating, making me moan as I rolled my tongue with his. My lower body began to ache for contact and before I could shift my hips, strong hands gripped my arms and dragged me off him.

I literally flew in the air for a second before Carmien dropped me to the ground. “Marlowe, what's going on with you? Can you even hear me?”

My head was spinning, everything around me turning blurry as the heat rushed right back inside, forcing my body to shake.

“I-i need to soothe the fire. It's getting hotter.”

Carmien suddenly held my face with his warm hands, and I quickly pulled away like I've been scorched. His touch was very different from Dane’s. Instead of soothing the fire, it acted like a lighter, invoking more heat.

“I feel very hot. Please… my body…” I whimpered, curling into a ball.

“What's happening to her? Should I get Hadrian or-or maybe the vice?” Carmien panicked, keeping his hands at a distance.

“...please.” I muttered to the empty air, my body aching more.

“You don't have to get anyone. I know what's wrong. “ My body shivered at the sound of Dane’s voice.

“What is it? Is it her magic?”

Dane’s scent enveloped me as he approached, and without thinking, I crawled towards him, latching onto his leg and burying my face against his cool skin.

He looked down at me, his eyes turning cold, before he lifted his head to stare at Carmien “Get out.”