Page 35 of How to Claim A Shadow King

"Too much sometimes," I respond. "Wait," I pause. "Does your familiar not talk? Is that not how familiars act?" I hadn’t heard the fox last night, but I just assumed Wren lucked out with a more sedate familiar than my Ter.

"Not usually." Rosalina’s words are slow, like she’s thinking hard. "I'd love for you to come by so we can discuss this more. I’d love to speak to you, too, Ter."

“I’m sure you would, witch,” Ter says rudely.

I sigh. “Sorry. He’s rude to me, too.”

Rosalina grins at me. “Familiars aren’t anything but what their witch needs.”

At that Ter perks up considerably, ruffling his feathers and examining Rosalina with renewed interest.

Malakai makes an irritated noise as my stomach growls again.

"My betrothed is hungry," he says. "We will come visit you when her hunger has been sated."

"All right. Well, you'll find Longleaf Brews at the very end of the main street. Go past the town square and you can’t miss it. She has something for everybody, even for someone like you," Rosalina says brightly, speaking directly to Malakai now.

I'm not sure what she means by that, but I thank her all the same.

"Good luck, Aveline," she tells me. "I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you."

With that, a small animal of some sort pops out of her apron pocket, chittering away as she hushes it.

"All right, well, it looks like we're headed the right way, at least," I say to Malakai with false cheeriness.

“Are you sure you can walk that far without eating first?” he asks, looking dour as he pulls at the collar of his shirt.

"When was the last time you wore anything but your leather lingerie?" I ask him.

He drops his hand and gives me a long look.

"Are your clothes bothering you?" I poke at his sleeve.

"I'm fine," he says in a dark tone.

"You don't seem fine. In fact, you seem very much not fine."

"Would you prefer I took my shirt off so that I could hold you against my chest again?" he says, his voice hoarse.

"How dare you," I say, almost completely outraged at the idea until I notice he's holding back what can only be described as a grin. It makes him look younger, and I stare up at him for a long moment, trying to get my bearings.

If I have to be saddled with someone—especially someone as powerful as Malakai seems to be—at least he is unbearably handsome.

Fate, it seems, did get that right.

13

MALAKAI

She isn't looking at me like she did last night. There's something different in her eyes when she meets mine, which still isn't as often as I would like it to be.

I tilt my chin up, closing my eyes briefly, enjoying the feel of the sun's rays on my skin. Such a mortal thing to do, to appreciate the warmth of the sun, and it makes me wonder how long exactly it is I have been gone from this world.

When I glance sidelong back at Aveline, resplendent in a rough-spun linen dress—corset highlighting the curve of her waist, the ample softness of her breasts. But even better than that, even better than the undeniable beauty and the symmetry of her face, is the way I catch the corners of her mouth lifting occasionally as she spots something new or wondrous in the town of Wild Oak Woods.

I don't remember much about this place; most of my memories seem to be around my brothers and of feelings I had for Aveline—her soul in the past. But I can look through the town and see it through her eyes, the wonder there, and it's almost as if I'm seeing it for the very first time myself.

The folk here are pleasant enough—a variety of creatures that all seem to be happy enough and at ease enough to take time to stop and greet each other on their way through town. The town itself is quite well maintained, a variety of shops and houses that work together in a sort of pleasing amalgamation of styles and architecture that never once seems jarring.