Page 57 of How to Claim A Shadow King

I don't say a word. I shed my heavy, fur-lined velvet cloak in a single movement. Stepping behind the stone bench, I drape the massive garment over her shoulders. The coat completely swallows her small frame, the high collar framing her face in thick, dark fur.

Aveline gasps softly, instinctively burying herself deeper into the fabric. It is saturated with my heat, with the scent of midnight, ozone, and the dark vanilla of my domain. For a second, she looks entirely overwhelmed, entirely consumed by me, and the sheer, agonizing yearning that slams into my chest makes me dizzy. I want to wrap my arms around her from behind, pull her back against my chest, and keep her warm for the rest of eternity. I want to remind her soul of every single thing we lost.

Instead, I gently rest my hands on the fur at her shoulders, keeping her anchored. "Better?"

"Yes," she mumbles, her voice muffled by the collar. She doesn't pull away from my touch. Progress is slow, but it is mine.

"Again," I command softly, my breath stirring the loose strands of her blonde hair. "Don't think about the cold. Don't think about the castle. Just find the heat."

Underneath my coat, I see her chest expand as she takes a massive, grounding breath. She extends her hand again. This time, she doesn't force it. She lets out a soft sigh, and a brilliant, steady sphere of orange-gold light erupts from her palm, casting a warm, magnificent glow over the frozen roses. It doesn't flicker. It burns steady and true, reflecting in her wide, bright eyes.

"Malakai," she breathes, a stunning, genuine smile breaking across her face. "I did it."

"I never doubted you," I say, my throat tight.

She holds the light for another long moment before letting it fade naturally, her face turning back up to mine. The standoffish wall has cracked, just a fraction, leaving her looking at me with a raw, breathless curiosity that tests every single ounce of my restraint.

"That is enough for tonight," I say, my voice a gravelly rasp as I step back, forcing myself to break the proximity before I ruin everything. "Come. I am walking you back to your room before the frost takes your toes."

She stands, clutching my massive coat tightly around herself like a shield, and walks beside me in a charged, heavy silence. When we reach the heavy oak door of her bedchamber, she pauses, her hand on the iron latch.

"Goodnight, Shadow King," she says softly.

"Goodnight, Duchess," I reply, staying rooted to the stones until her door clicks shut, locking me out in the dark.

21

AVELINE

The dream is bleeding.

I am back in the clearing, but the babbling brook has turned to liquid violet fire. The red-haired woman is screaming, her hands throwing brilliant sheets of white light against a sky cracking wide open. Shadows are everywhere, but they aren't Malakai's comforting, velvet darkness.

They’re sharp claws ripping through the trees, hunting me, no, hunting us.

A voice tears through the canopy.

“You cannot run from your debt, little witch.”

I wake up with a choked scream still in my throat.

I bolt upright; the silk sheets of my bed tangled around my legs like binding vines. My chest is heaving, my skin slick with a cold, terrifying sweat. The room is silent, pitch black.

The lingering dread is tangible. I can't breathe. I can't think.

I throw the blankets aside, my bare feet hitting the cold stone floor. Wrapped only in my thin silk nightclothes, I fling my door open.

I gulp in air, then sprint down the dark corridors of Shadow Keep.

Stone walls rush past me, living shadows parting instantly to clear my path, as if the house knows I am running out of time.

All I know is I need him.

I need Malakai.

I don't bother knocking.

The heavy doors swing open on their own, my breath ragged as I stumble into the dark expanse of his rooms.