Page 68 of How to Claim A Shadow King

"Vesperia." Malakai’s voice is entirely demonic, an unrecognizable force that vibrates through the stones. The shadow-swords at his back unsheathe themselves unbidden, hovering in the air like a lethal canopy, pointed directly at the queen's throat. "Touch my bride, and I will tear the Underhill from its foundations and bury your court in the void."

Vesperia steps back into the shimmering violet rift, her expression tightening into a mask of pure venom.

"The bonds are fraying, Shadow King." Vesperia’s silver hair floats around her shoulders. "You cannot hide her forever."

With a snap of her fingers, the violet rift collapses into itself, and I cry out as my ears pop as the magic vanishes.

The watery sunshine crashes back down onto the terrace, almost blinding after the absolute dark.

I take a deep shuddering breath, and the towering shadows around Malakai dissolve back into the ground, leaving only the ruined rosebushes behind.

Malakai rounds on me in an instant. The terrifying god disappears, replaced entirely by a frantic man.

His calloused hands catch me by the shoulders. His dark eyes inspect my face, my neck, my hands with terrifying intensity.

"Are you hurt? Did the frost touch you?" he demands, his voice raw, his thumbs nervously stroking my cheekbones. His touch is blazing hot against my chilled skin.

"You’re as bad as a mother hen.” My heart beats a staccato rhythm against my ribs, and the sheer proximity of his body is doing ridiculous things to my pulse.

He doesn’t laugh.

I reach up, my hands wrapping around his thick wrists to steady his shaking fingers. "The light... I stopped her first strike.” I lick my lips, trying to recalibrate. “I’m not completely useless, it seems."

Malakai drops his forehead down to rest against mine. His chest heaves against my shoulder, the heat of his body a balm to the chill the Unseelie Queen left behind.

It’s strange how easily my body maps itself to his, how I lean into his weight like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

"She created a rift directly into our realm." Malakai’s voice is low and furious. "The wards we sealed at the perimeter are holding, but she bypassed them entirely by coming here. You are our weakest link until we seal our bond, Aveline."

The weakest link.

I flash him a dry look.

The effect is no doubt hindered by the fact our noses are practically touching. "Because nothing says 'I value you as a person’ quite like being called the weak link of the household. Thank you for the vote of confidence, Malakai.”

A faint, strained twitch of a smile touches his lips.

"If the Unseelie Queen can anchor herself here through Aveline’s untrained magic, we need a counter-measure. Immediately." Ter gives an aggressive click of his beak.

“I didn’t see you volunteering any,” I tell him sweetly. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me?”

Malakai pulls back from me, his dark gaze turning serious as he hooks a finger beneath my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. The intensity in his stare makes my mouth go dry.

I turn my gaze away, feeling too vulnerable.

Too weak, after that.

"We are going back to the Wild Oak Woods," Malakai announces. "We’ll stay at the inn. Wren and the coven will figure out a way to protect you. If I cannot be at your side for every second of the day, you can wear the magic of your coven as a shield."

“Sounds dramatic,” I say with a sigh, but the effect is ruined by the trembling of my hands.

26

AVELINE

The journey back through the stone gates of Shadow Keep is a blur.

Quite literally, seeing as how Malakai simply wraps us in his shadows and transports us there through some mystery magic.