Page 70 of How to Claim A Shadow King

We all follow Wren down the stairs, Malakai right on my heels, a soft touch at the small of my back.

The basement is cozy, dominated by a large stone hearth where a fire crackles merrily. Piper immediately disappears to fetch a pot of tea, while Wren bustles over to an old oak cabinet.

She mutters to herself, throwing a few things out onto the ground, and I politely divert my attention to the rest of the basement.

My eyes widen as I realize the tingling in my toes is emanating from a painted circle on the thick grey stone floor, a faint sparkle of magic charging the air above it.

A jeweler’s bench sits nearby, scattered with all sorts of fascinating tools and lumps of uncut stone and bars of what seem to be precious metals.

“Here it is,” Wren crows, pulling out a velvet pouch. “I knew there was a reason I needed to make you.”

Malakai’s fingers tighten slightly on my shoulder.

From within, Wren retrieves a silver pendant. Hanging from a finely wrought chain hangs a polished stone, dark as a moonless night, rippling with a faint hum.

“Stand there, Aveline,” she tells me, pointing to a point on the circle. “Feet on the circle. Malakai, you stay back.”

Malakai slips away, back to the entrance of the basement at the bottom of the stairs.

I do as she says, my boots tingling on top of the humming magic circle. Standing in the center, Wren begins an incantation.

Holding the amulet between her palms, she chants words I can’t quite understand.

The faint scent of lavender and damp moss fill the room as her magic builds. Piper returns, and Wren motions for her to stand across from me. Her own sugary spark fills the air—a warm, spiced magic that blends seamlessly with Wren's power.

And mine.

The stone in the amulet begins to glow, a faint pulse that builds with each second.

With practiced grace, Wren steps in front of me and drapes the light chain around my neck.

The moment the stone lands against my collarbone, a profound sense of stillness washes over me. The electric, stinging tingle in my feet and my palms instantly vanishes, tucked safely away beneath the shield of their spell.

Our spell

It feels like a physical lid being slammed shut on my power.

I gasp, and Malakai’s at my side in an instant.

"There," Wren says, stepping back with a satisfied nod. "That will keep the Unseelie Queen from being able to find you. But it is temporary, Aveline. You won’t be able to hide behind it forever."

Her forehead is wrinkled with worry, and even Piper’s expression is grim. “We have to figure out how to stop this,” Wren tells her.

Piper nods. “I don’t think it’s safe for the other women to know about the Fae,” she says suddenly. “I don’t think they can be pressured into this.”

“I agree,” Wren says. “I don’t know… I don’t know why.”

They both look at me. “They haven’t lived before,” I say, and it’s like the words, the admission, unlocks something in me. “I was fated, and always have been. I’ve been here before. But they’re… this is their first time. The other Elder Gods,” I pause, trying to figure out how to phrase this. “They haven’t been soul bonded before. They don’t have the same…”

I shake my head. There’s no word to describe the pull I feel towards Malakai, a pull I’m not sure I’m ready to even try to describe.

My fingers smooth over the strangely warm stone at my throat. I look up, and my gaze immediately finds him.

He stands silently in the shadows of the doorway, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his beautiful eyes never once leaving my face. The weight of his attention is heavier than the necklace on my skin, a possessive promise that makes me warm all over.

"There is a coven meeting tonight," Wren announces, turning her sharp attention to the Shadow King. "We’re gathering to discuss our next moves. We need Aveline there."

Malakai’s posture instantly turns rigid.