Page 82 of How to Claim A Shadow King

Pressed entirely against my chest, sleeping the deep, heavy sleep of a body well-pleasured, is my wife.

Something has broken and rebuilt itself within the marrow of my bones. There is no doubt in my mind, consummation of our bond has sealed my realm from the Fae threat. Her magic is no longer a separate entity fighting mine; it’s braided itself directly into my power, humming a contented chord through my mind.

Mine.

The word is no longer a quiet whisper in the dark.

It’s a roar.

I can hear it in every pocket of shadow in the world, every corner, every nook and cranny where darkness sleeps.

I look down at Aveline, and an overwhelming wave of possessiveness slams into me, leaving me breathless. Her light blonde hair is tangled across my bare chest, lips slightly parted in sleep, her pale skin still flush with the power of our mating. One of her smooth legs is still hooked tightly over my thigh, anchoring me to her body.

As if I’d want to be anywhere else.

I want to consume her.

I want to tear down the very foundations of this castle and build a fortress of pure darkness around our bed so that no other living creature can ever look upon her face again.

The intensity of the mating fury radiates outward from my body in visible waves of crushing black magic. The living castle feels the shift, the stone floorboards beneath the bed actively vibrating in response to my lawlessness.

It will tell my brothers of the danger.

They must leave.

They are Elder Gods; they know better than to cross the path of one in the throes of a true mating cycle.

Through the stone, I feel Cern and Valen waking, then fleeing. They leave the entire wing in a dead, hollow silence, terrified to breathe too loudly.

Good.

It settles a small part of me that hungers for violence in this moment, for vengeance upon any who would even think of my mate, let alone see her.

Aveline lets out a tiny whimper against my collarbone, her small fingers curling automatically into the hair on my chest.

The slight movement destroys the final threads of my restraint.

I can’t offer her a slow, gentle awakening.

The mating rut can’t be gentle.

Gritting my teeth, I shift my weight, rolling my massive, heavily muscled frame directly over hers, pinning her deep into the velvet mattress.

"Malakai," she gasps, her blue eyes snapping wide, instantly dilated with a sudden, breathless shock as she registers what I want. “Already?”

“Say yes,” I tell her. “If you’re too sore…”

“I want to. Your shadows… um, they cooled me.” Her lashes flutter as she sits up. Sweetly, she cranes her head up, offering me her mouth.

Of course they did. I made them.

I do not let her speak again. I crush my mouth to hers, and drive between her legs, swallowing her moans of pleasure as she grows slick and hot for me.

My hands lock around her hips, lifting her up to meet the thick, demanding drive of my length.

Aveline lets out a ragged cry against my lip. Her hands tangle frantically into my hair as she arches her spine, her body opening completely to match my pace.

Every powerful thrust drives us deeper into the madness of the bond.