Page 89 of How to Claim A Shadow King

The autumn sunshine crashes back down onto the damp cobblestones. My knees turn boneless, the insane amount of magic I expended leaving me weak.

I stumble backward, my balance failing completely.

I don't hit the stone.

Malakai catches me before I can even drop an inch. His muscular arms lock securely around my waist from behind, pulling my spine flush against his broad chest.

I let my head fall back against his shoulder, too tired to pull away. My heaving breaths cloud the air in front of me. I lean the weight of my body into his strength, knowing I need him in this moment.

Knowing I needed him the whole time.

Malakai buries his face into the base of my neck, his chest heaving in desperate gasps against my shoulder blades. His grip on my waist tightens.

“Be mad at me Aveline. Spend eternity angry, if you must. But I am your servant. I am entirely, helplessly in love with you,” his voice vibrates against my spine. “Let me protect you, if nothing else. Let me keep you from—” his voice breaks. “Don’t leave me for death.”

My heart splits open. I want the heavy, unyielding safety of his arms; I want the dark, comforting shadows of his realm; I want the feral, devastating heat of his mouth.

“I don’t want to die,” I tell him, my voice shaking as much as my legs are.

"I have you," he rasps against my skin. "I have you, Aveline. This is your last lifetime, I swear it. This one will be eternal, I swear it on our soul bond."

"I know," I whisper, my fingers reaching back to lock tightly around his forearms, anchoring myself to the god who could drown the world in darkness to keep me safe.

I turn around, and I wrap my arms around the breadth of his back.

He sighs, setting his chin on top of my head.

We stay like that for a long moment.

Finally, I pull away, feeling sheepish. Foolish. Pretty damned stupid, if I’m honest with myself.

"Look," I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. "I’m sorry I threw a pillow at your head and called you a, um, rat bastard. I was just scared, not mad... not upset about actually being yours."

Malakai’s chest heaves under my cheek, his huge hands coming up to cup my face like I'm the most precious thing he's ever touched.

"And I’m sorry I didn't explain how our union would work," he rasps, his dark eyes dead serious. "I should have given you a proper courtship, Aveline. I want you to choose me."

He bends down and kisses me. It’s not a frantic, world-ending kiss this time, but a tender, searching kiss that melts me entirely.

We are entirely wrapped up in each other until a loud, annoyed sigh cuts through the silence.

Valen is leaning against the shattered doorframe, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes, while Cern ducks his massive antlers out of the way.

"Finally, you pair of fucking idiots," Valen yells. "The storm is over, the Fae ran away, and we’ve been freezing out here for twenty minutes waiting for you two disgusting sex addicts to stop kissing so we can go inside and eat the rest of breakfast."

37

AVELINE

By the time two days pass, the creepy violet Unseelie snow finally melts off the valley, leaving the cobblestone streets of the Wild Oak Woods wet and mushy with mud, but the actual autumn sunshine is finally back out.

I might be thawing right along with the weather.

Spending forty-eight hours back at the keep watching a literal god of the underworld play nice, double-check the castle perimeter, and look at me like I hung the moon is... overwhelming. In a good way, mostly. Back in Stormspire, the only thing anyone ever handed me was a list of my flaws. Here, this terrifying Elder God hovers around, making sure I am warm and fed, making sure I’m well loved, making sure I know I’m special.

My fingers are securely tucked into Malakai's elbow as we walk down the main street. Looking up at his stupidly handsome face in the daylight makes my heart impossibly happy.

Even if his hair is currently braided better than mine ever is.