Page 92 of How to Claim A Shadow King

Wedged entirely askew between the bakery and the weaver's shop is a completely random, crooked three-story stone townhouse that definitely wasn't there the last time I checked. It’s pulsing with an angry green light around the chimney.

"I see the spite-architecture from this morning is still blocking the road," I say, dryly nudging Malakai with my elbow.

Malakai snorts. "Ah yes, Cern’s brilliant plan at a gentle abduction for Nerissa. What could go wrong?"

I shake my head, smiling

The Wild Oak Woods is still a mess, to be fair. The second Malakai and I locked the first threshold, the rest of the wild magic in the area went into absolute overdrive. The weather is unpredictable, and the other couples desperately need to sort themselves out to calm the current before the town splits in half.

Naturally, Malakai's brothers handled it with the emotional maturity of bricks.

Cern had basically panicked over Nerissa and managed to somehow get her into the three-story house, which is now sealed off completely. Meanwhile, Valen used his death-magic to vanish into thin air with Ruby the second the frost started to crack, only to bring her back when she threatened to cut his balls off.

I wish I’d thought of that.

Gods forbid they try to win their love normally. No, the Elder Gods apparently teach the 'kidnap the witch and pray she doesn't castrate you' school of romance.

It's a bold strategy. We’ll see if it plays out.

I shrug.

"They are completely ridiculous," I turn my attention back to Malakai. “Nerissa is probably trying to set Cern's antlers on fire right now, and Ruby will likely bore Valen to death by reading him the town histories."

"They're desperate," Malakai rasps, his arms tightening around my waist as his tone turns quiet and serious. He buries his face in my hair, his chest rising and falling heavily against my back. "The mating magic is a chaotic thing, Aveline. They saw the peace settle over my shadows the moment you claimed me, and they're running blind trying to find that same peace for themselves. They'll yield to them. They don't have a choice."

I close my eyes, letting myself sink into the safety of his arms. If Cern and Valen fall even half as hard for their witches as this terrifying Shadow King fell for me... those women will be just fine.

"Let them figure it out," I whisper, turning around in his arms so I can look up into his dark eyes. I offer him a saucy wink, watching the shadows around him ripple with excitement. "In the meantime, husband, you still owe me a proper rehearsal for these vows. And I expect you to say them without using the words 'ancient prophecy' even once."

“What about the words ‘in between your legs?’” he asks, and I swat at him, dissolving into laughter.

Epilogue

AVELINE

Iam beginning to realize that living in a sentient, ancient fortress means having absolutely zero privacy from the architecture.

I am simply trying to locate the linen closet in the eastern wing when the solid wall beside me groans. The stone shifts, and a brand-new arched doorway materializes out of thin air.

Curious, I walk inside, only to stop dead in my tracks.

Bathed in a soft, ambient gold light, the room is fit for a princess. The living rock has perfectly smoothed itself out, weaving a plush carpet of thick green moss across the floorboards. In the center of the room, carved directly out of the dark stone, is a delicate little bassinet, complete with a tiny, shadow-woven mobile of floating crows spinning lazily overhead.

A nursery. The castle has literally grown a nursery.

"Absolutely not," I tell the empty air, crossing my arms over my chest. "We have been formally married for exactly three months, and I am still recovering from the logistics of the wedding festival. Give a witch queen a second to breathe."

The walls immediately let out a deeply offended shudder. The gold light violently flickers, the moss carpet retracts into the cracks, and the heavy oak door swings shut with a dramatic, petulant slam. The entire hallway seems to sulk, dropping the temperature by five degrees as the keep goes into a massive huff.

A chuckle rumbles from the shadows behind me.

Malakai steps out of the gloom. "You have broken the castle's heart, Duchess. It has been waiting centuries to sprout a cradle."

"The castle will survive," I murmur, turning around in his grip to smile up into his eyes. I wrap my hands around his thick wrists, leaning into his immense body heat. "And so will you, Shadow King. Do not look at me with those puppy-dog eyes. I am enjoying having you entirely to myself for a while."

"Whatever my queen decrees," he whispers, his mouth finding mine in a slow, dazed kiss that instantly makes my thoughts go beautifully fuzzy.

Eventually, we make our way down to the sunlit eastern pastures. We have recently purchased a sweet, sturdy little dapple-grey mare to keep Sandwich company in the paddock, mostly so the giant golden horse stops chewing on the fence posts out of sheer boredom. The two horses are currently nuzzling each other near the running creek, completely content.