Page 59 of How to Claim A Shadow King

We watch the years grind to dust, consumed by the weight of things lost. Things… and people.

But this morning?

This morning, I wake up to the sun.

Autumn light filters through the heavy velvet drapes, but the real warmth is pressed entirely against my chest.

Aveline is still fast asleep, her breathing slow and rhythmic, her face buried deep in the crook of my neck. One of her knees is hooked over my thigh, pinning me to the mattress, and her small hand is still curled tightly into the fabric of my trousers.

I don't move.

I barely dare to breathe.

It makes my head spin. Her trust in me. The way she sought me out last night, sought me out for comfort and safety.

The roaring dark of my shadow-magic is quiet, the pressure to use it alleviated.

My shadows are curled up at the foot of the bed like a satisfied hound, entirely placated by the golden warmth radiating from the woman in my arms.

I actually slept. Deep, dreamless, restorative sleep.

I look down at her, my heart hammering. Her light blonde hair is a beautiful, tangled halo on my pillow. Her lips are swollen in sleep, a soft pink contrast to the pale silk of her skin.

Mine, everything in me whispers.

Unable to stop myself, I bring my hand up, my thumb lightly tracing the elegant curve of her cheekbone. She lets out a sleepy sigh, her nose nuzzling deeper into my collarbone.

A fierce wave of yearning slams into my chest so hard it leaves me breathless. I want to lock the doors. I want to freeze time right here, and never let the outside world touch her again.

BOOM.

The oak doors splinter inward with a deafening crash.

My peace is violently vaporized. Instantly, my shadows erupt from the floorboards in boiling, murderous waves, the room turning freezing cold as I surge upright, instinctively throwing my body over Aveline to shield her from the intrusion.

Standing in the shattered doorway are the banes of my eternal existence. My brothers.

"Awake, brother!" Cern booms, his voice rattling the timber. "We heard tales that you finally dragged a bride back to your dark court!"

Cern, the wild god of the forest, is currently navigating the fact his massive antlers are caught on the stone archway. All he wears is a draped leather kilt and a wicked smirk.

He looks as though he just got done drinking everyone in the local tavern under the table and could go for more.

Right behind him is Valen, the god of death and destruction. His mortal illusion is in place—a devastatingly handsome, sharp-jawed face with dark, rakish eyes—but the second he catches sight of me snarling in the bed, his features violently flicker.

The flesh vanishes, revealing a terrifying, gleaming white death skull grinning in the gloom, before snapping back to his handsome skin.

"By the gods," Valen laughs, throwing his head back in a rich, mocking roar. "Look at him, Cern! The shadows are unfurled and everything. We have interrupted our brother’s morning embrace!"

“Get OUT,” I bellow, a firm arm around Aveline, trying to shield her from view.

"Mind the antlers, Valen, I am wedged," Cern grunts, violently wrenching his head sideways. A chunk of ancient masonry cracks and showers down onto his broad, tattooed shoulders. "Malakai, truly, command your fortress to widen these passageways."

I am going to murder them.

I am going to rip their souls from their immortal vessels and bury them.

"Get. Out," I roar.