Page 83 of How to Claim A Shadow King

Light explodes from her skin in brilliant, shimmering waves that clash and twine with my power.

I take her ruthlessly, over and over, marking her skin with my teeth, claiming every single inch of her sweetness. I let her ride me like the queen she is, as we’re both caught up in the fury of the bonding rut.

We make love for hours, until the bed is a ruined tangle of linen and we are both screaming our release into the roaring heat of the fire.

When the storm in our blood finally slows to a possessive simmer, the reality of her physical limits crashes back down on me.

Aveline lies beneath me, her breathing shallow, her small frame trembling from the exertion. I smooth a hand down her side, and she shudders.

“I was too rough with you. Forgive me, my love.” Regret fills me.

“I was too rough with you,” she retorts, slapping my bare ass and giving me a tired smile. “Is it always going to be like that?”

“Do you want it to be?” I ask her, genuinely curious as I cradle her in my arms.

“If you can handle it,” she says, batting her lashes.

A fierce wave of protective tenderness overrides all my other urges. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against my chest as I call upon my power.

"Let me help you," I murmur, my lips against her damp forehead.

I guide my shadows upward from the stones, weaving them into a cool blanket. I drape it over her flushed skin.

“Rest,” I tell her. “Let my magic take care of you.”

I paint the shadows over her skin, numbing the soreness of her first mating until she lets out a soft, relieved sigh.

Silently, I hoist her into my arms, carrying her bare, still glowing body into the bathroom.

The sunken circular tub already overflows with steaming, lavender-scented water beneath the frosty window. I step into the basin then settle her back against my chest as we sink into the soothing warmth. I take a thick cloth and gently wash her, every touch reverent.

“Life doesn’t exist without you,” I murmur the realization. “My soul has always simply bided time until yours was here again.”

If she hears me, she doesn’t say anything. I rub oils into her shoulders and body for a long a time, until I’m fairly sure she’s been sleeping for a long while. The house keeps the water warm, but before long, I notice her pale skin has pruned.

I start to stand, to lift her from the tub and dry her off, when she stirs against me.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asks.

Aveline leans her head back against my shoulder. I kiss her neck, and she sucks in a breath, the tops of her breasts bobbing on the surface of the water.

I swallow hard.

Her wet lashes flutter as she catches our reflection in the massive, gold-framed mirror lining the opposite wall. The contrast between her delicate beauty and the towering width of my torso in the steam seems to mesmerize her.

“Do you like what you see?” I ask her, running my fingertips along the tender peak of one breast. Her breath catches, and she nods.

The heat in her blue eyes flares back to life.

My cock grows hard against her lower back and the soft flesh of her perfect ass.

A spark of desire cuts through her fatigue as she stares at our reflection.

I feel the shift instantly, feel her body get tight and loose all at once as her eyes dilate.

I lift her out of the steaming water, her wet skin gleaming like polished marble under the amber light of the candles.

Gently, I push her forward until her palms slap against the cold, smooth marble of the vanity, pinning her directly in front of the glass.