Chapter 19
AVELINE
The castle is quiet as I make my way down the winding stone staircases, though the shadows along the walls seem to lean toward me as I pass, whispering in a language I can't quite understand. It should terrify me. Instead, it feels almost like a bizarre welcoming committee.
There’s a platter of fresh fruit and cheese, hard-boiled eggs and crusty bread, and I take my time eating while Ter stares at me, annoyed as I sip a hot cup of tea.
“We’re you wanting me to try to use my magic alone, then, Ter?” I finally ask, draining the dregs. Bitter, not as good as Lila’s. I’ll have to order some from her to be delivered here.
The thought makes me smile, and then I frown.
How quickly I’ve gotten used to the idea of Shadow Keep being my home.
“He’s home. Outside in the courtyard.” The bird ignores my question and flutters off, leaving me to follow him.
When I push open the heavy oak doors leading to the outer courtyard, the crisp autumn air hits my face, instantly clearing the last lingering remnants of my strange dream.
And there he is.
Malakai stands in the center of the cobblestone courtyard, holding the leads of two magnificent horses. Druze wasn't lying when he said the minotaur's horses would need a careful hand.
I suck in a breath at the sight.
Malakai’s flanked by pair of black stallions with gleaming coats. High-strung, they stamp their hooves, tossing their heads, but Malakai holds them with effortless control, murmuring softly to them in a low, resonant tone that seems to vibrate right through the stone floor.
He looks like a dark prince straight from a fairytale.
Heat rises in me, and it has nothing to do with embarrassment.
Nothing to do with it at all.
He looks up as the doors creak open, and his dark eyes lock onto me. His gaze sweeps down my practical attire—taking in the pants and the boots—and the corner of his mouth twitches upward.
"You dress like you’re ready for a challenge," Malakai says, his voice carrying across the yard.
"I dress like I refuse to ride side-saddle on a new horse,” I counter, walking toward him with far more confidence than I actually feel. “Not that I’d ride side-saddle on any horse.”
The horses huff as I get closer, their nostrils flaring. I reach out, the closest one lowers its head, sniffing at my palm.
I smile, instantly melting. "They are absolutely beautiful, Malakai." My voice is softer than I planned, and when I look up at him, he’s moved closer.
My heart thrums faster, and I recognize that heat growing in me.
Desire.
Our eyes meet, and the heat in me builds, builds, until I wonder at not exploding into flame.
"They are yours," he says simply, stepping closer. His gaze drops to my mouth. The shadows at his feet ripple. "We need to name them.”
“You don’t have time for that shit,” Ter croaks, settling on the saddle of one of the horses and picking at its mane with his beak.
“How long could it take to name a horse?” I ask the raven, glowering at him.
“Knowing you, too long.”
“Enough.” Malakai’s voice is charged with power, and the horses shy back as Ter takes flight. “Do not speak to her like that.”
I bite my lower lip, then immediately stop, because my mother broke me of that habit through sheer badgering.
“Name them what you wish.”
I tilt my head, studying the two fine horses. “Now it feels like too much pressure. Maybe I should take my time.”
Malakai laughs, which makes me smile, because he understood the joke for once.
A small victory that makes me want him more.
“Ter is right, though. The magic is changing, Aveline, I can feel it.” He closes his eyes for a brief second, I study his beauty fully, not afraid of being seen. “Today, we’ll ride to the edge of the wards. It’s time to test what your magic can do."
"Were you in my room last night?" The unruly braid I've tied begins to loosen, and a few strands whip free in the autumn wind. "Or did I dream that you were there?"
His gaze darkens, his attention sliding down my face, my neck, to the exposed breadth of my skin at my collarbone. He takes another step closer, his shadows starting to climb up the length of my cloak, my overdress, and the hem of my pants. All the while, his gaze slides closer. Lower.
I swallow hard, my pulse picking up even more.
Surely he can hear my heartbeat.
I’m fairly sure the castle can hear it with how loud it is in my own ears.
"Are you telling me you dream of me, Aveline?" he says, his voice soft and dangerous, sending a thrill straight through me.
"I'm not sure what I dreamed of," I tell him honestly. I don't step closer. "Were you in my rooms last night or not?" I ask, arching my eyebrows, trying to maintain some semblance of control over this conversation.
"You called for me in your sleep, I assume," he says easily. "I came, and you were dreaming. Was it a nightmare?"
I watch him carefully.
The fragments of that dream seem far away now, especially in the reality of the chilly, bright morning. I run my hand down the stallion's neck. His fur is glossy and smooth, and I can nearly see my hair reflected in it.
Blonde hair, not red.
"It was a strange dream," I finally answer.
The stallion snorts, his nostrils wide, and I soothe him with the clucking noises the stable hands taught me until he stills beneath my hand.
"I don't think these two are quite ready to ride," I tell him ruefully. “Or that I’m a good enough rider to handle them, really.”
"We won't know until we try.” Malakai rubs between the eyes of the other horse. “Besides, I have a feeling you’re not giving yourself enough credit. I’m sure you’re an excellent rider. A natural.”
My face grows hot, a sudden wave of heat rushing straight up to my cheeks.
"Right. Well. The horses," I clear my throat, desperately trying to redirect my thoughts back to something safe. “Need… to be ridden?”
Ter lets out a loud, mocking caw then hops on my shoulder. "If you two are finished being idiots, some of us would like to see if this girl can actually manage to stay on a saddle."
"Did no one ever teach you manners?" I snap at the raven.
Secretly, though, I might be a bit grateful for the interruption.
Malakai chuckles, the sound much more delicious than it should be.
It doesn’t take long at all for us to mount up, worried maybe I wouldn’t be a good enough rider and embarrass myself.
The horse beneath me instantly settles, its ears pricking forward as if he’s decided I’m in charge and he’s ready to go.
I blow out a breath of relief.
As for the Shadow King, Malakai mounts his horse in a single, fluid movement.
He looks magnificent, his braided dark hair catching the weak autumn light, his long legs guiding the powerful beast beneath him with nothing more than a subtle shift of his weight.
Shadows lick up the stallion’s hooves, leaving faint, smoky trails on the cobblestones.
“You are an absolute show-off,” I tell him as my horse prances under my feet. “Stop that, Pickles.”
“Pickles?” Malakai repeats, a dumbfounded expression wrinkling his forehead. “Did you name that beast… Pickles?”
“You told me to name him.” I give him my best duchess smile. “Yours is named…” I pause, wracking my brains for the most absurd name I can think of and land on— “Boots.”
“Absolutely not,” Malakai objects.
I pout, slightly put out that he won’t let me name his horse.
“If your horse is named after… a fermented cucumber, then my should have a name that matches. Boots and Pickles sound heinous together.”
“Fine. Then his name is…” I raise my chin. “Gravy Boat.” I pronounce it with the most put-upon, royal air I can manage.
“That is also terrible, but Gravy Boat and Pickles it is.” Malakai looks slightly devastated, but as I break into laughter, he gives me a grin that tells me he thinks it’s funny too.
“I don’t think we should tell the minotaur brothers the names we picked for them.”
“Let me guess, they were named something like Ebony and Storm or Midnight.”
“Thunder and Lightning,” Malakai admits.
“I think Pickles and Gravy Boat are much better names.”
“Yes, of course. Who wants to ride something named Lightning when they could ride… Gravy Boat?”
I snort, and Pickles dances to the left, ears flicking back and forth. “Do you know what I decided on for the other horse? What name, I mean?”
Malakai’s forehead creases, and he looks momentarily aggrieved, which makes me want to laugh even harder. “Pray tell.”
“Sandwich.”
“We shall rename the stable larder, I think.”
That earns a real laugh, and I grin at him as he shakes his head in faux despair.
"You hold the reins like you know what you’re doing," Malakai observes, his dark gaze fixed on my hands. "And I thought you told me your mother disapproved of you riding, Aveline."
"Maybe sometimes it’s worth doing what others disapprove of.
” I toss my hair, nudging Pickles forward.
He responds instantly, walking with a proud, high-stepping gait that makes me laugh out loud with sheer delight.
The freedom of riding astride, stripped of the heavy court gowns and suffocating expectations of my old life, is incredible.
We ride out through the ruined stone gates of Shadow Keep, leaving the safety of the courtyard behind.
The deeper we go into the Elder Forest, the more the atmosphere changes.
The cheerful, golden sunshine of the town begins to give way to a thick, emerald canopy.
The air grows heavier, thick with the scent of damp moss, ancient earth, and a sharp, metallic tang that makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
“There’s the perimeter," Malakai points with his chin. "The wards that separate the Fae realms from the Wild Oak Woods. And from... other things."
As if on cue, the forest ahead seems to shimmer. A faint, translucent ripple in the air stretches between the trees.
It doesn't look secure. The barrier is fluctuating, pulsing with a weak, sickly violet light that fractures like cracked ice.
Pickles tenses, letting out a nervous whinny, and my palms begin to sting with warmth.