Our magics collided. We're not just married anymore. I feel him through the magic—his heart beating, his presence, like he’s an extension of me.
We're bonded. Soul-deep.
My stomach clenches—not from fear. From excitement.
This is real.
The sound of the doorknob turning catches my attention.
I grab his hip. “Eryx!”
And I feel it then—the thrum of magic under his skin, the bond.
The door creaks open.
“Eryx!”
He blinks and bolts up. “Who is it?”
“It’s just me,” Nancy says. “Don’t you want me to clean your study?”
“No,” I yell as Eryx says, “No, Nancy. Come back later.”
“Whatever you say, but by that time it’ll be late and this vacuum will be heavy. I can’t promise I’ll do as good a job.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You can skip the study today.”
“Okay, but don’t complain to me if you get dust bunnies under your desk.”
“I won’t.”
She shuts the door, and Eryx’s gaze falls on me. “Good morning, beautiful.”
I’m completely naked on the rug, but the way his eyes trace over me, it’s not embarrassing.
He takes my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist. “You did some redecorating last night.”
His eyes hold something I haven't seen before. Not desire. Not concern.
Awe.
"You manifested shadow claws," he says softly. “You are magnificent.”
His eyes flick to the right of me, and I gently tug my hand out of his grasp and sit up to inspect the damage.
And it is damage—eight long claw marks, four from each hand, carving down the rug, shredding it.
Then what happened last night hits me—Eryx’s magic coursing through my veins, the shadows pulling into me and making claws.
I'll become the monster I need to be to keep him alive. I said that before.
The shadows didn't just touch me. They becamepartof me. Like Nightmare became part of him when his father died.
Am I bonded to the shadows now? To Nightmare?
I flex my hands. My magic sits deep in my core, but it feels different. Tight—like a rope pulled too far and about to snap.
“My magic has changed,” I murmur.
