Page 55 of Fated In Forever
And not like any castle I had ever seen or imagined, not even Darkmore. This one was carved from the same black obsidian as everything around us, reflecting the rolling shadows, the rows of flickering red torches. Broken towers spiraled up into the shadows like the twisted spines of some great beast. Crumbled battlements and collapsed walkways that had once connected the towers in impossible configurations, lay in pieces in the sand, their sheer size defying any laws of architecture and physics that existed back in my realm.
Massive gates began to open, like a mouth preparing to devour whatever approached and on either side of the entrance, torches burned brighter with flames the color of fresh blood, casting their writhing shadows across the courtyard beyond.
As if they were welcoming Malachi home.
My following of lost souls swept around me like errant fireflies, swirling around Malachi, a dance of light that was breathtaking and sad and strange, glowing with soft, translucent light that grew warmer and brighter, the longer they were close to him.
Like moths around a flame, casting every angle of his powerful body into sharp relief, Malachi seemed to be forged from the shadows themselves, his horns hard and shining like the obsidian mountains, even that warm glow in his eyes—so much like the glowing light emanating from the little dancing orbs.
That was when I understood, with ice cold clarity, that he wassupposedto be here.
He didn’t turn, but he knew—hehadto know—I was right here.
I still hadn’t seen his face, only…those horns, rising above his head like a crown, those huge shoulders, layered in muscle, the way shadows spilled off him in waves, like a living mantle of power.
“Malachi,” I breathed, and this time he heard me.
He turned slowly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, face hidden in shadow, eyes glowing, warmer than the torches down below, a flash of white fang that might have been a half-smile. When his eyes met mine, my heart skipped a beat. They ignited, like the blaze of a fresh lit fire, warm and welcoming.
Not the cold, cruel gaze of a god, but the recognition of a lover.
“Evangeline,” he murmured, my name spilling from his lips, soft as a cloud. His voice sounded different in his voice down in this place, charged with power that would bring a kingdom to its knees. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Did you really think I’d let you escape to this beautiful hideaway all by yourself?” I stepped closer, enough to see exhaustion etched in the lines of his face, the dried blood coating his side from where Ravok had stabbed him. “You should know me better than that by now.”
He almost smiled at that, a ghost of the expression I remembered from before everything had gone wrong. “Seriously, the tour books don’t do it justice. So much prettier in person. Although...” I gestured toward the writhing mass of souls swirling around us. “We have to do a better job next time at scheduling. It’s a little overcrowded right now.”
The next thing I knew, I was enveloped in a cocoon of warm, soft skin and muscle, crushed against his slab of achest, lifted clean off my feet. He rumbled against me—no, that was definitely a purr.
“And to think, I’ve spent this entire time talking myself out of missing you.”
“Well, you can stop arguing with yourself, because here I am.”
Malachi kept me banded tightly in his arms and I reached out tentatively, my fingers brushing over the harsh planes of his face, his cut jaw, then up along one of those horns. He was solid, real, warm. Still connected to me by this strange tether. “Okay. I’m here, you’re here. Now what?”
His gaze shifted back to the castle, and something hardened in his expression. “We're going to make a bargain,” he said quietly and the word sent chills down my spine. “Right now, Evangeline, or we don’t take another step.”
I didn’t like it when he used my real name. That meant he was serious, and was going to force me into some bullshit deal I wanted no part of. But for now, I nodded.
“What kind of bargain?”
“We are going to find our way out of here. Something tells me it could be down there.” He jerked his head to what lay beneath us.
“In the super scary castle of death?” I leaned to the side to peer around him. “Yup. That seems about right.”
“We find our way out of here, and you are going back to where you belong. No arguments, no tricks, no fingers crossed behind your back.” He snagged my wrist and pulled my hand between us, holding up the proof between us.
“Okay, so, crossing my fingers is more like insurance.” I pleaded.
He did not look impressed. “You will give me your solemn promise that when it is time, you will go home.” Ilooked down, expecting to see his long fingers wrapped around my entire arm, then tried to yank away.
“What the fuck…is that a…” My eyes flew to his, and that smile turned embarrassed. “You have a tail? Is this your tail?” I ran my fingers along a rope of smooth, supple skin and his entire body shuddered beneath my touch, his skin growing rougher, almost like goosebumps. He dipped his head.
“I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
“Oh, so youdidhear me calling your name? I was talking to you, Malachi.” I poked him in the chest and my finger bent backwards. “And you flat outignoredme.”
“Ireallydidn’t want you to see me like this. Hence the shadows. But I need you to promise me, Evangeline, that when we find our way out of here, you will go home, where you belong.”
