Page 119 of Broken Shadows

Lorcan moans, his other hand tightens on an ass cheek. I laugh and bite my lip around the smile because I fucking love being able to give him so much pleasure, just as he does for me.

I stretch out over his hard, tattooed body, trailing a finger over his true name tattooed beneath his right eye. My magic comes alive under my skin, simmering where my fingertip skims the letters. Faint wisps of shadows uncoil where we touch, and he stiffens beneath me.

“Evie, what—?”

I didn’t think it was possible.

Hope expands in my chest, nearly cracking my ribs with the force of the emotion.

I’m powerful enough. Why didn’t I think of trying before?

I close his eyes with my other hand. “Just feel me, My Demon.”

Lorcan’s chest rises and falls steadily, his muscles relaxing. “Yes, My Witch.”

My lungs inflate as I breathe in, focusing all my attention on his true name.

I infuse the skin over the letters with my shadows, willing to take a shape just big enough to fully conceal his name behind the thorned stem of a rose. I lean a forearm on his chest as I work, as one of his hands squeezes my biceps gently, his thumb smoothing against my skin and his even breaths whisper against my throat.

My gaze glides to his closed lids, his lashes appearing more blue than black as they fan his cheeks. I sigh, kissing his forehead. He’s so attractive it fucking hurts.

My shadows finish the last petal with a flourish of magic, but just as I lift from Lorcan’s skin, my death magic swirls around the tendril of shadow and glows beneath the pad of my finger. I lift my hand away, then my lips part, staring in stunned awe as my death magic burns away the original tattoo and infuses itself into the shadow ink.

“Holy shit.”

“What?”

I slap a palm over his thick lips, never taking my eyes off my magic. His gaze narrows, but he doesn’t protest further.

My magic is so fucking beautiful.

Purple bleeds into the black shadow ink that forms the delicate petals as my death magic expunges his name from his flesh and leaves only our mark in return. I drag my gaze to Lorcan’s and remove my hand. “It’s gone.”

“What do you mean, it’s gone?”

I cup his cheeks, and a fluffy, purely happy puff ball explodes in my chest. “My magic… I removed your true name.”

Lorcan sits up so quickly I tip backward, but a strong flat palm spreads between my shoulder blades, catching me. “Fuck, that’s…” The shine in his eyes quickly dims and he sighs. “But this is a dream.”

“Wake me up.”

“Fuck, just give me a minute to process.”

I glare at him. “No. Wake me up right now, Lorcan.”

My eyes blink open to Lorcan’s serious, stony gaze, then I gasp and smile harder than I have in years. I press my lips to the deep purple rose, the same shade and style of my own, tattooed beneath his right eye. “You are mine.”

His eyes widen and he vaults off the bed, crashing his palms against the oval mirror over the dresser as he examines his face closely. Lorcan’s hand shakes as he traces a finger over my tattooed rose and squeezes his eyes shut.

I sit up and wrap myself in a hug.

I fucking did it.

I claimed my demon in every way possible.

Lorcan whirls to face me, then tackles me onto my back. “Say it again, Evie. Please.”

I fling open the doors of our bond and kiss him with each resounding word.

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