Page 103 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

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CALCULATE REPAIR COSTS (WHEN CONSUMMATION REQUIRES RECONSTRUCTION)

ARABELLA

My entire body hummed with magic. I sat on a hay bale in the stables, trying to regain some semblance of composure while Nyx devoured her third cow in a flurry of teeth and claws. Everything felt raw and turned up to an almost painful pitch. Colors seemed brighter, scents more potent. Even the hay stabbing into my palms became a source of pleasure-pain.

And the magic. Gods, themagic.

It raged through me like a dam had burst, no longer contained in neat, carefully measured channels. I felt it in my fingertips, in my throat, thrumming behind my eyes. Part of me wondered if this was how Kazimir always felt, with an undercurrent of raw power constantly crackling beneath his skin. Or maybe this was simply the aftermath of what we’d done together.

A memory of that moment in the war room strummed through me, scattering my focus all over again. The way our bodies had collided, our magic tangling and intensifying until the walls literally fell around us. I’d called it an excuse to fulfillthe Heirloom’s requirement, but I couldn’t hide the truth from myself anymore. I wanted him. I’d chosen it—chosenhim.

I exhaled and mumbled to no one in particular, “What does this make me now?” Nyx cocked her head, blood still dripping from her muzzle. I wasn’t sure how to explain my chaotic mix of exhilaration, guilt, and lust to a shadow dragon.

“Not you,” I said softly. “I’m talking to myself like some unhinged villain’s bride.”

Nyx gave a wet snort, and shadowy smoke curled from her nostrils. The impression I got was something likeWell, if the horseshoe fits.I actually laughed. “Don’t encourage me.”

A shadow fell across the straw-strewn floor. Kazimir stood in the doorway, silhouette framed by the setting sun. He’d changed into clean clothes, though he had a fresh cut along his jaw.

“You’re bleeding,” I said by way of greeting.

He touched the cut absently, as though he’d forgotten it. “Falling masonry. The east tower took some damage.”

“From what we did?”

That faint, prideful twitch of his lips made my stomach flip. “From what we did,” he confirmed. His gaze raked over me, lingering where his shirt barely covered my thighs. My robe had been ruined, so I’d grabbed the first thing in arm’s reach, which happened to be his clothing. It did next to nothing to hide the fact I wore no undergarments.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

I felt my cheeks heat under his scrutiny. “Like my skin doesn’t fit right anymore. And my magic…” Words failed me. There was no easy way to describe the sensation of holding a storm in my body.

He stepped closer, settling beside me on the hay bale. Even that small closeness sent phantom electricity racing across my skin. We’d just had sex, yet my body still turned molten the moment he drew near.

He nodded vaguely to the stable hands, who were themselves attempting to be invisible in the far corner. “The servants are talking,” he said. “Apparently the Dark Lord and his bride destroyed half the fortress while—” his lips quirked—”‘bonking,’ I believe was the polite term they used in front of me.”

I buried my face in his shoulder with a groan, noting the distinct mix of his usual magic and the new thread of energy coursing between us. “Are they scandalized?”

“More impressed than anything.” He threaded his fingers through my hair in a gentle tug that sent warm shivers across my scalp. “Although Vex did ask that we save any further ‘activations’ for less essential architecture.”

When I dared glance up, Kazimir’s eyes had darkened, locked onto my mouth. Desire flared. We’d only just finished tearing half a wing down in our frenzy, and already my blood pounded for more. Maybe that made me reckless, but I no longer cared.

“Everyone out,” I said, raising my voice. I didn’t even look at the stable hands, just kept my eyes fixed on Kazimir’s face.

They set their tools down with awkward speed and scurried out, one of them pausing to shut the door behind them. Nyx huffed in protest at losing her audience, then kept chewing.

“That was very authoritative,” Kazimir teased. “I think you’ve nailed this ‘Dark Lady’ business.”

They were gone, but I still lowered my voice. “So, the Heirloom?”

He exhaled. “Active, but the power feels incomplete. As if it’s still warming up.”

I bristled at the thought that we hadn’t quite finished the job. “So we destroyed a war room and half a wing for nothing?”

He tilted my chin until I met his gaze. “We’ve awakened it, just not at full strength. And,” he added, his eyes flicking down to my lips, “I don’t believeanythingabout that was nothing.”

Heat surged in my face. There was no point hiding my reaction, especially not from him. We both knew it wasn’t purely a cold transaction anymore.

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