Page 35 of Shadows Ascend
"You are a clever shifter, except…I woke up alone. So perhaps not too clever," I purred back, licking my lips at the lingering remains of the cocoa, and watching his eyes glow brighter in the dim light.
"Apologies soulmate, but our daughter was hungry and I did not wish to wake you. You needed your rest. Come join us when you are ready. Clothing has been set out for you by the enchantment of the tower."
When I was ready? I was more than ready to ditch the spiced hot chocolate and drink in the real thing that was watching me with bright eyes from across the room—but he didn't need to know that.
Emon smiled when I took another long sip, teasingly holding his gaze and licking my lips afterwards. If it wasn't for the distressed cry from our daughter and Emon's natural instinct to catch whatever Riella had accidentally knocked over, I knew my soulmate would not have been able to stop himself from pouncing on me from across the room.
"Cruel," Emon growled low to me, distracted by our daughter's apologetic stumbling as he frantically attempted to clean her up.
Grinning, I rose from the bed and stretched out my rested body before dressing quickly, sparing my soulmate any more sensuous torture.
Tying off the last laces of my thigh high boots, I eyed my reflection in the onyx glass. There was something different about the fae that stood before me in a tight fitted bodice of leather and black shorts—something darker and more unhinged. A wild creature with no direction. Emon had recently freed me from the cage that had smothered my soul for all these years, and now I was back in another one, this time supplied by my would-be father.
And me being cornered and trapped was a recipe for destruction.
My eyes flickered with doubt in the dim light as I attempted to draw the shadows to me—failing again, not even a twitch this time and this was what terrified me more than the cage ever could.
Turning away from my dark reflection and my self inflicted uncertainty, I stealthily moved across the room where the light was not nearly as dim, revealing the disorderly state of my daughter and soulmate who grinned when I approached.
Was that flour covering them and—sweet goddess, was Emon wearing a shirt?
Frowning up at my grinning soulmate, I trailed my finger down the familiar fitted pink unicorn shirt he had been forced to wear just yesterday. The definition of his muscular body could still be seen molding the fabric, but it was not the same as seeing and feeling his delicious bronze skin.
“A shirt?” I arched my brow suspiciously.
He winked, a sheepish expression on his face that reminded me of when he destroyed my mirror within my cabin. Emon was up to no good. “Anything for my cub.”
“It’s my favorite,” Riella added happily.
I hummed, rubbing the abnormal amounts of the white dust that had transferred to my fingertips when swiping his shirt, confirming it was indeed flour.
Looking between the two of them both dusted thoroughly, I held back my questions for Emon later.
"What are you two about?" I said curiously, taking in the sight of Riella’s dark hair now a unique shade of gray. Not to mention, there was a delicious aroma that was not just my hot chocolate but something even more tantalizing.
Riella's legs swung excitedly, her flour covered hand streaking more of its dust into her hair as she swiped it back from her animated face, the words gushing out of her all at once. "Father wasteaching me how to make pastries." She looked back at Emon with wide questioning eyes, "Mother is awake, may I have more now?"
My soulmate chuckled and attempted to wipe her hair with a damp cloth, failing miserably at his mission. Her excited bouncing only a fraction of the reason for his unsuccessful attempt. "I don't know how you are still hungry, my little cub. You ate half my filling and had two full pastries already."
I stifled my laughter into my cup, watching over the rim at the way she enchanted Emon with wide innocent eyes and fluttering dark lashes. "But I really want to try the custard one…you said it was your specialty and that we had to wait for mother to eat it." Then she extended her bottom lip in the most adorable pout.
Emon snorted, struggling against his need to give her everything she wanted and being a stern parent. "Let's make a deal then my little cub. How about you go get cleaned up and dressed for the day, then we will all eat that one together?"
Her excitement deflated for only a brief moment before she straightened, clapping her hands. "Okay! Can I use that thing that sprays water out at me?"
I lowered my mug. "The sink?"
She shook her head with exasperation, rolling her eyes. "No, not that one, the one that is like a waterfall."
My brows rose at her snarky response and Emon chuckled, sparing me having to answer back to our daughter’s sudden attitude. "You mean the shower?"
She nodded eagerly. "Yes that."
He grinned, lunging quickly to scoop her up off the counter top and launched her into the air. Her loud squeals of laughter reverberated off the black onyx walls as she descended down into his waiting arms, nuzzling her flour covered nose lovingly. "It is likely best that you do, my cub, but remember to take your clothes off this time. The bathroom will provide you with everything else that you need, soap, a towel to dry off, and new clothes to wear." Setting her down, he crouched low to whisper in her ear and then both turned to look at me.
She nodded once before skipping towards me, closing the distance between us. Smacking into me, she hugged my leg, looking up with her swirling gold and green eyes. "Good morning, mother!"
I chuckled and bent to embrace her, not caring at all about the white flour that now covered me too. Bowing my head tohers, I placed a kiss into her gray hair. "Good morning to you too, chickadee."
