Page 53 of Shadows Ascend (Remnant Archives #2)

E xhausted, our daughter cried herself to sleep in her mother and I's arms. Tenderly, I cradled her sleeping body into me and rose.

The cabin had shimmered moments before, providing a sleeping quarters complete with unicorn decor that was just her size and a large flower petal bed.

Tucking the soft pink petals over her small frame, my vision blurred.

Fuck.

Gasping, I stumbled backwards, reaching the door frame and gritting my teeth against the sudden onslaught of weakness to quietly shut the door. My claws digging into the arched opening to keep myself upright even as my heart beat slowed.

I was out of time.

Squinting through my blurred vision, I peered across the cabin at the silhouette of my soulmate highlighted in the fire's glow.

She was peeling off her wet clothing revealing the luminous pale skin of her back, the long waves of her wet hair falling sensually across it like a lover's caress.

Blue highlights shimmered in the dim light and her toned muscles rippled as she dropped the wet leather with a splat.

Sensing me, her emerald eyes flashed over her tattooed shoulder, tucking her chin atop it coyly. My heart rate sped up and with it—the return of my strength. Evidently, I didn't need god blood in my veins to cure me…all I needed was my half goddess soulmate to entice me in a fucking strip tease.

I smirked inwardly, no wonder her asshole father hadn't mentioned this particular cure.

Hiding the claw marks on the doorframe by resting my shoulder against it, I folded my arms with a challenging smile. "By all means, don't let me stop you, my little umbra," I purred.

Her lips parted in a soft inhale before her delicate pink tongue swiped across her full lips making my pulse jump wildly.

Hypnotized, she hooked her thumbs inside the hem of her skin tight shorts and shimmied them down over the delicious pale globes of her ass.

I rumbled with an encouraging growl and she smirked back at me before peeling the wet clothing down her toned legs, kicking them to the side.

Pivoting seductively, she faced me, naked, in only her waterlogged boots that laced to her mid thigh.

I fucking forgot to breath.

She was a goddess damn vision of my most depraved dreams and I was a young male fae caught with his dick in hand, not knowing how to proceed—a faerie fucking mess.

Panting, I followed her hand as it trailed down over her chest, running along the inner curve of her breast and then straight over the cut muscular lines of her stomach before dipping between her legs.

"Fuck," I croaked and I glanced briefly at the entrance of the cabin, where just outside the storm raged and a mad sea king laughed at the wind. Reading my wicked thoughts, the cabin responded with a soft click, locking both the outer door and our daughters.

I fucking loved these ship quarters.

Remnant's hand played with herself while she watched me salaciously, her eyes burning into the long sleeved pink unicorn shirt I still wore. It was a goddess damn miracle it made it this far…that I hid it this far. "Take those damp clothes off shifter, and come warm up your soulmate."

Licking at my descending fangs and feeling my dick press uncomfortably against the wet leathers I still wore, I shoved off the doorframe, praying to the goddess that I fucking had the strength to make it across the room—I'd crawl on my knees if I had to.

"My clothes are just about dry, my love. Perhaps I'll keep them on for a few moments longer, so that only you steal this show, just like you steal my breath…" Close enough to touch her, I took her hand from between her legs and lapped up the taste of her, "and my heart."

The soulless sleep had the worst fucking timing, I knew it wouldn't be much longer now, but I could not think of a better way to fall into a deathly sleep than for my waking dreams to put me there.

"How much, shifter?" Remnant whispered and I pulled my mouth from her fingers, staring down into her gorgeous eyes that implored me to share all my secrets—and I would have, the moment I had learned them, I would have confessed them all, on my knees if it wasn't the one thing I knew that was helping to keep her alive.

"How much more do you think I'll tolerate your omitted truths before I break. "

My brow arched and I smirked down at her. "I know for a fact that you can tolerate anything I deliver and when you break it's the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

Trailing her hands up her body she cupped her breasts, she was breathless with her next command. "Take off your shirt, shifter."

My chest rattled with my harsh inhale watching her touch herself only inches from me. "My shirt…" I murmured.

"Mmhmm," she purred at me, pinching her nipples between her fingertips. "I need you, Emon and I ache so bad…take off your shirt. Let me see you. Let me feel you."

My tongue licked at my fangs, fixated on her naughty hands.

I took a hungry step forward but she countered, the same desperate space between us as before.

Fire raged inside of me, my desirous need pulsing as my head snapped up, assessing her like she was prey.

I tilted my head. "If you run, then I will hunt.

I won't apologize if your game is to provoke the beast."

I watched as my deep husky purr made her body shiver, her heart beat wildly in her chest, her breath increase, a slow blush straining her pale skin. But instead of melting at my feet, she grinned .

"Awe, is my big bad kitten pouting?"

I took one step forward, she took one step back. My claws flexed at my sides. Desire and frustration thundering through me, I breathed deep, changing tactics. "Come to me, little umbra. If you ache, then allow me to soothe you."

Her thighs clenched together and the sweet smell of her sex clouded all my senses. "What I ache for Emon…is your body, I want it and I wish to see it, take off your shirt my shifter king."

My mouth watered, my soulmate was like falling into a pool of ambrosia when she stood before me like this, clouding my senses, my reason, my judgment.

Snarling, I reached for my shirt, my claws hooking into the fabric, tearing it slightly with my desperation, peeking up at her through my lashes, I saw the flash of triumph glittering in her emerald green eyes.

My brows rose and I dropped my hands, exhaling shakily even when my body screamed at me to comply. "No."

Her eyes narrowed and her hands fell on the flare of her naked hips. "No?"

I grinned, growling through my teeth. "No."

"Take it off," she snapped, stepping forward. This time it was me stepping gracefully back.

I was a patient predator and I never did mind playing bait, especially if it meant my reward was her.

Shadows gathered around the room and my dick throbbed at this savage sight of her—fury and longing, wrath and yearning, it warred within her and it was fucking gorgeous.

"Emon…" she warned, raising the shadows. "Take. It. Off."

"Make. Me." I echoed her tone back.

Remnant snarled, her teeth bared, and my body burned to possess her this way, every instinct made me want to lunge for her, and I trembled with every second that I held back. "Just remember that I did give you a chance."

My smile brightened just before her shadows lunged for me.

Despite my looming sleep, I still had one last reserve to play, one more memory to take with me.

Tapping into my shifter speed, I blurred around the room, then back towards her, the loud smack of my hand on her bare ass echoed off the ship's hull, followed by the delicious sound of her loud gasp.

"Too slow, shadow fae," I purred into her ear, before blurring again. It was the last of my strength but it was worth it when her shadows surrounded me and I crouched low in the darkened corner of the room even as I felt my heartbeat slow once again, the slightest disturbance to my vision.

Fuck that. There was only one force that would ever bring me to my knees and I'd fight death itself to keep it that way. The sleep could wait a moment longer.

"Am I?" she snickered from the other side of the room as I watched the way her breasts and ass swayed with each seductive stride from my hiding place. "There is nowhere you can hide shifter…I am the darkness that resides in you, there is no place you can go where I won't be able to follow.

"There you go saying the shit I should be saying to you, my sexy little umbra. I have to admit, if you seek me every time in this way, I can guarantee you will always find me."

A sharp slap on my ass sent me sprawling from the darkness.

Bellowing with laughter, I rolled over, surrendering to the shadow mischief in which she played—too weak to fight them and too turned on to care, I allowed myself to be dragged across the ship’s floor until I was presented at her feet, staring up at her naked sex and the satisfaction in her emerald eyes.

"Fuck," I swallowed hard, my dick straining against my pants so much now that it was painful.

With a slight twitch of her fingertips, my arms were shoved above my head, the pink shirt riding up and exposing half my torso from the aggressive hold of her darkness.

"Fuck," I groaned again.

"It seems it is you who has been reduced to monosyllabic words this time shifter, and I am not even done with you yet.

" Remnant laughed above me before stepping over my body and lowering to straddle my hips, exposing her glorious naked sex for my eyes to hungrily devour.

I grunted when the shadows yanked my arms up higher and my hips raised achingly upwards needing her touch in any way I could get it.

Shadows slammed my body forcibly back down again and a dark chuckle rumbled from me. "Savage," I whispered in worship.

She smiled lethally back, half kneeling over me, so that I could just barely feel her damp heat without her exquisite touch.

"You have refused to undress," she began, running her hand down her upper thigh, her hair tumbling in a dark mess over her pale naked skin and tickling the not so pink fabric of my shirt before she skimmed the laces of her boot to draw a sharp knife hidden within it.

"And…I gave you my word not to use my powers to un dress you.

" The knife flashed in the dim light when she twirled it along her knuckles. "You leave me no choice."

I was panting…drooling and aching like a slobbering mutt and when she teased the knife along the exposed skin of my abdomen where my shirt had been riding up from her forceful play, a guttural groan escaped me.

"Fucking goddess. Yes. Do it," I hissed.

I was past caring anymore, my sheer need riding hard as the soulless sleep beckoned me.

My eyes were hooded with exhaustion and desire—I could not tell the difference anymore.

All I knew was that I surrendered to my beautiful dark haired goddess that owned my very soul.

Peering down at me with love and worry in her gorgeous eyes, she held my gaze as she forcibly gripped the collar of the unicorn shirt and started to slice through the fabric. My panting breath increased with each slow buttery slide of her blade.

Flipping the knife in her hand so that its deadly tip faced her now, she ran its hilt up my bare chest, opening up the two sides of my ruined shit, and tracing the hard edges of my muscle that twitched with every sensual caress she drew upon me.

I smiled when I felt a familiar trace of I love you upon my body. "I love you too, little umbra."

She exhaled shakily. "You are… you. "

I cocked my head to the side, grinning. "Did you expect something different, my vicious little soulmate or are you too afraid to admit that you just missed seeing me half naked?"

I watched with amusement and baited breath as she searched my exposed body once more. "Why the refusal then? And this shirt? Really Emon, we both know you are not a pink shirt with unicorns kind of fae, and of all the times to wear a shirt…a long sleeve—"

I swallowed hard.

Fuck.

Instantly, without the seduction of her slow cuts from before, she quickly sliced off the rest of the fabric, exposing my arms still pinned high above me and stared.

" Quid fecisti …" She breathed in ancient fae, barely above a whisper.

What have you done…