Page 54 of Shannon in Sombra
Malphas hoversaround our baby and me the entire time I do her normal nighttime routine. We both figured out—after we showed Apollyon and Lilith that Alana was safe and sound—that moving forward and acting like it was any old regular night was the way to go.
I fed her. Mal bathed her. I put her in a new diaper and a change of clothes, then rocked her in the cradle until she was asleep.
Then, and only then, did I collapse against Mal.
I stink. I’m sweaty and dirty and there is ash in parts of me that I wish there wasn’t ash. My body aches. Good chance I have blisters on my blisters because my stupid ass didn’t bother with socks when I hurried and got dressed all those hours ago.
Do I care? Does Mal as I basically climb into his lap?
Not even a little.
He holds me close, chest rumbling as he says, “I love you.”
“Mm. I love you, too, big guys.”
“I worship you, my Shannon. My heart is in your hands. I never want it anywhere else.” He presses a kiss to my lips. “You amaze me. To see you so forceful, so fearless… you absolutely amaze me. I am in awe of everything you do, and if I had lost you? I would’ve been lost as well.”
I nip Mal’s bottom lip, then take advantage of the way he gasps to turn his peck into a deep kiss.
Only then, when I feel myself getting light-headed from lack of air and sudden need, do I pull back far enough to gaze into his stunning gold eyes.
“You’re never gonna lose me, babe. This is it. The three of us forever… you’re stuck with me.”
“There is nowhere I’d rather be. In Sombra, Earth… another world… we are together. And we always be.”
“Damn right, Mal. But we’re not going anywhere else.” I shrug impishly. “Sombra’s grown on me.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Looking down at the pure devotion etched into his demon features, I grin. God, it feels good to grin.
This is it.
Shannon in Sombra.
Forever.
I helped take down a crazed king. No matter how he looks at it, Haures has my family to thank for his power upgrade and the future of his people. I didn’t lop off Amy’s dad’s head with Glaine’s sword even though that fucker totally deserved it. I helped rescue my baby, leading to the end of the rains.
And this male is amazed by me.
Oh, yeah. I kick ass at being a Sombra demon’s mate.
Know what else?
I’m a reader. Always have been, and if there’s one thing I know about my favorite type of books, it’s that every good romance ends with a happily-ever-after.
Malphas is immortal. Thanks to the essence exchange, so am I. My big, sweet monster promised me forever. I told him I’m holding him to it, and as I cuddle up against him, cradling Alana against my chest, my heart rate finally back to normal after the frantic, determined journey through the deepest, darkest shadows of Sombra, I finally grin again.
This is it. My HEA.
With an artist I adore. A baby I’ll do anything for. A world just waiting for me to leave my mark on it.
I couldn’t ask for more.
Do I know what happened to theGrimoire du Sombraafter Tandy read the true love spell that led her to find Damien and Lucian? No, and I’m pretty sure none of us do. Maybe it’s done what it needed to, bringing us all together to keep the doppelseers’ prophecy from coming to pass. Maybe some lonely demon will be ripped out of their bathtub, summoned in front of another human woman who will ogle the baseball bat between his thighs before noticing the glowing eyes and pointed horns…
