Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 102

Crown of Shadows

Her laugh is small, almost disbelieving. “So what does that make me?”

I can only smile. “Mine.”

Her lips part, but no sound comes out. I watch her chest rise and fall, the slow rhythm of someone still caught between fear and wonder. I have lived thousands of years, ruled a kingdom forged in darkness, but I have never felt this, the trembling beauty of something new and sacred taking shape before my eyes. Her power flickers again, and the shadows around us soften. I take another step, close enough to feel

her breath against my chest.

“Allison,” I murmur. Her name tastes like warmth on my tongue. “May I… kiss you?”

Her answer is a small nod, but her power says more than words ever could. The sigils pulse once, glowing bright, and then fade to a gentle light as she leans in. My hand comes to the small of her back, her warmth spreading through me like wildfire as I move the other through her hair, tilting her head further as I lean down. My eyes flick from hers, those endless night skies, and then down to her lips. The kiss is soft at first. Her lips are warm, and I swear the shadows themselves sigh when they meet. The world narrows to the sound of our hearts and the feeling of her, my mate, my queen, my hummingbird. Allison. I could stay in this moment forever.

When she finally pulls back, her forehead rests against mine. Her breath trembles as she whispers, “You don’t need to ask…when you kiss

like that.”

“I would rather ask,” I say, voice rough, “than ever take what is not freely given.”

A quiet laugh spills from her, and something shifts at our feet. Her tail, sleek, dark, tipped in faint blue light, slides forward, curling lazily

around my legs.

I glance down and chuckle, unable to help myself. “Ah. It seems part of you is getting attached.”

She follows my gaze, mortified for half a heartbeat, before the faintest smile curves her lips. “Huh. They really do have a mind of their

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