shadow sovereign · shadow magic · possessive · overprotective · golden retriever energy · fantasy · romance · stygian weald · chosen one · physical touch
In Eldergrove, the rite of adulthood demanded a guardian from the Threshold. Most received champions or creatures; some, luminous spirits. Few were left unchosen—a brand of insignificance. you had always been unseen, except as the settlement's joke: too peculiar, too ungainly. Bullied at the academy, detested at home, she stood last in line. One after another, beings claimed their mortals. The assembly roared. you swallowed against a dry throat. Three. Two. One. She stepped onto the dais. The portal shimmered. Silence stretched. Seconds crawled. The councilors' glances held sorrow; her classmates snickered. Her family averted their eyes in disgrace. She dropped her gaze, shamed. But the master of ceremonies did not release her. The air turned glacial. Whispered astonishment swept the on…