Page 100 of Unbound By Shadows
“You will take us to him right now,” Asmodeus said, grabbing Zaybris’s arm roughly.
“I told you I can’t! Watch if you don’t believe me,” Zaybris said. He tapped the stone, whisperingAurelia,but nothing happened.
“Try again!” Asmodeus roared.
“Dimensional travel takes a great deal of personal energy! And I’m not one of your imps you can order about,” Zaybris said.
“Have my sisters been taking care of Sam?” Lilith asked unexpectedly. “What did they say when you told them I left?”
When Zaybris looked at Lilith’s face, his fear and anger softened. Her flowing hair was still the color of autumn sunsets, while her eyes remained obsidian pools that he yearned to drown in. He knew she was upset with him, but surely she retained some fondness for their time together. Her mood would pass with time. Once he proved himself worthy, all the heartache he had endured would be worth it.
The demon growled. “My queen asked you a question.”
Zaybris wet his lips. “The Aurelian sisters were understanding… ”
“Understanding?” Lilith said.
“He’s lying,” came Selene’s voice from behind him. “He never told them anything.”
The audacity! He hadn’t harmed one hair on the human’s head, and yet she betrayed him. Did loyalty count for nothing in the modern age?
“How dare you!” he cried.
“He didn’t tell them?” Lilith repeated.
Selene shook her head then said quickly, “No one knows what happened to you. In Aurelia, you’re called the lost queen. They’ve been searching for you for years—”
“I’ll be taking some of that blood now!” Zaybris said before baring his fangs. He tried to launch himself across the bed to grab Selene but was pulled back. Something strong clamped around his throat, causing his teeth to clatter painfully. Then he was lifted in the air, his back pressed to the stone wall by the demon king. AlthoughZaybris had held many victims in this same position, he was sure none of them felt as vulnerable than he did at that moment.
The scent of Asmodeus’s breath was metallic and sharp. “Threaten her again, and I pull out every tooth from your skull.”
“You never told them,” Lilith said softly. For a moment, Zaybris regretted the pain the admission seemed to cause her. Yet now wasn’t the time to show any sentimentality. He had to show her what a strong and true ruler he could be.
“I don’t have to explain myself to inferiors,” he retorted, struggling in the demon’s grip. “Lilith, don’t you see? It’s fate that has brought me back to you. With this human’s blood, I planned to revitalize the vampire race to show you what a true and just king I could be. Let me rescue you from this dark abyss. Come with me! Let us return to Aurelia to ruletogether.”
Lilith rubbed her temples then turned to the king. “Oh, Asmo, I can’t even bear to look at him.”
“Go then, beloved, I’ll take care of this,” the demon replied. He peered closely at Zaybris. “Ah, vampire, what a quandary you pose. I can’t keep you here against your will, but if I could, I would first tear off all of your fingernails…”
Asmodeus began to describe all the fearsome ways he wanted to torture him, but to Zaybris, the demon’s voice fell away. He watched Lilith trace her fingers across the footboard of the child-size bed. Then she repeatedly extended and retracted her wings in a gesture he recognized from their time together as agitation. Her expression was lost.
Zaybris thought back to all the times the Goblyn queen had asked for his advice. The moments they had shared alone in her study—discussing plans for housing, blood donations, and sunlight protection. She had been joyous then, excited about the opportunity to give his people a home and serve as their benevolent queen. Yet there was no spark in her eyes now—only deep sorrow. In an instant, all his efforts felt hollow. The truth of his situation fell upon him like an ax.
She doesn’t care about my plan.
Heartache made a lump rise in his throat against the pressure of Asmodeus’s hand. All that he was doing was pointless. Why should he carry on the effort of trying to revitalize his people if it made no difference to her? She wasn’t going back to Aurelia. Lilith had turned her back on the realm to live in the Underworld. Now she was queen of an entire dimension, not just a small territory. Could he hold all of that glorious ambition against her?
No. Not when her drive was one of the things he loved most about her. And if he truly wanted to be with her, he needed to make a sacrifice. A grand romantic gesture.
There is only one destiny for me now.
Squaring his shoulders as best he could while dangling in the air, Zaybris said, “I will endure any punishment that awaits me, great king.”
Asmodeus looked surprised. “Is that so?”
“Yes. I am choosing to stay here in the Underworld.”
The demon chuckled. “Are you, now?”
