Page 13 of Unbound By Shadows
Where were her wings? Sam squinted to see if he could make out scarring on her back. Maybe she used magic to hide them or lost them in some terrible way. He sniffed the air for traces of sorcery but found only the aroma of dinner and dessert.
And that alluring berry scent.
He clenched his fists as his entire body tensed. How could she smell so good and not be a demon? It didn’t add up. Pomegranates didn’t grow in Aurelia. He hadn’t experienced that smell since he was a boy. Pomegranates grew only on trees that thrived in the Underworld.
And the human realm.
The conversation he had overheard from the guards suddenly came back to him.
Human.
It was true then. Arkayahadfound a human in the forest. The guards weren’t lying or embellishing the story. The blow of realization hit Sam so strongly he almost sank to his knees.
He stared down at the floor. He was so stupid, so naive. He had known that demon females looked similar to human women, but he had never known how much. He had been too young to see their souls within the Underworld. And the only humans he had ever seen among the living were undead—pale, rotting, vicious vampires like his kidnapper, Zaybris.
He was disgusted with himself for becoming enraptured by a weak-minded, fragile human. The easiest of mortal prey. What had possessed him to be so ridiculously hopeful? Claims to any demonic-fated outcomes were lost to him now, especially after all that he haddone before coming to serve Queen Thema. He flinched at the memory.
An anguished roar threatened to erupt from deep in his chest. He pushed it down and turned to storm out of the ballroom. Dancing couples yelped as they darted out of his path, terrified of how his eyes glowed red. Sam flicked his hand to command the shadows to surround him in darkness. They swarmed, eager to serve. He let them drape over him, swallowing him up in their black embrace. He stepped into the hall and slammed the ballroom doors shut behind him.
So stupid.
Chapter 6
The next morning when Selene woke, she felt a bit light-headed. Giddy, even. But also petrified. Maybe a little aroused. Definitely baffled. All from her encounter with the horned man.
The ball last night had certainly been an experience to remember. She often helped out with parties hosted by her mother’s event planning business, yet she’d never attended anything as lavish as Queen Thema’s ball. Then while she was chatting with Hollen, a strange feeling overtook her. One minute she was fine, the next she had felt her whole body tremble with awareness. Almost as if someone had whispered her name. Urgently.
She had looked across the room… and there he was. The intriguing horned man she had seen in the distance the day before. Just standing there, watching her.
He was a lot to take in. He towered over everyone else in the ballroom, probably 6’6 at least. His skin was tinged with pearlescent shades of gold, green, and peach with a rakish scar bisecting one eyebrow. High cheekbones cast shadowy indentations on his face,while a black leather vest similar to the guard Rig’s was pulled tight across broad shoulders.
He cut such an imposing figure that the presence of 5-inch ridged horns sprouting from the top of his head almost seemed natural. The S-shaped curves gleamed amid his mass of long black hair. Like a god from a heavy metal album, she thought. Ominous, but elegant too.
When his eyes darkened on her and his mouth curved into a sensual smile, Selene felt as though all the air in the room had been sucked out. Suddenly, it became too much—intense and overwhelming. Enthralling and terrifying, especially when he started to walk toward her.
Rig’s invitation to dance had come at the right moment to break the tension. But once she got out onto the dance floor, the horned man had disappeared. Later, when Selene asked Hollen who he was, the Malkina’s eyes grew large.
“You mean the guard who’s massively tall, covered in ugly scars, with huge horns and a terrible temper?” Hollen had asked. “That’s Samael, Queen Thema’s demon guard. She thinks he’s wonderful, but he gives me the shivers.”
Selene pulled back the covers and got out of the bed, thinking of about a thousand follow-up questions she’d wanted to ask Hollen but didn’t get the chance. Right at that moment, Queen Thema had appeared to introduce Queen Cebna. For the rest of the evening, Selene had met so many new people she gave up trying to recall each of their names. But she certainly wouldn’t forget Samael.
She pulled on a gauzy purple dress she found in the closet and wondered if she might see him again today. Did shewantto see him again? Keeping a healthy distance from an actual creature of hell seemed sensible. But, although the way he stared at her was intense, she didn’t feel afraid. There was a vulnerability behind his eyes that made her heart pound.
She straightened her dress and thought about how she wouldspend the day. Yesterday, Hollen had tried to show her the library but they kept getting interrupted by courtiers who were curious to meet her. Putting aside her nagging fear and anxiety about her situation, Selene decided to start the day with two simple goals—find the library, and then find Queen Thema to ask her again about getting home.
After getting lost twice, Selene finally made it to the library on the eighth floor. As she pulled open the mahogany entrance doors, her jaw dropped. It was a stunning room.
The room was round, and despite its size, unexpectedly cozy. It was probably due to the dark wood and the number of leather chairs scattered around the room. Everything had the same Art Nouveau vibe as her bedroom, with spiral staircases connecting the two levels of bookcases. Small nooks and off-shoot rooms were tucked away at random intervals, while sunlight streamed through leaded-glass windows.
The space was empty when Selene approached the stacks, curious about the kind of books Aurelians enjoyed. The first book she pulled out was a volume of poetry, written in beautifully rendered calligraphy. The second was a travel guide to territory of the Harpies, complete with drawings of a cranky-looking creature guarding the entrance. The third was a thick hardcover detailing ocean tides. She was surprised to find that most books were written in English, then remembered how Hollen told her that the queens adapted to speak the tongue of the human lands they frequented most.
Selene made a full loop of both levels, then explored the small rooms nestled between the stacks. The largest one opened up into a gallery of hanging art. A massive portrait of Queen Thema greeted her as she passed through the doorway.
Selene chuckled softly. The artist had certainly captured the wayThema could be both glamorous and terrifying. The Queen was depicted standing in front of a stylized sun projecting beams on a jagged crop of rock. Her eyes projected confidence as her cream-colored dress billowed out beneath her breastplate like a superhero’s cape. In the background, the image of a mountain lion crept toward her.
Selene began circling the room to admire the other paintings, which were also portraits. A silver frame held the depiction of a short-necked woman with feathered wings and a snarling mouth. A being that looked like a cross between a bear and a woman stood with her arms crossed. A fish-tailed siren had long blue hair that flowed around her like seaweed. One portrait was covered with black cloth. Flowers were strewn across the floor around it.
There were also smaller framed items clustered on the back wall, away from the light. Selene moved closer and saw these frames contained mostly documents. Bold black text set onto white paper, like a newspaper, but the headlines didn’t seem to fit together.
