Page 26 of Unbound By Shadows
He let out a hopeless moan. Since returning to Aurelia a month ago to crown himself king, this was his tenth attempt to bring back a human. Young or old, man or woman, weak or strong—each one had died upon arrival. His problem was something like a riddle. He needed to immobilize a human enough with his bite that he could carry them into Aurelia. Yet by doing so, he drained his victims of the strength necessary to survive the inter-dimensional journey.
After several minutes three Goblyns appeared outside the cell, watching him with big, frightened eyes.
“Take care of this. Burn it,” Zaybris said, gesturing to the body. When the Goblyns failed to jump at his command, his melancholy mood turned savage. “What are you waiting for? Clean this cell, clean everything. And how dare you let the dungeon turn to rot? Explain yourselves.”
After a heavy silence, one of the female Goblyns stepped forward. “W-when our radiant Queen Lilith disappeared we… ”
Zaybris let out a howl that made the chains in the cell vibrate. Pointing an accusatory finger, he said, “I told you never to mention her name in my presence!”
The Goblyns nodded fearfully.
“Your purpose is to serve your vampiric betters. Not reminisce over your lost queen.”
“Yes, my king,” all three of the Goblyns whispered.
A cruel smile played across Zaybris’s face as he rose to his feet. “I should punish you for such disrespect. In fact… ” He reached down to grab the Goblyn who spoke by her throat. Pushing her against the wall, he sunk his fangs into her thin neck.
He took only one pull of her blood before abruptly dropping her to the ground. Fighting the urge to spit out the bitter liquid that filled his mouth, he forced himself to swallow.
It was foolish to have drunk so soon after imbibing human blood. Like drinking castor oil after sipping champagne. Damn Aurelians! He wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve then reached up to run his fingers through his hair. He felt a clump break off, along with a bit of scalp. Staring at the limp strands in the center of his palm, he cried out in despair.
In life, he had taken great pride in his golden locks. Each morning he would carefully style his hair with a part on the left, with thick blond waves swept back on the right. Sometimes it flopped over his eye, giving him what he believed to be a roguish air. It was his most attractive feature, and he had always been loathe to cover it up under a hat when fashion dictated.
Now it was completely white. It hung in stringy waves, barely touching the shoulders of his velvet frock coat. And each day, there was less of it.Decomposition.The word made him shudder. He threw the hair to the ground with a snarl, hating how the magnitude of his failure was symbolized at that moment.
He left the terrified Goblyns to clean up the cell and stormed down the dungeon hall. There had to be another way.
Failure was unthinkable.
Chapter 11
Selene had been dreading her first night sleeping next to a demon, but she had to admit that Sam was a perfect gentleman. He helped her expand her tent, then set up his hammock before wishing her goodnight, and that was that. She kept waiting for her intuition to kick in and tell her she needed to keep her guard up around him, but the feeling never came. Her exhaustion and the gentle hum of Aurelia’s forest insects made sleep come easily.
The next morning, after eating something that resembled a puffy empanada from the switch pouch, they continued their journey. As big as Sam was, he moved easily over rocks and inclines while Selene struggled with her footing. The outskirts of Queen Thema’s forests were not as hospitable as the land closer to the castle. A few times, Selene’s slow pace caused her to bump into Sam. He was always ready to catch her arm when she stumbled, but when she tripped on a tree root and fell back against his chest, she hoped he mistook her breathlessness for exertion.
The man—no, demon—felt like a warm brick wall. Solid and unyielding, yet exuding a heat that made Selene want to curl upagainst him and purr like a kitten. When his arm snaked around her waist to keep her upright, her insides dipped with pleasure. Selene had always thought she preferred men with slim, athletic builds, but there was something very appealing about all the muscle and power pressed against her.
Stop acting like a swooning idiot.
“Are you all right?” Sam breathed against her ear, still holding her tight.
He smelled like pine needles and leather. The close contact made Selene feel slightly dizzy, yet she managed to say, “Yes, thank you. I’m just not used to hiking like this.”
Slowly, Sam loosened his arm and stepped back. “You will gain endurance with time.”
As they continued at a slow but steady pace, the sky that had been clear that morning darkened with rain clouds in the afternoon. First, a light drizzle dampened their clothes. Then the raindrops grew heavier. After an hour, they were both soaked. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Selene wiped the rain from her face and said to Sam, “Should we stop and get inside the tent?”
“The winds could destroy it,” he replied. “We must keep moving, or we’ll sink into the mud. The rain should pass us soon.”
Selene trudged next to Sam, keeping her head down in a useless attempt to keep water from running into her eyes. Rain continued to pound at them, and Selene’s thighs ached with the effort of pulling her boot out of the mud with each step.
I hate this. I hate this. I want to go home. I hate this.
Carefully, they climbed over slippery rocks and pushed drooping tree branches out of their path. When they reached a fast-moving creek, Sam held out a hand to stop Selene. The stream was about four feet wide and full of sticks, leaves, and other debris.
“There’s no way around it. We have to cross,” Sam shouted since the rain had made it hard to hear. “I’ll go first, then help you across.”
