Page 46 of Unbound By Shadows
“Please don’t do this.”
“I don’t tolerate his sort of behavior. He must be punished.”
“No.”
Sam’s roar of protest echoed through the room so loudly, it made her ears ring. Sam raised his left fist to swiftly punch the wall next to the Lycah’s head in frustration, creating a crumpled hole in the brick.
Holding up her palms, Selene said, “Sam, please. That’s enough, let him go.”
He didn’t react. Black shadows swirled around them, seeming to pulse with the hatred and anger radiating off him. Part of her felt like running out the door screaming, but something was pulling her toward him. Selene took a step closer. Sam didn’t seem to notice. She looked up at his horns and thought about how easily he could gore the Lycah with them or anyone in the room. She took another step. Only the crackle of the fire and the drip of blood on the floor could be heard.
Tentatively, she reached out her hand. Sam snapped his teeth, warning her to pull back. She continued to reach out until her hand rested against the clenched fist at his side--just as she had done in Padu.
“Sam?” she whispered.
He groaned when her fingers met his skin, and his big body shuddered. “No. Don’t touch me.”
She coaxed his fingers open so she could fully clasp his hand. When his hand relaxed a fraction, she slipped her fingers across his palm and squeezed.
“Please let him go. You’ve punished him enough.” Her voice was coming steadier now. He looked at her again, and she saw his red eyes flicker to brown. “Sam, I want you to leave him alone. I’m fine.”
“I want to give you vengeance,” he said. “Let me do this for you. Please.”
“You have. And I… I appreciate it,” Selene winced at the falseness of her words. “Thank you for the… vengeance. Now I want you to let him go.”
“But—”
“Stop this.”
Sam looked from Selene’s face to the Lycah’s, and back again. With a roar, he dropped the Lycah to the ground, then tore his hand from her grip.
Selene took two steps backward. “Thank you.”
Sam stood over the creature as it moaned in pain. Though Sam had complied with Selene’s request, he was practically vibrating with rage.
“Sam, please get away from him. Go… go stand somewhere else,” Selene said, unsure of why she thought he would follow orders. Yet he complied.
Selene looked around the room and called out, “Is anyone a doctor here? Or a… a healer?”
After an agonizing beat of silence, an old Drago in a blue vest shuffled toward her. “Step aside. I’ll take a look at him.” Bending down to take a closer look, his reptilian scales rippled while taking the Lycah’s pulse.
“He’ll be fine,” he said, more to the Lycah’s companions than Selene. “Just needs to drink a pot of horsetail tea in a room with two purring cats. He’ll be good as new soon.” Before Selene could puzzleover his strange prescription, the Drago added with a chuckle, “And he should think twice before troubling a demon’s mate again, eh?”
Selene bristled, resenting his inference that she was mated to a creature who snapped bones for fun. “Thank you.”
She could feel the eyes of the entire tavern on her and was uncertain of what to do next. Keeping her head down, she pretended to busy herself looking through her backpack then pulled on her hoodie. When the adrenaline coursing through her finally began to ebb, she saw the Vowa had reappeared.
Forcing herself to smile at him, she said, “Hi. I… uh… sorry about that. Can we go to our rooms now? Two rooms. Definitely two rooms, please.”
The Vowa shook his head. “No. We don’t tolerate violence here. You both need to leave.”
Sam stalked toward them; his expression was murderous. Selene’s breath started to come in pants. There was no way she could break up a fight between a demon and Bigfoot! But Sam simply picked up his backpack and walked toward the tavern door.
“Come,” he said in a rough voice.
I can’t go with him. He’s a monster!
She turned from Sam to look around The Golden Gust for a friendly face. Someone sensible like Arkaya or Hollen to rescue her, then translate for her tiny human brain what the hell had just happened. But there was no one to help her. The Lycahs were crowded around their wounded comrade, the Harpies ignored her, and the Drago man had started a game of darts with the Goblyns.
