Page 50 of Unbound By Shadows
She stretched her arms up above her head, then quickly pulled them back, remembering thesnapof Sam breaking the Lycah’s bones. A bout of nausea welled up in her throat, but she held it back.She suddenly felt grateful that despite all the drama in her house growing up, there was never physical violence. There was yelling, door slamming, and the occasional silent treatment, but her parents had never hurt each other. Their faces swam in her mind, filling her with a deep sense of homesickness. Her nose began to burn with the prick of tears, but she wouldn’t allow them.
Focus on the positive.She was alive. Whole and unhurt. No one had actually died. She had seen a disturbing new facet of Sam, but nothing had changed in her mission. They had made a lot of progress on the road, and she was proud of the way she had adapted to her strange circumstances. Her physical stamina had increased, and she couldn’t let her mental fortitude slip now. It wouldn’t be long until she could file away this whole experience as a bad dream.
She rubbed her forehead. Enough stewing. She would only work herself into more of a fizz if she stayed in bed. It was time to pull herself together and get dressed.
When she stepped out of her tent, Sam was still in his hammock, snoring softly. The sight was so unusual it made her pause. She had always been the first to go to bed, and the last to get up. And when they were awake, Sam was always busy—fixing this, adjusting that—she had rarely seen him still.
His hair was disheveled around his horns, and black eyelashes cast spiky shadows against his cheeks. He still wore his regular trousers but had shed his leather vest and black tunic, leaving his top half covered by a thin white shirt. One muscled arm dangled out of the hammock, while the other rested on his chest. Selene was surprised to see a web of light-colored scars hatch-marked up and down his skin. They were old injuries, long healed. But they made her very curious, especially the jagged marks around his wrists.
In the morning light, he looked more like a huge, dark angel than a murderous demon. He seemed so peaceful it made her feel a flicker of resentment that he should sleep so soundly when she had tossed all night.
Tearing her eyes from him, she began to pack up for the day. Arenewed sense of determination burned within her. She was on this trip to get home—back to worrying only about wonderfully boring things like paying bills, doing laundry, and keeping her phone charged. She wasn’t in Aurelia to sightsee, mix with the locals, or have a vacation fling. It was time to stop acting like a clueless tourist and get on with it. After gathering her things, she set her tent to deflate. The noise roused Sam.
“What time is it?” he said. Those were the first words spoken between them since leaving Iriswood. He scrubbed a hand over his face and peered up at the sky. “I must have overslept.”
“No, I just got up early,” Selene said, shoving last night’s dirty clothes into her backpack. “I couldn’t sleep.”
When their eyes met, she was surprised to see him look away. Reaching down for his blanket, he pulled it up around his shoulders, seeming to shrink under her gaze. The serenity sleep had brought to his face was gone, replaced with a deep weariness. It showed in the dark circles under his eyes and the way he clenched his jaw. He was obviously uncomfortable, but Selene wasn’t sure if it was due to her being awake before him, or regret about last night.
With hands on hips, she asked, “So what’s the plan for today?”
“Plan?”
“Where are we going? When will we get there? How long before we reach Zaybris?”
Sam responded by pulling a map from his pack and thrusting it toward her. She took it, stupidly realizing it was the first time she had actually looked at it. It was a hand-drawn map, but well detailed. Pointing at a small dot on the rough parchment, he said, “This is where we were in Iriswood. We continue north until we enter the town of Snowmelt, where we will stay for one or two nights. After that, we should be able to reach Zaybris in about a week.”
“A week? Can’t we get there any sooner?” Selene asked. The question came out as a whine, but she refused to care.
“Doubtful.”
“That town, Snowmelt—can’t we just pass through and camp in the woods?” The thought of spending time in another town, with more people, made her stomach churn.
He pulled the blanket tighter to his body. “No. I have two friends there I must see. I’ve sent word that we are coming, and they invited us to stay at their home.”
Selene stiffened. What kind offriendsdid demons keep? Krampus and the Grim Reaper? The prospect of staying with two unknown entities made her feel very vulnerable. “What are your friends like?”
“Trustworthy.”
“Okaaay.” When he didn’t expand his answer, she said, “Anything else?”
“They are honorable.”
“Any other details you’d like to share? How do you know them? Are they Malkina? Dragos? Vowa? What is their home like?”
He pulled on his tunic with clipped movements. “None of that matters.”
Selene slipped the map back into Sam’s pack without comment. It was another classic Sam non-answer, but she was tired of begging for scraps of information. She resolved if she didn’t like Sam’s “trustworthy and honorable” friends, she didn’t have to keep traveling with him. She could take the map and set out on her own to find Zaybris. Theoretically.
Wringing her hands, she considered the idea further. Sam was only with her because Queen Thema had ordered him to do so. What if she told him he was free to go so she could carry on alone? He would probably relish the chance to return to his normal life, instead of playing babysitter.
Sam asked, “Do you want me to start a fire for breakfast? Or did you already eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
His features grew apprehensive as he watched her twirl her hair into a bun. “We have a long day ahead,” he said.
Selene shrugged.
