Page 67 of Unbound By Shadows
With an inscrutable expression, Sam slowly raised his hand. Selene flinched, certain that he was about to grab Levi and tear him apart. Him and every other guy she had danced with, just as he did to the Lycah in Iriswood. Frantically, she looked around for Eldridge or someone to intervene.
But Sam didn’t attack; he seemed oblivious to Levi’s presence. He locked eyes with Selene and turned his palm up, extending it to her. His breaths were choppy as he gazed down at her.
“Will you dance?”
Selene looked down at his outstretched hand, then up to his face. Gradually she realized his eyelids weren’t hooded with savage rage—they were dark with desire. Single-minded, unrelenting hunger.
For her.
Wordlessly, she slipped her hand into his. Roughly, he pulled her close until her breasts were crushed against his front. One large palm pressed into her lower back while the other threaded his fingers through hers. He tucked their entwined hands against his chest before she rested her other hand on his shoulder.
They stayed that way for a moment—staring into each other’s eyes while couples danced around them. She felt him exhale as if a great pressure within him had lightened. His breath trailed down her neck like a caress.
Then awkwardly, he took a step to the side. And a step backward. Mimicking the other couples on the floor. He was obviouslyuncomfortable and very uncoordinated. Yet the earnestness of his effort made Selene’s heart feel like it might burst. He was trying. Really trying. For her.
Suddenly she was overwhelmed with the need to kiss him. Just to make sure this… whateverthiswas between them wasn’t only in her imagination. But just as she curled her fingers into the nape of his neck, they heard a crash, followed by screams. Blood-curdling shrieks came from the other side of the hall, followed by the sound of furniture breaking. The music stopped without warning.
Eldridge suddenly appeared to tug at Sam’s arm. “Vampires have come!”
The panic in Eldridge’s voice made Sam seethe. He let go of Selene and whirled around to see a swarm of figures in black capes streaming into the hall. Vampires in Snowmelt weren’t unheard of, but the sheer number of them descending at once was alarming. He nudged Selene until her back hit the wall so he could shield her.
"What do they want?" she asked.
"I don't know," said Eldridge. He began breaking apart a nearby chair and stuffing pieces of wood into his pockets.
They watched the figures move through the crowd. One grabbed a Nereid and examined her face and ears. When she responded with a quick head-butt, he threw her to the ground. Other vampires did the same—examining each person’s face and ears, then tossing them aside. Some were biting, then spitting the blood onto the floor, as if in disgust. Many Aurelians were fighting back, but most were trying to flee. Sam tensed when he realized they were looking for someone.
Selene.
“We need to get everyone out—” Eldridge’s words were cut short as a vampire lunged for him with fangs bared. Quickly, the Goblyn sunk a shard of wood into the creature’s chest, causing it to fall witha gurgle of disbelief. “I have to find Brunie!” he said, and began running toward the crowd of those trying to escape.
Sam was grateful that both Eldridge and Brunie knew how to handle themselves in an attack like this. More vampires were rushing in, blocking the door. Now they were simply assaulting and biting anyone they encountered.
“What’s happening?” Selene whispered frantically.
“Stay quiet,” Sam growled over his shoulder. He quickly commanded the shadows to bathe Selene in darkness until he could think of a way to get her out. When the dark shapes made her flinch, Sam said, “They won’t hurt you. I just need to keep you hidden.”
A pained moan drew his attention to the right. A vampire was gulping blood from a Drago’s throat. Realizing it was the male that had been dancing with Selene, Sam moved to block her view, but it was too late. She made an involuntary noise, and the vampire paused. He looked at Sam curiously, as though he had just noticed there was a demon in their midst, protecting something.
The vampire dropped his kill to creep closer, but then another one sprung out from the left. It extended a bony arm to grasp at Selene, which Sam quickly snapped in two, causing the vampire to fall back in pain.
The vampire that had been stalking them neared, craning his neck to see behind Sam. His grin fell when Sam grasped his head and twisted it off. His corpse thumped to the ground near Selene’s feet and Sam tossed the head away. He hated that Selene had to see him perform such a gruesome act, but he was also grateful she had not screamed.
More vampires swarmed, making Sam’s anger intensify. He took a step backward, further enclosing Selene between his body and the wall. Her breath was coming fast and his insides plummeted, realizing they were trapped. The only exit was the front door, which now teemed with vampires.
The caped figures approached them with fangs dripping. Some with saliva, others with blood. The smell was revolting. Thecombination of being cornered, the threat to Selene, and his hatred of vampires was making him frenzied. He glanced back to see that Selene’s face was pale with fright through the shadows. He reached his hand behind him and she took it.
He needed to strike. To stake, behead, and attack. But to do so would leave Selene exposed, and that was a risk he would not take.
Protect.
Perhaps if he offered himself to the vampires, Selene could slip away. He was immune to disease and age, but he could still be killed. A draining might not kill him completely, but the pain would be excruciating. Especially if the vampires ripped and tore at his flesh as they were doing to the Aurelians.
But as he was about to step forward to sacrifice himself, a gust of wind hit them from above, followed by a horrendous chorus of screeching. He looked up to see Brunie and every other Harpy in Snowmelt hovering above them, nearly twenty in total. Batting their great wings, they stretched out their feet to furiously claw at the vampires surrounding him and Selene.
The undead horde drew back. Some fell to the ground, others cried out as sharp talons tore through their eyes and gored their decayed faces.
“Kill them all!” Brunie shrieked. And then to Sam she shouted, “We’ve got Selene!”
