Page 80 of Unbound By Shadows
I need you, Kevin would whine before each of his shows. He needed her to manage the merch table, coordinate with the venue, and set up equipment. It didn’t matter how Selene felt about it or what other plans she had made.
I need you, her mother would say when she was too drunk tostand. When she instructed Selene to tell the police they had been rehearsing a play after the neighbors called to complain about all the yelling.
I need you, her father had begged when the twins wouldn’t stop crying. When he had to travel for weeks at a time and told Selene she was in charge of the household.
I need you.She had heard those words spoken to her all her life. But this time was different. This time, instead of making her feel guilty and selfish for looking after her own desires, they caused something deep within her to shift. A part of her that had been long buried gasped and trembled. It rose and stretched itself up. Vibrated and cracked, breaking loose from its bonds. Soaring up inside of her like a whirlwind.
Fear turned to anger. Anger deepened to rage. Rage grew into fury. It flowed through her veins like lava. Burning her from the inside with its intensity. She was tired of being needed. Tired of giving others her time, her expertise, her energy, her attention. Always without ever getting anything in return. And now, here was Margery, wanting to take her most precious asset.
Her blood.
Her vitality.
Her very life essence.
No. It would not happen. Not today. Not ever again. She was done with vampires—both the metaphorical kind and the one standing in front of her.
Remember your anger,the Harpy had said.Feel it, use it!
Moonlight cast odd shadows over the ground and illuminated Margery’s unnatural face. Her sickly gray tongue swirled around Selene’s thumb before her lips pulled back from her fangs…
Without hesitating, Selene used all that rage—that pulsing, throbbing power—to kick Margery in the gut as hard as she could. It was a strong blow and effective. The vampire’s face was surprised as she fell back onto the ground. Her hold on Selene’s arm broken at last.
“You bitch!” the vampire cried.
Margery’s red cape fell back to expose the stake on her belt, and Selene jumped for it. Margery rolled to her side, shoving Selene away, but Selene moved faster. Possessing a strength of will she didn’t know she had, Selene reached for the stake at Margery’s waist, but her fingers met empty space.
“How dare you!” Margery shouted as she pushed Selene away and rose to her knees. “I was kind to you! Now you’re trying to stake me?”
“Fuck you!”
Margery grabbed Selene’s hair and yanked back, exposing her throat. “I could make you my slave, human! You think I won’t? You’re nothing but prey to me.” Selene reached back to dig her fingernails into Margery’s hand. The way the flesh gave away and oozed under her nails was horrifying.
“That hurts!” Margery cried and let go. Selene moved to her hands and knees to kick out behind her. Her heel made contact with Margery’s chest and sent her sprawling back.Selene didn’t know why she had stuffed down her rage for all these years—it felt incredible to let it run wild.
The vampire wheezed, then grabbed Selene’s foot to flip her onto her back. Margery tried to grab Selene’s arms, but as they wrestled, her stake brushed Selene’s knuckles.
“Give up! Give up and accept your fate,” Margery cried.
Selene struggled dramatically so that Margery wouldn’t notice how she was working the stake up to slip out of the vampire’s belt. Deftly, Selene curled her fingers around it once it was free. But just as Selene tried to raise her arms to drive it into Margery’s chest, the vampire straddled her waist. Quickly, she pinned Selene’s upper arms to the ground with her hands. Selene tried kicking her legs to jostle Margery off, but it didn’t work. It barely moved her. Margery might be old, but she was very strong.
“Little bitch. You think you can beat me?” Margery spat. But thenher eyelids grew heavy, and her expression became desirous.“Look at your lovely face so flushed with blood… ”
Selene attempted again to free her arms, but Margery’s grip was too strong. Her panic rose. Was she actually about to be bitten? Turned into a vampire or drained to death? She looked left then right for an escape, but there was no way out. Sam’s body remained still, making her heart ache. She desperately wished she weren’t such a puny human at that moment. If only her demon would wake up to come tear off Margery’s head. Or stake her, set her on fire, toss her off a cliff, Selene didn’t care. Even the shadows would be helpful at this point.
Instantly, in her peripheral vision, Selene saw several black masses tumble from the trees and rise from the ground, as if on command. Pulsating and swirling like black fog, they hovered above the ground before rolling together into a hazy cloud.
The shadows!Sam was sending the shadows to help her!
They swooped and rose to float above Margery’s head. Selene watched them throb for a moment, uncertain of what action they were about to take. Their touch didn’t hurt, she knew that from when Sam had them surround her in Snowmelt. So why had they come? Suddenly, her self-defense instructor’s voice pounded in her ears—always go for the eyes. And as though she had uttered a command, the shadows dropped to cover Margery’s face, poking at her eyes and obscuring her vision.
Margery shook her head to dislodge the vaporous shapes. “What is this?” she demanded. Her wig now sat crooked on her head. “What have you done?”
If only the shadows could grow murkier, Selene thought, to infuriate Margery even more. A tingly chill brushed Selene’s cheek before surprisingly, the shadows grew deeper and more opaque right before her eyes. More dark masses joined the writhing black cloud, intensifying its color.
The vampire let out a frustrated scream until finally, Margery let go of Selene’s arms. “Get these off of me!” she cried, waving at the airaround her face. “You think a few little shadows can stop me? I’ll drink you dry!”
Margery bared her fangs, obviously planning to bite at whatever part of Selene she could reach. But Selene’s reflexes were too quick. She positioned the stake in her hand to point up—so that Margery fell straight upon it.
