Page 82 of Unbound By Shadows
“Is it very serious? What does it mean?”
“It’s a vital organ. For demons, our horns are attuned with our life force.” His voice was becoming stronger now. “They can be our greatest weapon, but also our greatest weakness.”
“Should I find a healer?”
“No, it will mend on its own.” He spotted movement from the corner of his eye. It was a mass of shadows spiraling around a tree stump. “What are the shadows doing?”
Selene followed his gaze. “Oh, yes, I think I’d be dead without them.”
“Why are they here like this?”
“You didn’t send them?”
“No.”
Selene frowned. “They came anyway. Margery had pinned me down and I thought about how it would be good for the shadows to block her eyes. Then they just… appeared.”
“They followed your command?”
“Yes. I thought about where I wanted them to go, and they did it.”
Sam sat up. After the first wave of dizziness passed, he said, “Show me.”
Selene extended her arm then closed her eyes. In a flash, her entire limb was obscured by black mist.
“Amazing,” Sam said. They both watched the shadows chase up and down her arm then bump against Selene’s neck like a cat seeking affection. “They like you.”
“I like them too. But how do I get them to go back to normal?”
“Go home,” Sam commanded. Instantly the shapes dispersed and the forest darkened.
Selene watched them dissipate. “Do they come when someone’s in trouble or something?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Why do youthink they came for me?”
“I’m not certain,” he said, but it was a lie. He knew the reason they had come, yet he wasn’t ready to tell Selene.
They recognize you as my mate.
The thought made him want to roar with pride, despite his injuries. There was no question that she was his fated one now. No creature he had ever met was able to control the shadows, outside of his parents. His mother, a Shadow demon, used to delight him with dark shapes conjured up against the wall of his bedroom. His father would sometimes join in; creating misty hellhounds to playfully chase the ghouls his queen had created. King Asmodeus explained that although shadow control wasn’t one of his gifts, the shadows naturally obeyed the consort of those that ruled them.
Sam looked around and said, “Let’s just make camp here.”
“But the bodies,” Selene said, gesturing behind her.
“Their scent will act as a deterrent to other vampires. They’ll be nothing but dust come sunrise.”
“All right. But I want you to sleep with me,” Selene said, then corrected herself. “Just sleep! That came out wrong. I meant, sleep next to me in the tent. No hammock. So I’ll be there if you need help. Head injuries can be serious.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “As much as I would enjoy a night ofnotsleeping in your tent, rest will accelerate my healing. I would be delighted to sleep next to you.”
Selene set the tent to inflate. Once it was fully expanded, she helped Sam duck inside, careful to not bump his horns on the low ceiling. Then she eased him down to the thick padded floor. After switching on a lantern pulled from her pack, she began to clean the dried blood from his eye with a cloth dampened by her drinking water.
“Wow, it looks like the gash on your head is already closing over,” she said, peering down at him.
“Demons heal quickly.”
