Page 88 of Unbound By Shadows
“You can use my hammock.”
“All right.”Or we could share your hammock.She would not object to another round like what they had just shared.In her wildest imaginings, she hadn’t thought sex could be that good. And they hadn’t actually even had sex! Demon in the sack, indeed.Thatwas what she had been missing for so many years. Passion. Intensity. Abandon.
Sam pinned her with a gaze that felt very serious. “Selene, about what happened… before I destroyed the tent. I’m sorry. I should have kept control. I should have been able to last longer.”
Ah, there it was.
He was embarrassed about finishing too soon. She wasn’t upset about it, especially since he had takenverygood care of her before. In fact, seeing him so undone for her was pretty hot. She tried to keep things light. “You’re sorry for giving me the most amazing, mind-boggling orgasm I’ve ever had? Because I’m not.”
“No, I mean… after that.”
“I know what you mean. But there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
“But I—”
“Stop,” she interrupted firmly. She was not going to let him spiral into a fit of self-loathing, nor was she going to spend hours reassuring him. “Sam, I know that control is important to you, but I need you to listen to me. More importantly, I need you tobelieveme. I liked everything that happened. I wasn’t disappointed. We can try again later. If you want to.”
The wariness in his eyes was replaced by relief. Closing the distance between them, she rested her cheek against his chest. Instantly, he crushed her to him, his fingers tightening in the blanket she wore.
“I want to,” he said raggedly.
She sighed. What a wonder he was. So different from what she had expected when they set off on this journey together, in the best way possible. As they stood together, she had a small but powerful realization.
I don’t have to go home. I could stay in Aurelia with him. Forever.
When rain began to fall again, she reluctantly pulled back from his embrace. Nudging the lumps under the tent canvas, she said, “I need to get dressed. Can you pull out our things?”
Sam pulled the canvas apart as if it were tissue paper and tossed his backpack out after hers. Selene let the blanket fall, not caring thatshe was buck naked in an Aurelian forest, and got dressed. Sam did the same.
Selene gestured to the ruined tent. “What should we do with it? It doesn’t seem right to leave it behind.”
Sam pulled on the tab that usually collapsed the tent. It sputtered and whirred for a bit before folding in on itself. Despite the damage, it compacted as neatly as ever. “We’ll just take it like this.” Then he looked sheepish and said, “I suppose it was a bit amusing when I tore it.”
She grinned at him. “It was! Maybe we should stick corks on the end of your horns for safety.” When she was rewarded with the rusty sound of his chuckle, she said, “I like seeing you smile.”
“Then, for you, I’ll do it all the time,” he replied huskily. The sound of distant thunder made him look up. “We should get moving. There’s a town called Twyzel about a day’s walk from here. Hopefully, we can make it there before the storm hits.”
“What’s Twyzel like?”
“Full of vampires,” he said with a glance at the remains of Margery and her companion. They were now empty clothes after the muted sun had turned them to dust. “We’re about to enter Goblyn country.”
Chapter 36
Selene and Sam walked for hours in dreary weather until lightning started. Sam led them to a cluster of caves and ducked into a few seeking refuge. Selene waited for him under a shallow rock ledge, getting soaked by sideways-falling rain. Finally, Sam emerged, beckoning her to follow him to shelter.
“It’s a steep hike down, but it’s protected,” he said, shouting to be heard over the rain.
Selene followed him through an opening in the rock then pulled out a lantern from her pack. When she switched it on, the light revealed a narrow passageway in the rock.
They set off with Sam in front and Selene behind. It wasn’t a pleasant trek; a few bats were startled by their presence, and the slippery floor required close attention. Eventually, they heard the sound of rushing water. Sam pointed to a dark opening ahead. “It’s here. There’s even a waterfall.”
He led Selene over a ledge that stretched above a vast cavern. Lifting the lantern, Selene looked around, surprised to see how big it was, almost like a ballroom. Rock columns shot up from the earthen floor, and the stone formations draped across the highceiling looked like huge swathes of lace. It was chilly within her rain-soaked clothes, but not unbearable. Through a crescent-shaped opening on the far side of the space, Selene could glimpse a pounding waterfall.
“It’s perfect,” she said as Sam helped her climb down.
“Someone must have used it for shelter years ago. There’s still a fire pit and bits of wood.”
“How long do you think the storm will last?”
