Page 95 of Unbound By Shadows
“You said the Underworld is for dead people!”
“I would take you using the stone. You would live as my human consort,” he clarified. “Selene, you are my fated mate. The one I hold up above all others. This means you would be free to roam theUnderworld without actually dying. Or you could become a demon in time. Such things are possible.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I claimed you as mine last night.”
“Claimedme!” Her outrage at his words was clear. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Her reaction to news of their sacred bond made heat flush through his body and his vision cloud red. This was going all wrong. So wrong that it was causing his demonic urges to rise to the surface. He forced himself to remain in control.Patience.How could he expect her to understand the significance of the mating bond instantly? He had to use the right words to make her see.
“We share a bond that cannot be broken. Of this, I am certain. You’d be treated as royalty in the Underworld. Never grow old or die of illness. I would give you everything.”
“Except a choice!” Her shoulders hunched as she looked away. “I’m never going home, am I?”
“Selene… ”
“You would do to me what Zaybris did to you?”
Sam flinched at her accusation. “No! This is nothing like that! You’re my fated mate! We are connected in a way that transcends all other bonds. Where I go,yougo! Forever!”
The pain in her face made him want to howl. He was failing. Saying all the wrong things, and she was slipping away. He could see it. Had the mating incantation failed? He knew he had recited correctly, and he hadfeltsomething shift between them. Why hadn’t she felt it too?
Her eyes were downcast when she said, “I can’t believe how trusting I was. I thought Queen Thema cared about me. I thought you did too, but I was just a pawn. Bait.”
“Selene, I love you,” he said desperately. “But I have to go home, and killing Zaybris is my only chance.”
The rush of the waterfall and crackle of thefire were the only sounds filling the cavern for several moments. Finally, Sam said, “Come with me, Selene. Please.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I can’t be without you. You calm me. You bring balance to my instincts—a peace I’ve never known.”
“How do I do that?”
“Just your presence as my mate. You are like balm to the chaos within me.”
Selene rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“It’s true. Please believe me.” Sam took a step forward, holding out his arms to her. He drew a breath before proclaiming, “Selene, I need you.”
Her head snapped back, and the coldness he saw in her eyes felt like a slap across his face. Her voice dripped with spite as she said, “Youneedme?”
Instantly, he knew it had been the wrong thing to say.
Grief threatened to overwhelm him as he realized that for her, the prospect of spending eternity with him wasn’t a joyous one. She was angered by it. Disgusted. She didn’t care about his status as prince or his ability to cradle her in luxury. She saw him as another leech who only wanted totakefrom her and use her gifts for their own gain. Just like her family. His continued failure to present himself as a worthy mate ignited his aggression.
“Enough of this,” he said as the tight hold on his instincts broke. He strode forward, crowding her until her back pressed against the cave wall. He could feel his horns expand, his body increase in size. He placed his hands on either side of the rock behind her, not caring if he frightened her now. Let her see what the idea of being without her did to him. She should know what it looked like when a demon was denied.
Selene’s eyes were unfeeling as she looked up at him. “Step back. You’re not pulling this demon intimidation crap on me.”
He didn’t do as she asked, mainly because he feared she would run from him. His voice dropped an octave as he stared down at her. “You can be angry with me for as long as you want. But know this—nothing can keep me from you.”
“You’re a monster,” she whispered. Sam feared he had gone too far. Just before he pulled back, he heard the sound of footsteps behind them.
Suddenly, a voice called out, “Oh my heavens! Are we interrupting a lover’s quarrel?”
Sam whipped around to see a pale man with long, white-blonde hair standing at the cavern’s entrance. He was cloaked in black and flanked by six vampires, each staring at them with a triumphant smile.
