Page 1 of To Dwell in Shadows
Chapter 1
“We’re just going to transport ourselves into the kitchen,” Selene said. “Quick and easy.”
Sam placed his hands into her outstretched palms. He hoped his human mate couldn’t tell how nervous he was. They stood in the middle of their cozy bedroom in the barn loft. A light breeze blew across the top of his head, tickling his sensitive horns. Rainsilver, the horse, chuffed softly from the stall below.
“This is just for practice. If it makes you feel sick or weird, we’ll take a break,” Selene said. “Go for a walk, jump in the pond, or something like that.”
“Or go back to bed?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked meaningfully at the large bed in the corner, still disheveled from their passionate coupling last night.
Selene grinned. “You know I’m always up for that. But we need to be serious here. I’ve never used the traveler’s stone with another person before.”
“All right.” Sam straightened his broad shoulders and took a few deep breaths. Although he was trying to appear unbothered, it felt as though there was a rock in his stomach.
It’s going to be fine. This is a completely different situation.
It had been decades since he’d experienced the harrowing sensation of disappearing in one place and reappearing in another. He had been only a boy when it happened, but the memory of the transition still gave him nightmares. First had come the change in the air, the feeling of the ground falling out from under him, and then the pressure that seemed bent on squeezing the life from his body. It was an experience he wasn’t eager to repeat.
Selene looked down at their entwined hands and frowned. “I think we need to be closer.”
Sam pulled her to him. Selene snuggled against his chest and let out the contented sigh she often made when he held her.
The sound calmed him. It was a reminder that he’d be wrapped in the arms of his beloved mate during this journey through dimensions—not clutched against the chest of a spiteful vampire.
“Ready?” Selene asked.
“Yes.”
Selene reached up to touch the gleaming white stone hanging from her neck. She was silent for a moment, then whispered, “Kitchen.”
Sam squeezed his eyes shut. As he waited for something to happen, his mind raced with catastrophic outcomes. Was it possible that transporting could bemorepainful now that he was an adult? Perhaps the sensations would be magnified due to his bigger body.
What if Selene wasn’t able to transport them both, and they separated? He could end up in their intended destination while she went somewhere dangerous—like the bottom of a lake or the crest of a mountain.
Or what if the traveler’s stone had lost its power and was just a useless rock now?
Several seconds passed. Sam remained braced for the jolt but felt no changes or sensations. Selene drew a breath and whispered again, more forcefully this time, “Brunie’s kitchen.”
Again, nothing happened.
“Well, crap, I don’t know why this isn’t—” Sam’s ears started to buzz just as Selene seemed to be admitting defeat.
It’s happening.
Sam’s panic rose as his mind took him back to his kidnapping.
Zaybris standing by my bed, looking down on me with disgust. The vampire’s dirty fingernails digging into my arm. The odor of rot and dust emanating from his undead body.
The last time he’d smelled that stench was nearly a year ago when Zaybris took Selene from him. That memory was more painful than his kidnapping because it was fraught with so much defeat. Not only was Sam unable to exact his demonic vengeance on Zaybris, but he had failed to protect Selene. And broken his promise to find Queen Thema’s missing sister.
Sam tightened his arms around Selene. Then his attention moved from the buzz in his ears to a tug deep in his belly, like the feeling of riding in a carriage when the road dips. Although the sensation wasn’t unpleasant, its unexpectedness was jarring.
Pressure began to build as though someone had wound a rope around his skull, squeezing it tighter and tighter. The sound of a yelp unnerved him further. It was a distressed noise that made him fear something had gone wrong.
Then, all at once, the sensations stopped.
Slowly, he realized he was no longer inhaling the scent of the barn’s hay and dirt. He smelled lemon and sugar. His eyes opened to see they were in a room with bundles of dried herbs and copper pots hanging from the ceiling. The relief he felt made his entire body sag.
It’s over.
