Page 41 of To Dwell in Shadows
Drath laughed again in a mocking tone. “Still the same as ever, I see. Though I remember a time when things as natural as thunder and lightning invoked human terror. Those were fruitful times.”
“Can you just let me go in peace?” Selene craned her neck to look ahead but saw no indication that they were almost out of the tunnel. “You got what you wanted. Now just leave me alone.”
“Not when I’m enjoying your company so much. What about this?” Drath’s body burst into hundreds of bees. They swarmed at her, and Selene stopped walking and closed her eyes. She let the bees buzz into her ears, tangle in her hair, and land on her face without reacting. She refused to give Drath anymore fuel for his mania.
After a moment, the tone of the bees’s buzz changed. When Selene opened her eyes, she saw they had shifted into hornets.
The swarm had doubled and become more aggressive. They were now trying to crawl into her nose and mouth, goading her until she couldn’t help but react. They weren’t stinging her, but the feeling of a thousand tiny legs crawling on her and two thousand tiny wings beating against her finally became unbearable.
Primal fear made her break into a run while frantically swatting the hornets away. This only seemed to encourage Drath further. The hornets chased after, energized by her fear. They had grown to the size of hummingbirds and were attacking Zetta as well, who howled and trembled.
He’s going to continue until there’s nothing left of me.
The thought scared her in a different way than all the illusions she had suffered so far. Hunching down, she wrapped her arms around Zetta and clutched the traveler’s stone. Using all the energy she had left, Selene imagined being back inside her chambers. Safe and happy.
Drath seemed to sense she was trying to escape and changed tactics. Water began to rush around her feet, icy and smelling like sewage. Then it rose to her hips, her chest, and then her neck, asthough the entire tunnel had flooded. She focused harder on the bedroom, visualizing the stained-glass windows and polished floor, imagining herself tucked safe in Sam’s arms under the soft bedding.
Zetta was squirming in of her grip to escape the water, but Selene held her tight. She heard Drath’s laugh when the water reached her ears, but when it came to engulf her head, they finally transported away.
Chapter 21
Selene and Zetta landed in the middle of the bed with athump. Completely dry and insect-free. Zetta, seemingly unfazed by their ordeal, wriggled out of Selene’s arms and gave herself a vigorous shake. Selene could only curl into a fetal position. Using the stone was always draining, but this time, it felt like she’d returned to her chambers three-quarters dead.
Zetta zoomed around the room, nose twitching as she sniffed every corner. Selene watched through half-lidded eyes, until the dog leapt back onto the bed and flopped down beside her. Selene draped an arm over the hellhound and buried her face in Zetta’s warm black fur. She desperately wished Sam were there, but Zetta’s big, teddy bear-like body offered more comfort than she expected. Growing up, Selene had always wanted a dog but was too afraid her mother would neglect it—or worse, abuse it. Who would have guessed she would one day be soothed by a hellhound?
Zetta let out a contented chuff, then turned her massive head to lick the tears from Selene’s face. The tenderness of the gesture caused all of her emotions to erupt in a torrent of grief. It was both a release of the utter terror she had felt at believing Cass had beenmurdered, and despair over how effortlessly Drath had tapped into her deepest fears.
The devastation of her family due to her absence or neglect was a fear she couldn’t remember ever being without. It was at the root of everything she hated about herself—the people-pleasing, the poor boundaries, the anxiety, and the lack of identity. These were all traits she thought she was moving past. But perhaps her issues were worse than ever.
Her throat tightened with homesickness. Not just for her family, but for Gaia. For sunlight and grass and trees and places that didn’t look like they were made of nightmares. For things like chocolate, reality TV, and smoothies. Her time in Aurelia had made her accustomed to strangeness, but even during the worst of her adventures there she hadn’t felt this vulnerable.
Vanthee was right. The Underworld wasn’t a place for living humans. For the first time since they had been together, Selene wondered if Sam would be better off without her. This was his home, where he was truly meant to be, and here she was getting effortlessly manipulated because she was so out of her depth.
What if Samwasmeant to be the Dark Sovereign? Was her attachment impeding him? That was the last thing she wanted. But the thought of leaving him so he could fulfill his destiny made her sob even harder.
Eventually, she must have cried herself to sleep because when a knock sounded at the door, the sky outside the windows had grown darker. Groggy and heavy-limbed, Selene dragged herself upright, silently praying it wasn’t one of her in-laws. When she opened the door, Queen Thema stood there, all smiles.
“How are you this fine—” The queen’s words faded as she took in Selene’s tear-streaked face and puffy eyes. Without waiting for an invitation, she stepped inside and made a beeline for the couch.
“Come,” she said, patting the cushion beside her. “Sit. Tell me what’s troubling you.”
Selene hesitated, then shuffled over to slump into the seat. “It’s nothing,” she muttered. “Just a bit of homesickness.”
Zetta positioned herself between Selene and the queen, her eyes locked on Thema’s face. A low growl rumbled from her throat, soft but unmistakably protective.
“Be nice,” Selene murmured, resting a hand on Zetta’s head. “She’s a friend.”
As if she understood, Zetta huffed and lowered herself to the floor at Selene’s feet, still watching Thema with mild suspicion.
The queen wrinkled her nose delicately. “Dogs. So uncivilized,” she said, shuddering. “Now, what brought on this homesickness, my dear?”
Selene didn’t really feel up to talking, but she knew Thema wouldn’t take no for an answer. Slowly, she recounted what had happened with Drath. Queen Thema listened more attentively than Selene would’ve expected, offering quiet nods and the occasional “Go on” as encouragement.
When Selene finally finished, Queen Thema was visibly angry on her behalf. “These demons.” She scoffed. “They can be absolutely savage at times. I’m sorry you were mistreated by such a brute.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like me to speak with Lamia about it? I would want to know if one of my subjects treated a guest so poorly.”
