Page 68 of To Dwell in Shadows
“I can tell. And you do this every day?”
“People die every day.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Selene said, still sniffling. “How do you know which gateway to send them to?”
Vanthee held out her tattoo. “The snakes tell me. They determine who deserves punishment and who can pass.”
“What deserves punishment?”
“Why don’t you ask your Vengeance demon mate?” Vanthee shot back. When Selene didn’t react, she continued. “Punishable acts are murder, cruelty, rape, assault, theft, fraud… anything that violates someone else’s trust or safety.”
Vanthee began climbing the stairs out of the valley, and Selene followed. “The snakes just tell me who deserves punishment. The demons in the Sanctum decide how much to deliver.”
“I can see why some of the souls got past you,” Selene said quietly. “It’s so easy for them to drift away.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” Vanthee snapped.
“Maybe I could help?—”
“Maybe you could shut up,” Vanthee cut in quickly.
Selene stepped carefully over a broken stair. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like criticism. No one could herd that many souls. You’re doing the best anyone could. Probably better.”
“Yeah, right.”
“No, I mean it. Truly, I’m blown away by what you do. You probably have the most important job here.”
Vanthee stopped walking abruptly. “Stop. Just stop what you’re doing.”
Selene blinked in surprise. “What am I doing?”
“You’re trying to get on my good side with all your flattery andempathy.I don’t need it.”
“I really wasn’t.”
“Sure seemed like it.”
“Don’t worry, I know you can’t stand me,” Selene replied with a chuckle.
“It’s not that I can’t stand you.” Vanthee kicked a loose pebble off the step. “It’s that… ”
When she didn’t continue, Selene gently probed, “What?”
Vanthee’s eyes snapped to hers, hot with accusation. “You took something from me.”
“Me? I’ve never taken anything from you.”
“Yes, you did!” Vanthee stared at her for a beat, then her words came in a torrent of anger. “You don’t know how many nights I used to dream about the lost prince returning to the Underworld. After my father promised me to Drath, I could only think of one way to escape. There was only one path that would free me from the betrothal—if I was the lost prince’s fated mate.”
She rubbed her palm over her snake tattoo in a soothing gesture. “And then you took that from me.” Her voice cracked with emotion.
“I… ” Selene’s words faltered. “I didn’t know.”
“When you came with him from Aurelia, I tried to convince myself my dream wasn’t dead. At first, I thought—there’s no way you could be his fated mate. But when I found out you can wield the shadows, that hope crumbled. Still, I told myself I might have a chance. Maybe as his second wife or mistress. Maybe I could win him over, or at least prove I was a worthy match. I even tried to seduce him?—”
“Wait, you did what?” Selene gasped.
“I tried to seduce him but it was a complete disaster, okay?”
