Page 1 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

“ W e’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 be more painful 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.

They had made it to Brunie and Eldridge’s kitchen.

“It worked!” Selene cried. Joy lit her face as she pulled back to look up at him. Sam smiled back, but then they both saw Brunie pressed against the kitchen counter. Her blue wings were shaking with fright.

Selene rushed over to embrace the Harpy. “Oh, Brunie, I’m so sorry! I thought you were in the garden. ”

“By the wings of Queen Aello, you nearly sent me to the Underworld, too!” Brunie said. She pressed a hand to her ample chest, trying to catch her breath. “Practicing for the big day, are we?”

“Yes. I thought it didn’t work at first, but here we are.” Selene turned to Sam. “How was it for you?”

Sam stretched his neck, looking for any pain or stiffness. “Easier than I expected,” he admitted.

“Same here. Even my trip back here from Gaia wasn’t that simple.”

“Do you think it’s because you’re in the same dimension?” Brunie asked, her owl-like eyes blinking with curiosity.

“Possibly,” Sam said.

“Selene, you might be putting my little horse out of a job!” Eldridge chimed in as he entered the side door. “I’ll just have you transport me to and from the village from now on. Quick as a wink.”

“No,” Sam said sharply. “I don’t want to attract attention to Selene and her stone.”

Eldridge rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Twas just a joke, my boy.”

“I don’t like those jokes,” Sam said, his protective instincts simmering. “Think of all who would want the stone for themselves. It can only be taken from her in death.”

“Or gifted in charity,” Selene added, reminding him of how Zaybris had desperately given her the stone in the Underworld. She tucked it back under her shirt, where it normally rested, hidden from view.

“I should have known better than to jest with a demon about his mate,” Eldridge said, chuckling. He wiped garden dirt from his long Goblyn fingers on a dish towel. “When do you expect to leave then?”

“By the end of the week,” Sam said. Saying the words aloud made him feel both excited and nervous. “First, we will visit Malkina lands to see if Queen Thema would like to travel with us, then Selene will transport us to the Underworld. ”

Brunie reached up to pat Sam’s cheek. “I’m just bursting with happiness for you. I know how long you’ve waited for this.”

“Thank you,” Sam said. “A few boxes of books we ordered for the shop may arrive before we return. Is that all right?”

Sam and Selene had decided that when they returned from the Underworld, they would open Snowmelt’s first used bookstore. With Sam’s love of books and Selene’s love of libraries, they were sure it would be a trade in which they would both find happiness.

“Of course,” Brunie said excitedly. She put her arm around Selene, and Selene dropped her head on Brunie’s shoulder.

Sam watched them, feeling grateful that Selene thought of Eldridge and Brunie as beloved parental figures, just as he did.

He knew Selene’s human family had been selfish with her time and energy, often leaving her feeling depleted.

From now on, he would ensure she only spent time around those who made her feel cared for.

Looking around the kitchen, Sam considered what an unconventional family they made.

It was unusual for Harpies—an all-female race—to mate with a male Goblyn, and Sam had never dreamed that fate would pair him with a human.

Yet, each had found a home with their wildly different other half.

The loneliness and pain that had plagued him for so many years in Aurelia were now only a memories, as a future with Selene stretched out before him.

Once he reunited with his parents, all that was missing from his life would at last be restored.