Page 25 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

S elene’s face flushed with humiliation as Sam pulled down her dress to cover her bare legs. He hastily fastened his pants.

“What do you want?” Sam barked.

“I was sent by Queen Lamia to bring you upstairs for dinner,” Vanthee said. Her tone was formal, but her eyes shone with jealousy.

“Tell her I’m busy,” he said.

“Apologies, but I can’t do that. They are meeting with the Council of Legions and one of the generals wants you to join.”

Sam’s glower showed equal parts resentment and frustration. Selene slipped off the table, whispering, “It’s all right. Just go.”

“I’ll come if Selene is allowed to dine with us,” Sam said.

Selene shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not dressed for?—”

“That’s fine,” Vanthee interjected. Then she smirked at Selene. “But she’ll need to wear panties.”

When Sam bared his teeth, Vanthee tossed her hair and backed out of the room. “I’ll give you a moment to regain your composure.”

When the library doors shut behind her, Selene covered her face with her hands. “Oh god, that was mortifying. ”

Sam began placing the books he had knocked over back on the table. “Don’t let her antagonize you.”

“Sam, I can’t go to dinner with your family now. I’m all sweaty and covered in dust.”

“Nonsense. You look perfect.”

Cringing, she bent to retrieve her underwear from the floor. “But I don’t know the protocol for meeting dignitaries. I can just finish up here and meet you back in our rooms later.”

“No,” Sam said firmly, stepping in front of her. “You’re the princess consort now, and I want you by my side for events like this. I’m not letting anyone keep us apart that long again.”

Selene scrunched up her face in a final, silent protest, then sighed.

“Fine.”

Selene was surprised when Vanthee led them in the opposite direction of the royal dining room and into a small state room in the north wing.

Sitting at the table were Asmodeus, Lamia, Mammon, and two demons Selene didn’t recognize.

One was a female with frizzy gray hair and an eye patch.

She was shaped like a cannonball and making gestures with a gnarled cane.

The other was a reedy male, dressed in something like a Civil War uniform that was neatly pressed with gleaming gold buttons.

Vanthee cleared her throat. “Forgive the interruption. I have brought the prince. And… her.” She elbowed Selene.

Lamia rose with the grace of a trained hostess. “Excellent work, Vanthee. You’re dismissed.” She pulled out a nearby chair. “We already have a seat prepared for Sam. We’ll have the imps fetch one for Selene. Please, meet our guests.”

She gestured first to the thin demon. “This is Blight, general of the Legion of Punishment. Mammon, from the Legion of Temptation. And Empusa, from the Legion of Ruin. ”

“Good queen, just introduce me as general of the superior legion—it’s faster,” Empusa said with a deep, throaty chuckle. Her small wings, riddled with faded scars, swayed leisurely.

“You all know my son, Samael, and this is his human, Selene,” Lamia added smoothly. “How lovely that you brought her to dine with us tonight, Sam.”

Everyone nodded at them. If Selene had thought Lamia’s politeness meant she had suddenly decided to like her, the “his human” remark squelched that. An imp scurried over to place a chair awkwardly at one corner of the table. Moments later, a glass of wine and plate of food were set in front of her.

Empusa rested her palms on the top of her cane. “Prince Samael, thank you for coming. Since you’ll soon be crowned the Dark Sovereign?—”

“I’m not—” Sam began, but Empusa spoke right over him.

“I wanted to share my concerns with you as well as the king and queen. I’ve already warned Mammon and Blight, but they seem to think I’m joking.”

“No one’s been named the Dark Sovereign yet,” Sam said. “But go on—what concerns you?”

Empusa inhaled deeply, seemingly for dramatic effect, and closed her eyes. Then she opened them and declared, “A plague is afoot.”

“Nonsense,” Mammon mumbled through a mouthful of food. “One demon struck ill doesn’t constitute a plague.”

“Agreed,” Blight said, squaring his narrow shoulders. “The Legion of Ruin has always been prone to exaggeration and embellishment.”

Empusa lifted her fist. “Is that so? Well, perhaps if you?—”

“Silence!” Asmodeus said sharply, startling Selene so badly she dropped her fork. “Mammon, Blight, do not speak again until I ask you to. Empusa, continue.”

Empusa inclined her head. “A laborer came to me claiming he saw a patch of rot creeping near one of the lakes of fire. A fungus of sorts, but dark, crystalline, and jagged. I was ready to thrash him for wasting my time, until he showed me his hand.”

She lifted her own hand in demonstration. “The two fingers that touched the fungus had turned black with rot. Brittle as charred wood. And the decay was climbing. Spreading up his arm so rapidly, I fear it will consume his whole body soon. Just from the briefest contact.”

“That is concerning,” Sam said.

Empusa smirked at Mammon and Blight. “See? The wise recognize danger.”

“How long as it been there?” Sam asked.

“I’m not sure,” Empusa replied. “This occurred a few days ago.”

Sam looked to Asmodeus. “Has anything like this ever happened before?”

“Never.” Asmodeus stroked his chin. “Perhaps we should close off the area around the lakes for now. Forbid anyone to enter the territory until it’s safe. Or at least until we know what it is.” He glanced at Lamia. “Your thoughts, my treasure?”

“I agree.”

Asmodeus rose from his seat, gesturing for Sam to follow. “Empusa, I am grateful to you for bringing this to our attention. We are going to look at it right now.”

“At a safe distance, if you please,” Lamia said with a pointed look.

“Your Majesty, should you really venture down there? In your weakened state?” Mammon asked in a falsely concerned tone.

Asmodeus’s nostrils flared. “Excuse me?”

Mammon looked around for the other generals to back him up but they avoided eye contact. “I only meant… ”

“I know what you meant,” Asmodeus said. He leaned down, putting his face right in front of Mammon’s. “You were trying to undermine me.”

“I wasn’t!” Mammon protested.

“You’d better not be,” he said in a voice that sent a chill down Selene’s spine. “I’ll deal with you later. My queen, will you finish hosting our guests?”

“Of course,” Lamia said.

Sam gave Selene’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze as he passed behind her. Although a flesh-eating fungus sounded serious, watching him leave the room made her stomach sink.

Once they were gone, Empusa leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smile curling her lips. Queen Lamia sipped her wine as Selene pushed around the food on her plate. For several moments, only the sound of Mammon gnawing on a bone filled the room.

Then Empusa fixed her one eye on Selene and said, “Human woman! Tell me of yourself. What interesting vices of ruin do you possess?”

Selene laughed nervously. “Vices? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Are you prone to gossip, jealousy, or hatred?”

“I try not to be.”

“Do you slander others or indulge in excessive laziness?”

“No, not purposefully.”

“Oh.” Empusa puffed out a breath. “How dull.”

“What’s the most ruthless way you’ve sought revenge against your enemies?” Blight asked.

“Well, I… ” Selene started to say she’d never had enemies, but stopped herself. Her instinct had always been to be sweet and agreeable, molding herself into whoever others wanted her to be to keep the peace and win their approval. But here, in this place… it was a whole new ballgame.

And besides, saying she had no enemies wasn’t even true.

C’mon, Selene. This is your chance to impress your mother-in-law.

“I killed a vampire once. Staked her right in the heart,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Does that count as a vice of ruin?”