Page 29 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

D emons began to pile on Sam the moment Asmodeus’s command left his lips, surging toward him in a wave of claws, teeth, and aggression.

They came from all sides, each one vying to be the first to draw blood.

But this was no surprise. Sam had known from the start that he’d be an obvious target.

To the others, he was a pampered prince.

An outsider with an unfair advantage and the one most likely to win the king’s favor.

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he drew himself inward, gathering his energy like a snake coiling before the strike. He let the demons believe they were overwhelming him, that he was caving beneath their assault. In truth, he was conserving strength, building power, waiting for the perfect moment.

His movements became smaller, tighter, more deliberate. For a heartbeat, doubt flickered in his mind. What if Selene, watching from the stands, thought he’d already fallen? He pushed the thought aside

Survive the onslaught. Then strike when they least expected it.

A small, spry demon yanked clumps of Sam’s hair with gleeful malice, while another raked his claws down his bare arms, leaving trails of blood.

A demon with a bull-like head was butting him in the stomach while simultaneously kicking at one trying to bind his feet.

Each wanted the glory of taking down the lost Prince of Vengeance.

But none of them knew what he was capable of.

In Aurelia, he had to temper his strength and restrain his inclinations for violence. But here, there was no reason to hold back.

He let them brutalize him for one second longer, then exploded out of his defensive crouch in a wild burst of aggression. First, he grabbed the demon near his feet by the throat and flung him across the stadium, where his body crashed into a cluster of rocks with a sickening thud .

Then, he seized the bull-headed demon by the horns. With a flick of his wrists, Sam bent the demon’s horns toward each other at a 90-degree angle. The demon collapsed, letting out a long, guttural low of pain.

The one clutching fistfuls of his hair began chanting a curse, his voice rising in manic glee.

Green pustules erupted across Sam’s skin, oozing with dark magick.

But Sam wasn’t fazed. He reached up and with a single, punch, shattered the demon’s jaw.

The demon’s teeth scattered across ground like broken glass, breaking the curse instantly.

Suddenly, an enormously tall demon grabbed Sam around the middle and hoisted him off the ground.

As he hung in the air, Sam quickly scanned the stadium, now a whirlwind of chaos.

Bodies of fallen demons lay scattered, while most continued to clash in fierce combat.

A moment later, the demon slammed Sam into the ground, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.

But the demon didn’t realize Sam had long since learned how to soften such impacts. He went limp as his body hit the ground, letting the force disperse through his body.

He sprang back to his feet and in the next instant, the towering demon found himself airborne as Sam wrenched him off his feet, then drove him into the ground. The demon lay there, staring up at the sky in disbelief .

Sam wiped the sweat from his forehead and braced for the next assault.

He noticed demons beginning to avoid him now, perhaps realizing he wasn’t such an easy target.

Crimson bursts of light and waves of heat, typical of defensive magick, soared past him.

He scanned the stadium, searching for contenders who rose above the rest, until his gaze landed on Drath.

The demon’s tattered robes flapped as his spidery arms jabbed at those around him.

Sam smiled.

Vengeance.

He charged toward the demon, plowing through lesser adversaries without slowing. With a burst of ferocity, he slammed into Drath, tackling him to the ground. In one swift motion, Sam wrenched all of the demon’s limbs together and pinned him beneath his weight.

“You dared to torment my mate?” Sam seethed.

Drath struggled uselessly. “What of it?” he spat.

Sam tightened his grip, pulling the demon’s limbs until he gasped in pain. “Why would you disrespect her in such a way?”

Drath's eyes gleamed like glowing pinpricks deep within his face. They locked with Sam’s, and he said, “She… she was alluring. Irresistible.”

Red flashed across Sam’s vision. He drove his knee into Drath's stomach. “That was the wrong thing to say.”

“Was it?” Drath coughed, grinning. “How telling. What do you have to fear from others being tempted by her charms?”

“She is under my protection.”

Drath’s painted lips curved into a smile. “Do you fear she would leave you for another? Perhaps… one more human? ”

Sam’s fury surged.. Losing Selene that first time, when Zaybris took her, had left him terrified of it happening again.

The months they’d spent apart were filled with tortured days and sleepless nights.

Feeling as though he had failed her. Wanting to simultaneously destroy everything in his path and crawl into a hole to die .

It was like tiny thorns were piercing his mind as he relived those memories. Sharp, biting, and precise.

He realized he was being baited.

“Get out of my head,” Sam snarled.

Drath’s voice turned silky. “Perhaps I could take Selene as my human bride. She must grow weary of your long absences… serving the kingdom?—”

Sam punched Drath in the face, breaking his nose. Black, sticky blood instantly coated his hand. The demon’s chuckle came out as a wheeze. “I may not have your physical strength, but I could easily drive you to madness.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Then kill me,” Drath hissed. “You could do it. Deliver a lethal blow I could not survive. You’ve done it so many times, haven’t you? To ones more innocent than I… ”

Unbidden, the faces of the Aurelians Sam had killed flooded his mind.

First in a blur, then one by one, vivid and slow.

Each face burned with fear, twisted in pain.

Their eyes haunted him, staring through time, accusing and unrelenting.

Again and again, they came—until Sam gasped, his breath stolen by the weight of his guilt.

“Stop… ” Sam protested weakly.

“Never,” Drath hissed.

Sam knew he was feeding Drath with his torment, but it was difficult to break free of his influence. His hold on the demon’s limbs faltered, just enough for Drath to slip one spidery arm free.

With a sickening ease, Drath reached up and tapped Sam’s forehead. Instantly, the guilt and anguish surged—tripling in weight.

Sam rolled off him, hitting the ground hard. Drath followed, his limbs slithering over Sam’s body to intensify his cruel power, tapping him in a rhythm that seemed almost gleeful. Sam tried to buck him off but failed.

Then the demon leaned in close, breath hot and rancid, to whisper, “I told you I could evoke madness.”

Sam tried to turn his face away when, suddenly, someone appeared behind Drath. Before he could blink, a hatchet sank into the demon’s skull with a thunk.

Drath’s head snapped back as the attacker wrenched the handle with brutal force. The demon let out a shriek. Instantly, the images invading Sam’s mind vanished.

Gripping the embedded hatchet, the mysterious figure drove Drath facedown to the ground, where he stayed, writhing in pain.

Sam looked up at his savior. It wasn’t a hulking beast, as he’d expected, but a slight, agile demon. Wrapped in head-to-toe leather armor, with a steel helmet crowning his head. A hinged visor bearing an image of a flame concealed his face, making it impossible to tell friend from foe.

Sam tensed, ready to defend himself against a new threat.

But then the figure lifted the visor and Sam’s breath caught.

It was Vanthee.

Strands of blonde hair clung to her sweat- and dirt-smeared face. She grinned, then raised a finger to her lips in a silent shhh . Extending a hand, she helped him to his feet.

“I have many skills,” she said.

“What are you—” Sam began, but blaring horns drowned out his words. Winged demons swooped overhead, blasting trumpets that left trails of fiery sparks across the sky.

Ghar stood beside the king and queen, raising the drained hourglass high. Sam stared, surprised the trial was already over. It felt as though it had barely begun.

King Asmodeus surveyed the stadium. “Cheers to an invigorating first trial! All of you fought bravely, but only those who remain upright will move to the next round. Look around, my contenders—these will be your opponents when we gather again.”

Sam turned, expecting to see Vanthee but she had vanished. Scanning the bloodstained ground, he counted around thirty demons of various shapes and sizes still standing. To his dismay, Drath had managed to pull himself up to his knees, swaying in pain with the hatchet still embedded in his head .

Sam narrowed his eyes, taking mental note of the other survivors. He didn’t know who they were, not yet, but he would. Names, allegiances, power levels, ambitions—he intended to uncover it all.

In the crowd, he spotted Selene clinging to Queen Thema. They both waved. Selene’s smile, so beautiful and full of relief, made some of the anguish Drath had left behind begin to fade.

How lucky he was to have something so precious to fight for.