Page 45 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

S am wanted nothing more than to rest his pounding head on the table of his father’s state room and sleep, but the arguing voices surrounding him wouldn’t allow it. He closed his eyes, fighting against the pull of exhaustion.

Queen Lamia’s voice sounded on his left. “Let’s do it tonight. Why delay such a joyful occasion?”

“The coronation should be held on a date of significance,” countered Blight, general of the Legion of Punishment. Sam could hear the buttons on the sleeve of his military uniform clang against the table. “The anniversary of Asmodeus’s coronation would be poetic. What day would that be, great king?”

“You know I can’t remember details like that,” King Asmodeus growled. “Why do you taunt me? I am still king of this realm and?—”

“Apologies, apologies. I only wanted to honor you,” Blight said.

Sam opened his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to recall the events of the past eight hours.

After the souls of his victims had nearly driven him to madness, he had blacked out.

He vaguely remembered Vanthee carrying him up to the palace gates, his body jostling over her shoulders.

Then Blight had run up to them, yanking him from Vanthee’s grip and forcing him to stand.

Vanthee had hurriedly told him that Selene had stayed behind in the maze to communicate with the spirits so he could escape.

Panic surged through him, and he’d tried to turn back for her.

But his legs couldn’t hold him, and he collapsed.

Blight hauled him up, but Vanthee was already sprinting back toward the maze, shouting over her shoulder that she would take care of Selene.

“Who won the Maze of Endless Paths Trial?” Sam rasped.

“Why, you did,” Queen Lamia said. She gently rubbed his shoulder. “Just rest now. We will see to all the details.”

“Listen here! Events like this take planning,” Empusa said, smacking the top of her cane. “We need time to spread the word across the realm. And invite demons working in Gaia back home for the coronation, if they wish to come.”

Queen Lamia looked thoughtful. “Yes. We must summon all the demons back, not merely invite them. Sam must start his rule with all subjects pleading absolute fealty.”

“What? No,” Sam said, panic rising.

Asmodeus stamped his hoof three times. A few seconds later, a trio of imps swooped into the state room. When they appeared, he commanded, “Send word that all demons must return home for their new king’s coronation at once.”

The imps nodded and buzzed out of the room.

Sam placed his palms on the table, trying to steady himself. “What’s going on?”

Lamia gazed at him fondly. “The trials are over, and we have found the Dark Sovereign. It’s you.”

Sam gasped. “No, I didn’t win.” He tried to shake his head, but the motion made him dizzy.

“That doesn’t matter,” Lamia replied. “We went along with your games to placate you, but now they’re over. Ultimately your father and I have final say, and we’ve decided that you will rule.”

Sam tried to stand, but the after-effects of so much trauma left his legs leaden. “It’s not my destiny. It must be Vanthee. She is the one who deserves to rule. She completed all the trials?—”

“Pit-spawned foolishness,” Mammon interrupted with a snort. “My daughter doesn’t have the intelligence to possess a toad.”

“No, she competed as Nyrah. The prophecies?—”

“I have an astonishing idea!” Mammon’s slippery voice cut through Sam’s words. “Every king needs a queen. Why not combine Samael’s coronation with a primitive yet sentimental tradition… a royal wedding?”

“You want him to marry a human at his own coronation?” Blight asked incredulously.

“Not Selene,” Mammon purred, his tone sickeningly smooth. “If Vanthee was truly one of the competitors, as he claims, he could marry her.”

When Sam moved to grab Mammon by the throat, the demon quickly added, “Selene can serve as your mistress if you’re that attached. Vanthee won’t mind. I’ll see to it. And Drath can be your Royal Chancellor. Oh, this is coming together so well!”

“I said no!” Sam said desperately. “If I marry anyone, it will be Selene. And there won’t be a coronation because I’m not the Dark Sovereign.” He clumsily leaned toward his mother and gripped her hand. “Please, you have to listen to me. In the library, Selene found the bo?—”

“Shhh,” Queen Lamia interrupted. She straightened the collar of Sam’s tunic. “I know you’re nervous about your new role, so let’s not complicate it with a wedding so soon.”

“Perhaps we can have a wedding once Selene becomes a demon,” Asmodeus said.

A ripple of delighted murmurs spread through the room from everyone but Mammon. Sam dropped his head into his hands as a cacophony of coronation plans began to take shape, voices overlapping with excitement.

The weight of his situation crashed down on him like a warhorse at full charge. Arguing with them was pointless. His parents would never listen. Even if he showed them The Sovereign’s Reckoning , they might choose to ignore it. His wishes would never be respected.

There was only one solution.

They had to flee the Underworld and return to Aurelia.

Tonight.

Sam lifted his head, pulling himself together as best he could. Slowly, with false excitement, he said, “Can we have cinnamon sweet buns served at the coronation?”

Queen Lamia beamed. “Of course!”

“Good. But Empusa is right—we need more time,” Sam said, each syllable an effort to form. “I’m in no shape to be coronated tonight. Everyone should be there, so you must give the demons in Gaia time to travel.”

Asmodeus inclined his head thoughtfully. “True. It takes at least two weeks for those who journey on the Purgatory. ”

“So perhaps everything should occur in one moon cycle?” Queen Lamia asked, looking around the room. Blight and Empusa nodded enthusiastically though Mammon glowered like a child denied a toy.

“Then it’s settled,” Lamia said. “I’ll start making plans. Rest now, my son, and we will talk more tomorrow.”

Although Sam was bone-tired when he returned to his rooms, all the worries racing through his mind kept him awake.

He had asked Prickles for a report on what was happening in the maze, but the imp flatly refused to leave the palace grounds.

That left Sam alone with his thoughts, haunted by what might be happening to Selene and how she might be changed by the experience.

How would the spirits twist her, consume her, break her?

When he saw her again, would she still look at him the same way? Or would he see fear in her eyes?

Now she would know the full extent of his violence. The unfiltered truth of who he was. The blood on his hands, the rage that had burned so hot inside him—she would witness it all.

He must have eventually succumbed to sleep, because he awoke face-down on the bed when he heard Selene open their chamber door. He sat up, focusing on her silhouette as she moved through the darkened parlor into their bedroom.

When the light fell across the strain in her face, he immediately knew his fears were justified.

“Hi,” he said tentatively. “H-how are you?”

Instead of sitting next to him on the bed, she lowered herself into an armchair.

“Tired.”

“What happened in there?”

Selene leaned her head on the back of the chair wearily. “The spirits swarmed me all at once. There were so many of them.”

The rawness of her voice was excruciating for Sam to hear. He didn’t say anything until she continued, “But then the hellhounds came. All of them. I don’t know how they knew, but they drove the spirits back so I could hear each of their stories. One by one.”

She patted a flat, rectangular shape in her pocket. “I wrote down all of their names and if they had a message for their families.”

“That was very clever. And generous,” Sam said slowly. He searched for the right words. “Do you want something to eat or drink?” The question sounded inadequate when what he really wanted to ask was, Do you still love me?

“No, thank you.”

For a moment, the only sound was the dripping tap in the bathroom. Then Sam, unable to stop himself, blurted out, “Do you want to leave me? I don’t blame you if you do.”

Selene sat up straighter to look at him.

“No! Sam, I love you. Hearing those stories was hard, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you.

” She bent to pull off her shoes and tossed them in a corner.

Running a hand through her hair, she exhaled and said, “I’m just struggling. With this place. With everything. “

“Struggling in what way?” he asked carefully.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m really the right person for you. Maybe you’d be happier living in the Underworld instead of Aurelia. If you were born to punish people and use your strength the way you did with those Aurelians, you shouldn’t have to bottle that all up just to be with me.”

Sam rose from the bed, even though he was still shaky on his feet. He dropped to his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her thighs. The scent of the maze still lingered on her clothes.

Before he could speak, she asked, “What if I’m just too… human for you?”

“No. Absolutely not. You are the right one for me. I hated doing all those things. And being here, delivering vengeance, it’s not all that I imagined it would be. I have loved seeing my parents, but I don’t like it here much more than you do.”

She placed her palm on his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. When their eyes met, he said, “Selene, I think we need to flee.”

“You mean… ” She touched her fingers to the traveler’s stone.

“Yes. My parents and the council have decided that they are crowning me as the Dark Sovereign. They’re making plans for my coronation.”

She sucked in a breath. “What? When?”

“In a month. They want all the demons in Gaia to come home to attend.”

“Okay, so we have a little time.”

“Yes, but why does it matter? Let’s leave tonight. Right now, even.”

“Honey, I don’t have the strength to use the stone tonight,” she said quietly.

A prickle of shame coursed down Sam’s spine. “No. Of course not.”

“But also, there’s something I need to do before we leave. In the maze, I promised the spirits I would help them cross over. ”

“Did you tell them when? I can help you.” He swallowed. “Seeing them home should be my burden to bear.”

“No. You can’t communicate with them and it would raise too many suspicions. I’ll ask Vanthee if I can take them tomorrow.”

“If you’re certain that’s best.”

“I want to show her the prophecy, too. She needs to know about it.”

“I agree,” Sam said. “Once we’re gone, she may have to fight for her rightful place.”

They were both silent for a moment until Sam tapped the notebook in her pocket. “And when we get home, I’ll deliver these messages to the families myself.”

“That would be nice. Oh, I just realized something… ” He watched Selene’s eyes suddenly fill with tears. She looked upward, trying to blink them away, but failed. “I’ll need to say goodbye to Zetta.” Her voice hitched.

Sam wiped her tears away with his thumb. “Of course,” he said gently. It pained him to see her hurting, but the promise of returning to Aurelia filled some of the emptiness he had been carrying. “Take care of everything tomorrow. Then we’ll go as soon as you’re ready.”