Page 7 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

S ulfur.

Scent was the first of Sam’s senses to return. It was a familiar scent, one that filled him with nostalgia. The moment he detected the tang of sulfur in the air, he knew their journey had been successful.

Slowly, he cracked open his eyes. Above him stretched a ceiling of carefully laid stone, its rough texture illuminated by a soft glow. His body ached, a dull heaviness settling in his limbs, but none of that mattered.

He was home.

Someone coughed. He looked to his right and saw Selene sprawled on the floor, looking pale. She smiled weakly at him.

He sat up and took her hand. “Are you all right?”

She coughed a few more times and nodded. When she rose to her elbows, Sam followed her gaze, taking in the room around them.

Electric wall sconces glowed on the stone walls, and the marble floor gleamed as though it had been recently cleaned.

The room was free of the small furniture Selene had described during at her visit, but the familiar crack running across the mantle of the cold fireplace confirmed it was his childhood bedroom.

The door stood slightly ajar, but beyond it lay only darkness.

The room was much smaller than he remembered—probably because he had been much smaller the last time he was here. He tried to recall where his room sat in the castle’s layout, but his memories were foggy. His parents’ suite of rooms must be nearby, yet only silence came from beyond the door.

Queen Thema groaned. She was curled into a ball next to him. “Am I still alive? That was… truly unpleasant.”

“Tell me about it,” Selene muttered, in that human way Sam had learned meant emphasis. She lightly touched the queen’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”

“As though I have just been digested and then regurgitated.”

Selene chuckled softly. “That feels accurate.”

Thema pulled herself up to a sitting position. “Is this it? Did we succeed?”

“Yes,” Sam replied. “We’re in the Underworld.”

“Marvelous,” Queen Thema said in a tone that contradicted her words. She flopped onto her back again with a distinctly cat-like motion.

Selene moved to stand, but her knees buckled. She fell back, wincing and rubbing her temples. “Oh, my head.”

Sam pulled Selene into his lap. “Patience,” he murmured. “Let’s just rest a moment.”

Selene relaxed into him. As he stroked her hair, Sam considered their next move.

He had pictured reuniting with his parents many times but hadn’t considered the awkward space in between their arrival and that moment.

So far, no imps had come at the sound of their voices, and the hellhounds had yet to pick up their scent.

Was this wing of the castle abandoned now?

Queen Thema cleared her throat, making Sam realize how thirsty she must be. They all needed water, but Selene especially needed food to replenish her strength .

“I’m going to find someone,” he said, gently moving Selene off his lap.

The moment he stood, he heard the faint echo of footsteps from outside the room. Pushing the door open, Sam glanced both ways down the dark hall. “Hello?”

The footsteps quickened. An orange light appeared at the end of the hall like a beacon. It grew brighter and brighter until Sam could make out the outline of a winged female holding a flaming torch.

“Who goes there?” the woman called out. She began to run toward him so quickly that Sam took a step back.

“Is it a servant?” Queen Thema asked, rising to her feet.

Before Sam could respond, a demoness filled the doorway.

She was tall and imposing, with bronze-colored wings set into her shoulder blades.

Black horns were nestled within her long blonde hair, each one curving down and around to frame her ears.

A snake tattoo coiled along the length of her right forearm.

Sam didn’t recognize her, but her red eyes glowed with excitement when they met his.

“Greetings,” Sam said tentatively. “I’m Samael?—”

“I know who you are,” the demoness interrupted breathlessly.

She rushed through the doorway, tossing her torch to the ground where it extinguished the moment it touched the floor.

Throwing her arms around Sam’s neck, she pressed her mouth to his in a fierce kiss.

The surprise of it made Sam freeze. He tried to push her away, but the demoness was incredibly strong.

When she finally pulled back, her smile was dreamy.

In a melodious voice, she said, “I’m Vanthee. Your fated mate.”