Submitting to the Shadow (Kindred Tales)

And then everything had gone black.

When she had woken up, she was here—lying on the floor in the basement apartment with no doors or windows—with her hands cuffed in front of her.

Sami struggled up off the floor and paced around the small apartment, which was divided up into several rooms. One was a bathroom, which she gratefully used, though with some difficulty because of her cuffed hands.

After washing her hands with a lot of clinking from the handcuffs, she found a sort of living room area with a battered couch and a TV in front of it. There was also a room set up like a breakfast nook with a small table already set for two with nice china and crystal champagne flutes. Each place setting had a fork and a spoon but no knives.

The last room she found was the worst. It was a bedroom with a queen-sized bed made up with a white lace coverlet. The room itself seemed normal enough. What freaked Sammi out was the fact that someone had sprinkled red rose petals all over the white lace.

Like they’re getting ready for a romantic night, she thought, feeling sick to her stomach. Oh my God, what’s going on here?

Just then she heard a creaking sound—a door opening, she realized. And then more creaking as someone descended the steps.

Sammi wanted to hide—maybe under the bed—but she was frozen in place, unable to move as the heavy steps got closer and closer.

“Well, hello, Beautiful,” a voice said behind her. “I see you’re finally ready for our date.”

Forty-Three

Roark couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He went back to his lab and tried to work, but he missed Samantha’s presence. Her soft voice, her sweet scent…he missed everything about her.

And then he began to worry.

What if she wasn’t safe, down there on Earth? Meg had said she had a stalker who had been in her house, taking pictures of her in the shower. The thought of such a personal invasion of her space made Rage rise inside him. But it also sent a cold shiver of fear down his spine—fear for Samantha.

What if he had somehow gotten to her? Roark knew that Meg said she was safely on her way to her female relative’s house, but what if something had happened along the way? What if something was happening right now and he didn’t know because Meg had made him promise not to contact Samantha until that night?

The feeling of wrongness and the worry about Samantha grew and grew until he was unable to think of anything else. He paced around his lab, running his fingers though his hair, thinking of all the awful things that might have happened—or might be happening at that very moment.

He began to be certain that she was in danger somewhere. The certainty grew until he could no longer contain it. At last he left the lab and found the door to the suite where Meg lived. He knew it because he had picked Samantha up from her friend’s domicile once.

Roark knocked on the door and it was opened by Meg’s Beast Kindred mate. From the grim look on his face when he saw Roark, it was obvious that Meg had already told her mate all about him.

“What do you want?” he asked stiffly, giving Roark a glare.

Normally Roark would have answered such aggression with aggression of his own. But in this case, he was well aware that any enmity directed at him was well deserved. So he only said,

“I would like to speak to your mate, please. It will only take a moment.”

At first he didn’t think the Beast Kindred would allow it. But finally he said,

“Wait here,” and left Roark standing out in the corridor.

It was the height of rudeness not to invite someone into your suite when they knocked, but Roark didn’t complain. He only waited quietly until Meg came to the door, with her mate right behind her.

“Why are you here?” she demanded when she saw Roark. “I told you to wait until tonight and it’s only been a few hours!”

“I know that I promised to wait until tonight to contact Samantha and I am trying to keep my word, which is why I have not called her by think-me,” Roark said, striving to keep his voice level. “But I can’t help myself—I have a feeling she’s in terrible danger. Please—give me the address now so I can go down to Earth and verify that she’s all right.”

It was difficult to beg anyone for anything but he was willing to wound his pride for Samantha’s sake. So he stood like a beggar in the doorway, hoping that Samantha’s best friend would have some kindness and help him out.

Meg didn’t seem inclined to kindness, however.

“Right,” she sneered. “You’re just trying to go see her early. Well, I’m not telling you anything until tonight!”