Page 27 of Her Shadow

Riley’s expression was hard to read as he fidgeted with a loose bit of wool on his jacket. Sam would have liked to think he looked guilty, but she didn’t believe him capable of such an emotion. “You know how it is. We can’t take any risks. If something happened...”

“I would never steal from you,” Sam interrupted, her voice rising. “I was fighting for you. And you’re throwing me out as if I’m nothing.”

He stepped back, frustration flashing in his eyes. “It’s not personal, Sam. Maybe the captain will have other ideas?”

“Forget it. I’m out of here. I’m not being hauled in front of her. My fate doesn’t lie in your hands or her hands. Not even Kara’s. You’re low-key psychos, I swear.”

Sam turned away, exiting the cabin and heading towards the exit. The anger and hurt coiled in her stomach as she walked toward the main gated entrance. She screamed up to the guard in the watchtower.

“Open the gate. Let me out!”

He shouted back down to her, waving his arms about his head in a crisscross motion. “No! You can’t go out there rightnow. You need to wait a couple of hours. There’s a whole herd of the undead in the area.”

“Open it. Now!”

He did as he was told, shaking his head in disbelief as he lifted the barrier. Sam stepped onto the path that led away from Fort Haven. With each step, she felt another part of herself shatter. She was a broken woman.

A distant call came from behind. She turned to see Kara running down the track toward the gate.

“No, Sam! Just wait, please let’s talk to the Captain and sort this out. Please, wait!” Kara yelled as the gates closed her in.

Sam carried on moving forward, willfully ignoring her lover's plea.

As she walked into the woods, the trees closed in around her, the shadows growing longer and darker. Sam could hear her own breath, the thud of her heartbeat drowning in the quiet that surrounded her. The weight of loneliness pressed down on her like a heavy cloak, wrapping her in isolation.

Where will I go now? Where will they be? South. I’ve got to head south. A couple of days, maybe a week? I’ll find them. I’ll find them. Will they want me back? What have I done? Left the people who I trusted for love. A love that shat all over me.

The question echoed in her mind as she shuffled forward, her feet heavy. It had been some time since she’d felt this alone. She didn’t have a single soul to lean on. The thought of the journey back to her tribe on her own without Kara felt like standing on the edge of a void.

Sam’s shoulders were tight. Tension coiled deep inside her. Her steps were uneven, each one jarring through her body and causing cramps in her calf muscles. But she pushed forward. She was driven by anger. It fueled her every move. Her hands flexed and curled around a branch she was using as a walking stick. She was gripping hard, as if trying to wring out the betrayal thatgnawed at her. The pain in her body was real, but it couldn’t touch the ache in her heart that came from leaving Kara behind. What she’d thought was love had been exposed as a lie. Had Kara been playing her all along? Had she meant nothing to that woman?

Suddenly, a low growl came from behind her, sending a jolt of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Sam spun around, her heart racing as she reached for the knife at her belt. The growl intensified, and she could see movement in the shadows—shuffling figures emerging from the underbrush.

Shit! Shit!

She was outnumbered, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

11

KARA

Kara’s fingers throbbed from the impact of her fist against the wall, but she welcomed the pain.

Owww. Jesus!

It grounded her. It anchored her to the physical world. This was a good sign because her head was threatening to spiral out of control.

I let her go! What the fuck have I done? The first time I’ve felt this way in years, and I just let her walk out the gate.

She was trapped, stuck in her regret and shame, unable to rid herself even for a moment of the knowledge that she had betrayed the one person who mattered most to her. It wasn’t just that she hadn’t stood up for Sam—it was worse. She had doubted her. And punching the wall of the cabin was going to do nothing to bring her back.

She kicked at the small wooden stool near the bed, sending it skidding across the floor. The sound was harsh, causing her to wince as it traveled down her ear canal, but the action did nothing to ease her agony. The stool clattered into the wall and wobbled before toppling over. Kara gritted her teeth and turnedaway, forcing herself to move, to do anything other than stand here feeling helpless.

Her bare feet slapped against the cold floor as she paced the room. She hadn’t slept in days. Maybe she’d dozed off for a few minutes here and there, but it never lasted. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Sam’s face. Not the kind, caring, funny, brave Sam she’d fallen hopelessly in love with. No. What she saw was the broken, helpless, betrayed Sam who’d walked out of her life forever. Her mind replayed the moment she’d just stood there like a bystander in her own life and watched her Sam go.

She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging at the tangled strands in frustration, her nails scraping against her scalp.

Why didn’t I try harder to stop her? I chose this place over her, and for what?

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