Ransomed to the World

by Stacey Brutger

  A smile she usually reserved for the other guys

  His heart thumped painfully with regret for hurting her and losing that closeness.

  “Edgar!” She grasped his wrists, then trailed her fingers down his arm, the touch so delicate that gooseflesh erupted all over his body. She leaned against his hand, as if seeking more, and he couldn’t stop his thumb from brushing along her jaw, the need to touch her irresistible.

  Phantoms weren’t touchy-feely like shifters. They had rigid rules to follow, and even bumping into someone could have severe consequences. The only exception was combat training for the soldiers and breeding rights when a woman came of age.

  Any public displays of affection were something only the lower class were permitted. They didn’t have the same restrictions, since their powers weren’t as strong, which was why they were considered the lower class.

  Every kid indulged, but the older they got, the more restrictions were placed on them. Virginity wasn’t a prize. Everything relied on bloodlines.

  Edgar never understood why some phantoms rebelled against the rules…until he met Annora. From the first moment he saw her, his palms itched to touch her, wanting to see if her skin was as soft as he imagined.

  He shoved away his raging hormones and allowed the darkness she loved so much to come to the surface. It surged out of him, called to her simply by her nearness. She had an affinity for the afterworld that scared him. He’d never seen anything like it.

  The dark smoke splashed gently against her face, seeping into her skin, and he closed his eyes, following the path, seeking out any injuries or sickness.

  And found nothing.

  He scanned again, digging deeper, pushing harder, only relaxing when her few bruises smoothed away. The poison burned through her system, not destroying, but melting away, leaving her with the aftereffects.

  He pulled back with a silent chuckle.

  “She’s drunk.” The darkness faded away, the tension leaving him so suddenly, he nearly landed on his ass. “She’ll be fine in a few hours.”

  The rest of the guys gaped at him, baffled for a full minute, then Logan snickered. “I know what to do next.”

  The kid crawled forward, dislodging Edgar’s hand, and he backed away to give Logan room. The kitsune lifted his palm up—and the temperature dropped, snow beginning to fall around them.

  Annora gasped in delight, her eyes round with wonder. Logan tipped his head back, catching a snowflake on his tongue, and his heart flipped over when Annora mimicked him with a little giggle.

  Edgar never expected to find his mate or be forced to share her with anyone else, much less an entire pack. He was a possessive asshole, but watching her with them, he felt none of the jealousy he expected. She needed them, all of them, to survive, and that made it easier to accept the others.

  Logan pulled Annora to her feet, then spun her around in a circle until she was laughing, her head thrown back as the snow fell thicker and thicker. Prem danced around them, throwing himself on his back in the snow and rolling around in it. A moment later, Logan reached down and formed one snowball after another, pelting the little critter until he disappeared under a pile of snow.

  Annora gasped, but Prem just dug himself out and stalked to her side with a stiff stride, chittering at her like mad. She nodded, lifting her head to find her prey, her look promising retribution as she collected her own ball of snow, and the fight began in earnest.

  Edgar had never seen her so carefree, and his heart warmed at knowing her past hadn’t destroyed her.

  The rest of the guys stood next to him, every one of them silent while they watched the three of them frolic. Xander gave a snort of laughter when Annora tackled Logan and gave him a snow wash.

  Xander’s laughter drew her attention, and her head snapped up to lock on her new targets. Mischief sparked in her eyes, and she launched a snow missile in his direction.

  Her aim was true, smacking Xander right in the face.

  The world fell silent for a heartbeat, then a big grin cracked her face. Xander growled and shook himself like a giant dog, then he leaned down, scooped up a fistful of snow, and the war truly began.

  Camden turned away, his smile fading as he faced off with his cousin.

  Instead of a fight, Anthony tucked the spike he dropped into his back pocket and lifted his hands in surrender, his head tipped in submission. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know it was really possible to find your mate outside of our species. I thought it was just wild rumors like everything else. Consider the contract void. I’ll let the council know. No one will touch her. I promise.”

  Contract.

  Someone wanted Annora dead badly enough that they hired a killer to do it.

  Rage surged through his system, and his fingers twitched to draw his sword, wanting to eliminate the threat. It took everything in him not to draw it and take the asshole’s head in a single swing. One thing stopped him…killing the fucker would only cause more people to come after them.

  “Who the fuck is he?” Edgar couldn’t stop himself from asking the question.

  “I’m an armored lizard.” Anthony spoke like saying his species answered everything.

  The others appeared just as confused as Edgar…except for Camden.

  It wasn’t enough.

  He needed answers. “Explain.”

  “We come from a long line of assassins. When your slightest touch can kill, there aren’t a lot of job openings, so we learned to use what we have.” Loneliness and sorrow saturated Anthony’s voice when he glanced at Camden. “You either join the family business or you’re exiled, sentenced to live the rest of your life alone, never able to be close to anyone ever again.”

  Darkness swelled within Edgar, urging him to eliminate the threat…both of them.

  Rationally, he knew that Camden wouldn’t harm a hair on her head, but being an assassin meant he had enemies. Then Edgar heaved out a resigned sigh…they all had enemies. It’d take all their cunning to keep Annora safe, but that didn’t mean he was happy about this new revelation. He hated not being able to eliminate a potential threat before it became a problem.

  A growl rumbled in his chest, and he spoke through clenched teeth. “We need to move. Others are still hunting us, and it’s doubtful that he’s the only assassin on her trail.”

  Camden stiffened, hearing the slur, but determination hardened the man’s face until a predator stared back at Edgar—and a promise—that Camden would do whatever it took to protect Annora.

  Edgar gave him a reluctant nod.

  It would have to be enough.

  The guys herded the still playful Annora and collected their gear, while Edgar focused on gathering the power of the afterworld, enough to pull them all through a portal. It surged through him greedily, but he wasn’t like Annora—he had the skill to open the portal, but using that much power was going to push him to his limits, forcing him to the very edges of burnout.

  The guys gathered close. Logan took a detour and stooped to retrieve the knife Annora had dropped, then locked hands with the other pack members.

  Edgar tucked Annora close to his chest. Her tangy smell of lemon and warm jasmine wrapped around him when she snuggled close, beaming up at him. He locked that image of her in his mind, then closed his eyes and pulled them through the portal, biting back a snarl of pain as his body felt like it was being pulled apart one atom at a time.

  Annora staggered away from the others, nausea churning in her stomach. She cradled her head, feeling like it was ready to fall off her shoulders, and she glared up at her guys. “What the fuck just happened?”

  She remembered feeling all warm and fuzzy and so damned happy…only for it all to be ripped away in the next second. Noises bombarded her from all directions. The babble of voices. A roar of an automobile. Even the swoosh of the air fucking hurt.

  Prem brushed against her in commiseration, then darted over to Edgar, chittering happily when the phantom lifted him up and draped him around his neck.


  That’s when she remembered the bite.

  She reached up and touched the still-sensitive mark, then shuddered as raw desire surged through her once more. Her body softened, becoming slick as she remembered how she wanted to strip out of her clothes and demand Camden fuck her hard and fast.

  She quickly jerked her hand away from the bite, her breathing erratic, and she swallowed hard.

  It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the desire to fade and the wish to die to return.

  Logan knelt down next to her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He scanned her face, then gave her a goofy smile. “Hangover.”

  He clucked in commiseration, then stood, offering her his hand. “It should go away in an hour or two.”

  She couldn’t hold back a groan and allowed herself to be hauled to her feet. Funny thing about pain…who knew physical pain was so different from being sick?

  Logan twirled a knife in his hand, then raised a brow at her. “Drop something?”

  “Hey, where’d you get that?” When she reached for it, he pulled back.

  “You dropped it.” He scowled, tumbling the blade across his knuckles almost casually. “You need more practice.”

  Duly chastised, Annora ducked her head, hating that she failed them. “Sorry. Throwing a blade is not the same as fighting with one.”

  Logan grunted, then presented her blade with a flourish. “We’ll add that to your training.”

  Annora groaned at the idea of facing off against him with a blade, then winced when the sound made her head throb, but she gladly accepted the knife. If that’s what it took to keep them safe, she’d do it. She tucked it into the back of her pants, glad to have it returned, feeling less vulnerable at the comforting weight against her spine.

  Xander nudged Logan aside, snatched up her hand and tugged her to his chest. He cuddled her close, speaking softly. “You’ve never been sick before, have you?”

  She shook her head, feeling miserable and pathetic, then stopped and nearly whimpered. “No.”

  She knew she sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t help it.

  Xander glanced up, speaking over her head. “Can you do anything?”

  “The sensations should pass anywhere from a few minutes to an hour,” Edgar murmured. His hand landed on the back of her neck. A chill danced across her skin, ice skating up her spine and dulling the pain. “Passing through the afterworld pulled the remaining toxins out of her body, but the rapid detox must have hit her all at once.”

  Annora gradually became aware of her surroundings. She cautiously peered over Xander’s shoulder, and gasped. Forgetting her headache, she pushed up on her toes to get a better look. “Where are we?”

  Instead of the sun breaking over the mountainside, it was now setting over the ocean. They stood on a cliff, miles of sheer rock stretching out below them in every direction, small trees and shrubs clinging to the cliffside by determination alone. Wind buffeted them, luring her toward the edge, the scent of the sea swirling around them. Waves crashed violently until she’d swear she could feel the spray on her face, even this high up.

  “We’re in Spain.” Edgar came to a stop next to them.

  Annora’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “How?”

  “Portal.” He lifted his face up to the sky and closed his eyes, ignoring the wind tugging at his clothes.

  That’s when she noticed how haggard he looked, his pale features almost gray. She pulled away from the shelter of Xander’s arms and walked to him, drawn by his stillness.

  He was so alone.

  Isolated.

  It practically radiated from him, and she hated it. “You jumped too far, took too many people.”

  “Why not jump directly to the city?” Mason stood at the edge of their group. He reached for her and tugged her away from the edge.

  “Afraid of heights?” She went with him willingly.

  He shook his head, his smile more of a grimace. “Heights are fine. Can’t swim.”

  Her eyebrows lifted at the bland reply, and she glanced at his size. She opened her mouth to offer to teach him, but he slipped a finger under her chin and shut it. “Trolls sink like a stone. Our bone mass is just too heavy. Our bodies aren’t built for it. We can go really short distances, but anything more than a minute or two in the water, and we sink.”

  Annora rested her forehead against his chest, rubbing her temples, hoping to ease the ache, and recalled his earlier question. “Why didn’t we just go to the phantom realm?”

  “The city is an island, only accessible by ship. Supplies are sent over once a week. The ship should be here tomorrow morning.” Edgar sighed, turning away from the sea. “There is a magical ward protecting the island from attacks. Only the council members and a few of the elite have the code to access the city by…other means.”

  He meant by walking through the afterworld.

  Camden touched her elbow to get her attention…and he didn’t pull away. “We should head toward the bazaar. I want to find a place to stay before it gets dark.”

  She marveled at the slightly textured feel of his skin. Not calluses, but more like she could trace the edges of the armor that was barely visible. As the rest of the guys fell into formation around them, she looked up and gasped at the sight of the bazaar.

  It was a city that hunched dangerously above the cliffs. Soaring walls surrounded the city, the stones weathered by the sea and wind until they were blasted a dull white. The bazaar was a hive of activity, and people were packed into the streets like sardines.

  Only when she looked closer, Annora realized that they weren’t exactly people. She allowed the afterworld to cover her vision…and stopped dead. “They’re all…like us.”

  Xander grunted and took the lead. “There are a handful of cities around the world that cater to the supernatural. If a human looked at this bazaar, they’d see rundown ruins teeming with thieves. Instead of riches, they’d see tattered curtains, abandoned and burned-out cars, and crumbling buildings.”

  Annora jerked her attention away from the glittering city and turned toward Xander. There was something about his tone that itched along her skin. His stride was stiff, not like his normal, loose-limbed gait.

  “Xander—”

  “I’m going to go ahead and secure us a room.” He picked up his pace and strode away.

  When she went to follow him, Camden captured her hand and tugged her back. “Let him go.”

  Annora glanced back at him with a frown. “But—”

  “His pride lives on this coast.” Logan spoke softly. “I don’t think he’s been back since he joined the university.”

  Concern churned in her gut when she remembered what he told her about his family. His father treated him as a punching bag, worse than a slave. She gazed after him, not wanting him to be alone. “I should—”

  “Give him time to adjust to the idea of being back.” Camden resumed walking.

  Annora sent a pleading look to Prem. The ferret heaved a sigh, grumbling as he jumped down, then loped after Xander to keep an eye on him.

  Only then did she fall into step next to Camden, their shoulders brushing every time their arms swung. She waited for him to pull away and maintain their distance.

  He didn’t.

  If anything, he edged closer, almost like he was flirting with her, warming her heart—and her cheeks.

  Silence fell around them as they climbed the steep path to the bazaar. The closer they got to the looming walls, the more it resembled a citadel than simply a place to sell wares. Finally, curiosity got the best of her. “Tell me about your family.”

  A puff of air exploded out of him, and he grimaced. “I suppose you deserve at least that.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. Their pace slowed, falling a few yards back from the rest of the guys. Camden studied the grounds, avoiding her curious gaze, and she clenched her fists, wondering if she was pushing him too far, too fast. She opened her mouth, ready to take back her question, when
his soft voice reached her.

  “We’re a rare breed, our species close to extinction.” He stared out toward the sea, the wind picking up as the sun began to drop, ruffling his hair until it shimmered in the shadows.

  She bit her tongue to keep from interrupting, resisting his enchantment with all her might.

  “Since our touch is deadly, we’ve retreated from the world.” He shot her a look from the corner of his eye. “We don’t mingle well with outsiders.”

  Anxious to learn more, she prompted him to keep talking, “You don’t talk about them much.”

  A muscle in his jaw clenched, his reluctance clear in the way he refused to look at her. “We’re not good people.”

  She wanted to protest, but he held up his hand to stop her.

  “We can’t work in the real world. Our poisonous touch doesn’t allow it. Our species was literally dying out until the family turned to the one thing that they did so well.” He gave her a bitter smile. “Killing.”

  Annora pressed her nails into the tips of her fingers to resist the urge to protest, afraid he would stop talking if she interrupted again.

  “We became assassins. The very best in the business.” A scowl darkened his face. Then he turned toward her, no longer hiding. “The family became like the mafia—we didn’t have a choice except to join. I got out as soon as I could and ran away.”

  She should be horrified, but she’d seen too much of the dark side of the world. Sensing there was more to the story, she pushed him. He needed to purge it, just like poison, or it would continue to fester. “And they allowed you to leave?”

  “They didn’t have a choice. We made a deal.” Camden’s eyes darkened, emotions draining from them. “You might say that I’ve earned a reputation, so they’re a little bit afraid of me. I do a special job once or twice a year, and it’s enough to convince them to leave me alone the rest of the time. They know better than to fuck with me or my pack.”

  He stood still, shoulders back as if bracing himself for her rejection.