“If you think that we’d allow you to face him alone, you’re mistaken.” Camden cast her a glance, amused that she would’ve ever thought otherwise.
She huffed, knowing there wasn’t a damned thing she could do to change their minds.
But maybe she could do something to put a kink in Daxion’s plans. A spark of rebellion stirred in her chest, and she couldn’t resist teasing the guys with a mischievous smile.
Logan caught the look first, the grin on his face broadening to pure mayhem. “What do you have planned in that naughty brain of yours?”
If they were determined to stay, she was going to make use of their time together. In order to put this mess behind them, they needed to learn what Daxion had planned. “Are you up to a little breaking and entering?”
God, he fucking loved her.
Logan gave a cheery whistle, content for the first time in ages, and followed Annora when she left the room. He leaned forward, catching the smell of her perfume, biting back a disappointed sigh when he could no longer smell his scent on her skin.
Being around Annora made him feel more alive than ever before. He’d been worried that he’d never be normal again after the torture he endured, but Annora made him want to try.
He didn’t break out in a cold sweat at the thought of her touch as he did when others got too close.
She didn’t look at him with disgust when he finally gathered enough courage to explain his fears. She was patient and kind and sexy as fuck.
And she fucking loved him.
He was one lucky son of a bitch.
He had to prove to her that he was worth the risk, show her that she wouldn’t regret keeping him. While the guys followed him down the stairs, he waited for one of them to take him to task for stealing a few moments of pleasure with Annora. Instead, they seemed happy things were working out between the two of them.
Annora didn’t even hesitate at the office door, instead walking clear through the wall. He went to follow…only to smack into it when the wall turned solid once again. He cursed, and a second later she reached through, grabbed his shirt, and yanked him after her. It didn’t take the others long to join them.
Logan cast a dismissive glance around the room. He’d grown up in the middle of such opulence, and it didn’t impress him. And, based on his experience, it usually hid something evil. Annora didn’t waste a second as she crossed the room, heading directly toward the bookshelf instead of the desk as he’d expected.
Curious at what caught her attention, he followed her, noting that Edgar and Camden headed toward the desk. Xander went to the windows, keeping watch, while Mason trailed after them.
“What are we looking for?” Logan asked, even as Annora touched a glass case.
He watched as it disintegrated to dust.
That was so fucking cool.
He knew he should be leery of such an easy display of power, but this was Annora. Everything she did, even just breathing, awed him. He could watch her sleep and never get bored.
Shaking away his fanciful thoughts, he watched her pick up two sheets of paper and turn toward him with a grim expression. “These.”
She held out the missing pages from her grimoire.
He scanned the top page quickly, his mood turning sour, every word on the page more damning than the last.
“What did you find?” Camden came closer, reaching for the papers.
“What the fuck is a bridge?” Logan handed over the pages, biting back a snarl.
Annora looked sheepish. “I meant to tell you—it’s the real reason Daxion wants me. The reason my mother hid me for so many years.”
Edgar blanched when he scanned the papers, and Logan barely resisted the need to beat the crap out of the asshole. “Did you know about this? Did you already know she’s the key to ruling the darkness?”
“Of course not!” Edgar exclaimed, his face thunderous. Then he turned toward Annora, his expression pleading. “Bridges have been extinct for generations, long before the old ones had abandoned us. They only pick the most worthy. She’s…”
“A half-breed?” Annora asked with a dangerous lack of inflection.
“That’s not what I meant.” Edgar looked stricken, his stride stiff as he stalked from one end of the room to the other, ready to pounce if she tried to leave. Logan took a protective stance at her side, ready to help her run if that’s what she wanted.
Edgar kept his eyes on hers. “You have to know I don’t care about that at all.”
Annora studied Edgar closely, then finally relented with a nod, the tension going out of her spine. “I know you don’t.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that Daxion will never allow her to leave. This was all a trap, a way to get Annora to the island and claim her.” Camden began pacing the room. “We need to contact the captain and get off the island.”
Xander shook his head, turning away from the window. “Daxion would only come after her with a full army and pick us off one by one. She’s too important to him.”
“Then what do we do?” Logan didn’t like her being in the middle of the war between Daxion and the reapers. She was in danger, and there was nothing he could do to save her from the coming confrontation. Even if he wanted to snatch her up and run away with her, it was much too late—they’d never let her go.
“We set a trap of our own.” Annora faced off against them, her stubborn little chin set.
Underneath her bravado Logan spotted a thread of fear—that she’d end up in another prison, this time one she wouldn’t be able to escape. He balled his hands into fists, resolving to do whatever it took, even risk his own freedom, to ensure that no one would ever hold her captive again.
Chapter Twenty-six
“Whoa! You want to do what?” Xander glared down at her, his fists on his hips, while the rest of the guys prowled around her, their beasts ready to burst free at her announcement.
“I need to talk to the reapers.” Annora matched Xander’s pose, determined not to let him intimidate her into doing what he wanted. “And I can’t allow any of you to come with me. I’ll be too worried about protecting you, and it will leave me vulnerable.”
He glared down at her, his right eye twitching, but he couldn’t argue with her…because he knew she was right.
The gryphon looked up and pinned Edgar with his gaze. “He can go with you.”
But Annora was already shaking her head. “He’s not a bridge like me. Being in the afterworld would drain him.”
Not to mention Edgar was terrified of being trapped in the phantom realm again. If anything happened to her, she wasn’t sure he’d be able to return, and she refused to take that chance.
“Annora…he’s right.” Edgar grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “I should go with you. I need to confront my fears eventually. They’ll only cripple me if I don’t. I can protect you—”
“No, you can’t, and you know it.” She put a hand on his chest, gripping his shirt tight. “I’d be even more worried about you if you went. You’re my mate too, and I don’t value you any less than the others.”
Darkness splintered his blue eyes, and he placed his hand over hers, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. “I love you too.”
As easy as that, her heart cracked. Even at his worst, he’d always been there for her, and she knew he always would be. It was her turn to protect him. “If you insist, I’ll take Prem with me, and you can keep an eye on me through him.”
As if mentioning his name had summoned him, the ferret poofed into existence and scurried across the floor toward her. She scooped him up, gently brushing the top of his head when he nudged her. After a minute, he scampered up her shoulder and curled around her neck, giving her strength to do what she must.
Find answers in the afterworld.
Alone.
Fuck.
Edgar looked anything but happy, but he relented. “If you’re not back by the morning, I’m coming after you.”
“We’re c
oming after you.” Mason scowled and crossed his arms, clearly not pleased to be left behind either, his muscular arms bulging.
Xander and Logan nodded, but Camden was studying her.
If she wasn’t back by morning, she very much feared she wouldn’t be returning at all. She didn’t dare say that to them, but she suspected Camden already knew. Her uncle Valen had warned her to be careful, that the afterworld was a dangerous place.
He should know, since he lived there.
Now that the guys had agreed to let her go alone, doubts nibbled at the back of her mind. She forced herself to let go of Edgar’s shirt and smoothed it down, enjoying the warmth of his chest. She bit her lip, the pain helping keep her nerves at bay.
Annora picked up the pages from the grimoire, taking comfort in seeing her mother’s familiar handwriting. She’d been writing about the coin, and Annora reached up and gripped her necklace, one of the last links to her mother. “They were trying to create a bridge, or at least that’s what Daxion had hoped. My mother…had other ideas.” She squinted as she read the small script, tilting the paper to see better in the dim light. “She was hoping to create an amulet to protect me from the things in the underworld.”
Annora lowered the sheets, staring at the floor blankly. “When she died, Valen took the grimoire to keep it out of Daxion’s hands. He thought he’d have time to pass it to me, but he died before he could do it. Although I suspect he was killed when he refused to turn it over to Daxion.”
“Daxion would do anything to gain the power of the afterworld. The coin was the closest he’d ever get to becoming a bridge and ruling supreme over both realms.” Edgar went to the desk and began searching it in earnest. “But now he doesn’t need the coin, not when he has you.”
Rage brewed in her gut.
Daxion had never planned to let her leave.
She’d suspected it, but it was another thing to be confronted by the truth.
It was official—her father was an epic asshole.
Figured.
Now it was even more important that she leave immediately. She had a feeling if she didn’t, she’d never get a second chance. Annora called the darkness and reached inside, pulling out the grimoire. The book fell open to reveal the torn pages, as if anxious to be healed. She held up the missing sheets, matching up the ragged edges, and watched the paper heal itself when a spark of something like gunpowder ignited along the torn edges until it looked like it had never been damaged.
She closed the book, resting her hand on the cover, wondering if she’d ever have time to learn about her past. Then she shook her head. She had more important things that needed to get done. What did the past matter if she didn’t have a future?
“I have to go.” She avoided looking at the guys, allowing the darkness to creep along the grimoire, dissolving it until only a wisp of smoke remained. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Without giving them a chance to change her mind, she concentrated on finding her uncle Valen and stepped into the darkness, allowing it to swallow her whole. It was different this time, not only easier, but the world around her was rich with power. She was no longer standing in her father’s mansion but staring at a large fountain that she recognized from outside the Capitol Building.
Instead of old and decrepit, it teemed with power, practically glowing with life. It was even more gorgeous in all its haunted splendor. She was so distracted that she didn’t see the shadows moving.
Reapers.
Following her instinct, she ducked away from the cloaked figures, hunkering down when they passed a little too close for comfort. Instinct warned her that being found inside the Capitol Building was a bad idea.
No, she needed to find Valen.
He was the key to defeating Daxion.
As she sneaked away from the main building, activity slowed to a stop. The city streets were eerily still, making the magical current appear even more forbidding. Claws skittered along stone, and she whirled to see nothing but more shadows.
Reaching up, she scratched Prem under his chin. “Can you find Valen for me?”
Prem chittered in her ear, which she took as agreement, then leapt to the ground, scampering ahead of her. Annora followed, picking up her pace as he wove in and out of the alleys. As they rounded a corner, it became apparent they were being stalked, and she walked even faster.
The buildings were a maze, and she became completely lost in minutes. Just as she skidded around another corner, a dark shape detached from the wall, its shadow slinking into the middle of the street, growing in size with each passing second.
A growl reverberated along the buildings until it vibrated in her chest. The creature stretched, flesh ripping until the damned thing was as tall as her. It had a humanoid shape, but it was hunched over, the arms abnormally long, the knuckles dragging along the ground. The thing was massive, a combination of ape and panther. Teeth gleamed in the darkness as it bared its fangs. Even from the distance, its hunger beat against her, a craving for flesh and blood so strong that her gut twisted. Just when the creature took a loping step toward her, Prem shot out of the darkness.
“No!” she screamed and charged after the idiot ferret.
Only to stumble to a halt when Prem began to twist, his bones snapping, and he tumbled over himself, growing in size. He morphed and stretched until a giant creature much like a polar bear crossed with an ancient wolf stood in his place.
Prem rose on his hind legs, towering over both of them, letting out a roar that threatened to shatter her eardrums. The other creature skidded to a stop, letting out a frustrated whine before scuttling off into the darkness.
When Prem dropped back down to all fours, Annora could only gawk at his massive size. Even on all fours, he was practically as tall as her, his head coming up to her shoulders. She reached out tentatively, and he snuggled into her fingers until they hit that special spot behind his ear, nearly knocking her off her feet with his affection.
The lights flickered, and she noticed tiny wisps of darkness swirling down the streets. She took a step back, but a quick glance over her shoulder revealed the same fog creeping toward them from that direction as well. Like the air had been let out of him, Prem slowly shrank back to his usual size, then scampered toward her, cowering behind her feet.
She could run, but it would get her nowhere.
She needed to find Valen, or she feared Daxion would win.
Annora braced her legs and waited for an attack, but sensed only darkness.
Darkness that she could control.
The necklace warmed against her skin, and she reached up and gripped it tight. As the fog rolled closer, she braced herself…only to have it move right over her. Like an overly-friendly dog, the darkness gave her a playful lick. Then, with an affectionate huff and nudge, the fog finally rolled past.
Revealing a trio of reapers blocking the alley.
They must have summoned the darkness. When the one in the lead strode toward her, Annora automatically reached out and summoned the daggers Edgar gave her.
The reapers stopped.
“Annora?” A fourth reaper stepped out of the shadows behind them, then pushed back his cowl. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you not to come back.”
“Uncle Valen?” She wanted to throw herself at him, but halted when the trio of reapers stepped protectively between them, hands on their weapons. Ignoring them, she sidestepped so she could face Valen. “I came to ask you for your help. Daxion is planning something, and I can’t stop him alone.”
Valen looked conflicted, then he gave a weary sigh, his face crumbling with fatigue. “What do you need?”
Annora decided not to beat around the bush. They didn’t have time. “Daxion discovered that I’m a bridge.”
“Your mother hid you away to make sure no one learned the truth.” Valen’s shoulders drooped. “I had hoped to take that secret to my grave.”
“You knew?” His betrayal chilled her down to her bones…then anothe
r realization plowed into her. “You were watching me long before we met, weren’t you?”
That he didn’t respond to her accusation was even more damning. “Did you know what my other uncle was doing to me?” She could barely get the words out, her throat so tight that speaking was difficult.
“It wasn’t what you think.” Valen reached out to her, and she jerked away, her skin crawling at the thought of his touch. To know that he’d seen…everything—the torture, the pain, her despair—and done nothing shattered her image of him as a loving uncle.
What the hell was wrong with her that people thought it was okay to treat her like trash?
“It’s not what you think,” Valen protested, his tone firm, almost angry. “You think I didn’t want to destroy your uncle for what he did? That I didn’t want to drag his soul to hell?”
He ran a hand over his dark, wildly curling hair and snarled with frustration. “You were bound to him. Anything I wanted to do to him would affect you too. I couldn’t touch him until you severed the connection!”
Annora pursed her lips, still not convinced he was being completely honest.
Too many people had lied to her over the years.
“And you weren’t alone.” Valen’s voice softened. “Young Alcott had found you by then. You were his tether, the only thing that kept him fighting. He managed to resist becoming a reaper through sheer stubbornness. In fact, he was on the verge of changing when you caught his attention. Then he fought even harder to stay whole. If you could persist in living, then so could he.
“If I somehow managed to get you away from that sadistic fuck of an uncle, Alcott would’ve given up. He wasn’t strong enough to survive in the banished lands as a phantom without his connection to you. You helped him fight to stay alive. And when you needed him most, he did everything in his power to break free and go to you.”
Of all the things that Valen could’ve said to convince her, that one hit her the hardest. Despite all the pain, all the torture and anger over the years, she’d change none of it if it meant losing Edgar.
Ransomed to the World Page 26
