Page 25 of Tethered to the World
A sharp whistle pierced the air, and everyone turned toward Camden. He reached out and cupped the back of Xander’s and Logan’s necks. “Downstairs. All of you.”
The two of them docilely did as they were told, their eyes slightly glassy. Camden placed both of his hands on Mason’s bulging biceps. The troll grumbled, but ultimately obeyed.
She cocked her head when only she and Camden remained, and she carefully kept her distance when he came closer. “What did you do to them?”
He raised his brows, then he lifted his hands. “Do you know what I am?”
She slowly shook her head, and he narrowed her eyes on her.
“But you could find out by just a look, couldn’t you?” He edged toward her, partially blocking the exit.
Annora bit the inside of her lip, the only nervous fidget she ever allowed herself. She had a choice to make…trust them with her future or leave and risk being captured again. One of the ferrets rested near Camden’s foot, sniffing him cautiously. The critters would bite her uncle every chance they got, trying to protect her, and often died for their transgressions.
When the ferret skittered back toward the bed without attacking, she took it to mean Camden wouldn’t betray her. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the darkness inside her to cover her eyes…then nearly swallowed her tongue to see a large lizard-shaped man in front of her. Instead of normal skin, it looked like he wore iridescent black armor that matched his hair. He looked intimidating as hell, even indestructible, as he stood with his feet spread, his arms crossed, large, razor-sharp spikes protruding from his elbows. His vivid green eyes were even brighter, reminding her of a poisonous frog she’d once seen on the internet.
She blinked away the darkness, and the Camden everyone else saw was waiting in front of her. He stood perfectly still, and the smell of exotic flowers she associated with him intensified. His skin rippled and formed a slight scaly pattern that resembled his alternate form.
“Well?” He lifted his chin, the sunlight catching his hair just right, so a rainbow of iridescent colors shimmered across the strands.
“You’re a dragon?” But that wasn’t right, and she shook her head.
His brows lifted, his eyes widening slightly at her guess. “An armored lizard.”
She wasn’t familiar with the term. “Never heard of one.”
“But you wouldn’t have, would you? You don’t seem to have heard of much.” Silence stretched between them when he sighed and turned to leave. “Go shower, then come down when you’re ready. We have things to discuss.”
Annora took her time, not looking forward to facing the guys after Camden’s ominous pronouncement. Freshly showered and changed into her spare clothes, she headed toward the stairs, but couldn’t make herself go down them. She paced back and forth for a good five minutes before she worked up the courage to face them.
While she wasn’t sure she was ready to share all her secrets, she needed help, and Rufus trusted them. If she wanted to live, she had to trust them as well.
She found them all waiting for her at the kitchen table. Mason straightened when he spotted her, while Logan scanned her from head to toe, then stood and headed toward the fridge.
“Go sit. I’ll make you something to eat.” When she didn’t move, he popped his head out from behind the door. Two heartbeats passed when he came toward her, and she resisted the urge to run, not comfortable with the guys’ casual touching.
He reached for her slowly, giving her time to move out of the way, and she had to force herself not to retreat. He held her hips, crowding closer, inching them both back until her ass hit the counter. Then he lifted her without any effort at all, depositing her on the countertop.
Which left them at eye level, his crystal blue eyes boring into hers. His red hair was done up with some gel and swept back, the shades of black underneath striking against the blazing red. “Stay here.”
Then he spun away and began to gather ingredients.
She picked up her legs and crossed them underneath her, scooting back so she could keep everyone in view.
“We’ll be skipping training today. The other hunters will take over.” Camden leaned back in his chair and kicked out his legs. “Ask us your questions.”
Annora pressed a fingernail against the edges of her fingertips, the sting helping collect her thoughts. Their offer was a kind of trap. They wanted her to ask questions so they would feel free to ask about her past. She blew out a breath—it was a fair trade, and she sensed it was something he rarely offered. “What happened to the last person on the team?”
All the guys stiffened, their gazes dropping…except for Camden. He just closed down, a shutter falling over his face. “Joseph joined the group six months ago, and nearly succeeded in killing us. In the process of trying to make us the best, he ripped our group apart. He went too far, put innocent people in danger, tried to sacrifice us to gain power, and paid for it with his life.”
She sensed there was a lot more to the story, but she didn’t probe further, sensing the issue was like an open wound. It explained the tension among the men. No wonder they reacted with horror when she showed up on their doorstep. “I’m sorry. I have no such ambitions. I just want to survive.”
Camden studied her for a moment, then the tension went out of his shoulders, and he shook his head. “You’re an alpha. He wasn’t.”
She turned to study him with a frown. This was the second time someone accused her of being an alpha. She didn’t have a clue what he meant. “No, thank you. I want to stay under the radar.”
For the first time, Camden cracked a smile. Before anyone else could speak, Logan interrupted, “Food’s ready.”
The guys stood as one and headed toward the cupboards, each grabbing a plate. After they passed, Annora uncurled her legs, jumped down from the countertop and stumbled. She reached out to Camden, clutching his arm to keep from pitching to the ground.
