Page 39 of Tethered to the World
She turned her back on him, and the small spark of life she’d been nurturing flickered dangerously. She felt dead inside, struggled to feel anything…struggled to feel human for even a second. “You can yell at me all you want, but it was worth it.”
Even if it cost her a piece of her soul.
Chapter Eleven
Rough hands grabbed her, jerking her around until she was pressed against a hard chest. She wiggled to get away, but no matter how much she pushed and shoved, his hold only tightened. Panic squeezed her throat as she fought not to drown in her nightmares.
“Shhhh, I got you. I got you.”
She gradually became aware Logan was speaking, rocking her gently, but his scent was what grounded her to the present. To her surprise, she found herself gradually relaxing against him. If anything, his hold tightened more, as if he was afraid she’d disappear.
After a few minutes, true exhaustion hit, but she was terrified to fall asleep. She was tired of fighting for each second of freedom. Just tired of everything. “Talk to me.”
There was a slight pause, then he spoke barely above a whisper, careful not to break the fragile cocoon of peace built around them.
“I’m the youngest of seven children. I was born as an afterthought, specifically to be used to advance my pack’s standing. Even before I was born, I was sold to a rival pack to do with what they would—a guard, a possible mate or even a slave. I was dispensable. Disposable. The only concession granted to me was I could finish my training at the university.”
“Ellora.” She didn’t have to guess. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she held still. “How much time did you have left?”
“Six months,” he said. He absently ran his hand along her back, so light she barely felt it. She wasn’t even sure he was aware of doing it, his touch enough to lure her back from the sharp edges of her memories. “The end of the school year.”
She gingerly lifted her hand and rested it low on his stomach. “Did I make things worse?”
“I’m not sure,” he mused. “I was born for one specific role. If she retracts her claim, they’ll most likely disown me.”
Annora froze, acid trying to eat a hole through her gut. “I’m so sorry. I—”
He squeezed her tight before she could continue, and she’d swear his lips brushed the top of her head. “I would give up all my family’s wealth and status in a heartbeat if that’s what it took to be free of them.”
It was the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear that convinced her.
He tangled his fingers in her flyaway hair, a bemused expression on his face when it seemed to cling to him. Then he plucked at the ruined sleeve of her shirt. “Will you let me clean you up?”
For a moment, she snuggled against him, not wanting to leave the safety of his arms, not wanting to face the real world. Then she finally relented and straightened. “How about food instead? A late meal? I’m starved, and I’m sure everyone will want to eat. I’ll shower, then come down to join you.”
He waited for a full minute before rising from the bed, but instead of leaving, he came to a stop next to her, leaned down, and kissed the top of her head. “Twenty minutes, or I’ll send Mason after you again.”
He sauntered toward the stairs, then disappeared, leaving her staring after him, her emotions like a jitterbug in her stomach. What the hell was she doing with them? They were getting too close, making her feel things she never dreamed possible, and she wasn’t sure it was such a good idea.
What would happen to them when the creature hunting her from the afterworld finally caught up with her? At first she thought it wanted to kill her, but now she feared something far worse, because whatever was chasing her didn’t have to lift a finger to destroy her—she was doing it herself. Every time she went into the afterworld, she lost a little more of her humanity.
She had no ties to this world, her tenuous feelings for the guys the only thing between her and the pull of the darker side of her nature that was trying to turn her into an unstoppable monster.
As she collected one of the last few remaining outfits from her bag and headed toward the repaired bathroom door, she knew what she told Ellora wasn’t the truth.
She could be killed just as easily as anyone else.
But something in the afterworld kept bringing her back.
For now.
It would stop when it got what it wanted…full possession of her soul.
* * *
By the time she showered and entered her room, she saw the ferrets racing across the floor, dragging a full bag of chips behind them. She couldn’t help but stop and gawk at the spectacle, the thieves had no doubt raided the kitchen.
She squatted down, playing a quick game of tug-of-war with them, before she won possession of the bag. They rose on their hind legs, begging to have it back, and she rolled her eyes. “Junk food is bad for you.”
