Page 41 of Tethered to the World
She met his gaze in the mirror, watched as his wild pink hair sway slightly, standing completely on end.
“I’ve tried to hide from my past. I dressed to fit in with everyone else, but it didn’t matter. I will always be a troll. We’re outcasts, we live alone, our colonies few and far between. After years of trying to become invisible, I decided I didn’t like who I’d become.” He entered the room until he was standing behind her. “I like being a troll. Being bigger and stronger than everyone else. I was made for fighting, I was made to be a part of this team…and so were you.”
He gently pushed her hair over her shoulder, staring at her in the mirror, his fresh pine and copper scent seeming to reach deep inside her to the girl who just wanted to be noticed and loved…no more hiding, no more fear.
“He will come for me,” she warned, part of her wishing her uncle was here now so she could kill him or die trying. She just wanted it over so she could move on with her life.
“Eventually,” he acknowledged. “But you’re already stronger than you were yesterday. And tomorrow you’ll be stronger yet. When he comes, we’ll be ready.”
Annora very slowly leaned back against him, taking strength from his assurance. “Promise?”
“We will always come for you.” His violet eyes darkened with his pledge. “You will never have to be alone again.”
She looked tiny against him in the mirror, like a child leaning against a giant. She should fear him and the others, worry that they were learning all her secrets, but she was beginning to trust them. She gave one last look in the mirror, running her hands down her clothes, then gave in to his urgings. If she was going to die, she wanted the chance to live first, if only for a little while.
She whirled away from the mirror, then grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the stairs. “We should go. I’m starving.”
When he smiled at her, the dark, brooding angles of his face became breathtaking, and she nearly tripped over her own feet. She pulled away from him, then nodded toward the stairs. “You go first.”
He gave her a puzzled look, but obeyed. When he reached the bottom, she tapped his shoulder, and he half turned to look at her. Despite standing three stairs down from her, he was still taller.
Before she lost her nerve, she used his shoulders for support and leaned over, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Before she had time to react, he plucked her from the stairs, pulling her close, her arms automatically going around his shoulders for support as he held her inches away from his face, her legs more than a few feet off the floor.
“Careful, little grá. While we may look human, we’re not.” His hungry eyes dropped to her lips. “If you start something, we might take it as an invitation.”
Annora couldn’t help the way her cheeks heated, but it wasn’t from embarrassment. “I’ve never kissed anyone before, not willingly.” She couldn’t help but enjoy the way his muscles bunched around her, their slight quiver at her confession, and she allowed her fingers to touch his hair, startled to discover his horns were completely wrapped around his head like a crown.
She remembered Logan’s taunting words when Mason spoke. “You’re allowed to touch me whenever and wherever you like. Don’t ever hesitate. Okay?”
The light blush dusting his cheeks enchanted her, and she gently ran a single finger along his crown of horns, his permission apparently all she needed, the ridges making the tips of her fingers tingle, much like the toxins Camden produced. Her knees shook, her stomach went weightless, and she craved more.
She pulled back, trying to clear her mind from the intoxicating spell weaving around them.
“After I nearly killed the first guy who tried to touch me, my uncle decided it was best to maintain a no-touch policy…bad for business and all to kill the customers.” Annora shrugged, grateful for small mercies. It was worth the beating that broke both her arms, a number of ribs, and fractured her jaw, the internal injuries so severe it took over a month to heal. “I’ve always wondered if I would like it.”
With a tortured groan, he carefully deposited her on the floor, and she allowed her hands to drag down his chest, already missing the closeness.
Then he stooped and looked directly in her eyes, making sure he had her complete attention. “Then we will go slowly, but you are not allowed to touch anyone but the guys on the team, understand?”
The thought of being able to touch or kiss any of the guys left her body tingling. Though she knew she should protest their edict, she had no interest in anyone else, the idea leaving her cold…but his demand left her confused, and she answered honestly, “No.”
He huffed out a nervous-sounding laugh, then carefully tucked her hand along his forearm. “Then we’ll go the kitchen and discuss it over dinner.”
On the way down the stairs, she nearly tripped over her own feet when it occurred to her that he was afraid to be alone with her.
She followed Mason, her thoughts on the past. She grew up in a world where her uncle took whatever he wanted, and many of his associates were the same. A few would touch her, but it never went any further, none of them wanting to risk destroying her ability to bring them back from the brink of death.
* * *
Mason absently touched his cheek, still able to feel her lips brush against him like butterfly wings. He’d dated women in the past, some of them pursuing him out of curiosity, checking him off their paranormal sex list. Most females were too fragile for him to even bother giving them a second look.
That’s what he found so amusing about Annora.
She was the opposite of his ideal mate in every way, but it didn’t matter one whit. The instant she touched his hair at the arena, he knew she was his mate—without ever seeing her face. It was like all his senses came alive for the first time.
It didn’t matter that she was tiny, that he could break her with a look or that a strong wind could knock her over.
