Page 55 of Tethered to the World
Though the shadows were fading, she was afraid it wasn’t going to be nearly fast enough. She called to the darkness, her fingertips tingling at its nearness, but she resisted the urge to pull. If he didn’t release his hold first, she was terrified she might cause him permanent damage.
A swirl of particles splashed against her palm, quickly seeping back under her skin, eager to be home. Power zipped along her veins, tasting like the sea…tasting of him. Xander swayed, and she grabbed his arm, haling it around her shoulder, disturbed to see this strong man brought low. “I never should have touched you.”
He snuggled against her neck, a lazy smile curling his lips, his hands sliding down her body to rest suggestively above her ass. He tucked her closer, peering at her from under his lashes, the heat in his eyes devastating to her ability to think.
His beast was so close to the surface, she could practically feel his attention focused on her. In spite of the darkness, she heard the rustle of feathers.
Felt them brush against her skin.
She suddenly wished she hadn’t respected his privacy and stolen a peek at his beast.
“Your innocence steals my breath.” He traced a finger down the side of her face. “But the darkness you hide calls to my beast.”
It took all her strength to keep them moving as they staggered through the crowd, and she nearly sagged in relief when she spotted Logan leaning against a tree surrounded by a bunch of younger groupies. When he spotted her, he gaped and did a double take, his eyes widening. She wasn’t sure if it was because she looked roughed up or because she was practically carrying his friend.
She huffed under her breath when he remained frozen, then shivered when Xander’s lips trailed up her neck. That seemed to launch Logan into motion, a scowl crossing his face as he simply walked away from his group without a word and came toward her.
“What the hell happened?” He grabbed Xander’s other arm, taking the bulk of his weight.
Unfortunately, when she tried to slip away, Xander grumbled and dragged her along with him.
“Long story.” One she had no intention of sharing. “We need to get him out of here.”
Her touch usually scared people to death.
The last thing she expected when she shared the darkness with Xander was for it to strip away all his inhibitions, leaving her with a beast who found her fascinating instead of cowering in fear like every other creature she’d run across.
Chapter Fourteen
Logan slipped out his phone and typed a quick message, then shoved it back into his pocket, his face grim as he led them toward the edge of the party. “The others should be here shortly.”
Xander dragged his arm away from Logan, leaving her staggering under his weight, until he backed her up against a tree, a hungry smile on his face. “I missed you.”
When he leaned in to steal a kiss, her breath caught in her throat at the intensity on his face. It almost looked like he actually…loved her, and her heart twisted painfully when a pang of yearning pierced her heart.
She wanted that love, wanted to belong to someone who would cherish her, and her heart ached over a dream that would never come true.
“Come here, lover boy.” Logan flung his arm around Xander’s neck until he had him in a headlock, dragging the much bigger man away. But when Xander began to struggle, Logan scowled, then met her gaze over the top of Xander’s head. “He can still smell you. I’m not going to be able to hold him for long with you near.”
Annora took a step back, then another as they began to struggle in earnest, Xander nearly taking down Logan with a nasty blow. As the two friends wrestled, a crowd gathered around them, and she retreated until she could no longer see them.
Her heart wrenched at knowing she was the cause of their fight.
She was supposed to draw the team together, but she only seemed to tear them apart.
“What do we have here?”
Annora whirled at the snide voice, and came face-to-face with Vicki and the herd of female wolves from the bathroom. A number of them still showed signs of their earlier scuffle.
“You left before we could finish our discussion.” The leader smiled maliciously, her teeth a little longer than human, her eyes shimmering as her wolf rose to the surface while she and her pack began to circle her. Vicki flicked her nails, the click drawing Annora’s attention to the claws slowly forcing their way out of the tips of her fingers, droplets of blood splattering to the ground.
Her face was black and blue, her nose still crusted in blood despite her advanced healing. Instead of fear, the darkness gathered under Annora’s skin, crackling painfully with the need to hunt, suddenly hungry for blood.
“This won’t end the way you expect. You won’t win.” People often underestimated her—especially since she couldn’t die. She rolled her shoulders, almost eager for the slash of pain.
“What the fuck is wrong with her eyes?” One of the wolves stopped dead, then hesitantly backed away.
“What is she?” Another girl tipped her head back, nose in the air, as if trying to catch her scent. “I can’t get anything but cold…and death.”
