Page 73 of Tethered to the World
Xander scowled, his grip turning bruising. It was Camden who snorted. “You don’t think others have tried? They’ve taken other alphas without even raising an alarm. You’re too confident.”
She wiggled out of Xander’s hold, leaning back in her seat to face Camden. “Not confident. I’ve been close to death too many times to give up so easily. I’m not even sure I’m a real shifter. I’m not a vampire, and I’m sure as hell not a witch. From what I can tell, my kind keeps their distance from everyone for a reason…we’re death.”
No one moved as they stared at her, so still they would never be mistaken for human.
“What are you?” Logan’s voice was gentle, the first one to break the taboo.
Before she could answer, a clatter sounded behind her. She turned to see three ferrets were in front of a plastic container of some sort on the corner of the countertop. One pressed a button, which would spit a piece of hard jerky out of a small slot at the bottom, while another would grab it and frantically shove it into his mouth, then go back to staring obsessively at the small slot.
The third ferret had his paw up the slot as far as it would go, his whole body wiggling as he pulled out prize after prize and shoved them in his mouth until his cheeks bulged. She burst out laughing when the first ferret pushed him out of the way, his tail twitching as he waited for the next piece. It wasn’t long before an all-out brawl ensued as they fought to take apart the machine.
At her laugh, they turned toward her as one, seeming to grin at her while they bounded across the counter to jump on her shoulder and crawl into her lap. One was daring enough to reach for a pea that had fallen off her plate and quickly shove it into his packed mouth.
She looked up at Mason with a smile. “Thank you.”
He was gazing at her in bemusement. At her thanks, he blushed and ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck, a pleased smile on his face.
“Of course,” he answered gruffly, then shoveled a large forkful of food into his mouth so he wouldn’t have to say more.
“Annora.”
Her name was spoken softly, but there was a sternness of an alpha command underneath it.
She glanced over to see Camden was intractable, unwilling to let her get away with evading them any longer. Xander waited patiently, completely relaxed, letting her decide, while Logan simply leaned closer to offer his support.
The ferrets stopped moving, then one of them reached up to pat her face, as if telling her it was all right. Then they scrambled up her body, leaping onto the counter, then turned to line up and watch her expectantly.
“They’re not real ferrets, are they?” Camden was the first to venture the question, and everyone turned to study them closer.
As if to prove his point, the ferrets moved as one, tipping their heads to the side as they turned to stare back at Camden.
“Are you sure you want to know?” she asked with more than a bit of trepidation. While she desperately wanted to keep the secrets about her past from them for as long as possible, she couldn’t justify putting them in more danger. They had become that precious to her. If she got any closer to them, it would break her heart to have them run from her when they learned the truth.
If it wasn’t already too late.
All the guys nodded, waiting expectantly, no judgement on their faces, and she could’ve kissed them. She lifted her arms, then held them out to Mason and Logan on each side of her. “Everyone hold hands.”
They obeyed without hesitation.
Acid churned in her stomach as her mother’s frequent warnings to keep silent rang in her ears, and Annora almost lost her nerve.
Only one thing stopped her.
The complete trust in their eyes.
Annora called upon the darkness that lived inside her and pulled them into the afterworld.
Chapter Nineteen
Camden watched as the shadows in the kitchen began to stretch, clawing their way toward them, and it was all he could do not to leap over the table and scoop Annora into his arms to protect her. Only her tranquil expression kept him seated.
The lights dimmed until the whole room was shrouded in darkness. It wasn’t completely black, more of a bluish world, his vision limited to only a few yards before the shadows became too thick to penetrate.
Particles began to float in the air, as if on a current he couldn’t see. The kitchen was the same, but wholly different. The wooden table looked beaten and broken down, the floors sloped, the walls sagged, while the ceiling actually crumbled as he watched. The air was so frigid it stole the breath from his lungs.
Then he saw Annora right across from him and forgot why breathing was even important. She was a bright beacon in this world, glowing from within with power. Her hair seemed to float in the particles. Her form was solid for the most part until he looked closer. She seemed to shimmer in and out of existence. Her head was tipped back, a look of pure contentment on her face, as if this afterworld of hers was home.
Their connection pulled tight, and for the first time, he felt her faintly inside his head, felt her fears about how they would react, her joy in being free and no longer alone.
