Page 79 of Tethered to the World
He pushed his body for more, then dropped to the ground, skidding to a stop next to Annora, Lionel only a second behind him. Frightened out of his mind, he gently turned her over and cradled her in his arms, the rest of the world ceasing to exist. “Annora?”
* * *
Annora groaned as she hit the ground and rolled, trying to protect Loulou as much as possible. Dirt and gravel bit into her skin, ripping flesh, destroying her beautiful new outfit, the bite of pain allowing her to cling to consciousness as she struggled against the dark oblivion of the drug.
Then Logan was there, cradling her close, his shattered eyes pleading.
She’d never before had anyone look at her like she was their whole world. While part of her liked it, it was also terrifying.
“You look like hell,” she croaked. Although in truth, despite the cuts and bruises that were already healing, he looked beautiful. “You came for me.”
“Always. I’ll always come for you.” He pulled her close, tucking her against his chest until her ribs protested. Then she heard the sounds of metal crunching against metal and turned to see a large SUV plow the car off the road.
The doors of the SUV flew open. Camden burst out of the driver’s side, his stride quickly closing the distance between the vehicles, murder darkening his face. Xander emerged from the passenger door, the tails of his long coat rippling behind him like a badass of old, looking ready to tear people apart with his bare hands.
The car reversed, the engine screaming, the tires squealing as the car shot back toward them. Logan tensed, ready to drag her out of danger, when a massive form launched out of the trees and landed with a thump between them, the road cracking in protest under the impact.
It was Mason…but it wasn’t. He was completely in his troll form and nearly twice his normal awe-inspiring size. His tattoos were darker, stretching down his back and spine, crawling over his shoulder as they worked their way down his chest almost like they were an integral part of him. They were actually etched into him, and she suspected they weren’t really tattoos at all.
She wanted to scream at him to watch out when he lifted his massive fists and brought them down on the back of the car, flattening it to the ground so hard and fast, a wheel popped off and rolled away into the darkness.
Then Xander strode toward the driver’s side of the vehicle, reached out with both hands, and ripped the door clear off its hinges with nothing more than a grunt of annoyance. When the first wolf launched himself at him, he simply sidestepped, then kicked out, sending the man flying backwards…right at Mason.
The troll caught the wolf midair, flipped him upside down and piledrove him right into the ground. Xander didn’t wait for the next wolf to attack, but reached inside the vehicle, hauled him out, and proceeded to beat the living crap out of him, not even noticing the punches and kicks he took in return.
Camden had no such problem. It only took one simple touch and both of his guys hit the ground, and he didn’t look pleased at their easy capitulations. He kicked one of the guys in the ribs, then bent down and pounded the other guy a few times for good measure, his bloodlust not appeased in the least.
Xander got to his feet, reached into the vehicle and plucked the ferret out, settling the little guy on his shoulder.
Then the guys turned and walked toward her.
Mason reached her first. He knelt in front of her, but hesitated to touch her, gently brushing the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Annora caught his hand, not in the least bit intimidated by his size. His face was a little too wide, the crown of horns around his skull more pronounced, his hair even wilder. And she loved it. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“Always.” He swept her up onto his lap, snuggling her close, the deep timber of his voice resonating through her.
Then Xander was there, snatching her from Mason. He gently set her on her feet, holding her away from him until he could scan her from head to toe, stopping and noting every bruise and scrape. His teal eyes burned, and the white tips of his hair seemed to stand on end. His grip tightened on her arms, the pain actually grounding her.
Funny enough, the ferret mimicked his moves exactly, the little critter looking a little worse for wear.
She reached out, placing her hand on his chest, the beat of his heart thundering under her palm. “Secure the prisoners. We need to question them.”
He blinked for a few seconds, then the tension seeped out of him, and he nodded. He leaned forward, kissing her forehead, lingering for a moment, before he set her aside. He carefully lifted the ferret off his shoulder and placed the little guy in her palms.
She bowed her head, noting the little guy’s injuries and clucked her tongue in reprimand. “Go back to the others, you little scamp. Rest. Get better.”
The ferret glanced at the men scattered across the road. Only when he was convinced they were out of commission, did he reluctantly obey. He leapt off her palms, vanishing in a puff of black particles before he hit the ground.
Then there was Camden. Even in the dim light, he seemed to shimmer, his hair almost fully iridescent. Lines were etched into his skin as his beast edged forward, his vivid green eyes glowing florescent. He didn’t come to her. He would never come to her. So instead she went to him and wrapped her arms around him.
He stiffened, but couldn’t seem to make himself pull away. After a minute, the hard surface of his skin eased, and he leaned down, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “I thought we lost you.”
She shook her head, pulling away to look up at him. “You should’ve let me go. I could’ve held out until you came to get me. Nothing they could do could be worse than what I’ve been through with my uncle.”
“And you would’ve never forgiven yourself if anything happened to Loulou.” He scowled down at her, his fingers slipping into her hair until the strands were knotted into his fists. “You’re not indestructible. You’re not even trained properly. You have no right being on this case.”
Annora reached up and smacked him on the back of the head.
His mouth dropped open, and he frowned down at her incredulously.
