Page 2 of Tethered to the World
She hadn’t made the same mistake.
“You should listen to him, little girl, and run.” The man who said it smiled, showing teeth a little too long, his eyes glowing the same color as his beast.
“Wolves.”
The big one stopped smiling and tilted his head to study her. His nostrils flared, and he licked his lips. “You smell…different.”
She shivered at the waydifferentsounded likedelicious.
Rufus was down on the ground, the beasts tearing him apart, his blood splattering everywhere and beginning to pool beneath him.
They were going to kill him.
Then she had no more time to think when one of the wolves turned toward her with a snarl on his face.
Pure reaction took over.
The gathering darkness whirling inside her exploded outward like a small tornado, her form dissolving into smoke. The world around her went dark, the air almost murky, like they were submerged deep underwater. Small particles floated in the air as if on a current only it could feel. She went weightless, her worries and aches vanishing. Her wounds stitched together painfully, but the pain was only an afterthought. Everything was calmer in this place, soothing to her ragged nerves. She felt better, stronger in this world…powerful.
The wolves retreated when they saw her, scattering into dust, leaving behind only the human shells. The men remained mostly human, which meant the wolves weren’t totally evil. Their skin was pale, their eyes black and soulless, and tears of tar streaked their cheeks, which meant they were by no means innocent, either.
They glanced around but couldn’t see her.
They backed away, suddenly cautious, and she quickly moved between them and Rufus.
All but one man. He was too lost to bloodlust to pay any heed to his surroundings, or too cocky to notice the others had backed off.
Rufus was the only one of them who looked normal, proving she made the right decision when she chose to trust him.
Annora—
At the sound of her name echoing in the darkness, her heart clenched in terror, and the particles scattered, dumping her harshly back into the real world. She staggered at the abrupt change, her body feeling almost too heavy.
“What the fuck!” The male who had threatened her startled so badly he leapt back, knocking into the guy behind him so hard it sent the man sprawling across the floor.
“I’m not the one who should’ve run.” Without hesitation, she leaned down and placed her hand on the back of the one who was still crouched over Rufus. The instant she touched him, the darkness inside him churned under her touch. She curled her palm into a fist and pulled back, drawing a swirling mass of black particles out of him like a thick cloud of foul-smelling fog.
The man screamed in agony, and she watched the dust slowly pull together, turning him into a ghost of his human self. A glittering gold pulsed inside the form, the sparks dimming in spots where he was injured. He glanced around in confusion, his black, soulless eyes a little too wide.
Until he noticed her, and they narrowed viciously.
When he leapt toward her to rip out her throat, his hand passed clear through her, and Annora couldn’t help but smile at him, then she turned to watch his physical body flop uselessly to the ground.
“What did you do to him?” The wolves backed up against the wall, the stench of their fear souring the air as they stared at her in horror.
Instead of answering, she knelt at Rufus’ side, the pooling blood soaking into her pants, cooling and sticking to her skin. Very gently, she rested her hand against his chest, noting that the spark inside him had dimmed, the gold no longer sparkling, more and more of the sparks blinking out of existence every second.
She could chase away the encroaching darkness, which under normal circumstances would allow most people time to heal, but Rufus had lost too much blood. Her touch only kept him from slipping away. If they were alone, she might be able to keep him alive, but she very much doubted the wolves would allow her enough time.
She bit back a curse, then met Rufus’s gaze, her heart heavy as she noticed his eyes were already fading. “Do you want to live?”
He blinked at her, his mouth opening, only to have him cough blood, and she patted his chest. “Blink twice if you want to live.”
She waited a heartbeat, then two, her chest hurting as she held her breath, when he finally blinked.
Twice.
Then her spirits plummeted at the massive undertaking. She’d promised herself she would leave that world behind. She’d been good. She hadn’t crossed over more than twice in the months since she escaped, but she had no choice now. She couldn’t let Rufus die.
