Page 61 of Tethered to the World
His kitsune clawed at his insides, determined to be released so they could claim their mate.
He tightened his grip on her delicate fingers, afraid she would slip through his hold and disappear from his life. Panic shredded his guts at the thought of her vanishing, and he pulled her closer, only able to catch his breath again when she snuggled clumsily against him.
She wasn’t going fucking anywhere without him.
She’d given him his freedom, rescued him from a life of slavery and servitude to the bitch his family had sold him to without a care, knowing he would most likely be dead within five years. To compensate, he lived his life to the fullest, drinking, whoring about with the girls, drugs, you name it.
Then Annora burst into his life and destroyed everything…and gave him a reason to live.
He was free to do whatever he wanted.
And he wanted her.
He hadn’t picked up a drink since then, his cup tonight had contained nothing but water. He’d flushed his drugs. Fuck, he’d even stopped answering his booty calls. Because of her. He wanted to experience everything to the fullest with her without being dulled by anything.
It was like everything was new.
Fuck if he wasn’t feeling things more vividly when she was near, the world brighter, the smells stronger. He wasn’t sure how she did it, but she shattered the shell he kept around himself. Her touch ran deeper. Fuck, she only had to look at him with her nearly black eyes for his cock to jump to attention.
But her touch destroyed him. It was a craving better than any fucking drug, and he’d never get enough of her. He ran his thumb along her palm, his chest puffing up when she shivered at such a simple gesture, and he licked his lips, still able to taste her. It was all he could do not to pull over and take her again. The only thing stopping him was he wanted her first time to be something other than in a backseat of a car.
He needed to find his control. He wanted to go slower, show her that she was special…different from all the others.
That she mattered.
He wanted to be the one she turned to when she was in trouble. He wanted to rescue her from the demons hunting her, save her the way she’d saved him, but he was afraid it wasn’t going to be so simple. As they pulled up to the house, he shook his head at his fanciful thoughts, but it didn’t change a thing.
Whether she knew it or not, he was hers.
He just needed to find a way to convince her to keep him, prove to her that he was worthy of being chosen as one of her mates.
* * *
As soon as Annora walked through the door, all three guys waiting for them lifted their heads like predators sensing their prey, and they slowly rose to their feet. They scanned her from head to foot, then their eyes locked on the fingers she had tucked into Logan’s hand, then scanned his still-naked torso. They turned toward Logan, their eyes darkening with accusations.
Xander crossed his arms, looking pissed, Camden wore his usual mask of indifference, while Mason continued to stare at their joined hands, his face inscrutable. And she felt like she’d betrayed them somehow. Not wanting to dwell on the conflicting emotions, she lifted her chin. “I may have found a clue to your missing supernatural problem.”
She squeezed Logan’s hand, then slipped free from his hold and casually walkedthroughthe counter. Being separated from Logan made her stomach lurch, and he hurried to her side as if he felt the same and pulled her tight to his side.
The guys’ eyes widened slightly at the display of her power, but they didn’t say anything, waiting for the rest of her revelation.
“When she was left alone, someone slipped something in her drink.” Logan pulled her in front of him, wrapping both arms around her waist. “The drug appears to have boosted her powers, and she’s having a little trouble holding her form.”
The guys stepped forward as one, and she cringed against Logan. “Don’t!”
They froze, holding up their hands, as if she was a gun about to go off. She swallowed hard, unable to meet their eyes as shame burned like acid in her gut. “My touch causes pain. Until I can regain control, you must keep your distance.”
Their attention flickered from her to the arms wrapped around her, then they all scowled. Mason crossed his arms, as if to stop himself from reaching for her. “You don’t seem to have a problem letting him hold you.”
Logan snorted. “I’m the only thing grounding her in this world. How the fuck do you think I got her home? If I let her go, I’m afraid she’ll vanish.”
Camden looked suspicious, like she was actively working to destroy his team, his silent accusation hurting more than any beating, and she curled her hands into fists. The sharp bite of pain where her fingernails dug into her flesh was enough to distract her. She glared at them, then rapped her knuckles on the fridge, the hollow thump matching the hollowness she felt inside.
“Is that proof enough?” Bitterness twisted through her, their lack of trust driving the blade in her back deeper. Her chest tightened, the room becoming crowded, the air suffocating her with each breath.
“Release me.” She tapped on Logan’s arm, struggling hard not to lose her shit. She needed to stay out of the afterworld in her current condition, terrified that she might never be able to come back.
Instead, Logan’s arms tightened around her like a vise. She tried to twist away, anxious to be free, when Xander stepped into her space, cupping her jaw until she was forced to look up at him.
