Page 7 of Tethered to the World
The men split into three groups. One went to stand in front of the kids, another walked around them as if inspecting a horse, while the remaining two walked toward where she was standing.
The guys moved with a lethal grace that drew the eyes, and it was all Annora could do not to twitch and draw attention to herself. They scanned the stands briefly, then just turned and rested their backs against the wall, as if settling in to watch the show.
One guy drew her attention, and it wasn’t just because he was huge…it was because he had freaking hot pink hair. He must have stood close to six and a half feet tall, his head almost reaching the top of the railing, and she was hypnotized.
It was obvious he’d tried to slick back his hair, but the pink strands seemed to stand up of their own accord. They swayed in front of her until she couldn’t resist the urge to touch, and she slowly reached over the railing.
To her surprise, the hair stilled, then began to sway toward her, gently playing with her fingertips until the strands slipped between her fingers, tickling her palm until she couldn’t hold back her grin.
When Loulou gasped, Annora flushed and jerked away in panic…but not fast enough. The giant of the man whirled, and grabbed her wrist, nearly pulling her over the railing, until they were face-to-face.
“Eapp.” Annora let out a startled squeak, the railing slamming into her gut, and whatever air she had in her lungs exploded out of her.
The snarl on his face froze, leaving his upper and lower fangs exposed. But instead of scaring her, his bright lavender eyes captured her breath. Then he blinked and quickly closed his mouth. Very slowly, he lowered her, placing her back on her feet, but instead of releasing her, he gently put her hand back in his hair, never once releasing his grip on her arm or letting go of her gaze.
The strands of his hair swayed forward, gently prying open her clenched fingers, until they were once more buried in the almost coarse pink strands, until she reached the satiny layer beneath…and touched—
“You have horns.” For some reason the discovery delighted her, and she couldn’t repress a grin. The crown of horns was mostly hidden by his hair, and she trailed her fingers along the ridges.
A rumble emerged from the man, drawing the attention of the guy with a shock of bright red hair next to him. When the redhead turned to look, his eyes widened almost comically, then he swore.
“Hey, Mason. How about we let the pretty girl go, big guy?” The man was a foot shorter than the giant, his bright blue eyes seemed to snap with electricity. Instead of pure red, his hair was a deep black tipped with three-inch, bright red spikes. And his lean frame practically vibrated with tension.
The giant’s hands flexed where his grip practically encircled her arm from wrist to elbow, before he reluctantly loosened his hold…but he didn’t let go of her completely. The hulk released a heavy sigh, his massive shoulders flexing, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. “Logan—I’m going to kill you very slowly, and enjoy it.”
The redhead sighed with relief, then turned those stormy eyes toward her, a smirk brightening his face. “Do you know horns are an erogenous zone?”
“What?” Annora jerked her hands away, her face burning. The giant scowled and tightened his hold on her for a second, as if reluctant to release her—or just pissed at the interruption.
“You might as well be stroking his cock.”
With a roar, the giant let her go and turned on his tormentor. He seemed to bulk up, gaining another foot in height. His teeth lengthened, his features became more exaggerated, his forehead larger, his horns actually growing.
The redhead lifted his hands in surrender, dancing out of the way while the giant stomped after him. Then the guy nodded to someone standing off to the side.
When Annora turned, she saw a large guy leap the six-foot railing in a single bound. He was big and rugged, his black hair buzzed short in the back and sides, leaving the silvery, frosted tips on top to sweep over his forehead.
Loulou swore behind her and clutched her arm, dragging her back while the man glowered and took a step toward them.
“Leave her alone, Xander.” Then the giant was there, grabbing the man by his leg, nearly jerking the one he called Xander off his feet.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Another man strode off the field, his face twisted in a menacing scowl.
Shit.
She didn’t need to be told that was Camden.
The one Loulou warned her not to mess with.
Unfortunately, it was much too late to hope the earth would open up and swallow her whole.
He was lean but muscular, and carried himself like he knew his place in the world and didn’t care if he had to step on people to get there—clearly the leader of the group.
He had black hair that almost shimmered with color, but even when she squinted, she couldn’t quite make out the different shades…it seemed to change while she watched, then vanish when the light hit it a certain way.
He glared at the men, then his vivid, almost neon-green eyes latched onto hers. “If you’re going to play with my guys, do it on the field or get out.”
Chapter Three
