Page 17 of Shackled to the World
Feeling Annora pull away from him, panic seized Edgar, triggered by terror that he would lose her in the banished lands. He hastily dropped them into the empty stairwell and frantically ran his hands over her, searching for any injuries. When she tried to push him away, something inside him snapped, and he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him.
“Don’t ever do that! You can never tell anyone.” He shook her for good measure, his heart thudding so hard his ribs hurt. Blood whooshed in his ears. Fear rotted away his calm like a corrosive acid. He’d never felt it so strongly and didn’t know how to stop the way his hands trembled. Her nearness helped, and he pressed his forehead to hers. “The consequences—they hunt down any rumors about them. When they find you, they will send you to the banished lands.”
Her brown eyes were black pools when she peered up at him, her face softening, and he knew she didn’t understand. She slipped in and out of the shadows too easily and didn’t understand what it felt like to be trapped and hunted in the darkness. And he was determined to make sure she never did.
“Tell them?” She pursed her lips and blinked up at him. “Thanks to my demonstration and you whisking us away, I don’t have to say a word.”
He closed his eyes, cursing himself for an idiot, and prayed for patience. “Annora—”
“They’re going to come for me either way, and you know it.” A grimace made her nose scrunch adorably, and she pulled away, leaving his arms to feel empty without her. Her stubborn little chin rose in the air, and she planted her hands on her hips. “Would it be so wrong to have an army behind me?”
His teeth snapped shut with an audible click when he saw the cagey look in her eyes. His anger deflated, allowing him to breathe freely for the first time since taking human form. “You planned it.”
He thought over the many ways her plan could backfire, the ways she could get hurt, and couldn’t help but smile down at her. It went against all their laws, all their beliefs, but he had long ago given up on obeying the rules from his past. If it took a war for her to live fully and safely, he would lead the charge.
Annora shrugged, a small smile playing around her lips. “You said we can’t win against them alone. The only way to change that is if we do something about it.” She glared up at him, as if wanting to thump him on the back of his head. “But you should never have used your powers. I was trying to keep you safe for once. They didn’t know about you. If the witches or phantoms come for you—”
“They will find I’m not easy prey.” The doors above them slammed open, and he didn’t need to look to know the rest of her men were descending on them. Edgar frowned down at the girl before him, so delicate and strong at the same time.
He’d been fascinated when she burst into his life so many years ago, like a beacon in the darkness. He would never have guessed the hell she had to live through just to survive, and he vowed to do whatever was in his power to keep her safe. But he’d never expected that she would save him in turn. “Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”
“Eddie…” Annora murmured distractedly, a smile breaking across her face when she glanced up as her men descended on them, and the love shining in her eyes shredded his heart a little because it wasn’t directed at him. “…you’d better stand behind me. I don’t think the guys are happy with you.”
He snorted at the absurdity, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall to wait for them. While her men were a power to be reckoned with, they had one thing in common—her safety was paramount.
They would not fault him for protecting her.
“Edgar,” he mumbled under his breath, barely biting back the snarl at the mention of the other name, and the distance she was putting between them. Darkness stirred inside him, awakened by his agitation, and he gritted his teeth and swallowed it down.
One way or another, he would earn back her trust.
Chapter Six
Annora jogged up a couple steps to head off the guys, watching Xander practically sail down the stairs as he leapt from one floor to another, the coattails of his duster flapping behind him like wings of a large bird of prey. Mason moved like a predator, swift and silently, while Camden took up the rear, guarding their backs.
Xander landed before her without a sound, his sea breeze scent curling around her. He scanned her from head to toe, then grunted, glancing at Edgar over her head. She expected him to lunge at the other man, and she braced herself to stand between them, but Xander only nodded.
Then Camden and Mason were there, and the testosterone went off the scale.
Instead of stopping, the guys took formation around her and swept her up, practically frog-marching her out the door. “Camden—”
“Greenwood has forbidden them to go after you, but I don’t think it will stop them.” They burst out of the building into bright daylight. Camden surveyed the quad, viewing everyone as a suspect, his usual status quo. The scruff along his hard jaw made him look intimidating as hell. Sunlight hit his black hair, highlighting the iridescent colors that only showed when he was feeling strong emotions.
And based on the way the muscle in his jaw kept ticking as he clenched his teeth, he was more than pissed.
Unfortunately, she had a feeling it was directed at her.
“I’m sorry. I—”
Camden whirled so fast she had no time to stop and ran smack into him. Before she could fall on her ass, he grabbed her close, making sure not to brush his toxic touch against her skin, the muted contact all he allowed himself. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to strangle her or if this was his version of a hug. “What were you thinking?! Goading the witches to war will have consequences. They will never let you go now. They—”
Annora reached up, brushing her palms along his face, the scruff along his jaw prickling her fingertips. “You and I both know they were going to come after me either way. I’m willing to pay their price if it means I get to stay with you. I’ll pay any price to keep you and the rest of the guys safe.”
With a muffled curse, he tightened his grip around her hard enough to leave bruises. The bite of pain licked along her nerve endings, calming the rising panic at what she just set in motion.
“Foolish girl.” He dipped down and brushed his lips across hers. Without giving her time to even taste him, he was gone, marching her back to the house.
The rest of the guys appeared to be just as resigned to her actions.
