Page 2 of Shackled to the World
She wouldn’t allow anything to get in the way of her mission.
She was in and out of the shower within minutes, her hair still dripping as she headed toward the tunnels, then cursed when she found both Xander and Eddie waiting for her.
Crap.
She glared, then spun and marched away from them down the darkened tunnels.
She suppressed a sigh, hating that she never had more than a few minutes alone to sort out her thoughts. She got that the guys were afraid something would happen to her, but they didn’t seem to understand that she’d spent her whole life alone and being around people was draining.
Although, truth be told, being near the guys usually calmed the anxiety that raged inside her.
Now, ever since Logan was taken, there was an awkwardness between her and the guys, a distance that made her ache every time she saw them.
They hovered, fretted, but kept their distance.
She missed their touches, missed their joking. Now they treated her like one of the walking wounded, and she felt isolated, and more alone than ever.
It was as if they could finally see just how damaged she was and were waiting for her to snap.
But she was stronger than that.
She didn’t have the luxury of falling apart, not when her psychotic uncle still had Logan in his not-so-loving care.
As she walked down the tunnel, both guys pushed away from the wall, so focused on her it was like the other didn’t exist. Water dripped from their hair like they’d shoved their heads under the faucet instead of showering, no doubt worried she’d escape their watchful eyes.
She almost snorted at the absurdity.
Even though the guys restrained themselves from killing Eddie, they made it obvious that they didn’t consider him one of the team.
Actually, she was shocked they even allowed him to stay, but maybe it was better to keep the devil where they could watch him.
They were afraid Eddie would disappear with her.
She wouldn’t put it past the asshat either.
He wasn’t known for his truthfulness.
“I want you to pull on the afterworld to heal yourself.” Eddie glared at the bruises on her arms.
“I thought you wanted her toavoidgoing into the afterworld.” Xander studied the other man suspiciously, taking her safety seriously.
“Draw on it, not enter.” Eddie snapped, clearly annoyed at the other guys for hovering around them all the time. “Only the strongest phantoms can even enter the afterworld. While her bloodlines help, Annora’s strong enough to enter in her own right, a survival instinct that has saved her life over the years.”
A muscle ticked in Eddie’s jaw, and she could tell he was remembering the times he’d come to her rescue, as well as the many times when he couldn’t.
“While I was trapped in the afterworld,” Eddie continued, “I was able to cloak her and keep the others from discovering her presence.” The sharp angles of his face softened when he looked at her, pure joy and possessiveness shining from his fathomless blue eyes. “The more often she enters the afterworld without me there to shield her, the easier it will be for the others to find her.”
As they exited the stadium and entered the quad, Eddie scanned the area. He pursed his lips, his expression hardening, probably still pissed that she refused to leave with him. She would not abandon her men.
But right now Eddie’s jaw had that strong, stubborn look she was beginning to recognize. “Eddie—”
“Edgar,” he growled, and turned his glare on her, as if he knew she used the other form of his name to put distance between them.
Annora dropped her gaze first, but she refused to feel guilty about feeling betrayed.
He was the one in the wrong.
He lied to her for years, pretending to be a ferret. She’d poured out her secrets to him, her hopes and fears, without once suspecting he was anything more than an animal.
