Page 20 of Shackled to the World
She turned toward the door, ready to charge after the stupid fool, when Terrance stepped into her path. “You didn’t send him, then?”
“Of course not!” Annora reared back, dread tearing up her insides. “Fuck, he’s just a kid. I can find Logan without your brother risking his life to do it.”
Terrance gave her a small smile, a tendril of hope lightening his expression. “You got him out of bed. You gave him back the fire he’s been missing, something I couldn’t do. He was dying down in that basement.” He glanced down at the paper clutched in his fist, then shoved it into his pocket and straightened his shoulders. “While he might be in danger, it’s the first time he’s acted like his old self since before he started taking those damned drugs.”
Terrance glanced around the kitchen as if noticing the tension in the room for the first time. He went on alert, his face hardening. “What happened?”
Though he wasn’t much taller than she was, there was an understated power to him, a kind of competence that made people think he could solve whatever problem arose. Too bad her problems were most likely to get them all killed.
“Or maybe the more important question is—what do you mean you can find Logan?” Edgar spoke from the kitchen doorway. Annora whirled to find him watching her closely, his face hard with suspicion. He’d entered so silently she hadn’t even been aware that he’d joined them.
“I just meant that I won’t put other people in danger.” Annora backpedaled, but, judging by their forbidding expressions, none of the guys believed her.
“What did you do?” Camden’s sharp question had bite, his accusation making her take a step back.
Instead of cowering, she lifted her chin mutinously. “The same thing I would do if anything happened to any of you. I’m searching for Logan.”
Xander’s brows slammed down, and he edged in front of her. “How, exactly?”
That was the crux of the problem, and likely to land her in hot water. She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling awkward with him so close, the chill of his anger not inviting her to touch. She swallowed past her dry mouth, pressing her lips tightly together to keep from spilling her secrets.
She might as well not have even bothered, since her silence gave her away. When the guys began to swear, Edgar wove between the others, coming to a stop in front of her. “What have you been doing?”
Annora refused to be intimidated and narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you be changing the subject…who was that girl out there?”
She peered around the other Edgar to speak to the guys. “That girl is a phantom.”
Xander and Camden surged into action, covering the windows and doors. Even Terrance swiped up the deadly knives from the counter and took up point in the living room, while Mason boldly stepped into her space and place a giant hand on her shoulder, as if to dare anyone to take her from him.
“She’s like you?” The troll looked down at her with his lavender eyes, fear making them appear darker.
“No.” Annora wasn’t sure how to answer the question. “She’s like Edgar.”
The guys paused at her comment, and Camden turned to look at her over his shoulder. “What do you mean?”
Edgar was the one who spoke when she was at a loss for words. “Sadie is a pureblood, sent to check out a disturbance in the area. So far, she doesn’t have a clue about you, and we need to keep it that way.”
The steam left her suddenly, and Annora gouged her fingernails against the fleshy part of her thumb, using the pain in an attempt to stave off her anxiety. “She will report me to my father.”
It wasn’t a question.
Edgar gazed down at her, his blue eyes darkening with worry. “In a heartbeat.”
Chapter Seven
When Annora opened her mouth to demand more answers—like why the fuck the girl would be hanging off him like a monkey? Or, more important, why he didn’t push her away—Edgar tucked a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to his, silently demanding the truth.
“What do you mean you can find Logan?”
The rest of the guys came stalking back into the room, maybe realizing that if a phantom was after her, there was no real way that they could stop them from claiming her when they could simply transport into a room and get out before any of them could blink.
Camden crossed his arms, Xander leaned his hip against the counter, and Mason squeezed her shoulder, their silent censure making her flinch. Even Terrance looked concerned, tucking the knives in his belt in case he might need them.
Smart man.
Blowing out a harsh breath, she admitted the truth. “I’ve been doing some digging.”
They stilled, the silence in the room so sharp, the edges clawed at her conscience. She glared at them, daring them to take her to task. “I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing!”
