Page 22 of Shackled to the World
“By staying strong for him.” Camden didn’t hesitate to speak. “He needs you to stay strong. If you falter, he’ll be the one to break. Can you do that for him?”
Annora swallowed hard and answered truthfully. “I’m not sure.”
She pulled away from Mason, shivering when it felt like all the warmth left her, and faced Xander. “Why is it so much easier to take a beating than to watch him being tortured?”
Xander’s face softened, and he stepped toward her, pressing his forehead against hers. “Because caring for others is a bitch. It means your uncle didn’t break you. It means you survived. That you beat him. Don’t let him win now.”
Camden curled his fingers into her hair, pulling her toward him. “You’re Logan’s alpha. You’ve claimed him. You can give him the strength he needs to survive.”
“Camden!” Xander snapped, his expression murderous. “Logan would want her to have a choice. He wouldn’t want her to be tricked into claiming him.”
The look that passed between the guys had her backing away, a dark suspicion worming its way into her gut. “Tell me.”
Xander blocked her exit, leaving her trapped between the two men, each of them glaring at the other in a silent battle of wills.
Edgar broke the stalemate. “What they don’t want to tell you is that your claim on them isn’t complete yet. You have the choice to walk away from them if you want.”
Camden looked ready to deck Edgar. His gaze dropped to her and his expression softened. “Logan is reaching out for you because he acknowledges you as his alpha. You anchor him. If you accept him as your mate, you should be able to reach out to him. The connection should help shelter him from the worst of the pain, allowing him to heal from his injuries faster.”
She blinked at him in astonishment, wanting to smack every fucking one of them for not telling her sooner. There was no way in hell that she would leave him to suffer in that hell alone if she could help it. “How?”
“You can take control of his dreams and make him forget by taking him to a place that makes him happy.”
Her mind went completely blank. Logan was basically born a slave, his entire life dedicated to serving a woman who took pleasure in making him as miserable as possible. His life was as shitty as hers, just in a different way. She combed her fingers through her hair, completely frustrated. “Where?”
Camden’s smile was crooked and devastating as he gazed down at her. “It’s the same place for all of us…wherever you are.”
Heat burned her cheeks, and she tangled her fingers together to keep from reaching out to Logan right now. She glanced over her shoulder to the stairs leading to her room, determined to reach him tonight.
Only to have Edgar step directly in front of her. “If you do this, there will be no going back. Not even death will break this bond. If something happens to you, chances are none of them would survive long without you.”
How could she let Logan die lost and alone because something might happen to her later?
She couldn’t.
She glanced around at the men and crossed her arms. “Then we better find a way to keep me alive.”
Because no way in hell was she leaving Logan to his fate.
She refused to allow him to sacrifice himself to protect her.
“Logan wouldn’t want this for you.” Xander grabbed her shoulders, his conflicted expression torn between his deep yearning to belong against his fear that they were forcing her hand.
“It’s my choice. None of you get to decide that for me. You’re family. My family.”
She looked at Edgar, finally understanding what he’d done for her. He’d been her lifeline for years, helping her survive her uncle. He saved her…and bound himself to her in the process.
How could she be mad at him when she was about to do the same thing? “I understand what’s at stake. They’re worth the risk.”
He swallowed hard and gave a small bow of his head, accepting her silent apology for everything he’d sacrificed for her.
A little uncomfortable at the pure possessiveness shining in Edgar’s fathomless blue eyes, she turned toward Camden. “Show me what I need to do.”
* * *
Camden trailed Annora up the stairs, growing more and more anxious at the thought of being alone with her, knowing he’d be touching her bare skin soon. His nerves increased with every step, and he watched the sway of her hips, the way her hair swung back and forth across her back almost hypnotically.
Unable to restrain himself, he reached out and brushed his fingertips along the silken strands. The need to bury his face into the heavy mass, almost a compulsion, made him jerk back and ball his hands into fists.
