Page 27 of Shackled to the World
“They won’t kill him.” Xander reminded her, his voice a comforting rumble. “Not until they get what they want.”
Me.
Annora gave a bitter laugh. “You don’t understand. I’m not afraid they’ll kill him. I can save him from death. What I can’t do is put him back together if my uncle breaks him.”
“Logan isn’t as weak as you think.” Camden stood and came to a stop in front of her. “His life hasn’t been easy. He knows how to fight, especially now he knows you’re waiting for him.”
She refused to blink, refused to let her tears fall. She desperately wanted to believe him, but she knew the lengths her uncle would go to in order to achieve his ends. He would break Logan, try to turn him, make him into one of his minions if he could.
And it would destroy her.
“You have no idea what my uncle is capable of.” She shook her head in despair, refusing to look at them lest they see her shattered expression.
“I do.” Edgar watched her without a hint of emotion, always pushing her in a way the other guys were afraid to do. “And I know if I had you waiting for me, I would endure anything, survive anything to get back to you. Your kitsune will fight for you. Trust in him. Trust in us. We’ll do everything in our power to get him back.”
It sounded like a vow, and the guys nodded in complete agreement.
“What we need to do is practice, find a way that you can use your powers without alerting the other phantoms to your presence.” Xander ignored the glare Edgar tossed at him. “She needs to practice taking us with her. If she finds Logan, no way in hell do I want her to go anywhere near her uncle without backup.”
Edgar pursed his lips, unable to refute Xander’s logic.
Hope surged through her at the possibility of actually being able to do something instead of sitting on her ass.
Edgar gave her a speculative look. “You have a rare gift, usually gained with age or a powerful lineage, one that before I met you I would’ve said takes a lifetime to master. But if we can ward the house strongly enough, we could practice ghosting distances without touching the afterworld.”
“Like teleportation?” Mason appeared intrigued instead of disbelieving.
“I know a few witches who owe us favors.” Camden pulled out his phone, already scrolling through the contacts.
Annora reached out, touching his arm. He jumped, startled at the contact, his head snapping up before he seemed to settle himself.
“And the kerfuffle of this morning?” she asked. “You don’t think they’re going to demand more?”
“We need this.” Instead of being concerned, he just shrugged, like any price was worth paying. “They’re going to be gunning for us either way.”
When none of the guys objected, she let the matter drop. While she might not like the idea of inviting strangers into her life, if it meant she could protect the guysandrescue Logan, it was a price that she was willing to pay.
As the guys went into motion, Edgar pulled her off to the side. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
“I have to be.” Annora answered honestly. “I don’t have a choice.”
His lips tightened as he scowled down at her. “The afterworld is a dangerous place. As much as it feels like home to you, there are creatures there that would be more than happy to rip you apart or keep you trapped to feed off of you. You have no idea—”
“I can do this.” She gave him a smile to hide her own doubts. She’d never been afraid of the afterworld the way he was. Maybe it was because she was never taught to fear it, or maybe he was right and she was just being naïve, but she needed to try.
No, she had to do more than try.
She had to make this work, whatever it took.
As if the witches had been waiting for their call, it didn’t take more than an hour for them to show up at the house. She watched no less than five witches gather outside, casting wards strong enough that she could feel them brush against her like static.
When the witches were done, the guys headed out to the backyard. The witches carefully kept their distance, trying to remain quiet so they wouldn’t be kicked out. Having them stay to observe must have been part of the deal to get them to ward the area. The witches gathered at the fire pit, lighting the fire with a simple flick of their wrist, the flame an odd blue color, as if they were using it more to spy than for heat.
The guys waited patiently by the tree line behind the house, pretending the witches didn’t exist…all except Edgar.
He stood facing her in the middle of the clearing, legs spread, arms crossed, an imposing expression on his face. “You know how to ghost people by slipping into the afterworld, but I want you to practice ghosting without setting foot in the other realm before you try to bring anyone with you. The last thing we need is for anyone to get stuck or lost on the other side of the barrier.”
She swallowed hard, not concerned about herself, but what would happen if she lost someone in the afterworld and wasn’t able to pull them out. She gave herself a few seconds to wallow in her doubts, then resolutely pushed them away.
