Page 29 of Shackled to the World
Edgar’s shoulders were heaving, as if he was struggling to catch his breath. The afterworld faded from his eyes, leaving behind a blue so dark they were almost black, pure joy and possessiveness shone from them as he gazed down at her. “It’s said when a perfect match is found, that phantoms can join their powers together, making them stronger and faster. Making them unstoppable.”
But something about his awe made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. “But?”
“It’s rare.” He took a step toward her, as if lured closer by the power, but then forced himself to stop. “Most don’t even try it. If they’re not a close enough match, one phantom can easily consume the other…or worse, they shatter against each other, rendering them both barely a step above a null. Most never recover from the loss of their powers.”
Annora swallowed hard, not sure she wanted to know the answer, not if it meant she had to send him away to protect him. But she couldn’t bury her head in the sand. She would not be responsible for destroying what he held most dear. “And when we touched?”
Even before he spoke, she saw the hesitation in his eyes and knew the truth.
Her touch would consume him.
When he went to reach for her, she flinched, quickly ducking behind Mason. “Don’t! I won’t be responsible for hurting you. I won’t—I can’t—”
Her breathing went ragged.
She stumbled away, unable to find enough oxygen to fill her lungs.
“You misunderstand.” Edgar didn’t flinch or retreat from knowing she could literally destroy him with a touch. “Merging is giving and taking. There has to be a balance. With practice, we would be able to control the push and pull and use it.”
But she was already shaking her head.
“It’s about trust,” he continued, his eyes sparkling with pure happiness. “I know you would never harm me—your magic doesn’t see me as a threat. Plus, I know it’s not possible for me to harm you. Even if I took all the power you have to offer, it would only weaken you at the very worst. The only threat to me is too much power burning me out.”
He grinned, like it was miraculous news, but none of it eased the tightness in her chest at the thought of giving him up.
Because that’s what would happen.
She had to send him away. She couldn’t live with herself if she ever harmed him, even unintentionally.
The eagerness on Edgar’s face faded when she remained mute.
Xander grabbed her arm and twisted her around to face him. He lifted up his scarred hands, staring down at them. “I’ve killed people with my bare hands, torn them apart without an ounce of remorse, and I will do it again.”
He dropped his hands and glanced at her. “Are you afraid of me now?”
She blinked up at him, confused at the abrupt change in conversation. “No, of course not. You would never harm me.”
She knew it down in her bones. He would rather kill himself than harm a hair on her head.
It was the same for all of the guys.
“Then you have a choice. Edgar has spent most of your life trying to keep you safe. You must trust him on some level. If all you have to do is practice in order to keep him in your life, don’t you think he deserves that chance?”
Damn them for being so reasonable.
She rolled her eyes, wishing it was so easy. If she fucked up…if anything went wrong…she glanced at Edgar out of the corner of her eyes and felt her resolve softening. He had risked everything for her, saved her repeatedly. If the phantoms were really coming, they were going to be coming for the both of them.
He risked everything to escape them once.
He deserved more than her tossing him away to face his fate alone.
Why the fuck were people so damned difficult?
Living on her own was so much easier.
And so much lonelier.
She pulled away from the guys to glare at Edgar. “You’ll tell me ifanythingis wrong? No matter what? You’ll warn me before I hurt you?” She narrowed her eyes at him when he nodded after each question. “You have to promise you won’t allow me to harm you.”
