Page 39 of Shackled to the World
Even as her gaze landed on Edgar, lying asshole or not, she couldn’t imagine him not standing at her side. He’d protected her when no one else would…how could she do any less for him?
As she helped clean up the dishes, she noticed the silent looks the guys were exchanging, the way they lingered in the kitchen, practically bumping into each other. She dumped the last of the dishes in the hot suds, then turned to face them. “Okay, spill it.”
They each snapped to attention like boys caught in the middle of a prank.
Camden scratched the back of his head, then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall opposite her in a casual pose that was anything but casual. “While you were outside soul-searching, the guys and I decided it’s too dangerous for you to sleep alone.”
Annora was more bemused than angry about their decision. But even before she could open her mouth to reply, he rushed on. “We’ll sleep in rotation. Every night a different one of us will remain with you. That way, if Logan reaches out to you, we can use the time to get a lock on his location.”
None of the guys blinked or even looked like they were breathing as they waited for her answer.
Annora shrugged. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Camden raised a brow at her, then cocked his head. “That’s it?”
She smiled, deciding to take pity on him. “It’s a solid plan. It’s only ever been me. The more of us who can help pin down Logan’s location, the sooner we can get him back.”
The rest of the guys deflated, as if they’d been expecting a fight, and she quirked a brow at their reactions. “Did you think I would say no?”
“Well…” Mason scrubbed so furiously at a spot on the plate in his hand, she was surprised it didn’t crack under the strain. “You’re very protective of your privacy.”
“And skittish about touching.” Xander murmured as he reached up to put a piece of glassware into the cupboard, the back of his shirt lifting up to reveal a tanned strip of flesh that beckoned her to explore.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “That was before.”
“Before?” Edgar swiped at the table, scattering crumbs across the floor, unconcerned with the streaks he was leaving behind as he was watching her.
“Before I realized we belong together.” She pushed away from the counter, not surprised to find all the guys watching her as she sauntered toward the stairs. As she turned, she smiled to see the water pouring out of the faucet, overflowing the cup in Mason’s hand as he stared at her dumbly. “Who has the first shift?”
Mason lifted his arm holding the cup, nearly dumping the water down the front of his shirt in the process. He cursed and swiped at it with a towel to clean up the mess while the rest of the guys chuckled.
As she headed up the stairs, she pushed away her nervousness at the idea of being alone with the troll. He would never harm her. She wished she could say the same. They were mates, so her powers shouldn’t harm him, but that didn’t assuage her fears.
But Logan was counting on her, not to mention that the guys trusted her.
They were banking on her powers recognizing them as her mates.
How could she do any less?
If she didn’t take this chance, her fears would likely destroy them more quickly and thoroughly than any outside threat.
* * *
Mason stood at the bottom of the small staircase that led up to Annora’s room but couldn’t make himself move. What if he rolled over and crushed her? What if he sweated like a pig in the middle of the night? Or if he groped her in his sleep like some caveman? Or worse, what if his ever-present erection didn’t go away?
He glanced down at his sweats, shaking his head before turning away to pull on a pair of jeans. It would be torture to be confined in the custom-made jeans for the whole night, but he rather be tortured than freak her out.
He was hovering in the doorway of his room like a nervous teenager when she called down the stairs.
“Mason?”
He swallowed hard, feeling like a tennis ball was stuck in his throat, real terror making a tremor go through him.
“Yes?” He leaned forward and popped his head out of his door, then cursed himself for his stupidity when he saw her looking at him from upside down as she leaned over the half wall, her long, luscious hair spilling down like a waterfall of silk, begging him to touch. His fingertips tingled, almost like he could already feel the sleek strands sliding past them.
“Are you coming upstairs?” Frown lines kinked between her eyes, and he realized she must have asked the question more than once.
Feeling a blush crawling up the back of his neck, he ducked his head. “I was just going to get a pillow.”
