Page 49 of Shackled to the World
He would never have left her of his own free will, she was sure of it. For the first time since she and Edgar were connected, she reached out for him. The threads binding them together were more like filaments, tiny and glowing, but weak…because of her.
And she didn’t have a doubt that Edgar knew about the tenuous link and how much it had withered with her neglect.
She felt like an ass.
She touched the cords, allowing the afterworld to feed along the fibers until they glowed bright. She sensed Edgar on the other end, his confusion, his worry…his concern was all for her.
He was waiting for her in her room.
Turning on her heel, she charged up the stairs two at a time. When she reached her room, she saw Edgar standing in the middle of it, his head tipped back, staring out the skylight, completely still. Her heart clenched to see him so alone and adrift.
It boggled her mind that he had a life before her—friends, family…lovers.
Though she pulled him out of the afterworld, she now worried that she hadn’t actually saved him—or maybe even made things worse for him. His new life was nothing compared to what he’d lost, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he missed his old life and regretted his choices.
The ferret slept peacefully along his forearm, arms and legs hanging down both sides, completely passed out, while Edgar ran a single finger along the little guy’s head and back to the tip of his tail.
“We’re going to have to figure out another name for the little beast.” Annora stepped into the room, and Edgar looked up at her with a puzzled frown. “Unless you would prefer to go back Alcott.”
He flinched as if she’d slapped him, his voice hoarse when he answered. “No, I put that life behind me.”
Annora nodded, coming to stop in front of him, then ran her fingers lightly along the ferret’s ear. “If we’re going to call you Edgar, we need another name for this little guy to avoid confusion.”
Edgar straightened at her comment, his whole being centered on her, like a child waiting for Christmas. Suddenly nervous, Annora hesitated. “Unless…he’s a part of you…keeping him weakens you, doesn’t it?”
Edgar gazed down at her, his blue eyes searching. “It’s minor. I barely feel the drain. When he’s with you, he runs more off your power than mine, absorbing the excess energy that you tend to leak.”
When she would’ve pulled her hand away, the ferret reached out, grabbed her finger, and bumped his head against it, begging for more cuddles. She couldn’t resist his plea.
Edgar gently placed the ferret in her hands. “He’s much more yours than mine now. Keep him, so when I’m not near, I know someone is watching over you.”
Annora hugged the sleeping ferret to her chest, blinking up at Edgar. “But I thought he was a part of you? How is he more mine?”
Edgar reached out, hesitated for a second when she didn’t flinch away, then pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You are just as much a part of me as him. You hold my heart as surely as you hold him. You need him more than I do. If you won’t allow me to keep you safe, maybe you’ll allow him.”
Her mouth opened and closed like a damned fish, but no sound emerged.
His smile was heartbreaking when he gazed down at her. “You didn’t know?”
She shook her head mutely, beyond speaking.
He smiled down at her sadly. “Call him Prem—it means beloved.”
Annora swallowed hard, stroking her cheek against the ferret’s soft fur. All she could do was nod. She cleared her throat and glanced up at him. “Prem…I like it.” She didn’t mind that Edgar would use him to spy on her. He had too much honor to use Prem for any reason other than her safety.
She carefully placed the ferret on her pillow, then turned back toward Edgar and crossed her arms. “Now why don’t you tell me about Sadie?”
* * *
Rage burned through Edgar when he learned that Sadie went against his wishes and dared to approach Annora. He scanned Annora for injuries, struggling to hold his form when all he wanted to do was eliminate the threat.
Only when she appeared unharmed did he cross his arms and glare down at her. “She’s no one.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “So she’s not your fiancée?”
Son of a bitch!
His stomach lurched at the thought of losing Annora. If she thought for even one second that Sadie had a prior claim on him, she would push him away, and he couldn’t allow it. “That man died a long time ago. Besides, the promise was made between our families. The only person I’ve ever pledged myself to is you.”
