Page 55 of Shackled to the World
Camden waited while she was seated, then veered away to order their drinks, leaving Lionel to stand guard. Annora turned toward Loulou. “What on earth are you doing here?”
Loulou raised her eyebrows, then scolded, “I’m providing backup. I’m sure youmeantto call me. I just must have missed it.”
Annora suddenly found the tabletop fascinating, avoiding those earnest eyes. “Loulou—”
“Hush.” She waved her hand, and flashed Annora a bright smile. “Everyone knows something is going down tonight, and they want to help. Haven’t you noticed no one is in class?Everyoneskipped. No one takes one of our own without paying for it.”
Annora blinked hard at Loulou’s fierce vow, touched and overwhelmed by such support.
Then Loulou winked. “Besides, most of them owe you for rescuing their pack members. This is one way to return the favor. Shifters hate owing other packs.”
Annora breathed a little easier.
That made more sense.
Camden made it back with her drink—hot chocolate—then leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Your guest has arrived.”
Annora turned toward the entrance. Sure enough, Willa was waiting by the door, scanning the crowd with a grimace. Their eyes met, and Annora lifted her hand in a small two-fingered wave, ignoring the way Willa’s glower deepened as she wove through the tables.
Willa was barely seated before she touched the wall and mumbled something under her breath. A spell activated, magic crawled up the wall and the rest of the café fell silent.
Annora could see everyone was still talking, moving, but the world around them was muted. If she concentrated hard enough, she could make out what the others were saying, but it was a struggle. She glanced at Camden, and he tapped his ear, indicating he could hear everything.
“Did you invite the entire campus?” Willa plopped down in her seat, shoving her shoulder bag between her and Loulou, forcing the rabbit to move over or be crushed.
Loulou glared at the witch. “Like we would let her meet one of your kind without backup.”
Annora raised her brows at the antagonism between them, then shrugged. “Apparently nothing remains secret for long on this campus. We can move this discussion back to Grady House if you want more privacy.”
“No, this is fine. Let’s just get this over with.” Willa finally broke eye contact with Loulou and turned toward Annora with a frown. She placed both hands on the table, her green eyes direct. “What do you want?”
Annora felt the spell the instant she spoke. It hit her chest and the pressure to speak increased with every second—trying to yank the truth out of her. The darkness at her core rose lazily, sucking in the magic. Instead of crushing the spell to ash, as soon as the darkness touched it, it shimmered black and was absorbed.
“You could just try asking,” Annora chided.
Willa just shrugged, completely unrepentant. “Most people wouldn’t know the truth if it hit them in the face.”
Annora very much feared Willa was correct and conceded defeat with a tired sigh. “I want to survive, and I’m afraid I’ll need the witches’ help to do that.”
Willa gave a near-silent whistle and shook her head pityingly. “They’re going to own your ass for the rest of your life and beyond.”
Annora took a sip of her hot chocolate, then gave a shrug. “Maybe…unless I have something they want. Which is where you come in.”
Everything about the girl stiffened. “What do you want?”
Annora decided to be blunt. She didn’t have time to waste. “I don’t trust the witches to keep their word, so I need someone I can trust. Is that you?”
Interest sharpened the witch’s eyes. “That depends…what do you need?”
“You want out from under the witches and so do I. They want my magic and will do anything to take it. Unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones. I need the witches to stand on my side if it comes to a fight.” Annora played with her cup, conscious of how much was riding on this conversation.
Willa didn’t answer right away. “The people coming…they’re like you.”
Annora hesitated, well aware that the witches could try to make a deal with her father for the magic and turn her over to them. But she decided to take a gamble and nodded. If anything, her father would kill everyone before he turned over any information to them about dark matter.
Willa glanced away, surveying the rest of the café. “Witches get their power from the elements. What do you hope to gain by asking witches to join your fight? They’d be slaughtered.”
“Dark matter might be stronger, but very few people can actually access it, and fewer still can control it without going insane or outright dying. But what if I serve as a filter? My strength with your magic?”
