Page 65 of Shackled to the World
He paused a moment, then turned toward her. As soon as their eyes met, she knew something bad had happened. As he strode toward her, the guys and a number of the other team leaders followed until they all stood on the back porch.
“A series of attacks is happening around campus.” Greenwood barely finished before a bunch of growls erupted from the men. “We have no choice but to investigate. We’ll be spread thin, which is no doubt what Erickson intends.”
He ran a hand across his jaw, a burning rage hardening his brown eyes, something deadly awakening in them. “I’ll take one team with me, and deal with them. I need the rest of you to stay focused.” He gave a little rumbling growl, clearly not pleased about being left behind.
The group nodded and began to disband. Annora felt the compulsion he’d hidden in his words, the need to obey tickling along the edges of her mind. She pushed the command away and frowned. “Why you? Why—”
“I can either send out everyone to stop the attacks, or I can go myself.” He gave her a self-deprecating grin. “I’m an alpha, strong enough to order most of them to back down without a fight.”
Annora didn’t want to see him go. A thread of worry tightened around her throat at the thought of her and the guys taking on her uncle and Erickson on their own.
But Greenwood was right. They couldn’t do anything when others were in trouble. “I understand. Go.”
His troubled brown eyes scanned her face, fondness and worry mixed in his expression. “I promise I’ll find you as soon as I’m able.”
“Be safe.” Annora smiled and watched him walk away, his stride swift and sure, but she very much feared that, despite his vow, he would arrive much too late.
Greenwood collected a few men to accompany him and had a brief exchange with her guys before vanishing into the darkness. From where she stood on the deck, Annora could only watch in awe as the guys took charge like generals, giving instructions to those who remained behind.
Loulou bounced back and forth among the different groups, passing out weapons and coffee in equal measure without batting an eye. The teams who normally patrolled the campus showed up in force, plus a few dozen wolves, a couple of other shifters, along with Willa and a handful of witches.
They each milled about in their own groups, occasionally glancing at each other suspiciously. Loulou tried to get them to mingle, but they only stood in awkward silence. “This is never going to work if they can’t even stand next to each other without a fight threatening to break out.”
Xander gave her an appraising glance. “Actually, you might be surprised. They might not be a cohesive group like the elite teams, but they each know the part they must play and what will happen if they fail. They’ve grown up working this way. Trying to force them into a team will only make things more complicated for them.”
Annora pursed her lips, and Mason gently patted her shoulder. “They won’t do anything to jeopardize your mission. They know what’s at stake. All of them have lost someone to Erickson, and they are not a forgiving people.”
The guys wandered off to organize the different teams, and Annora struggled not to pace, needing to work off her nervous energy. When Sadie came to stop next to her, she stiffened.
“He would give up everything for you.” Sadie watched Edgar instruct the witches, her tone indicating that she thought he was a fool. “A word of advice…fuck what your father wants. He’s powerful and ruthless, which doesn’t lend to making many friends. He has allies, but the tides can easily change. If you can win over the council, they might allow you to live just so they can subvert your father. They respect power more than anything else.”
Then Sadie turned toward her, her tone serious. “But be warned, if your father doesn’t think he can control you, he’ll see you as nothing but a threat to eliminate.”
“And he sent you here to…what? Spy on us? Kill us?” Sadie’s sword flashed into her mind, and she snorted at the girl. “You preach about rebellion, but you obey him just like the rest.”
Sadie’s jaw tightened, and she spoke through gritted teeth. “I do what I must to survive.”
“And fuck anyone else who is trying to do the same? Me? Edgar?” Annora shook her head and looked over the sea of people willing to help her. “I don’t work like you. I suspect you’re the kind of person who believes in something greater than yourself…until it might cost you something. Your rebellion won’t go anywhere until the people find someone they believe will sacrifice everything for them.” Annora glanced at her, then shook her head. “That person is never going to be you.”
Sadie watched Edgar with sad eyes, her shoulders drooping for the first time. “I know. That’s why we needed Alcott. Without him, we’re doomed. The Daxion line has the ability to control the afterworld to a certain extent, but I’ve never seen anyone merge with it the way you do.
“The dark matter is what gives us power. Without it, we’re vulnerable. Mortal. You’re a half-breed, so maybe you can live without it. No phantom would ever give it up willingly.”
Without saying anything else, Sadie turned, then halted with her back to Annora. “I never reported back to the council about you or him, but it won’t be long before they begin to wonder what’s happening, and they’ll send someone to investigate sooner rather than later. Your power will only continue to grow if left unchecked, so the longer you can hold out and hide from them, the better chance you’ll have to survive.”
Then she stalked away.
The knot in Annora’s stomach loosened slightly. While she didn’t think she could ever be friends with the girl who was supposed to marry Edgar, Sadie wasn’t their enemy, not yet. She wanted to support the girl’s quest for freedom, but she refused to give up Edgar to make it happen. He was more than a pawn to her, more than a tool to use and discard whenever it suited her, and she would be damned if she’d just stand back and allow them to take him away from her.
A phone rang in the distance, and her attention was immediately drawn toward Terrance. Silence fell across the crowd like a wave, their stillness eerie.
Terrance met her gaze, his brown eyes turbulent as he answered the phone and listened for a few minutes before he hung up. He didn’t utter one word the whole time. When he walked toward her, the rest of her guys quickly cut through the crowd to follow. By the time he reached her on the deck, the guys were already at her side.
“They’ve agreed to the trade. You are to take the book and meet Barnes in Oregon in one hour.” Terrance glanced up at her, his gaze troubled. “You’re to meet your uncle alone. They want the guys to meet up with Erickson. If they don’t show, or if even one of them is missing, Logan will be killed.”
Trapping her two fucking states away.
The world around her dropped away as the sound of wind rushed through her ears. It was only when the rest of the people gathered around them began slipping away that Annora was able to shake off the paralysis threatening to drown her.
