Page 69 of Shackled to the World
Since neither Edgar nor Sadie objected, it was something she should be able to do.
She just had to figure out how.
No problem.
Annora hesitantly reached for the afterworld, knowing that touching it again so soon could draw the attention of her father.
Then she hardened her resolve.
She would be damned if she would allow him to take her, at least not before she got Logan back.
Hopefully her ability to remain camouflaged would hold out just a while longer.
Dark particles began to swirl around her, the wind more of a caress as it swirled around her. She brought up the phone and concentrated on the image. But instead of her entering the afterworld, the ground beneath her feet vanished and she fell through darkness, her stomach surging up into her throat.
There was a bright flash of light a second before she smacked against the ground so hard she lost her breath. She lay there stunned, her face planted in the dirt, and she used the pain to push herself up on her hands and knees.
Only to take a blow to the ribs that sent her flying.
As she rolled, her bag was ripped away from her, and she got the image of giant trees and fresh air before she smacked so hard into a tree trunk, her spine cracked ominously. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself upright and lifted her head to see her uncle standing over her. He swung a bat absently while he studied her, his expression smug.
“I told him you’d show.” He sauntered closer, then slammed his boot into her face and her head slammed against the ground, hitting so hard it bounced.
Annora growled and glared up at him, but the fucker knew that she couldn’t—wouldn’t—retaliate, not until she knew Logan was safe.
Which meant she was at his mercy until the guys completed the deal.
Fucking hell.
Memories of the past tortures flashed through her mind. Instead of giving into the fear, she gritted her teeth and spit out a mouthful of blood before smiling up at him. “Hello, Uncle.”
He narrowed his eyes down at her, hating when she reminded him they were related. He tightened his grip on the baseball bat, winding up, and she chuckled. “Are we really going to do this again?”
Ignoring the grinding of bones, she pushed herself to her feet, using the pain to give her strength. The world tipped as her vision blurred and doubled before it righted itself. She staggered sideways to catch her balance, fighting to keep nausea from dropping her back to her knees. At the bare minimum, she had a concussion, maybe a fractured skull, not to mention a few broken ribs that ground together every time she moved.
Unwilling to give away how much stronger she’d gotten since they last met, she fought back the darkness, only allowing it to lick at her wounds. Which didn’t mean she was giving in to his shit. She had to buy the guys some time. She tipped her head from side to side, bones crunching as she stared her uncle down.
Pissed that he couldn’t bend her to his will, he swung the bat.
Annora caught it quickly, literally feeling the bones in her hand shatter. The flash of pain streaked up her arm, but she refused to release her hold. Darkness spiraled around the bat, eager to take a bite out of the bastard.
When his eyes widened with alarm, she yanked down hard on the bat, nearly jerking her uncle off his feet. It startled him enough that he released his hold and stumbled back.
Her bones snapped back into place, scalding heat melding the ragged edges back together, and she grinned at him.
A flash of fear crossed his face, which of course pissed him off more, and he narrowed his eyes. “No more games.” He turned toward the trees and yelled, “Take her.”
Half a dozen wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes hard and determined.
And Kevin was one of them.
She gave him a hard look but couldn’t tell if he was on her side or not. When he gave a small shake of his head, relief rushed through her, and she forced herself to concentrate on the others so she wouldn’t give Kevin away. The wolves were young, maybe her age, with a feral and hungry look to them. Knowing she was outnumbered and about to get her ass handed to her, she flipped the bat and caught the handle.
As the wolves crowded closer, her uncle’s attention fell to her bag.
Or more precisely, the edge of the book sticking out of it.
When he took a step toward it, she countered, and the wolves leapt between them. Her uncle gave her a sly smile as he stooped and picked up the backpack. He slipped his hand inside…only to yank it out a second later with a curse. The bag dropped to the ground with a thump, and he shook out his hand, glaring at her as drops of blood splattered around him.
