Page 25 of Ransomed to the World
Her eyes snapped back up, but the queen had seen those dark particles too.
Well, shit.
“I’m Queen Nerilla.” She used a stick to shift the logs in the fire, but nothing that she did dislodged the tiny particles.
Annora wasn’t sure if it was her subconscious guiding them or if the afterworld was sentient. She should be more concerned about it, freaked out like Edgar, but the afterworld was a part of her, something she did like breathing. She wasn’t sure it was even possible for them to be separated.
She mentally sent the darkness toward her guys, so if they needed to leave in a hurry, she could pull them in after her. Smog rose from the ground to curl around them until they almost seemed to shine in the darkness like a gem.
Understanding lit Nerilla’s eyes, and she gave a subtle nod. “Your men are safe from me and mine. I can’t say the same for the witches. They seem to think you’d be weakened without them.”
Annora raised a brow at the woman. “And what do you think?”
“That if that stupid git had succeeded in killing any of your men, you would’ve rained hell down on earth.” Candid yellow eyes met hers. “The witches are fools.”
“Then why do what they ask?” Annora wasn’t stupid enough to relax, despite the queen’s claims of peace.
“War is being whispered on the air. While trolls are powerful, our tribes are some distance apart, leaving us vulnerable. The witches made a lot of promises.” Nerilla glanced around her village contemplatively. “We can fight wolves and vampires with some success, but we aren’t strong enough to combat magic, not if they target us. An alliance seemed prudent.”
Can the trolls be trusted?she mentally asked Mason.
He hesitated before answering.Once they give their word, they’ll keep it.
Annora glanced at Nerilla. “So what’s changed?”
The queen gave a big, toothy grin, the smile practically splitting her face. “I’m not stupid. While the witches might be powerful, I’d rather be your ally than your enemy. You could’ve decimated my village without even a thought. Expending that much energy didn’t even wind you.”
Annora didn’t think it was that simple, not the way Nerilla’s eyes gleamed with humor. “Ally?”
Her brows wiggled up her forehead, and she bit her nail, tore it off and spit it into the flames. “Aye…if you can manage to claim little Mason, then you’ll become part of the tribe.”
Everything inside her stilled. “And how would I go about claiming him?”
Her smile turned cruel, her face hardening. “He made a vow to return to us after the university. The only way he leaves here is if you can claim him—by beating him in a fight.”
Mason stiffened with dread, unable to swallow, his mouth dry as dust.
They were going to make him fight.
He’d hoped they would just let him go since none of them could stand the sight of him.
He should’ve known better.
Annora was too much of a temptation for them to let him go.
“If you succeed, I’m yours.” Mason wet his lips, unable to look at Annora in the eyes. “If you fail, neither of us will leave the village. You’ll be bound to the queen.”
Anger surged through the bond, spilling over from the guys, and he couldn’t blame them. He tried to tell her to leave it alone, not to claim him, but she kept pushing. And as much as he wanted to warn her, he’d been bound before he left.
Every time he tried to say anything, pain would lance through his skull so hard and swift it stole his breath. The few times he’d tried to warn her, he ended up on the floor, unconscious, blood pouring out of his nose and ears.
And every time, the punishment for trying to speak out was worse than the last.
When Annora rose to her feet and turned to face him, it was all he could do to meet her gaze. One thing kept him steady—he refused to forfeit even one second of their remaining time together.
His heart practically cracked in his chest, the loss of her threatening to destroy him.
He gave her a crooked smile, unable to swallow past the lump in his throat at the thought of never seeing her again. “Now that I’m no longer bound, I can tell you everything. What the queen failed to mention is that you’re allowed to rescind your claim. You and the guys are free to go.”
