Page 47 of Ransomed to the World
He jerked in surprise, his hand tangling in her hair, then his gaze caressed her face once again.You would risk everything to make sure we survive…how can you expect it to be any different for us? You don’t have the luxury of deciding your own fate anymore. No more throwing yourself at danger without weighing the consequences. We can survive anything as long as we stand together.
Annora sighed. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to do more than survive, she wanted to live…for them. They gave her hope for a brighter future. She would do anything for them, sacrifice anything to make sure they survived.
Her chest tightened when she realized they felt the same about her.
It was the definition of pack, the bonds between them something few would understand.
And she wouldn’t give it up for the world.
Lost in her thoughts, time passed quickly, and it wasn’t long before a bright light at the end of the tunnel nearly blinded her. Mason carefully put out his torch, leaving it on a ledge for others.
“I’m going to loop back and leave a few roadblocks for anyone who might be following us.” Camden stepped back, glancing at her over his shoulder, as if to assure himself she was all right.
“Traps?” Logan perked up, rubbing his hands together, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that had been absent for too long.
“I don’t like it.” Annora tore her attention away from the entrance, twitching with the need to break into a run and escape the stifling tunnels. The only thing keeping her grounded was the thought of leaving her men behind.
Camden strode toward her, then cupped her jaw. “We won’t engage. The roadblocks—”
“Traps,” Logan piped up.
“—traps,” Camden corrected and continued without missing a beat, “will not be harmful to the trolls. We’ll be right behind you.”
She bit her lip in indecision when he kissed her forehead and nudged her toward the entrance. “Go. We’ll be fine. I promise.”
“You’d better.” But it was enough, and she found herself moving toward the exit once more. Prem loped at her side with a small chitter, like asking for permission. “Go, keep them safe.”
He gave a chirp and dashed off into the darkness.
As she neared the entrance, a wisp of fresh air flooded her lungs. She quickened her pace, and the guys had to scramble to catch up. She inhaled deeply, the anxiety of being trapped underground easing like a boulder had been lifted off her chest. She burst out of the tunnel, raising her face to the sun…and a shadow dropped out of the sky.
Before she had a chance to open her mouth and yell a warning, a body plowed into the three of them, and they crashed hard against the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.
Chapter Thirteen
Annora pushed herself up off the ground, feeling blood trickling down the side of her face where her head hit the ground. She blinked to clear her vision, but even as her eyes came into focus, it still looked like Mason was staggering around drunk.
Xander was on the ground, a man standing over him, pounding the shit out of him. The gryphon lifted his arms up, but his movements were slow and ineffective. When he tried to strike back, he almost seemed to move in slow motion, missing the attacker’s face altogether, becoming weaker with every second.
What the fuck is happening?
She staggered to her feet, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs away and grabbed her knife from the back of her pants. Yelling erupted from behind her, but she ignored it and charged. She was the closest and could get to Xander faster.
She tackled the man, sending both of them rolling. She landed on top for a heartbeat and tried to shove the blade into his chest. Before it could make contact, he flipped them both, landing on top of her hard enough that she grunted at the impact, knocking the air out of her, and she lost her knife in the process.
She eyed the blade just beyond her reach, then dismissed it and focused on her attacker instead, ready to drag his ass into the afterworld and away from the others.
Then she saw him clearly for the first time—and froze.
He was an armored lizard like Camden.
The similarities between the two of them were startling—same green eyes, same build. His hair was longer, the iridescent color slightly duller. A tiny pattern rippled across his skin, his armor more red than black.
He took advantage of her gawking, placing his hands around her throat, and grimaced. “You’re a pretty one. It’s a pity you must die.”
Alarm pierced her when his hands tightened around her neck.
Prem shot out of the cave, and latched onto the guy’s hand, sinking his teeth deep into his flesh, snarling like a rabid dog, albeit a tiny Chihuahua.
