Page 52 of Ransomed to the World
The rest of the guys stood next to him, every one of them silent while they watched the three of them frolic. Xander gave a snort of laughter when Annora tackled Logan and gave him a snow wash.
Xander’s laughter drew her attention, and her head snapped up to lock on her new targets. Mischief sparked in her eyes, and she launched a snow missile in his direction.
Her aim was true, smacking Xander right in the face.
The world fell silent for a heartbeat, then a big grin cracked her face. Xander growled and shook himself like a giant dog, then he leaned down, scooped up a fistful of snow, and the war truly began.
Camden turned away, his smile fading as he faced off with his cousin.
Instead of a fight, Anthony tucked the spike he dropped into his back pocket and lifted his hands in surrender, his head tipped in submission. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know it was really possible to find your mate outside of our species. I thought it was just wild rumors like everything else. Consider the contract void. I’ll let the council know. No one will touch her. I promise.”
Contract.
Someone wanted Annora dead badly enough that they hired a killer to do it.
Rage surged through his system, and his fingers twitched to draw his sword, wanting to eliminate the threat. It took everything in him not to draw it and take the asshole’s head in a single swing. One thing stopped him…killing the fucker would only cause more people to come after them.
“Who the fuck is he?” Edgar couldn’t stop himself from asking the question.
“I’m an armored lizard.” Anthony spoke like saying his species answered everything.
The others appeared just as confused as Edgar…except for Camden.
It wasn’t enough.
He needed answers. “Explain.”
“We come from a long line of assassins. When your slightest touch can kill, there aren’t a lot of job openings, so we learned to use what we have.” Loneliness and sorrow saturated Anthony’s voice when he glanced at Camden. “You either join the family business or you’re exiled, sentenced to live the rest of your life alone, never able to be close to anyone ever again.”
Darkness swelled within Edgar, urging him to eliminate the threat…both of them.
Rationally, he knew that Camden wouldn’t harm a hair on her head, but being an assassin meant he had enemies. Then Edgar heaved out a resigned sigh…they all had enemies. It’d take all their cunning to keep Annora safe, but that didn’t mean he was happy about this new revelation. He hated not being able to eliminate a potential threat before it became a problem.
A growl rumbled in his chest, and he spoke through clenched teeth. “We need to move. Others are still hunting us, and it’s doubtful that he’s the only assassin on her trail.”
Camden stiffened, hearing the slur, but determination hardened the man’s face until a predator stared back at Edgar—and a promise—that Camden would do whatever it took to protect Annora.
Edgar gave him a reluctant nod.
It would have to be enough.
The guys herded the still playful Annora and collected their gear, while Edgar focused on gathering the power of the afterworld, enough to pull them all through a portal. It surged through him greedily, but he wasn’t like Annora—he had the skill to open the portal, but using that much power was going to push him to his limits, forcing him to the very edges of burnout.
The guys gathered close. Logan took a detour and stooped to retrieve the knife Annora had dropped, then locked hands with the other pack members.
Edgar tucked Annora close to his chest. Her tangy smell of lemon and warm jasmine wrapped around him when she snuggled close, beaming up at him. He locked that image of her in his mind, then closed his eyes and pulled them through the portal, biting back a snarl of pain as his body felt like it was being pulled apart one atom at a time.
Annora staggered away from the others, nausea churning in her stomach. She cradled her head, feeling like it was ready to fall off her shoulders, and she glared up at her guys. “What the fuck just happened?”
She remembered feeling all warm and fuzzy and so damned happy…only for it all to be ripped away in the next second. Noises bombarded her from all directions. The babble of voices. A roar of an automobile. Even the swoosh of the air fucking hurt.
Prem brushed against her in commiseration, then darted over to Edgar, chittering happily when the phantom lifted him up and draped him around his neck.
That’s when she remembered the bite.
She reached up and touched the still-sensitive mark, then shuddered as raw desire surged through her once more. Her body softened, becoming slick as she remembered how she wanted to strip out of her clothes and demand Camden fuck her hard and fast.
She quickly jerked her hand away from the bite, her breathing erratic, and she swallowed hard.
