Page 62 of Ransomed to the World
She traced her fingertips along her tingling lips, her knees trembling at the banked hunger on his face. Lured closer, she leaned toward him, seeking one more taste…and nearly fell on her face when he hastily took a step back.
“Not yet.” He held his hand out as if to ward her off, his eyes jumping around the room, a grimace twisting his features. “Not here, not like this. I don’t want to be rushed.” His gaze landed on her once more, and his face softened. “You deserved to be worshiped, not taken in haste in a rented room above a tavern.”
Annora liked seeing him flustered, liked that she put that look in his eyes, and she smiled at him. “I don’t mind.”
“No.” He took another step back, then turned toward the door, his back toward her as he spoke. “Why don’t I see if I can find you some more appropriate clothes for the next couple of days?”
He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he disappeared out the door.
Annora wandered over to the window, her mood darkening, troubled by how far her father would go to gain power.
He would never stop, no matter who he destroyed.
Unless she stopped him.
A movement below made her jerk back from the window. From behind the curtains, she spied Xander sneaking out the door. Needing the distraction, she opened the window, then hesitated. She glanced once over her shoulder with regret, wanting to go find Edgar to let him know where she was going, but she didn’t have time.
Oh, he was going to be so piiiissed.
She ran toward the table, snatched up the blade Logan gave her, and shoved it in the back of her waistband.
Burying her guilt about sneaking out, she decided to test Edgar’s theory about her abilities, and dropped from the window, calling to the darkness to cushion her landing.
Only no dark particles appeared.
Shit!
She scrambled to summon her powers, readying herself to slip into the afterworld as the ground rapidly approached. But just as the darkness enveloped her, she landed in a clumsy crouch…only for her body to practically sink a foot into the ground, the earth below her surprisingly soft.
She grimaced as she pulled herself free, dark particles poofing up into the air like dust, and she quickly banished them before they attracted unwanted attention. As she straightened, she made a mental note to be more specific when calling on the darkness for help.
People rushed past, laughing and drinking, and Annora decided to remain cloaked to escape detection.
It was a risk.
She could be discovered at any moment, but it was worth it if she could find out where Xander was going and why he’d snuck off without telling anyone.
She couldn’t get over the feeling that he was in trouble.
She hurried after him, determined to protect him, even if it was from himself.
Chapter Seventeen
Annora didn’t worry about keeping her distance from Xander…she was more worried about keeping up with him. The fucker was fast! Unlike her, he moved through the crowds easily, dodging around everyone to avoid walking through them.
She used her abilities to blend with the background, a skill that had saved her from more than one beating over the years. Even if people saw her, they couldn’t make out her features and quickly forgot about her.
Most of the city and the people remained normal in the afterworld. A few of them were touched by darkness, a few more lingered in the shadows, but she didn’t sense any outright evil. Everyone walked past her without blinking, like she truly was invisible, and she began to relax a little.
She froze when a drunk stumbled into her path, his elbow passing through her arm. One moment he was sloshed, the next he stopped and shook his head, completely sober. He squinted as he glanced around, as if unsure how he got there.
Annora scurried away, shaking off the chill of the guy’s touch, craning her neck and looking everywhere for Xander…only he was gone.
Fuck.
A movement at the corner of her eye caused her to whirl, and she spun in time to see the tail ends of Xander’s duster disappear around the corner. Annora hurried after him, biting her lip to stifle her need to call out to him.
Being outside without one of the guys at her side was intimidating as hell! She didn’t realize how much she had come to rely on them. She skidded around the corner, picking up speed to catch up with Xander, ready to ask him to take her back to the tavern.
