Page 66 of Ransomed to the World
“Ground you?” Annora was completely baffled. “Like a child?”
He kissed the top of her head. “She was going to take my wings for daring to return home.”
Horror chilled her to the bone, the ground below them shuddering. They were going to take more than his freedom…they were going to rip out his very soul. A growl tore from her, and Xander’s grip tightened until her bones creaked.
“You silly, foolish, beautiful, brave girl.” His mouth covered hers, urgent and demanding, leaving her knees weak. When he pulled away, the only thing on her mind was him.
She finally opened her eyes and met his piercing teal gaze. The man was sexy as fuck. His black hair was shaved on the sides and the back, like a soldier. Keeping him from looking too serious, his hair spilled over his forehead, the tips white and bristling with his agitation.
He was big and rugged, years of training having forged him into a deadly soldier. Being wrapped into his arms made her feel tiny, but instead of fear, she cuddled against his chest, wrapping her arms around him because her legs were unsteady. He was big and gruff to others, but so tender around her that she felt cherished.
Until he pulled this kind of stupid stunt.
She pulled back and slapped at his shoulder, then winced when she noticed the many bruises and scrapes scattered over his face and body. “You infuriating, maddening, exasperating idiot! What the hell were you thinking?”
He gave a bark of laughter, rubbing a hand across the scruff on his jaw, possibly to keep himself from shaking her senseless. “I could ask you the very same thing.”
Heat burned her cheeks, and she looked away, surprised to see the human realm around them. A few of the butterflies fluttered nearby, but the afterworld had vanished. A few of the plants remained overgrown, and the grounds were a little wilder, but everything else had returned to normal.
Then she noticed the remains of the one they called monarch. Only scattered bits of flesh remained on the corpse, the bones looking like they had a thin layer of jerky wrapped around them, tiny bits of white showing through from the bones. Long white hair was tangled around her head, the rest of her body remained hidden, swimming in her clothes.
The others gathered close, and the girl gave her a respectful nod. “Phantom.”
Annora edged in front of Xander, and his hands landed on her hips, ready to jerk her back out of the way. One of the guys across from them gave a startled cough, his eyes brimming with amusement, and Annora glared at them all suspiciously.
Her look seemed to break the ice, and the woman bowed her head toward Xander. “Monarch.”
Xander stiffened behind her, and she turned toward him slowly, a horrible suspicion taking root in her mind. “What’s happening?”
He avoided her gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re a hereditary species. When the current ruler dies, the title moves onto the next person in line.”
Annora stared up at him for a second, then dread turned her insides to acid. She twisted to glance at the body on the ground, her chest tightening until breathing became impossible.
She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly bone dry, unable to speak above a whisper. “Please tell me that I just didn’t kill your mother.”
Annora stared up at him, her beautiful brown eyes begging him to tell her the truth, and his heart squeezed. If he told her, she’d never forgive herself, but he refused to lie to her either. “My real mother died when our family inherited the crown. The woman you killed was only a shadow of her.”
When Annora staggered away from him, her face pale, her eyes haunted, he leapt toward her and pulled her close, refusing to release her when she struggled. The darkness gathered around her, and he knew if he didn’t hold tight, she would disappear into the afterworld and vanish.
He couldn’t bear to lose her, and he spoke urgently, desperate for her to understand. He refused to let his past ruin his future, not when he finally found her. “When my family inherited the crown, my father became a tyrant. He had always been abusive to my mother and me, but my mother changed after he became the monarch. She manipulated people around her to do her dirty work and pushed my father, made him into more of a monster so people would turn on him.”
He swallowed hard at Annora’s earnest expression. He never wanted to expose her to his dark world, but when they entered the city limits, he received an order to report to his mother, and he knew he had to sneak away. If his mother had discovered he was mated, she’d have killed Annora without hesitation.
She’d have done anything to eliminate a threat to the throne.
“What happened?” Annora’s soft voice was a balm to his soul, and he sucked in a shuddering breath.
“She tricked me into killing my father. She wanted to rule and needed to get both of us out of the way. It was the perfect setup.” He took a step back from her and paced, still sickened that he’d allowed himself to be used in such a way. “I killed my father after she goaded him into a fight. She’d arranged it so I would arrive in time to stop him from killing her…by killing him.”
He turned toward the ocean, shoulders bowed. “My mother rushed me out of the palace and smuggled me out of the country, telling me I could never return. That I was banished.”
A bitter laugh escaped him. “It was only after I left that I heard the rumors. She blamed me for everything, so she could take the crown. She accused me of murdering my father without provocation. She twisted the facts so if I ever returned, they’d ground me for my crimes. Taking my wings would ensure that I could never challenge her rule. I think she meant to ground me before I left, but the guards were called too soon. She told me to run so they wouldn’t figure out what really happened.”
For years, he’d hated both his parents, but not as much as he hated himself. It took him nearly a decade to put aside his rage and put that life behind him.
He consigned himself to living his life on his own with only the guys for his companions.
Until her.
