Page 74 of Ransomed to the World
He wasn’t a threat.
She repeated the phrase over and over, but she couldn’t quite make herself believe it. “What do you want?”
The captain kept his hands raised, not making any threatening moves. “We’ll be reaching Central City in a few minutes. I want to urge you to remain on board. That place isn’t healthy for a girl like you.”
Confusion replaced the visceral fear churning in her gut, and her heartbeat gradually slowed to almost normal. She curled her hands into fists, the bite of her nails in her palms helping to keep her mind from tumbling back into the nightmare of her past. “What do you mean?”
“Once you enter the city, they’ll never allow you to leave again. They’ll mark you like they do all the others.” His voice roughened in revulsion, and it made her hesitate.
“What others?” She stepped away from the door, her thirst for more information about her heritage piquing her interest. She’d always believed she was alone…or that’s what they wanted her to believe.
“Fuck, did they tell you nothing?” He ran an agitated hand over his head, tangling his long hair. “They hunt down any offspring of witches and phantoms…or anyone they suspect that can control magic.”
She scowled, disliking the way he implied her team was keeping things from her. “They told me all that they know, which was very little. Phantoms eliminate any threat to their existence by sending people like me to the banished land.”
“That’s only partially true.” The captain grimaced, but before he had a chance to tell her more, Edgar materialized behind him.
“Annora, run!” He didn’t give her a chance to explain before he threw himself at the captain and tackled him to the floor.
Chapter Twenty
“Edgar! Stop!”
Neither man responded, both of them beyond hearing, hatred driving them. They grappled, trading vicious blows, and it became obvious that the captain was as highly trained as Edgar.
Annora tried to inch closer, but ended up taking a blow to her thigh that threatened to break her bone.
She clutched her leg and glared at them, but the assholes were too busy beating the shit out of each other to notice.
And they weren’t going to stop.
She was tempted to drop them into the afterworld, but she wasn’t sure what would happen if she did it over open water, not to mention that she didn’t want to attract any more attention. If she wanted to keep her men safe, she had to stick to the plan, and they wouldn’t be able to do that if she made the entire ship disappear.
Mason—I need your help. I’m outside the bathroom by our room.
The boards above her shook when Mason launched into action, and a stampede of feet followed.
Less than a minute later, Mason and the rest of the guys showed up…with a dozen or so sailors right behind them.
Men rushed forward, separating the two guys. Edgar had a nasty cut above his eye, and the captain had a split lip. Annora wedged herself between them, hands on her hips, and glared at Edgar. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
“He had you backed up against the wall!” Edgar snarled, shaking off the hands restraining him. He glared at the captain, looking ready to go another round, until she placed a hand on his chest. His dark eyes gradually focused on her, and his countenance softened.
He took a bracing breath, then stepped back, avoiding her gaze by tucking his shirt back in his pants, ignoring the small tears and bloodstains.
“He was telling me about…the island.” She caught the captain’s eye and changed what she was going to say at the last second. There were too many people listening.
She turned and tsked at the captain. “We need to get you cleaned up. Come with me.”
She whirled to leave and the crowd parted slowly, as if they weren’t sure the fight was over.
She strode back toward her cabin, and the guys followed her just a step behind, none of them willing to let her out of their sight. The captain entered last, then waved off his crew when a few tried to follow him into the tiny room.
“We’ll be docking in a few minutes,” he told them. “Stop lollygagging and get the ship ready.” Without giving them a chance to protest, he slammed the door in their faces.
He turned toward her, his hand on his jaw as he wiggled it back and forth, giving Edgar a respectful nod. “Not bad.”
Edgar crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed. “What were you really discussing?”
