Page 75 of Ransomed to the World
“The truth. She deserves to know the truth before you throw her to the wolves.” The captain watched without flinching when Edgar lunged at him. Mason thrust out his arm, his hand landing on Edgar’s chest with enough force to stop the phantom dead.
Mason studied the captain, his eyebrows raised. “I want to hear what he has to say.”
The captain ignored the others and turned to her. “Phantoms have discovered that the offspring of witches and phantoms generally have an ability to use magic that surpasses even the purebloods, and they don’t like it. They want that power for themselves. So they collect us half-breeds and study us. And most don’t survive their exams. Those who do are marked, their powers bound, and monitored for the rest of their lives to make sure they don’t step out of line.”
Annora recoiled, trembling at the idea of being locked away again, the urge to run making her twitch.
“No they don’t.” Edgar snorted in disgust. “The council—”
“It’s easy to find out if he’s telling the truth.” She turned toward the captain with a quiet sigh of relief that the guys seemed oblivious to what she and the captain were discussing. “What mark?”
A muscle jumped along the captain’s jaw, but then he pulled down his shirt collar, revealing a symbol seared into his flesh right under his collarbone. She leaned closer, but before she could get a closer look, he released his shirt, and she reluctantly pulled back.
Silence reigned behind her. It wasn’t that the guys didn’t have questions, but they knew they wouldn’t get any answers and were allowing her to take the lead. “Why would they do this?”
“Most families won’t claim offspring born outside of phantoms. Some are too ashamed, while others just don’t care what happens to those children. A few will have them tested, brand them to prevent them from using anything but minor magic, and then sell them off.” He crossed his arms. “Some phantoms are so weak that no one else wants them, so they create their own families and their own happiness. A few try to mate with witches in hopes that one of their offspring will prove strong enough to earn them a few privileges.”
Annora was appalled. “So they breed them.”
He only nodded, his expression severe. “You can’t let them know your true power or they’ll do the same to you as they do the rest of us. They’ll drain and brand you too. Stay on the ship. Don’t get off.”
Annora swallowed hard, feeling the doors of a cage close around her. Did her father really need her help to find and kill his mate, or did he want her for another reason? Knowing Daxion, he planned to use her for both.
Unless she could beat him at his own game.
She grimaced. “I don’t have a choice. If I don’t do the assigned task, they plan to hunt down my mates. If I can get my father to publicly claim me, they’ll be safe. I have to at least try.”
“Fuck,” the captain muttered under his breath and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Why warn her?” Logan was leaning against the wall, never once looking away from the captain, clearly not trusting the man.
Annora could only imagine what the phantoms would do to the captain if they learned of it. “You risk everything for me. Why?”
He snorted, flashing her a half-smile that held no amusement. “Not all phantoms agree with the council. We’re trying to change things, but we need people who can stand up to them.”
People who had power.
People like her.
Shit.
How did her life get so complicated? She used to spend endless hours trapped underground with nothing to worry about but her next beating and whether they would remember to feed her that day. Now others were relying on her to keep them safe, including her pack.
“How do you know I won’t turn you over to them to save myself?” Why would the captain trust her with this information?
“Because they won’t spare you.” His green eyes hardened. “They won’t spare anyone. They already took away my abilities to use magic—they now consider me neutered and powerless.”
“Fuck,” Camden muttered and glanced at Edgar. “Could he be telling the truth?”
Edgar glared at the captain, then turned toward her, concern darkening his eyes. “It’s…possible. I’ve been gone a long time, and I’m not privy to the council’s activities.”
“Then it means we have to be even more careful and make sure her father doesn’t catch us until it’s too late.” Camden turned to the captain. “Are you willing to help us sneak her onto the island?”
The captain cast her a speculative look, then nodded, a twinkle brightening his green eyes. “I may even have someone who should be able to help you once you’re on land again.”
Annora waited for the others to argue, but no one protested. She walked over to Edgar, grabbed his chin and turned his face from side to side, inspecting his injuries. Only they were already gone, his skin once again unblemished. She shook her head at the way he threw himself into danger. “You could’ve just asked if I was okay.”
“And he could’ve harmed or even killed you before I could get to you.” He nudged his finger under her chin. “I couldn’t take the chance.”
