Page 81 of Ransomed to the World
A moment later, her insides seized, and she gulped water.
Then again.
And again.
She went limp, her arms and legs heavier and heavier, a calm spread through her.
As she glanced up, a bright light from above nearly blinded her.
Chapter Twenty-two
Annora woke gagging and coughing, quickly twisting onto her side as she spewed up water. Strong arms held her steady while her lungs expelled all the water she’d inhaled. By the time she was done, her guts ached like she’d been worked over by a sock full of rocks. She looked around her, frantically searching for the guys, only allowing herself to relax when she saw they were all alive and unhurt.
Her arms shook with fatigue, every breath a deep ache in her chest, and she knew she’d cut it really close. Shit…every inch of her body hurt. Before she face-planted, she was snatched up off the ground.
Logan cradled her in his lap, rocking her, his grip so hard she couldn’t move. “You fucking do that again, and I’ll turn you over my knee and spank the shit out of you. Do you understand!?!”
His roar boomed around them, his body trembling next to hers, and she allowed herself to relax against him. The rest of the guys crouched around them. Edgar lifted her chin, studying her face, and a touch of darkness seeped into her skin from his grip.
Inspecting her for damage.
Only tiny shards of blue remained in his eyes, the blackness threatening to swallow him whole. “That was cutting it really close.”
She could only agree. “I held back the darkness as best I could. If you’d been just a little slower when I fell unconscious, it would’ve taken over and the guards would’ve been alerted.”
Logan and Mason both growled, neither appeased by her answer. A muscle jumped in Xander’s jaw, but he accepted her reply and got to his feet, glancing around them. “Where are we?”
Edgar reluctantly released her, caressing her jaw before he finally stood. Camden rose as well and offered his hand to her. Logan squeezed her, almost like Camden might snatch her away. Then he sighed and grumbled under his breath, reluctantly letting her go.
She accepted Camden’s hand gratefully, not sure her legs would support her without help. She clutched his hand to her chest, still shaking at how close she’d come to losing them. Camden and Xander lingered close to her, both of them touching her at random, as if to make sure she was whole and really okay. She felt the same.
Once they were all standing, they looked around the cave. The place was a natural cavern, but reinforced by enormous, human-built columns to support the added weight of the city and the influx of water. The cave wasn’t huge, but it was awe-inspiring. Water rushed in from multiple aqueducts, almost like a waterfall as it plummeted to the pool below. The sound alone was a dull roar, the complete opposite of the calm silence underwater.
There was a natural current that made the water swirl, almost like they’d built the place to keep everything circulating. The algae that clung to the lower portion of the walls emitted a faint light, the spray from the water keeping it alive.
The cavern was so gorgeous it could easily pass as an oasis.
“Aquifers and aqueducts, my ass.” Logan glanced around with narrowed eyes. “The fucking captain lied. We’re in the damned sewers.”
“Normal sewers are impossible to maintain on the island, so they created aqueducts and used the natural aquifer to help with the fresh water and sewer system.” Edgar began picking his way through the cavern. “The stairs are this way.”
The guys fell in line, and she quickly followed, more than ready to get away from the water. Before she could take more than a few steps, arms swooped around her, and she was swept off her feet. Mason didn’t look at her, his jaw like granite, as if daring her to protest.
Tension radiated from him as he practically stomped across the cavern, his hair slicked back and tight to his head, and she knew being forced to use her tank galled him. To him, being a troll meant being strong and invulnerable. To be otherwise, especially in front of her, hurt more than his pride.
So instead of fighting him, she rested her head against his chest. “Thank you.”
After a few yards, he heaved a sigh, the stiff way he held himself melting, and he kissed the top of her head, understanding she meant for more than just the lift. For people like them, leaving themselves vulnerable, relying on others, was a form of torture. You had to trust that they would catch you. The members of her pack didn’t have that growing up, and she was determined to make up for it now.
Edgar led them to a small alcove, pausing at the entrance to glance back, then smirked when he saw Mason carrying her. Seeing that she was being taken care of seemed to relax him, and he ducked into the alcove and disappeared. Each guy followed, and she realized they were climbing stairs.
They wound around the outside of the entire cavern, circling the cave, past the pillars and columns stabilizing the walls. Small balconies overlooked the churning water below. Tiny bits of moss and vines crept up through the system, tangling with the support beams. The artistry was gorgeous, and so incredibly ancient that the very air felt different.
While the place was maintained, it was clear that not many people used the passageway. The farther they travelled, the more the path veered away from the water, until the sound was just a distant rumble and they were once again moving through tunnels.
They weren’t underground for more than ten minutes when the passageway widened out into a large room. A couple of different paths branched off, and Edgar headed toward a set of steep stairs that was more of a ladder that seemed to lead directly into the ceiling.
As he began to climb, she couldn’t help notice the way his clothes clung to him. It was the first time she’d seen him really rumpled. It was odd seeing him so disheveled, almost intimate, and damn if she didn’t find him sexy.
