Page 95 of Ransomed to the World
He glared down at her, his right eye twitching, but he couldn’t argue with her…because he knew she was right.
The gryphon looked up and pinned Edgar with his gaze. “He can go with you.”
But Annora was already shaking her head. “He’s not a bridge like me. Being in the afterworld would drain him.”
Not to mention Edgar was terrified of being trapped in the phantom realm again. If anything happened to her, she wasn’t sure he’d be able to return, and she refused to take that chance.
“Annora…he’s right.” Edgar grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “I should go with you. I need to confront my fears eventually. They’ll only cripple me if I don’t. I can protect you—”
“No, you can’t, and you know it.” She put a hand on his chest, gripping his shirt tight. “I’d be even more worried about you if you went. You’re my mate too, and I don’t value you any less than the others.”
Darkness splintered his blue eyes, and he placed his hand over hers, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. “I love you too.”
As easy as that, her heart cracked. Even at his worst, he’d always been there for her, and she knew he always would be. It was her turn to protect him. “If you insist, I’ll take Prem with me, and you can keep an eye on me through him.”
As if mentioning his name had summoned him, the ferret poofed into existence and scurried across the floor toward her. She scooped him up, gently brushing the top of his head when he nudged her. After a minute, he scampered up her shoulder and curled around her neck, giving her strength to do what she must.
Find answers in the afterworld.
Alone.
Fuck.
Edgar looked anything but happy, but he relented. “If you’re not back by the morning, I’m coming after you.”
“We’recoming after you.” Mason scowled and crossed his arms, clearly not pleased to be left behind either, his muscular arms bulging.
Xander and Logan nodded, but Camden was studying her.
If she wasn’t back by morning, she very much feared she wouldn’t be returning at all. She didn’t dare say that to them, but she suspected Camden already knew. Her uncle Valen had warned her to be careful, that the afterworld was a dangerous place.
He should know, since he lived there.
Now that the guys had agreed to let her go alone, doubts nibbled at the back of her mind. She forced herself to let go of Edgar’s shirt and smoothed it down, enjoying the warmth of his chest. She bit her lip, the pain helping keep her nerves at bay.
Annora picked up the pages from the grimoire, taking comfort in seeing her mother’s familiar handwriting. She’d been writing about the coin, and Annora reached up and gripped her necklace, one of the last links to her mother. “They were trying to create a bridge, or at least that’s what Daxion had hoped. My mother…had other ideas.” She squinted as she read the small script, tilting the paper to see better in the dim light. “She was hoping to create an amulet to protect me from the things in the underworld.”
Annora lowered the sheets, staring at the floor blankly. “When she died, Valen took the grimoire to keep it out of Daxion’s hands. He thought he’d have time to pass it to me, but he died before he could do it. Although I suspect he was killed when he refused to turn it over to Daxion.”
“Daxion would do anything to gain the power of the afterworld. The coin was the closest he’d ever get to becoming a bridge and ruling supreme over both realms.” Edgar went to the desk and began searching it in earnest. “But now he doesn’t need the coin, not when he has you.”
Rage brewed in her gut.
Daxion had never planned to let her leave.
She’d suspected it, but it was another thing to be confronted by the truth.
It was official—her father was an epic asshole.
Figured.
Now it was even more important that she leave immediately. She had a feeling if she didn’t, she’d never get a second chance. Annora called the darkness and reached inside, pulling out the grimoire. The book fell open to reveal the torn pages, as if anxious to be healed. She held up the missing sheets, matching up the ragged edges, and watched the paper heal itself when a spark of something like gunpowder ignited along the torn edges until it looked like it had never been damaged.
She closed the book, resting her hand on the cover, wondering if she’d ever have time to learn about her past. Then she shook her head. She had more important things that needed to get done. What did the past matter if she didn’t have a future?
“I have to go.” She avoided looking at the guys, allowing the darkness to creep along the grimoire, dissolving it until only a wisp of smoke remained. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Without giving them a chance to change her mind, she concentrated on finding her uncle Valen and stepped into the darkness, allowing it to swallow her whole. It was different this time, not only easier, but the world around her was rich with power. She was no longer standing in her father’s mansion but staring at a large fountain that she recognized from outside the Capitol Building.
