Page 24 of Ransomed to the World
The whole village was the same. Some places were untouched, others were completely destroyed.
The trolls were gathered in clumps, staring at her like she was the boogeyman.
Except for the queen.
She studied Annora with speculation in her bright yellow eyes and a huge grin on her face, like Annora hadn’t just tried to murder her entire tribe. “Now I see why the witches are so insistent on taking you alive.”
“What?” Camden tightened his grip on his weapons, his eyes darting around the clearing. The scent of exotic flowers filled the air, reminding her of the taste of his toxin. His skin rippled, a pattern emerging, his armor slotting together as he prepared for war.
“Oh, they wouldn’t dare set foot in my kingdom.” The queen snorted and waved him off. She glanced at her throne, which was just a small pile of rubble and sand, distaste twisting her meaty lips.
Things suddenly clicked. “That’s why you demanded we come here for a claiming ceremony. It was just a ruse to capture me.”
The queen turned, giving her an assessing glance, her expression shrewd. “It was—until I saw you in action.”
She waved them toward the fire and took her seat on one of the giant boulders that remained unaffected by the destruction. People scattered out of the way, and Annora reluctantly followed. Mason grabbed hold of her arm, and she saw the warning in his eyes—the queen didn’t earn her spot by strength alone, but a combination of ruthlessness and cunning.
Giving him a nod of understanding, she took her seat opposite.
None of the guys followed, standing protectively behind her to guard her back, trusting her to do what needed to be done.
Whatever the fuck that was.
A few of the trolls remained on guard. A couple of them shot her looks of pure hatred, mostly Flora and her companion, but the rest of them gave her nods of respect. The kids seemed more impressed with her than afraid, giving her bright smiles and waving—like she was a celebrity or some shit—and her mind boggled at that.
Trolls respect strength above all else.
Mason’s voice echoed in her head, the sexy rumble sounding way more intimate in her thoughts, and it was all she could do not to jump at the unexpectedness.
It also explained why the queen invited her to sit. “You want something.”
The queen threw back her head and gave a belly laugh that echoed off the mountaintop, slapping her knee in genuine amusement. “I like you, girl. You don’t bullshit around, not like them others.”
But Annora remembered what the queen looked like when she opened up the afterworld. While her eyes were pure black, the tar hadn’t spread beyond that…like she knew what was right and wrong but did what she needed to do to survive.
Most of the time anyway.
Annora couldn’t make herself smile at the imposing figure across from her, not when the woman held Mason’s fate in her hands. She was used to Mason and his troll, so seeing a full-blooded troll wasn’t disconcerting. The troll queen didn’t pretend to be anything other than what she was, warts and all. Fuck if the woman’s thighs weren’t bigger around than Annora. Shit—if she wanted, the queen could reach over and palm her head like a basketball.
Even with the fire between them, there was a smell to her…a combination of dirt, sweat, and…spoiled meat?
Then Annora looked up at the queen and understanding hit.
It was all an act.
A show that made them look like heathens and brutes.
It made Annora wary. “What do you want?”
The queen’s smile vanished, and she turned her head to the side, her hair twisting about her face. “You’re a smart one. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Did you order your soldiers this morning to kill my men?” It was the only thing that mattered to Annora.
The queen sighed and gave up pretenses. “I told them to bring you back, that the men weren’t important.”
When the flames in the fire flared between them, the woman gave a bark of laughter and held up her hand. “Not many outside our own species would dare claim a troll as a mate. You can’t blame me for being suspicious.”
Annora exhaled loudly and the fire calmed, as if they were connected. When she glanced closer, she noticed dark particles had infested the logs like ants, immune to the fire blazing around them.
