Page 26 of Ransomed to the World
He would be punished for his defiance if the way the queen glared at him was any indication, but he didn’t give a fuck. He thrust his hands behind his back and straightened to his full height. He rubbed his thumb tenderly over the mating mark on his wrist—his loyalties would always lie with Annora.
Even long after she was gone.
For him, there was only her.
Annora strode up to him, not an ounce of fear in her, and he almost cracked. He locked his legs to keep from dropping to his knees in front of her. She was dainty, her brown hair whisking around her face, but what arrested him was her eyes.
She thought she wasn’t anything special.
Forgettable.
She was fucking wrong.
She was his everything. He just wished he had a chance to show her. The only thing that had stopped him was he refused to hurt her that way. Leaving him behind was going to hurt her enough. If their bond went deeper, it would scar her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
When she stopped in front of him, he inhaled the tangy smell of lemon and warm jasmine deep into his lungs, wanting to imprint them on his soul one last time.
“That’s why you said they would demand more than you’re worth,” she murmured softly.
His heart fractured at her understanding, and he could no longer hold up his head, the loss of her too much. He would give anything to say his goodbye to her in private, beg her to forgive him, do anything to spend a few more moments with her, but he knew forever with her wouldn’t be enough time.
He’d delayed returning for as long as he could, treasuring each second. He resisted for weeks, doing everything in his power to keep her safe, but the compulsion was too strong.
He was just thankful she had the other guys to watch over her.
They had to be enough.
“So how does this fight work? First blood?”
Mason’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in alarm, and bile rose in his throat at the idea of laying a hand on her. “Annora—no.”
When she ignored him, he took a step to chase after her and found his way blocked by three trolls. He snarled and charged, sending them flying through the air as his beast took over. Muscles stretched and burned, his more primitive side rising as he stalked his prey.
He grabbed Annora by the arms and lifted her up until he could shout in her face. “You will not do this.”
Instead of quivering in fear, she grinned up at him. “And you’re a fool if you didn’t think I would fight for you.” She planted her feet against his chest, then shoved off.
He tried to hold her, but she used her magic to slip from his grip, leaving him grasping nothing but air. She flipped, landing easily on her feet with a sparkle of defiance in her beautiful eyes. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. You’re mine. I said I would fight for you. If I have to fightyouto do it, then you better be prepared to get your ass handed to you.”
He could do nothing but sputter and gawk as she sauntered away.
Gods be damned! His chest tightened in full-out panic, and he struggled for air. If they survived this, he was going to put her over his knee and spank the daylights out of her.
Chapter Eight
Annora watched them drag a struggling Mason away, his curses blistering her ears. His rage tingled through their bond, his desperation eating away at his soul. He’d been ready to say goodbye to her.
He didn’t think she would fight.
Idiot.
She turned, then stopped short when she saw her other four guys waiting for her with their arms crossed. Disapproval radiated from them, and she raised her chin, refusing to be cowed.
Before they could reprimand her, Queen Nerilla lumbered over to them, her breasts swaying like pendulums. Fuck if she wasn’t just shy of eight feet tall. Annora expected the earth to quake, but it was like the trolls knew where to walk to avoid the creaks.
“There is only one rule to the fight…survive.” She gave a toothy smile, her square teeth tinged gray and yellow, tiny cracks at the edges where they no doubt had crushed the bones of the fallen. “Mason will be given a potion that will trigger his rage, and it will be aimed directly at you. You will have two choices—survive two minutes of combat or retrieve a heart stone located in the bowels of the cavern that will nullify his frenzy.”
Cave?
