Page 55 of Ransomed to the World
She should be horrified, but she’d seen too much of the dark side of the world. Sensing there was more to the story, she pushed him. He needed to purge it, just like poison, or it would continue to fester. “And they allowed you to leave?”
“They didn’t have a choice. We made a deal.” Camden’s eyes darkened, emotions draining from them. “You might say that I’ve earned a reputation, so they’re a little bit afraid of me. I do a special job once or twice a year, and it’s enough to convince them to leave me alone the rest of the time. They know better than to fuck with me or my pack.”
He stood still, shoulders back as if bracing himself for her rejection.
The idiot.
She reached forward to play with the buttons on his shirt, and he flinched away. Ignoring his reaction, she peered up, and gave him a little smile. “If they respect fear, I could go pay them a little visit and scare the crap out of them.”
Alarm shot through him, and he grabbed her shoulders, his grip almost brutal. He bent and shoved his face into hers, his voice rising until he was yelling. “You will do no such thing.”
Panic was etched on his face as he clutched her close, like he was afraid she would run from him. She didn’t have a problem with knowing his family were assassins. Thanks to her uncle, she was very familiar with life and death.
Too bad she didn’t know about them sooner. She’d have paid any amount of money to get rid of the bastard. It might’ve saved her a world of hurt.
But she wouldn’t have changed anything.
Her past led her to the university and, ultimately, the guys.
They were worth the pain.
After meeting Anthony, she knew it was just a job. But one thing did bother her—she hated that they were using him. She frowned…maybe it was time for him to renegotiate his contract. “Camden—”
“I don’t kill innocents, and they know that. They send me after murderers, those deemed too dangerous for the rest of them.” He spoke faster and faster, stumbling over his words in his need to get them out. “I have special training that makes me the perfect person for the job. I—”
She placed her hand over his mouth, shivering when his lips brushed against her palm. He stilled, tension vibrating from him, the spark in his eyes dimming. “After we finish dealing with my father, we’re going to talk to your family about these jobs.”
He grabbed her hand, clutched it to his chest and opened his mouth to protest, then cocked his head. “You’re not horrified.” He spoke cautiously.
“Are you disgusted by what I had to do to survive?” She wanted to bite back the question as soon as it left her mouth. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.
“Of course not.” He crushed her to his chest, stealing her breath, but she loved every second of his nearness, snuggling even closer. He spoke over her head. “My people aren’t the same—”
“I’m sure more of your people feel as you do, but have no other options.” She pulled away and rubbed her jaw as an idea slowly formed. “Paranormals need policing, maybe even more so than humans. Who better to catch the people who break the laws than your family? One touch and the criminal is caught. No more hunts needed, no more people killed.
“Your people will get the respect they deserve without the stigma, while earning honest pay. Like bounty hunters. I’m sure if we talk to the directors at the university, they’d agree to add them to the teams.”
Camden just stood there gaping for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed. “You’re brilliant!”
Annora blushed, pleased when he grabbed her hand and dragged her to catch up with the rest.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time they entered the gates to the bazaar, twilight covered the land. The crush of people swarmed her senses, the babble of voices drowning out her thoughts. Mason noticed her discomfort first and immediately nudged the others.
In seconds she was surrounded.
“Let’s find Xander and get her off the street.” Camden took the lead and forged a path through the crowd.
While Annora spotted a few humans, the majority of people around them were of the paranormal variety. Besides the university, she’d never seen so many in one place, and it was more than a little intimidating. She didn’t even recognize some of the species.
A man strode past, his limbs so thin they looked like skin stretched over bone. He was hunched forward instead of walking upright, his knees bent in the opposite direction, and her skin crawled at the wrongness of it. She’d swear she heard clicking, then noticed his fingers made a clacking noise as they moved.
When he turned in her direction, Annora stiffened against the need to recoil. His head was bulbous, his eyes dominating his face, the large orbs so black they looked soulless. His chin was almost non-existent…until his jaw split open from under his nose all the way down to his throat, revealing jagged teeth like a buzz saw.
“Wha—”
“Praying mantis.” Edgar nudged her mouth shut, blocking her view, sweeping her away. “They’re carnivores. They hunt for their prey in graveyards, enjoying the juicy texture of slightly decaying bodies, something they consider especially delectable.”
