Tethered to the World: A Phantom Touched Novel

by Brutger, Stacey

  The two ferrets chased and tumbled around at her feet, begging for more Cheetos. She ripped open the fifth bag, then dropped it to the ground, watching one of them snag the bag and take off running, dragging it behind him.

  When she arrived at the library last night, she nearly dropped her backpack when the two of them popped out and wound themselves around her. There had only been one Edgar before last night. Whenever her uncle caught the ferret, he would make her watch while he tortured and killed it over and over.

  The first time it nearly broke her heart. She couldn’t have been more surprised when she went back into the afterworld to discover he was perfectly fine. She’d been more careful since then not to bring him across, but Edgar seemed to know when it was bad and sometimes hitched a ride, letting her uncle take his anger out on him.

  Watching them now, free and playfully wrestling and chasing, brought a rare smile to her face.

  She would make sure nothing happened to them.

  She watched out the window as the campus came alive, the students seemingly so innocent. She had another hour before she needed to meet with the school to officially sign her papers. She overreacted last night and made a fool of herself, but something about those guys triggered her emotions, and that made them dangerous.

  If she kept her distance, maybe she could maintain her shaky equilibrium.

  No roommates, no dates, no friends, and definitely no assholes.

  She didn’t fit in with the others at the school, so it was better to keep it to just work.

  It was the only way she would survive with her sanity intact.

  Friends meant danger and vulnerability, which she couldn’t afford, not until she found a way to eliminate the threat of her uncle.

  She carefully folded away her meager cash supply. It wouldn’t get her far. As she collected the snacks from the machine and shoved them into her pack for later, she wondered what kind of apartment she’d be able to find.

  When Annora clicked her tongue, the two ferrets charged toward her and dove into the bag as if it were a race. She gently stroked their silky heads, then pushed them down and closed the zipper until only a small opening remained. “Be quiet. You’d be considered a quick snack to some of the predators here.”

  They chittered, almost as if they were agreeing with her or laughing at her, but they seemed to understand and burrowed deeper into the bag.

  As people began to file into the building, Annora looped her bag over her shoulder and began the trek down the stairs. She didn’t even glance at the elevator, unwilling to be trapped inside a tiny box…not again.

  Pausing by the door, she pulled up the hood of her sweater, then pushed open the door. She was halfway across campus when Loulou appeared at her side, slightly breathless.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been searching for you all morning.”

  Annora winced at the bright, bubbly smile, then she caught a movement over her shoulder, and barely resisted the urge to turn and run when she saw the giant determinedly making his way toward her. To her surprise, his hair was even wilder than last night, now standing up straight like it was full of static, and she had a hard time tearing her attention away from him. “Shit.”

  Loulou turned, her mouth dropping open as she watched everyone scrambling to get out of the guy’s way, the man not even sparing his fellow students a glance.

  “Uh…what did you do to piss off the troll?” Loulou’s stage whisper was loud enough that more people turned, her blue eyes seeming to grow bigger as she watched, something in them sparking in alarm. The bunny retreated until she was slightly behind Annora, and clutched her arm, her grip surprisingly firm.

  “Troll?” Annora was stunned. She’d never known such a creature existed, but as she watched him, it made sense. She lifted her chin at his approach, not in the least bit afraid of him for some reason. He noted the gesture, his eyes narrowing dangerously, his speed picking up until he was throwing people out of his way.

  “We had a slight disagreement last night,” she muttered to Loulou.

  Not wanting to wait around for whatever he had to say, she began heading toward the administration building, Loulou’s dead weight dragging on her arm. They didn’t make it more than a few feet before the troll planted himself in her path and crossed those massive arms of his.

  “Umm, I should get to class. Meet you later?” Then without an ounce of hesitation, Loulou sprinted off into the crowd, her white hair streaming behind her.

  Annora didn’t blame her for bailing and gave a couple of thoughts to following her, but something on the troll’s face said he would catch her before she could make it two feet. In the daylight, standing only a few feet away from her, he seemed almost bigger than he had yesterday, a solid mass of muscles…and pink hair.

  “How do you get your hair to do that?” She tipped her head back to get a get the complete picture of him. “And how do you get it to be that color? Doesn’t it draw attention?”

  He cocked his head slightly as he studied her, his pissed-off expression gradually fading. When he reached up to push his hair down, it only sprang back up. It was almost like she’d flustered him by asking. The flash of his horns made her cheeks burn, and she shifted her feet, feeling a bit flustered herself.

  “Sorry about yesterday.” She blurted out her apology, looking anywhere but at him, because, yeah, how does a girl apologize to a guy she accidently felt up?

  When he didn’t say anything, she sidestepped him. “Look, I’m going to be late for my appointment.”

  “You disappeared last night.”

  Disappeared…not ran away. Annora clutched her bag tighter at the accusation, picking up her pace, hoping he would drop the subject, and she cursed her short legs when he easily kept up. “Don’t worry. I won’t bother you again. I’ll find an apartment so you guys don’t have to worry about little ol’ me upsetting your life.”

  Something snagged the back of her bag, nearly pulling her off her feet when she tried to leave. The momentum pulled her around until she was facing the scowling troll once again. “You will do no such thing.”

  “Excuse me?” She lifted her brows, surprised at his savage tone.

  “You were assigned to us. Teams live together.” He tightened his hold almost possessively on her bag. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  She was barely able to smother her snort. “Then I’ll ask to be reassigned. We’re obviously not compatible.”

  When she wrenched on her bag, instead of releasing it, the troll lifted it up in the air until she was dangling by the thin strap. She refused to let go, determined not to lose the last of her supplies.

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no?” When she glared at him this time, they were on eye level. “Put me down.”

  “No.” Then he proceeded to turn and make his way across campus, not seeming to care that she was still dangling like a fish on a fucking hook. She watched the bag stretch, and she worried the seams wouldn’t be able to hold much longer under the strain.

  “Mason!”

  The snap in the voice had the troll stiffening, before he finally pulled to a halt. When they turned, Annora saw the rest of his team making their way toward her.

  “You guys look like shit.” She bit her lip to stop more words from pouring out.

  The redhead, Logan, looked like he’d been on a bender, his face pale, his hands shaky, and he shoved them in his pants when he saw her watching. He wouldn’t even look her in the eye. The one called Xander was neutral, studying her like she fascinated him, while the leader’s hair was rumpled, his eyes both murderous and tired…and maybe a bit relieved?

  “Put the girl down.” When the troll hesitated, Camden pointed to the ground.

  The minute her feet hit the sidewalk, she jerked her bag away from Mason and clutched it to her chest.

  “Miss Greenwood—is there a problem?”

  When she turned, it was to see an older man wearing a suit and tie glaring at them with a stern express
ion on his face. His black hair was streaked with silver at the temples. It should’ve given him a distinguished look, but his bitterly cold green eyes showed a ruthlessness that set her skin crawling.

  Energy practically crackled around him, indicating an animal of some type, the beast on the verge of splitting from his skin. He radiated danger, and she couldn’t tell if it was his creature peering through his eyes was the greater threat or the human standing before her.

  The guys quickly gathered close, as if to shelter her, but the man didn’t even spare them a glance.

  “How do you know who I am?”

  When he smiled, his teeth were slightly sharper than normal, and she knew she wasn’t imagining things.

  Another fucking wolf.

  “I’m Director Erickson, one of the five administrators at the school. I’m here to oversee your signing commitment.” His nose crinkled as he glared at the guys surrounding her, as if they stank. “Why don’t you allow me to escort you? I’m sure we can find a more suitable team.”

  He had to mean wolves, and everything inside her rebelled at the idea. “I—”

  “That won’t be necessary, Erickson. I can take it from here.” Rufus strode out from the crowd…but not the Rufus she knew. Instead of the affable gym owner who lived in track suits and T-shirts, he was a dapper man dressed in a custom, form-fitted suit that hugged his shoulders. He looked powerful and in charge as he confronted Director Erickson.

  And at least ten years younger than the last time she saw him.

  And she realized the wolf’s energy she used to heal him must have been more potent than a normal human.

  “Go away, Rufus. You’re retired. This matter no longer concerns you.” Erickson glanced over at her, and she’d swear his eyes shaded slightly yellow. She suddenly felt like a bone between the two of them. The interest in the director’s eyes turned to avarice.

  Rufus stepped in front of her, blocking the director’s view, and the constriction in her chest eased. “A leave of absence. And I’m back—with my new student. My name is listed on her papers. It’s my right to place her where I see fit.”

  A rumbled growl vibrated in the air as Erickson faced off with Rufus, going chest to chest. “Go home, old man. Times are changing. You’re no longer wanted here.”

  The guys began to edge away, taking her with them as the face-off threatened to become physical.

  Rufus didn’t even blink at the veiled threat, but his brown eyes flickered, as if something was awakening. “Children…go to my office and wait for me there.” He turned and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be there shortly.”

  It was an order.

  As they guys nodded, turning to go, Annora hesitated, remembering the last time he was confronted by wolves. And suddenly realized this Erickson was most likely the alpha who tried to have him killed.

  Which also meant they would’ve reported back to him, so he knew something of what she could do, and his interest in her suddenly made sense.

  When Logan reached for her, she dodged away and stood next to Rufus. “You’ll be fine?”

  His face softened as he glanced down at her.

  Erickson gave an ugly laugh, the interest in his eyes hardening to hatred. “You can’t even control her. She needs to be taught her place. Taught to obey.”

  Rufus ignored the other director, then nodded to the boys behind her. “I’ll be along shortly.”

  She didn’t even bother to acknowledge Erickson when she left.

  She didn’t know why she offered to help. She’d just sworn she wouldn’t use her abilities, and not half an hour later she had to resist doing that very thing.

  They entered the building silently. When the guys stopped at the elevator, she walked past them and headed toward the stairs. Mason and Xander followed her, while Camden and Logan remained standing by the elevator doors.

  “Not you, too.” Logan shook his head mournfully, sorrow shading his eyes. “Are you a health freak like Xander, or do you hate small places like Mason?”

  Annora didn’t bother to turn, not wanting them to see the memories of the nightmares brewing in her eyes. “None of your business.”

  Before she could reach the door for the stairwell, Mason opened it for her, then gallantly waved her forward. Annora halted, her past vanishing at the gentlemanly gesture, feeling slightly flustered by his actions. She’d always dreamed of having someone come to her rescue, treating her like a princess.

  After her first year in captivity, she knew there were no princes, goodness was a weakness, and no one did something for nothing.

  “You might as well move or we’ll end up standing here all day.” Xander edged past her and began taking the stairs two at a time. He made it seem so effortless he appeared to almost glide up them, his long leather duster jacket flapping like wings behind him.

  She hesitantly followed, her curiosity getting the best of her. “What are you?”

  Xander glanced back at her from where he stood in the shadows, his rugged features making him look like the kind of hired thug her uncle often employed. It was all she could do not to bolt. Only his teal eyes kept her rooted to the spot, reminding her that he wasn’t human. If her uncle got ahold of him, he would be in the cage next to hers, not guarding her.

  “What do you see?” He countered, and she’d suddenly wished she would’ve kept her mouth shut.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s not polite to ask a person’s race.” Mason stopped a few steps down from her, leaving them almost at eye level. He wasn’t handsome by normal standards, his features a little too exaggerated to be human, but for some reason, it put her more at ease. There was something calming about him.

  He didn’t duck away from her examination, standing patiently so she could look her fill.

  A door banged above them, the slam echoing down the cement tunnel, and Logan bellowed down the stairwell. “Where the hell are you guys?”

  When Annora flinched, she noticed Xander watching them both, his face impassive. He didn’t seem offended by her inappropriate question, but as she slowly made her way up to him, she felt very much like the fly caught in his web.

  She didn’t dare look away as she passed, nor did he lower his eyes, almost like he was searching for something. She should be used to cameras and people staring at her all the time, but something about his look went deeper.

  Just as she was about to edge past him, he bowed his head, then glanced up. “On our way.”

  He didn’t shout—he didn’t need to even raise his voice for it to fill the stairwell.

  As she scurried the rest of the way up the stairs, she couldn’t contain her curiosity about them. They were different from human guys. While they were deadlier, there was also a sea of calm around them…like they had to learn a kind of restraint humans just didn’t have.

  Logan was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. His red hair was flat today, his blue eyes tired, but he let nothing show in his expression. When she entered the hall, she saw Camden and Rufus in a deep discussion.

  They spotted her instantly and stopped speaking. Rufus smiled and held open a door for her. “We should talk.”

  Something about his tone halted her on the spot. “What happened?”

  He didn’t miss a beat. “Your uncle has gone missing.”

  Chapter Five

  “What?” Annora wasn’t sure how she ended up seated in front of Rufus’s desk. The shock quickly wore off, and she shot to her feet, only to stop short when she saw the guys were lined up in front of the door, preventing her escape. “Move.”

  When they didn’t budge, panic began to stir the darkness inside her. A ferret popped his head out of her bag, his concerned chitter doing little to ease her anxiety.

  She wouldn’t go back.

  Her uncle was smart. If he was going to come after her, he’d do it quietly. He couldn’t let others know his prized possession had escaped or he would lose all claim to her. She had to get out of there before he caugh
t up with her…and she had no doubt that he would use all his ill-gotten gains to hunt for her, even if it was solely to punish her for making a fool of him.

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  She hadn’t realized she spoke out loud until Rufus spoke, and she whirled to face him. “What did you do?”

  He sat on the edge of his desk, his brows furrowing. “When you left the other day, I did a little digging.”

  She stumbled away from him, ducking her head with shame.

  He knew everything, she could tell by the way his eyes shaded completely black.

  He rose, coming to stand in front of her. “You’re safe here.”

  She flinched, imagining the revenge her uncle had planned for her if he ever caught her again. She would be safer on her own. “You don’t know that.”

  When he lifted his hand, she braced herself for the blow—and everyone in the room froze.

  “What the fuck is going on here?” Camden scowled at both of them, edging between her and Rufus, almost as if he was protecting her.

  Rufus heaved a sigh, then circled his desk and took a seat, looking haggard for the first time. “That’s her story to tell. The only thing you need to know is anyone who shows up claiming to be her family should be killed on the spot.”

  The guys snapped to attention, and she didn’t have to turn to know their focus was one hundred percent directed at her. She swallowed hard, her mind completely blank except for the need to run. “Listen, I—”

  “He has his people searching for you.” Rufus rested his arms on his desk and wove his fingers together. “We took care of two of the groups, but I’m sure there are more out there. He’s not the kind of man to give up.”

  All the strength went out of her legs, and she plopped down, her ass barely hitting the chair Mason shoved under her.

  “We searched his mansion…and found the subterranean basement where he held you, but your uncle has vanished.” He leaned across the desk, his eyes shading black again. “We burned the place to the ground. You’ll never have to go back. I promise.”