Tethered to the World: A Phantom Touched Novel

by Brutger, Stacey

  “Or?” Mason prompted her when she passed him.

  “Or she knew the person and went with them voluntarily.”

  “Her supplier,” Xander volunteered.

  “Maybe they pass out after the drug wears off,” she murmured. “They can easily be taken then.”

  Logan grabbed her arm when she went to pass him, tucking her up against him. “What if you were the one who was supposed to be taken? What if she failed one too many times and was taken in your place? A way to get rid of her?”

  She frowned down at him. “That makes no sense. I—”

  “He’s right. I think you were the target.” Camden flipped open his computer, and typed something for a moment, then spun the screen around to face them. “In the beginning, the victims were random, but look at the data.”

  She peered at the screen, the long list of names sickening. “I don’t see it. What—”

  “Shit.” Xander growled as he began to stalk back and forth across the room. “It’s not the names. It’s the species. They’re targeting rare or very powerful shifters.”

  “Not only are you rare, you’re an alpha.” Mason shoved his chair away from the table, the screech horrible, his rage practically filling the room.

  “Look at the dates.” Logan edged closer to the computer. “The disappearances were random in the beginning, gradually becoming more frequent in the past few weeks, but there is a pattern.”

  Camden swung the computer around then began cursing. “Every two to three weeks.”

  The strength suddenly went out of her legs, and she would’ve fallen if Logan hadn’t caught her.

  “Annora!” He sat in her chair and pulled her onto his lap. The rest of the guys shot forward, crowding around them. Instead of feeling suffocated, their nearness calmed her. The connection between them flickered faintly to life, their concern like a warm blanket. She didn’t receive thoughts or images, just impressions.

  “When did the drugs first start?” She licked her dry lips, praying she her guess was wrong, but it would make a sort of sick sense.

  The guys glanced at each other, Logan the first to answer. “Three months ago.”

  “If I’m right, the disappearances probably started about five months ago?” She glanced at Camden, hoping she was wrong, but his scowl spoke the truth, and he gave a hard nod.

  “They’re harvesting shifters to create the drug.” It was the only logical conclusion. Logan tightened his hold on her, nearly cutting off her ability to breathe. Xander stopped dead, his face going blank.

  “We don’t know that for sure.” Camden shook his head, but his green eyes were bleak.

  “Fuck!” Mason swiped his hand across the table, sending two plates and cups shattering against the wall, his chest heaving as he stared at her with devastated eyes. “They almost took you.”

  His hair was standing straight out as he pulled back the chair where she and Logan sat, then plucked her away from the kitsune as if she weighed no more than a blanket. She curled herself around him as his troll tried to take control, worried what would happen if he lost himself to his beast.

  He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his deep breaths calming slightly, and she reached up, stroking the back of his neck soothingly.

  “How?” Logan croaked. He wouldn’t look at her as he got up from the chair and went to the kitchen to begin putting the food on the table.

  Annora turned to look at Camden, whose usual calm façade was almost shattered. “Did you get a sample of the drug?”

  He shook his head, then ran his fingers through his hair, the iridescent colors shimmering with his agitation. “No, we have to wait for the next party. My contact said they sell out of the drug within minutes. They can’t keep up with the supply and demand.”

  “The next party is in a week.” Xander walked into the kitchen, his dark energy wrapping around her with a need to do something—preferably to kill those responsible. “Which means we can expect more people to disappear.”

  They were all silent while the food was placed on the table. Almost reluctantly, Mason placed her back on her chair, his touch so gentle, tears prickled the back of her eyes. She glanced down at her plate and blinked them away, feeling cherished for the first time in her life.

  Shards of porcelain and glass crunched while Mason retrieved the broom to sweep up his mess. Logan set two new dishes, glasses and silverware on the table while Xander filled her plate, packing almost as much food on it as Mason, his hand touching hers for a second as if to reassure himself.

  The connection snapped open briefly, and a swell of panic and desperation swamped her, the force strong enough to drag her to her knees if she wasn’t already sitting. She quickly grabbed his wrist when he would’ve moved away, and he froze, his eyes shooting toward hers. Instead of speaking, she allowed her emotions to gather at the center of her mind.

  Gratitude for having met them.

  Peace at finally having found her home.

  Determination to find the ones responsible.

  She was unable to stop the way her heart swelled as she glanced at all the guys, unable to describe how incredibly happy she was for the first time in her life.

  Xander twisted until he grabbed her wrist as well, a small smile kicking up the corner of his mouth, his teal eyes heating. Then he lifted her hand, gently kissing her fingers. “You have no fear.”

  He seemed both awed and frightened by it, and she brushed her fingers lightly against the closely cropped beard along his jaw and shrugged. “Believe it or not, I’m actually pretty deadly in my own right. If they had taken me, they would have realized their mistake quickly—when I killed them.”

  Xander scowled, his grip turning bruising. It was Camden who snorted. “You don’t think others have tried? They’ve taken other alphas without even raising an alarm. You’re too confident.”

  She wiggled out of Xander’s hold, leaning back in her seat to face Camden. “Not confident. I’ve been close to death too many times to give up so easily. I’m not even sure I’m a real shifter. I’m not a vampire, and I’m sure as hell not a witch. From what I can tell, my kind keeps their distance from everyone for a reason…we’re death.”

  No one moved as they stared at her, so still they would never be mistaken for human.

  “What are you?” Logan’s voice was gentle, the first one to break the taboo.

  Before she could answer, a clatter sounded behind her. She turned to see three ferrets were in front of a plastic container of some sort on the corner of the countertop. One pressed a button, which would spit a piece of hard jerky out of a small slot at the bottom, while another would grab it and frantically shove it into his mouth, then go back to staring obsessively at the small slot.

  The third ferret had his paw up the slot as far as it would go, his whole body wiggling as he pulled out prize after prize and shoved them in his mouth until his cheeks bulged. She burst out laughing when the first ferret pushed him out of the way, his tail twitching as he waited for the next piece. It wasn’t long before an all-out brawl ensued as they fought to take apart the machine.

  At her laugh, they turned toward her as one, seeming to grin at her while they bounded across the counter to jump on her shoulder and crawl into her lap. One was daring enough to reach for a pea that had fallen off her plate and quickly shove it into his packed mouth.

  She looked up at Mason with a smile. “Thank you.”

  He was gazing at her in bemusement. At her thanks, he blushed and ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck, a pleased smile on his face.

  “Of course,” he answered gruffly, then shoveled a large forkful of food into his mouth so he wouldn’t have to say more.

  “Annora.”

  Her name was spoken softly, but there was a sternness of an alpha command underneath it.

  She glanced over to see Camden was intractable, unwilling to let her get away with evading them any longer. Xander waited patiently, completely relaxed, letting her decide, while Logan sim
ply leaned closer to offer his support.

  The ferrets stopped moving, then one of them reached up to pat her face, as if telling her it was all right. Then they scrambled up her body, leaping onto the counter, then turned to line up and watch her expectantly.

  “They’re not real ferrets, are they?” Camden was the first to venture the question, and everyone turned to study them closer.

  As if to prove his point, the ferrets moved as one, tipping their heads to the side as they turned to stare back at Camden.

  “Are you sure you want to know?” she asked with more than a bit of trepidation. While she desperately wanted to keep the secrets about her past from them for as long as possible, she couldn’t justify putting them in more danger. They had become that precious to her. If she got any closer to them, it would break her heart to have them run from her when they learned the truth.

  If it wasn’t already too late.

  All the guys nodded, waiting expectantly, no judgement on their faces, and she could’ve kissed them. She lifted her arms, then held them out to Mason and Logan on each side of her. “Everyone hold hands.”

  They obeyed without hesitation.

  Acid churned in her stomach as her mother’s frequent warnings to keep silent rang in her ears, and Annora almost lost her nerve.

  Only one thing stopped her.

  The complete trust in their eyes.

  Annora called upon the darkness that lived inside her and pulled them into the afterworld.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Camden watched as the shadows in the kitchen began to stretch, clawing their way toward them, and it was all he could do not to leap over the table and scoop Annora into his arms to protect her. Only her tranquil expression kept him seated.

  The lights dimmed until the whole room was shrouded in darkness. It wasn’t completely black, more of a bluish world, his vision limited to only a few yards before the shadows became too thick to penetrate.

  Particles began to float in the air, as if on a current he couldn’t see. The kitchen was the same, but wholly different. The wooden table looked beaten and broken down, the floors sloped, the walls sagged, while the ceiling actually crumbled as he watched. The air was so frigid it stole the breath from his lungs.

  Then he saw Annora right across from him and forgot why breathing was even important. She was a bright beacon in this world, glowing from within with power. Her hair seemed to float in the particles. Her form was solid for the most part until he looked closer. She seemed to shimmer in and out of existence. Her head was tipped back, a look of pure contentment on her face, as if this afterworld of hers was home.

  Their connection pulled tight, and for the first time, he felt her faintly inside his head, felt her fears about how they would react, her joy in being free and no longer alone.

  When her eyes opened, he nearly gasped at their glow. Instead of her normal nearly black eyes, the color looked like silver crystals piercing the darkness. They were so beautiful he couldn’t look away. The hesitation on her face when she looked at him tore at his heart. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

  Tears glistened for a few moments, then she smiled at him so brightly his heart hiccupped. Chittering sounded from the living room. He watched as a ferret loped out of the darkness and across the ground, then leaped toward her, shimmying up her body to curl around her neck. A pang of jealousy shot through him—he would give anything to be allowed to touch her so freely without worry of consequences. The little shit then glanced at him, and he’d swear the fucker was smirking, while he curled his tail around her neck possessively.

  Then the truth kicked him in the gut.

  Her beasts weren’t from earth.

  Hell, he very much doubted they were even ferrets.

  Logan and Xander were scanning the shadows, crowding closer to Annora. Camden narrowed his eyes, wondering if her stalker watching them even now, his beast pressing against his skin to get out as the need to get her to safety roared through him. “Take us home.”

  * * *

  Annora flinched at Camden’s hard tone, the warmth in her chest turning to ash. The shadows peeled away from the room, the light from outside almost burning her eyes as they returned from the afterworld.

  Xander lazily stretched back in his chair, the calmest of the bunch. His gaze dropped toward the ferret around her neck, then flicked to the cupboard behind her, where the other three were trying to shove the feeder off the countertop, but were unable to pry the suction cups off the surface.

  Seeing more than he should.

  The ferret still around her neck lovingly patted her cheek, then raced off to join the others.

  Camden scowled, crossing his arms, aggravation oozing from his pores. “You will not travel to the afterworld without one of us to accompany you.”

  Annora resisted the urge to sigh—but at least they were no longer trying to ban her from using her gift completely. While she was still worried about the guys, thanks to her practice session with them, she learned they had a certain immunity to the afterworld.

  The other guys were already nodding, as if the issue was decided, when she shook her head. “No.”

  When they looked ready to erupt, she lifted her hand. “I can try, but I can’t take you with me unless you’re within touching distance. When I get into a tight situation, I can’t always control my reaction, and I blink into the other world without thought. I can’t promise you something I have no control over.”

  Camden stared at her for a few beats, then nodded. “Agreed…as long as you take one of us if you can.”

  Mason stared at her, his food completely forgotten. “What are you?”

  She expected to see fear or disgust on their faces, but they appeared more fascinated than afraid, and she shook her head at their folly. “I’m a phantom.”

  Logan opened his mouth, then shut it, looking completely at a loss. “What?”

  “Have you ever seen a grim reaper?” The guys went perfectly still again, and laughter threatened to bubble up in her chest when they swallowed hard. “I mean, you’ve heard of them, right?”

  “Sure,” Xander regained his composure first and nodded. Camden seemed too intent on watching the ferrets behind her chomping on their meal to add anything. Mason and Logan just waited patiently.

  “I believe I’m an offshoot of them.” She chewed on her lower lip, trying to think of the words to explain. “Grim reapers are invisible except to their intended targets. They reap the souls of the dead and dying.”

  Xander’s attention sharpened on her, his beast stirring in curiosity. “What does a phantom do?”

  “I think we’re cousins or something.” She waved her hand, positive she was fucking up the explanation. “I can bring souls to the afterworld, where the otherworldly creatures feed on them. My arrival is like a dinner bell. If the souls are left there long enough, they will be completely consumed. Their human body usually dies on earth a few hours later. As I become stronger, I’m even able to take people across with me.”

  Xander only reaction was to blink. “But that’s not your only power. It’s not why your uncle hunts you.”

  “No. You’re right.” She pursed her lips, cursing his teal eyes for being a little too perceptive. But they were going to find out eventually. She’d rather they hear it from her. “When I visit the afterworld, I can see into people’s souls—if they’re good or rotted from the inside out. I can also see if they’re sick or dying. I can see the beasts feeding off them.”

  She glanced down at her fingers, pressing her fingernails against the meaty part of her thumb one at a time, the comforting sting distracting her from worrying about their reaction. “I can scare the beasts away…or I can call them to feed. If the person has an injury, they will heal. If the person is terminally ill, I can give them a few months or years more to live until the disease returns.”

  Silence rang throughout the room, until her nerves were stretched thin and she felt compelled to fill the quiet. “Phantoms are loners
, elite killers, and incredibly valuable. Based on my limited research, they want nothing to do with any other paranormals, and take extreme precautions to keep themselves hidden. My mother warned me to never let my father find me.” She licked her lips, forcing herself to finish the story and get everything out.

  “Unfortunately, my uncle discovered the truth from my mother. She had cancer when I was younger, and I healed her for years, but the pain became too much. She begged me and him and anyone else who would listen to just let her go. She never expected for her own brother to become such a monster. I’ve never told another soul…until you. It was the hardest lesson I’ve ever learned.”

  One of the ferrets reached out, tugging on a strand of her hair, and she turned to pat their heads. “The ferrets are from the afterworld. I’m not sure what they are, but they’ve come to my rescue with my uncle more than once, often dying horribly because of their interference. Whatever they are, their loyalty has earned my trust. They were my only friends growing up. I don’t remember a life without them in it…though I’ve only ever seen one or two of them at a time.”

  She was rambling, and she bit her lip to stop, the flash of pain steadying her. She licked away the drop of blood, relishing the way her lip stung, distracting her from her chaotic thoughts.

  It took all her courage to look up. She dreaded what she would see on their faces, afraid they would force her into slavery like her uncle.

  She was worth a fortune to anyone who got their hands on her.

  Logan grabbed the bottom of her chair and turned her to face him, pulling her closer until she was sitting between his splayed thighs. He cupped her face, holding her steady when she would’ve flinched at his fierce expression.

  “You’re safe here. You have my word. Anyone who comes for you will have to go through me first.” He leaned forward, brushing his lips almost reverently against hers.

  Fear skittered along her spine at his declaration—the last thing she wanted was for him to risk his life for hers, but the touch of his lips scattered her thoughts.