She entered the kitchen and gazed at Edgar, Mason, and Xander, her determination hardening. She’d come too far, fought too hard, to lose them now. She was made for them, which meant if she had to set the world on fire to keep them safe, she would bring marshmallows and fucking watch it burn.
Chapter Seventeen
As the sun finally set, more and more people showed up at the house, until a veritable army had assembled in the clearing out back. They were waiting for the official call with details about the exchange.
Greenwood was on his phone, his expression thunderous. He turned and faced campus, as if he could see the person on the other end of the call. One hand rested on his hip, fury radiating from every line of his body. He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket with a cold, controlled violence that made her shiver.
He paused a moment, then turned toward her. As soon as their eyes met, she knew something bad had happened. As he strode toward her, the guys and a number of the other team leaders followed until they all stood on the back porch.
“A series of attacks is happening around campus.” Greenwood barely finished before a bunch of growls erupted from the men. “We have no choice but to investigate. We’ll be spread thin, which is no doubt what Erickson intends.”
He ran a hand across his jaw, a burning rage hardening his brown eyes, something deadly awakening in them. “I’ll take one team with me, and deal with them. I need the rest of you to stay focused.” He gave a little rumbling growl, clearly not pleased about being left behind.
The group nodded and began to disband. Annora felt the compulsion he’d hidden in his words, the need to obey tickling along the edges of her mind. She pushed the command away and frowned. “Why you? Why—”
“I can either send out everyone to stop the attacks, or I can go myself.” He gave her a self-deprecating grin. “I’m an alpha, strong enough to order most of them to back down without a fight.”
Annora didn’t want to see him go. A thread of worry tightened around her throat at the thought of her and the guys taking on her uncle and Erickson on their own.
But Greenwood was right. They couldn’t do anything when others were in trouble. “I understand. Go.”
His troubled brown eyes scanned her face, fondness and worry mixed in his expression. “I promise I’ll find you as soon as I’m able.”
“Be safe.” Annora smiled and watched him walk away, his stride swift and sure, but she very much feared that, despite his vow, he would arrive much too late.
Greenwood collected a few men to accompany him and had a brief exchange with her guys before vanishing into the darkness. From where she stood on the deck, Annora could only watch in awe as the guys took charge like generals, giving instructions to those who remained behind.
Loulou bounced back and forth among the different groups, passing out weapons and coffee in equal measure without batting an eye. The teams who normally patrolled the campus showed up in force, plus a few dozen wolves, a couple of other shifters, along with Willa and a handful of witches.
They each milled about in their own groups, occasionally glancing at each other suspiciously. Loulou tried to get them to mingle, but they only stood in awkward silence. “This is never going to work if they can’t even stand next to each other without a fight threatening to break out.”
Xander gave her an appraising glance. “Actually, you might be surprised. They might not be a cohesive group like the elite teams, but they each know the part they must play and what will happen if they fail. They’ve grown up working this way. Trying to force them into a team will only make things more complicated for them.”
Annora pursed her lips, and Mason gently patted her shoulder. “They won’t do anything to jeopardize your mission. They know what’s at stake. All of them have lost someone to Erickson, and they are not a forgiving people.”
The guys wandered off to organize the different teams, and Annora struggled not to pace, needing to work off her nervous energy. When Sadie came to stop next to her, she stiffened.
“He would give up everything for you.” Sadie watched Edgar instruct the witches, her tone indicating that she thought he was a fool. “A word of advice…fuck what your father wants. He’s powerful and ruthless, which doesn’t lend to making many friends. He has allies, but the tides can easily change. If you can win over the council, they might allow you to live just so they can subvert your father. They respect power more than anything else.”
Then Sadie turned toward her, her tone serious. “But be warned, if your father doesn’t think he can control you, he’ll see you as nothing but a threat to eliminate.”
“And he sent you here to…what? Spy on us? Kill us?” Sadie’s sword flashed into her mind, and she snorted at the girl. “You preach about rebellion, but you obey him just like the rest.”
Sadie’s jaw tightened, and she spoke through gritted teeth. “I do what I must to survive.”
“And fuck anyone else who is trying to do the same? Me? Edgar?” Annora shook her head and looked over the sea of people willing to help her. “I don’t work like you. I suspect you’re the kind of person who believes in something greater than yourself…until it might cost you something. Your rebellion won’t go anywhere until the people find someone they believe will sacrifice everything for them.” Annora glanced at her, then shook her head. “That person is never going to be you.”
Sadie watched Edgar with sad eyes, her shoulders drooping for the first time. “I know. That’s why we needed Alcott. Without him, we’re doomed. The Daxion line has the ability to control the afterworld to a certain extent, but I’ve never seen anyone merge with it the way you do.
“The dark matter is what gives us power. Without it, we’re vulnerable. Mortal. You’re a half-breed, so maybe you can live without it. No phantom would ever give it up willingly.”
Without saying anything else, Sadie turned, then halted with her back to Annora. “I never reported back to the council about you or him, but it won’t be long before they begin to wonder what’s happening, and they’ll send someone to investigate sooner rather than later. Your power will only continue to grow if left unchecked, so the longer you can hold out and hide from them, the better chance you’ll have to survive.”
Then she stalked away.
The knot in Annora’s stomach loosened slightly. While she didn’t think she could ever be friends with the girl who was supposed to marry Edgar, Sadie wasn’t their enemy, not yet. She wanted to support the girl’s quest for freedom, but she refused to give up Edgar to make it happen. He was more than a pawn to her, more than a tool to use and discard whenever it suited her, and she would be damned if she’d just stand back and allow them to take him away from her.
A phone rang in the distance, and her attention was immediately drawn toward Terrance. Silence fell across the crowd like a wave, their stillness eerie.
Terrance met her gaze, his brown eyes turbulent as he answered the phone and listened for a few minutes before he hung up. He didn’t utter one word the whole time. When he walked toward her, the rest of her guys quickly cut through the crowd to follow. By the time he reached her on the deck, the guys were already at her side.
“They’ve agreed to the trade. You are to take the book and meet Barnes in Oregon in one hour.” Terrance glanced up at her, his gaze troubled. “You’re to meet your uncle alone. They want the guys to meet up with Erickson. If they don’t show, or if even one of them is missing, Logan will be killed.”
Trapping her two fucking states away.
The world around her dropped away as the sound of wind rushed through her ears. It was only when the rest of the people gathered around them began slipping away that Annora was able to shake off the paralysis threatening to drown her.
The air surrounding her was murky, mold creeping across the wood, leaving a rotting, broken corpse of the deck barely standing. Tiny particles danced around her, and she flickered in and out of existence. No matter how hard she concentrated, it was a s
truggle to remain solid.
Thunderclouds roared overhead and fear flickered across the faces of the gathering crowd. More than a few wolf eyes gleamed back at her. Annora clenched her hands into fists, the sting of her nails biting into her palms calming her just enough for the dust to slowly fall out of the air like rain.
Prem streaked outside, crawling up the wooden post to stand on top of the railing. He stood on his hind legs, reaching out to her, chittering away. She scooped him up in her arms and ran her fingers down his spine, the motion soothing both of them.
She turned toward her guys, noting their worried expressions. Though they wanted to protest her going off on her own, she was thankful that they kept silent.
Then her eyes fell on Edgar and her hand froze mid-stroke as a devious idea began to sparkle at the back of her mind. “Edgar…are you still able to see through Prem?”
Darkness began to gather in his fathomless blue eyes, and a crooked smile crossed his face. “Yes.”
Annora turned toward her team, excitement building in her gut. “You guys go. I’ll take Prem with me. They don’t know what Edgar can do. I’ll be monitored the whole time. When I get to the location, you guys can confirm the handoff. If anything goes wrong, Edgar can get to me.”
None of the guys liked the plan, but neither could they come up with anything better. The crowd split up into teams and disbanded, the majority going with the guys as backup.
While she and the guys were hoping for a clean exchange, none of them trusted Erickson, so a few of the members would remain behind on campus to keep a watch.
The guys wanted to send a few of the wolves and witches with her as backup, but Annora wasn’t sure what the afterworld would do to them. She could travel with the team unharmed because they were her mates, but she had no idea what prolonged exposure would do to anyone else.
She wouldn’t risk more people.
The few she pulled into the afterworld previously began to rot almost immediately. She wasn’t willing to risk it—not tonight, not when so many other things could go wrong.
The ferret jumped down and scurried under the bench to the edge of the deck. He reached between the railings, wiggled his body, then plucked up something from the ground and jammed it into his mouth, glancing around furtively. When Annora leaned closer to get a better view, she saw a little plate was resting on the ground with a mound of dry cat food waiting.
She glanced at Loulou and Mason, unable to decide which one of them was spoiling him.
Both were likely culprits.
Xander grabbed her arm and dragged her into the house, the rest of the guys following only a step behind. He stopped in the middle of the living room, then began pacing back and forth.
Edgar glanced at the guys, then at her, every inch of him the stubborn lord. “I’ll get the book while you say your goodbyes.”
Edgar no more than left the room when Xander came to a stop in front of her and crushed her to his chest, squeezing the air out her. “If you run into trouble, get out of there. We’ll figure out some other way to get Logan back.”
Annora wrapped her arms around him and held him just as fiercely, knowing he was lying to her.
There would be no second chances.
She leaned back enough to look into his teal eyes and noticed the white tips of his hair were standing on end. The air around them stirred, and the sound of huge wings fluttered in her head. Reaching up, she brushed her lips against his. “Come back to me safe.”
Without giving him a chance to reply, Mason plucked her from Xander’s arms and hauled her against his massive chest. She clung to him, her feet dangling two feet off the ground. The troll practically vibrated with energy, the need to destroy their enemies riding him hard. Annora reached up and brushed her fingers along the wild mass of pink hair. Static crackled under her touch as the strands of his hair swayed toward her, curling around her fingers and brushing gently across her palm in a caress. “Be careful out there, big guy. You’re not indestructible. I want you back in one piece, you hear?”
The only reply was a rumble, his beast in too much control for him to speak beyond a word or two. He lowered her gently to the floor, then slipped a finger under her chin and tipped her head back, clearly asking the same from her, and she nodded. “I promise.”
Seemingly satisfied, he turned and left…leaving her alone with Camden.
“I’ll get him back for you.” He stood with his legs spread, his eyes hard, every inch of him the imposing commander.
Knowing he wouldn’t touch her of his own accord, she went into his arms and rested her head on his chest. “Please don’t do anything foolish.”
He laughed almost silently, then kissed the top of her head before pushing her away. “I could say the same thing to you.”
Annora pursed her lips, unable to argue, then she thrust out her hand. “Let’s make a pact…we both promise to do whatever it takes to make it home alive.”
There was only a slight hesitation as he slipped his hands into hers, but instead of shaking her hand, he brought it up to his lips, kissing the back of it lightly, looking at her over the top. “Deal.”
Footsteps sounded in the kitchen, and Camden pulled away, then glanced up as Edgar entered the room. Camden tugged on her hair, giving her a nod. “I’ll leave you to say goodbye.”
Then he was gone.
Edgar stood with the book in his hand, looking slightly startled as she approached. Nerves fluttered in her gut, and she dug her thumbnail into her fingertips to give her courage. Instead of saying anything, she grabbed his arm and led him into the living room. “Sit.”
He did as instructed, leaning back on the couch, his posture rigid, like he didn’t know how to relax. The book lay forgotten next to him. She stepped between his splayed knees and cupped his face. Thanks to her being so short, there were only a few inches separating them.
Even sitting there was an elegance to him, an effortless self-awareness she envied. She smoothed her palms along the sharp angles of his face, his pale skin cool and smooth to the touch as she learned the contours. While he appeared only a few years older than herself, his eyes showed he’d weathered hardship that would’ve destroyed lesser men, and his jaw had a stubborn angle to it.
Then her gaze settled on his lips. They were generous, if a bit hard, and she gently scraped her fingernail over them. With a hum of appreciation and lust, he studied her with pure joy and possessiveness shining from his eyes. The afterworld swirled in the dark blue depths until she could get lost in them.
“I’m going to kiss you now, but I want you to know why first.” She stopped caressing him, surprised to find curbing the impulse was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. This was too important for him to be distracted. “This isn’t because you’re a phantom, or because you saved my life, and certainly not because you’ve claimed we’re mates.”
She felt him flinch at the last one and tightened her grip by sliding her palm to the back of his head and combing her fingers into his midnight hair. “I’m going to kiss you because you’re a man who has always had my back. At times, you’ve been my best friend—other times, a giant pain in my ass.”
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his, not sure he was even breathing as he watched her. “I’m going to kiss you because I’m falling in love with you. You’re mine, whether I’m ready to admit it to myself or not.”
His breath left him in a whoosh, and she tightened her grip on him when he reached for her, needing to maintain the distance between them in order to get out what needed to be said. “What that means is you don’t get to sacrifice yourself or foolishly put yourself in harm’s way. You need to return to me, safe and whole, or you’ll shatter something inside me that can never be fixed. I don’t need you as a fighter or a protector anymore, I need you in order to be able to live. Do you understand me?” She dropped her hands to his shoulders and shook him for good measure.
He scanned her face, his expression both fierce and vul
nerable. His hands came to rest on her hips, his grip almost brutal in his hunger. “Then prove it. Kiss me.”
She leaned down, closing the distance between them. Her lips barely brushed against his when he wrapped his arms around her and scooped her off her feet. She gave a startled squeak when he twisted and deposited her on the couch under his delicious weight. He took control of the kiss like he’d been dying for the taste of her, nibbling and licking and destroying her every thought but him.
She ran her nails down his back, then groaned when he arched into her. He pulled away, going only so far as to leave a gap of a few inches between them so he could gaze down at her. “Mine.”
It wasn’t spoken possessively, but with such heart-wrenching wonder that her breath hiccupped in her chest. She reached up and ran her fingertips along his cheek, unable to smile up at him, too many emotions clogging her throat. “Yes. Yours. That’s why you’ll come back to me.”
He gave her a captivating smile that lit up his whole face, making him look devastatingly handsome and incredibly young. “I will always come back to you.”
When she opened her mouth to protest, he sighed, then leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I promise to take the utmost care of myself…if for no other reason than the chance to kiss you again.”
Annora gave him a sharp nod. “Excellent.”
He snorted, then sat back, giving her a hand to pull her upright, the amused gleam in his eye indicating he knew she’d manipulated him, but he didn’t give a fuck, not if it meant getting exactly what he wanted—her.
As she straightened her rumpled clothing, his humor melted away and he leaned down, picked up the book and handed it to her. When she went to grab it, he didn’t release his grip.
“The book is bound to you.” He released his hold, tapping the cover. “What that means is it will always find its way back to you. Your uncle won’t be able to access the spells anymore, and neither will anyone else. The more you use it, the more the spells will adapt to you.”
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