He was gratified to see Daxion glare at him in fury.
At least some things haven’t changed.
“You will publicly claim Annora as your daughter.”
It was Annora’s turn to scowl, and Edgar quickly covered her mouth with his hand, silently urging her to trust him. Only when she gave a slight nod did the tightness in his chest ease. She grabbed his wrist, the gentle squeeze giving him a boost of courage to do the right thing.
The right thing for her.
“Agreed.” Daxion gave them a smug smile that made his hackles rise. “In return, she’ll eliminate the threat of my wife.”
Annora piped up before Edgar could speak. “Agreed, but on my terms. I won’t murder her. I’ll look into a way of breaking the bindings linking the two of you together.”
Daxion snorted, as if the idea was preposterous. “No phantom would willingly give up their power by dissolving the bindings. The only way to break a binding is by death.”
Annora matched off with Daxion, going head to head in a way that made Edgar want to snatch her away and shove her behind him. “I’ll track her down. If she doesn’t agree to the terms, I’ll find a way to break the bindings myself.”
Interest sharpened Daxion’s face, similar to a hawk studying his prey. “You think you have the skill and strength where so many others have tried and failed?”
He was dismissive, but a tiny thread of curiosity lingered. It was chilling. If Annora did manage it, Daxion would never allow her to leave his control. The men on her team must have come to the same conclusion, because displeasure hardened their faces, but none of them protested.
“Like you said, I’m a half-breed. My mother was a powerful woman in her own right.” Annora shrugged like it wasn’t a fucking big deal to admit she could do magic. “Who knows what I’m capable of?”
“Then I must insist that you be trained in our ways.” Daxion gave her a crocodile smile that held no warmth. “We have far more research materials for you to review.”
Everything inside Edgar rebelled at turning her over to be trained by the sadistic bastard.
That was if she even survived the training.
The smug fucker was trying to lure her in with knowledge of her past.
Knowledge that Edgar kept hidden from her for fear she would crave the life that he’d given up.
Daxion would try to destroy her, bend her to his will, trap her in a way that she would have no choice but obey him.
Edgar would not allow her to be broken.
Actually, he wasn’t even sure she could survive it.
“Fine. Agreed.” Edgar crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the man he despised. He couldn’t believe he was going to agree to allow the man anywhere near Annora. “But her men will go with her. All her men.”
“Unacceptable.” Daxion sneered at the others. “Being a half-breed will already be a mark against her. My name might not be enough to protect her if she doesn’t cut herself free of the shackles they placed on her. None of the others will accept her with them as baggage.”
Edgar’s gut sank like a stone, because as much as he wanted to deny it, he was right.
They were albatrosses around her neck.
If they wanted her to survive, she’d be better off without them.
The rest of the guys looked just as conflicted. They didn’t want any harm to come to her because of them, but Edgar wasn’t sure he—or any of them—were strong enough to let her go.
“I—”
Before he could agree, Annora turned and slammed her knee into his balls hard enough to drop him. He cupped himself, trying to breathe through the agony. He reached forward to clamp his hand around her ankle before she could do anything foolish.
“Don’t.” He pleaded with her with his eyes, and her expression softened slightly.
“I’m not shackled to these guys. I don’t see it as a punishment, and I won’t give them up. I don’t give a fuck whether the phantoms accept me or not.” Annora turned to face Daxion, her expression defiant. “I’ll agree to your other terms as long as your protection extends to them. If any of them are harmed, the agreement is null and void, and I’ll bring your whole empire down around your ears. Understand?”
Chapter Twenty-six
Dark particles invaded her lungs while she waited for her father to accede to her demands. If he attacked, she had every intention of dragging his ass into his dreaded dead zone and leaving the fucker there, even if she had to stay and make him.
She was tempted to do it anyway. The only thing holding her back was it wouldn’t stop the other phantoms from coming after them in retaliation.
As she waited for Daxion to respond, she kept the spell her mother left for her at her fingertips, ready to cast it, positive the bright light could banish him from the house or at the very least, cut off his power before he could attack her men.
“Very well. I agree to your terms.” The seal on the room immediately lightened, the darkness evaporating to reveal more than three dozen shifters waiting on the deck, every one of them staring unblinking at the house. More than a few of them wore fangs and claws.
Daxion smiled, as if he found the lot of them quaint, and he lifted his hands up in surrender. “I concede. I doubt you want our petty family squabble to start a war that they’d have no hope of winning.”
Was it so very wrong to want to punch your father in the face?
Everything about the man rubbed her the wrong way.
As if reading her mind, his smile spread, and he bowed to her. “Until we meet again.”
Without giving her a chance to do anything more than scowl at him, he dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind a small wisp of smoke that evaporated a second later, seemingly sucked in on itself.
She reached out, almost able to feel the pull of the phantom realm, and couldn’t help but wonder if she could follow the trail. Before she could test her theory, Camden grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. He cupped her face, checking her for injuries before he crushed her to his chest.
Fine tremors went through him, and she wrapped her arms around him, the enormity of what just happened slamming into her. His soothing touch seeped deeper into her, dissipating the worst of the reaction before it set in and she gave into the urge to puke.
Logan’s hand landed on her back, and she found herself scooped up into his arms and deposited on his lap. Mason sat next to them, sweeping her feet up to rest them across his thighs, while Xander stood at attention on the other side, ever alert. He rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers, then rested his hand on the back of her neck.
“Is he gone?” Camden stood next to Edgar, searching the shadows, looking ready to dismember anyone who got near them.
“He’s gone—for now.” Sadie slipped into the room from the kitchen, her face pale, her eyes hard. “But he’ll be back. Count on it.”
Annora sighed and leaned against Logan, his heartbeat thundering under her ear, his hold almost brutal.
He rested his chin on her shoulder with a heavy sigh. “I’m not going to let him take you. I won’t let him hurt you.”
Annora brushed her lips against his cheek. “He won’t harm me, not in that way. I’m too valuable right now.”
His lips turned down, clearly not happy with her observation.
“She’s right.” Mason slipped his hand around her ankle, then tugged off her shoes and began to rub her feet.
She nearly moaned…it felt so incredible she swore her eyes rolled up into her head. Then she caught his slight smile and realized she must not have been very successful in masking the sound. Her thoughts went back to Daxion, and she shuddered. “I can’t believe that man is my father. Did I make the right choice? Should I have just killed him?”
She didn’t have any doubt in her mind that it would eventually come down to that.
“He’s a chameleon.” Edgar knelt at her side, covering her hand with his. “He’s very good at getting what he wants. You managed to outwit him
and get away with it, which is more than most people can say. He won’t like being forced to bend to your will, but you made the right choice.”
He turned her hand up, rubbing his thumb over the tattoo on her wrist and murmured, “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Is my whole family batshit crazy?” she lamented, dropping her gaze to their joined hands and played with his fingers.
“No.” A smile flitted across his face, but the humor faded as he gazed up at her. “Those who crave power and chase after it—it breaks something fundamental in them. Valen, your mother, and you are proof that goodness exists.” He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. “You are proof that we can make our own future.”
“Daxion is a threat. He won’t stop coming after you,” Sadie warned, retrieving the sword that Edgar had set on the floor next to him. “You can’t trust him.”
Annora ignored the way the guys stiffened and fell silent. “What do you suggest?”
“Send me back to be your spy.” Sadie held up a hand before Annora could speak. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I only ever wanted what was best for our people.”
Annora believed Sadie…to a point.
As soon as the young phantom discovered someone or something that was better for her people, Annora would be persona non grata.
“If he catches you—”
“I’m dead.” Sadie smirked as she bounced on her feet, expertly slashing her sword through the air. “But he would have to catch me first.”
Without waiting, Sadie gave them a cocky salute and a sly smile before she fell backwards and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Annora stared broodingly at the now empty space. “I hope I didn’t just send her to her own execution.”
“You didn’t send her anywhere. She would’ve gone with or without your approval.” Edgar shrugged away her concern. “She’s a survivor. If anyone can pull it off, it’ll be Sadie.”
Xander tightened his grip on her neck, and she glanced up at him. “We’re going to need to practice fighting as a unit.”
“You’re also going to have to get more comfortable about us interacting with the afterworld.” Camden watched as the shifters on the deck broke up in teams and began to patrol the grounds. “Think of it as an inoculation. The more comfortable we are in the afterworld, the better prepared we will be when we visit your phantom realm.”
Fear was like acid in her gut, but she shut it down hard and fast…because Camden was right. Despite knowing reapers could come after them, the afterworld was a weakness they couldn’t afford. All she could hope was the coin she wore would keep them safe until she learned to protect herself and them. “Agreed.”
“You’re going to also need to prepare yourself to meet other phantoms.” Edgar grimaced, then pulled away from her and began to pace. “The central city is different from anything you’ve ever seen.”
Annora crossed her arms at the thought of leaving her comfortable little home. “And if I refuse to go?”
The last thing she wanted was to bring more danger into their lives.
“Not an option.” Edgar immediately shot her down. “Claiming another is very public—and mandatory. At the very least you must attend the ceremony. Since you’re a half-breed, they’ll see you as the runt of the litter, insignificant and weak, which will make you a target.”
Instead of being offended, Annora snorted and grinned up at him. “Aren’t they going to be surprised when they meet me, then?”
His troubled expression faded, the darkness in his blue eyes melting away, and he gave her a brilliant smile that made her breath catch. “Indeed!”
Annora pulled away from the guys and rose to her feet, feeling more like herself than she had in a long time. She wasn’t out of danger, but her men were with her again, and they weren’t going anywhere. Plus her uncle was finally dead and couldn’t hurt her or anyone else ever again.
Overall it had been a good day.
She smiled at both of Mason and Logan. “I missed supper. What do you say we find something to eat?”
Both of the men grinned and got to their feet. Something about the mischief on their faces had her eyes widening, and she turned to run. She didn’t make more than a few feet before Mason scooped her up in his arms, tossed her over his shoulder and headed toward the kitchen. At her squeal of laughter, the guys grinned and turned to follow.
Whatever the future held, they would face it together and come out on top.
She wouldn’t accept it any other way.
The End
Acknowledgments
This is for everyone who struggles day to day with anxiety…don’t give up the fight.
* * *
It might take you a while to find your pack—the people or pets or things that make you happy—but once you do, they will shine like the sun in the darkness and chase away the shadows where all our doubts and fears linger.
——Annora
About the Author
Stacey Brutger lives in a small town in Minnesota with her husband and an assortment of animals. When she’s not reading, she enjoys creating stories about exotic worlds and grand adventures…then shoving in her characters to see how they’d survive. She enjoys writing anything paranormal from contemporary to historical.
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OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
Paranormal Romance
BloodSworn
Coveted
* * *
An Academy of Assassins Novel
Academy of Assassins (Book 1)
Heart of the Assassins (Book 2)
Claimed by the Assassins (Book 3)
Queen of the Assassins (Book 4)
Academy Bundle (Books 1-4)
* * *
A Druid Quest Novel
Druid Surrender (Book 1)
Druid Temptation (Book 2)
* * *
A PeaceKeeper Novel
The Demon Within (Book 1)
* * *
A Raven Investigations Novel
Electric Storm (Book 1)
Electric Moon (Book 2)
Electric Heat (Book 3)
Electric Legend (Book 4)
Electric Night (Book 5)
Electric Curse (Book 6)
Electric Bundle (Books 1-3)
Electric Bundle (Books 4-6)
* * *
A Phantom Touched Novel
Tethered to the World (Book 1)
Shackled to the World (Book 2)
* * *
Coming Soon:
Ransomed to the World (A Phantom Touched Novel -Book 3)
Daemon Grudge (Clash of the Demigods - Book 1)
Shackled to the World: A Phantom Touched Novel Page 30