Only no dark particles appeared.
Shit!
She scrambled to summon her powers, readying herself to slip into the afterworld as the ground rapidly approached. But just as the darkness enveloped her, she landed in a clumsy crouch…only for her body to practically sink a foot into the ground, the earth below her surprisingly soft.
She grimaced as she pulled herself free, dark particles poofing up into the air like dust, and she quickly banished them before they attracted unwanted attention. As she straightened, she made a mental note to be more specific when calling on the darkness for help.
People rushed past, laughing and drinking, and Annora decided to remain cloaked to escape detection.
It was a risk.
She could be discovered at any moment, but it was worth it if she could find out where Xander was going and why he’d snuck off without telling anyone.
She couldn’t get over the feeling that he was in trouble.
She hurried after him, determined to protect him, even if it was from himself.
Chapter Seventeen
Annora didn’t worry about keeping her distance from Xander…she was more worried about keeping up with him. The fucker was fast! Unlike her, he moved through the crowds easily, dodging around everyone to avoid walking through them.
She used her abilities to blend with the background, a skill that had saved her from more than one beating over the years. Even if people saw her, they couldn’t make out her features and quickly forgot about her.
Most of the city and the people remained normal in the afterworld. A few of them were touched by darkness, a few more lingered in the shadows, but she didn’t sense any outright evil. Everyone walked past her without blinking, like she truly was invisible, and she began to relax a little.
She froze when a drunk stumbled into her path, his elbow passing through her arm. One moment he was sloshed, the next he stopped and shook his head, completely sober. He squinted as he glanced around, as if unsure how he got there.
Annora scurried away, shaking off the chill of the guy’s touch, craning her neck and looking everywhere for Xander…only he was gone.
Fuck.
A movement at the corner of her eye caused her to whirl, and she spun in time to see the tail ends of Xander’s duster disappear around the corner. Annora hurried after him, biting her lip to stifle her need to call out to him.
Being outside without one of the guys at her side was intimidating as hell! She didn’t realize how much she had come to rely on them. She skidded around the corner, picking up speed to catch up with Xander, ready to ask him to take her back to the tavern.
He stood still at the end of the alley, and she slowed her pace, wondering if he sensed her or something. He looked left, then right, then crouched and jumped.
And fucking leapt thirty feet straight up and sailed right over the wall.
She came to a halt at the base of the wall where he’d been standing just a moment ago. Where on earth was he going? She looked behind her, back toward the tavern, but her instincts said to follow him.
He needed her.
She thought about creating a portal, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to when she had no idea what was on the other side of the wall.
No, she’d better play it safe.
And hurry if she wanted to keep following Xander.
She brushed her fingers against the wall, able to feel the snap of magic warding the city. It didn’t want anyone getting in or out. She pushed the darkness into the stones, then more and more until the bright sparks of magic began to dim. When she pulled her hand back, it immediately brightened, so she moved it closer again.
Once the magic went dark, Annora took a bracing breath for courage and pushed her way into the wall. The pressure of the stones around her was a figment of her imagination, but that didn’t make it feel any less real. She pushed her way forward, ignoring how it felt the same as when she tried to escape her uncle but found no end to her underground prison.
The pressure around her increased as worry gathered at the back of her mind. The magic in the wall nipped at her as it sensed her intrusion and began to tighten, inch by inch.
Well, fuck.
She hurried along, her lugs aching, then burst free, stumbling as she emerged from the other side of the wall, her form taking shape as she emerged from the afterworld. She gulped, drinking down the fresh air, reveling in the night breeze, all crisp and cool against her skin. She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. Fuck if that damned wall wasn’t at least six feet thick.
It couldn’t have taken more than a minute, but Xander was gone.
“Shit.”
She took a hesitant step forward, then stopped. If she guessed wrong, she would never find him. Pushing away her unease, she closed her eyes, her thumb unconsciously rubbing the tattoo on her wrist.
And immediately felt a pull.
Even before she opened her eyes, she took off, pulling on the darkness to hide herself in the shadows. Male voices floated in the air, and she stopped short.
Xander!
She hadn’t really expected to find him.
She approached quietly and saw him being escorted by two guys, and by escorted, she meant they were leading him away. Though they appeared relaxed, tension made the air brittle, and her unease increased.
She squinted, allowing the afterworld to cover her eyes, then had to stifle her gasp. They were gryphons! As they strode up the hillside, she kept her distance, sensing that if they discovered her, they wouldn’t be pleased.
Her steps slowed when she saw three others waiting at the peak. When they all knelt and bowed their heads, Annora stopped dead, even though she was too far away to hear what they were saying. The older female waved the other two off, and they retreated, but Xander remained on one knee, his head lowered in submission.
Everything inside her rebelled at seeing the fight go out of him. When the older woman lowered herself in front of him, Annora tensed. They spoke for a few more moments, until Xander nodded. The woman embraced him, and Annora stifled a growl as a wave of possessiveness threatened to consume her. Her feet twitched with the need to charge up there and yank him away.
The only thing stopping her was that Xander didn’t object.
Moonlight gleamed off a piece of metal in the woman’s hand, and Annora’s stomach dropped in dread.
A knife.
Without hesitation, Annora grabbed her blade, and cursed the distance separating them.
She was too far away.
Desperation threatened to choke her as the woman raised the blade over Xander’s unprotected back. Darkness surged around her, soaking the knife until it glittered in the night.
She had one chance to get this right.
Annora stepped into the human realm and brought the blade up to her lips. “Protect him.”
Then she drew back her arm and threw the blade as hard as she could. As the weapon spun through the air, dark particles drifted off it, keeping it afloat, giving it speed. Just as the woman began to lower her arm and stab Xander, the knife landed with a meaty thump and sank deep into her shoulder.
The woman tipped back her head, releasing a squawk of pain loud enough that Annora’s ears rang in protest. The hillside stilled, and everyone swiveled slowly in her direction. The woman Annora stabbed rose gracefully to her feet, gripped the pommel of the knife, and yanked it out, dropping it to the ground.
Inky smoke curled up from the wound, the skin around the injury turning gray. Tiny black veins began to fork under her skin, creeping up her arm and across her shoulder. A snarl curled the woman’s lips, her features sharp as they locked on Annora. “You should have minded your own business, little girl. Now you must die.”
When one of the guys took a step toward her, Xander leapt to his feet. “Annora! Run!”
But instead of obeying his own order, he launched himself forward, soaring through the air, the sounds of rustling wings filling the silence, and he tackled three o
f the guys to the ground.
She tore her attention away from the fight to discover the woman she stabbed had closed half the distance between them. She was older than Annora expected, but there was a fierce beauty to her sharp cheekbones and dark eyes.
With every step, the blackness spread across the woman’s shoulder like greasy oil. The woman gritted her teeth against the pain, the dark veins spreading faster and faster.
Annora allowed the afterworld to spill into the human world. Darkness crept across the landscape, blotting out the stars and swallowing the moon. Instead of pitch black, a blue glow illuminated the hillside, revealing tiny particles floating in the air.
The city blazed in the distance, aging centuries in a few minutes. The water beyond was still as glass, a glimmer of light shimmering across the surface like a beacon—the phantom realm.
It called out to her, a tugging sensation, like a missing piece of herself.
The ground around her became lush and overgrown, the vegetation like prehistoric times. An ominous feeling flavored the moist air.
Xander took advantage of the distraction, knocking one of the men out cold.
Only to be tackled in turn by the two remaining guards.
He moved like the wind, leaping and spinning in acrobatic moves that defied gravity. He was vicious and ruthless, making every blow count. While Annora already knew he was deadly, there was a beauty to the powerful way he manipulated his body, a grace that made it hard to look away.
It was then Annora saw the bitch was still heading toward her, and their eyes locked.
Pure evil glared back at her.
Darkness cloaked the woman. It seeped from her as if she could no longer contain the malevolence. Her eyes turned murky, black tears streaking down her face and leaking from her nose and mouth. Color leached out of her hair, starting from the roots, moving to the tips, bleaching the strands white.
Fury twisted the woman’s face, transforming her features into a menacing scowl as she relentlessly dragged herself forward, the injury only slowing her down a little, and Annora realized the bitch actually planned to kill her.
Then the woman stumbled, her breathing now ragged, which seemed to piss her off even more. She lifted up her head, her eyes narrowing in hatred.
“A phantom,” she spat in disgust. “Kill her!”
The order rang out into the night.
She must have realized that it was the only way to stop the infection.
“No!” Xander renewed his efforts, trading brutal blows, trying to work his way toward her.
Annora didn’t back away, struggling to keep the underworld from killing them all. “Kill me and you’ll die along with me.”
The woman cocked her head like a curious bird, a nasty sneer twisting her face. “And my men will kill your precious Xander.”
Not if Annora could take them all down at once.
But doing so would mean unleashing her hold over the darkness, ceding all control.
Her conscious twinged at the thought of taking more lives, but she ruthlessly crushed it.
Then she glanced at Xander—it was no contest.
She’d give anything to save her mates, even allow the darkness to take over her soul.
Only one thing held her back…Xander.
Indecision caused her resolve to waver for a single heartbeat, then she shook her head. Edgar was right. She needed to believe in herself and her abilities. She would never harm her men, no matter what—of that, she had no doubt. She met the woman’s imperious gaze and lifted a single brow in challenge. “The darkness will swallow you and your people whole. It won’t harm my mate.”
She’d make sure of it.
“Mate?” The woman jerked back, her eyes widening, and the first signs of panic colored her voice.
The guards stiffened, and one of the bigger guys who escorted Xander earlier strode forward. “Monarch—”
“Kill them both,” she said, cutting him off, slashing a hand through the air.
No one moved, and a fragile hope stirred in her chest. When Xander took a step toward her, the action shattered whatever was holding the guards back. A hardness came over them, and they leapt into motion, piling onto him.
Fuck.
Panic turned her guts to a solid lump of dread. Though he fought like a wild thing, each blow brutal and meant to maim, it was two against one.
If she didn’t do something, they were going to kill him.
She couldn’t allow that to happen.
The air around her began to stir with her agitation, the need for vengeance twisting through her, and her fingers twitched with the urge to eliminate the threat. She took a step toward the monarch, then another, a wisp of darkness twisting between her fingers.
Instead of calling the butterflies, she summoned something far more deadly—something that could take down a gryphon. Creatures began to take shape out of the darkness, growls echoing around them. One, two, then a dozen, until whoops, yells, and cackles shattered the silence as a pack of hyenas took form.
They stalked forward, slinking low to the ground through the shadows, and began circling the group.
The young woman who had been watching the whole thing finally moved. She took a running start and leapt forward, coasting through the air, shadows fluttering behind her like giant wings. She closed the twenty-foot distance in seconds, drawing her blade as she landed. Up close, she appeared younger than expected, maybe only a few years older than Annora.
The ghostly beasts surged forward, hungry for the taste of death, but the girl didn’t slow her approach. Her face hardened as she passed the woman they called monarch, her dark eyes locking onto Annora.
Then a grimace twisted the girl’s features, and she whirled in a flap of wings, swinging her blade.
The sword glinted in the darkness, whistling almost silently as it moved through the air.
But instead aiming for Annora, the blade severed the monarch’s throat, and blood immediately spilled from the wound, the coppery scent saturating the air. The monarch reached up, clutching her neck, her mouth dropping open in surprise.
Shock held Annora immobile for a second, her heartbeat pounding loud in her ears, then she drew down hard on the darkness even as the hyenas leapt in the air. The beasts broke apart like fine powder, dusting the entire area.
The monarch wobbled, then toppled forward, not even bothering to catch herself as she fell. She crashed to the ground, her body exploding on impact, sending hundreds of butterflies swarming into the air. With every beat of their wings, their bright blue bioluminescence pulsed with life, nearly saturating their black bodies.
The butterflies swirled around Annora, protective and warm, and the thirst for vengeance pumped into her veins like a craving until nothing else mattered.
They were trying to take what was hers.
Possessiveness sank its claws deep into her soul and vicious howls of large beasts echoed in the distance, the pounding of their paws reverberating up her legs as they rushed to her aid.
“Let him go.” Power still thrummed in her veins, hungry for more violence.
Xander shrugged off the others and strode toward her without an ounce of fear, the butterflies scattering at his approach. Warm hands cupped her face, tugging her away from the darkness.
“Annora—”
“She had a knife. She was going to kill you.” She took a long, shuddering breath, his sea breeze scent gradually calming her.
He crushed her to his chest, and she went willingly. “She was going to ground me.”
“Ground you?” Annora was completely baffled. “Like a child?”
He kissed the top of her head. “She was going to take my wings for daring to return home.”
Horror chilled her to the bone, the ground below them shuddering. They were going to take more than his freedom…they were going to rip out his very soul. A growl tore from her, and Xander’s grip tightened until her bones creaked.
“You silly, foolish, beautiful, brave
girl.” His mouth covered hers, urgent and demanding, leaving her knees weak. When he pulled away, the only thing on her mind was him.
She finally opened her eyes and met his piercing teal gaze. The man was sexy as fuck. His black hair was shaved on the sides and the back, like a soldier. Keeping him from looking too serious, his hair spilled over his forehead, the tips white and bristling with his agitation.
He was big and rugged, years of training having forged him into a deadly soldier. Being wrapped into his arms made her feel tiny, but instead of fear, she cuddled against his chest, wrapping her arms around him because her legs were unsteady. He was big and gruff to others, but so tender around her that she felt cherished.
Until he pulled this kind of stupid stunt.
She pulled back and slapped at his shoulder, then winced when she noticed the many bruises and scrapes scattered over his face and body. “You infuriating, maddening, exasperating idiot! What the hell were you thinking?”
He gave a bark of laughter, rubbing a hand across the scruff on his jaw, possibly to keep himself from shaking her senseless. “I could ask you the very same thing.”
Heat burned her cheeks, and she looked away, surprised to see the human realm around them. A few of the butterflies fluttered nearby, but the afterworld had vanished. A few of the plants remained overgrown, and the grounds were a little wilder, but everything else had returned to normal.
Then she noticed the remains of the one they called monarch. Only scattered bits of flesh remained on the corpse, the bones looking like they had a thin layer of jerky wrapped around them, tiny bits of white showing through from the bones. Long white hair was tangled around her head, the rest of her body remained hidden, swimming in her clothes.
The others gathered close, and the girl gave her a respectful nod. “Phantom.”
Annora edged in front of Xander, and his hands landed on her hips, ready to jerk her back out of the way. One of the guys across from them gave a startled cough, his eyes brimming with amusement, and Annora glared at them all suspiciously.
Her look seemed to break the ice, and the woman bowed her head toward Xander. “Monarch.”
Ransomed to the World Page 17