Ransomed to the World Read online

  “Since you reached the top first, you get to declare the winner.” Loulou all but bounced around Annora in her excitement. Though she looked a little wilted around the edges, her eyes still sparkled like this was some grand adventure. “Who are you going to choose?”

  Annora didn’t have a fucking clue.

  They had each laid claim to a piece of her heart.

  But if they were going to make this relationship work, she needed to figure out a way to spend time alone with each of them. Prem rested along her neck, rubbing his face along her jaw to comfort her.

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I figure it out.” Annora gave her friend a small smile and scratched Prem behind the ears.

  Loulou rested a hand on her arm, her face serious for once. “There is no wrong choice. They love you. Any of them would be honored to be your date tonight.”

  Her throat tightened, a rush of emotions making speaking impossible, so she just nodded to her friend.

  About an hour before sunset, they headed toward a clearing near the top of one of the switchbacks, one of the few places large enough for all of them to fit. They had almost a whole day of hiking tomorrow to reach their destination, and unease skated down her spine.

  Troll territory.

  Mason had yet to tell her what she needed to do to claim him, and she suspected it wasn’t going to be as easy as he seemed to think.

  They weren’t going to let him go without a fight.

  As they came to a stop at their impromptu camp, Willa staggered to a halt next to her, looking like she’d been hauled through the brambles.

  Backwards.

  “Don’t say a fucking word,” she snarled. The witch yanked a few stubborn burrs out of her hair and shuddered. “I hate nature.” She stomped away, then paused to call over her shoulder. “Training begins in ten minutes.”

  Annora wisely kept her mouth shut. As the guys began to set up camp, they shooed her away, leaving her no excuse to avoid her lessons with Willa.

  Accepting her fate, she peeled Prem off her neck. The sleepy ferret grumbled as she set him on the ground, then gave a lazy stretch and ambled off to investigate the campground.

  “Come, you can help me collect firewood.” Edgar nudged her in the opposite direction.

  “Didn’t need your help either, huh?” She couldn’t resist teasing him. He was much too serious. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him truly relax, and she was determined to change that.

  Edgar gave her a crooked, self-deprecating smile. “I haven’t had much cause to go camping.”

  “No, I suppose not.” She shrugged and followed him into the trees. To her amusement, he followed her around, insisting that he carry the wood she collected.

  It was…sweet.

  Which flustered the hell out of her.

  “You’re not pissed because I slipped into the afterworld?” Annora bit her lip in consternation. She hadn’t meant to ask the question, but waiting for him to express his disapproval was like a weight on her chest.

  She hated that she disappointed him.

  Edgar scowled as he glared off into the distance, then sighed and shook his head. “You need the training. I don’t like it. I don’t like having you out of my sight for even an instant, but it’s not something we can avoid.”

  “You worry,” she murmured.

  He nodded, staying close to her side as she collected more branches. “While you might be powerful, you’re relatively untrained. You don’t know your limits. You don’t know the dangers. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  She stooped to pick up a couple of twigs.

  “Annora…”

  She froze at the husky way he spoke her name, her insides going all fluttery, and she glanced at him over her shoulder.

  “You should select one of the others for your date.”

  Pain struck hard and fast, stealing her breath like someone had reached into her chest and clamped her lungs in their meaty fists. “What? I thought—”

  “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together training, and even more time together when we reach the metropolis.” His expression softened. “I want to be selfish and claim all your attention, but I know how much you mean to them…how much they mean to you.”

  “You’re doing this for me.” Annora straightened, rearranging the branches in her arms. “So I don’t have to choose.”

  “I’ve spent years trying to protect you.” He widened his stance, his blue eyes sparking with the afterworld. “It pains you to choose, so I’m making it easier.”

  When he leaned down to accommodate her, she dropped the branches in his outstretched arms, then cupped his face before he could escape. Her fingers tingled at the contact, her stomach somersaulting at her boldness.

  “You’re brilliant.” She brushed her lips against his, pulling back to smile up at him. “You just gave me an idea.”

  He leaned forward to follow her mouth, hunger darkening his eyes, a groan of pure longing escaping him when his loaded arms kept them apart.

  One taste wasn’t enough.

  Giving into temptation, she brought her lips back to his, loving the way his breathing hitched right before she kissed him. Need seared along her insides, the taste of him making the world around her vanish.

  When she tried to get closer, the branches poked her in the chest, and she came back to reality with a scowl and reluctantly pulled away. She touched her tingling lips, looking up at Edgar in wonder. His eyes opened slowly, the afterworld glowing in them, his hunger barely banked.

  “We should head back to the others.” His voice was gruff, the branches in his arms snapping as he gripped them harder, as if to hold himself back.

  When she took a step toward him, craving more, he shook his head and looked down, fussing with the armful of wood he carried. “Don’t. If you touch me, I won’t be able to stop myself from taking what you offer.”

  Heat tingled along her veins, desire making her feel sexy. “Would it be so wrong?”

  His throat moved as he swallowed, then his head snapped up, and a pure predator stared back at her. “I’ve waited for you for years. Damned if I’m going to fuck you up against a tree.”

  He stalked toward her, and it was all she could do not to throw herself at him. “Why not?”

  He halted just inches away from her, then rose to his full height, an imperial lord gazing down at her. “Because when I finally claim you for my own, it will be more than a stolen moment. It will be where I can worship you properly and take my time memorizing every inch of you.”

  Her mouth went dry, her nipples hardening and begging for attention, and she thought she might have whimpered.

  “Now let’s head back to camp so the others won’t worry.” He jerked his head, indicating she should go first.

  Annora wasn’t proud of the way her legs wobbled.

  Who knew romance could be so damned addicting?

  By the time they made it back to camp, the guys had everything set up. There were three tents—one for Willa, one for Loulou and Lionel, and one for her and her men. The rest of the wolves opted to remain on guard or sleep under the stars.

  Food was cooking on the fire, flames dancing, throwing shadows around the clearing.

  As she and Edgar entered the campsite, each of her mates looked up at her to confirm for themselves that she was safe and whole. Mason walked across the clearing with—she squinted—a whole fucking tree trunk under his arm. He placed it near the fire, creating a triangle with two other logs already in place.

  He straightened and nodded, brushing off his palms, then smiled brightly at her. “Would you care for a seat?”

  She lifted her brows in surprise, then grinned and perched on one of the logs, the flames from the campfire warming her. Then she popped back up. “What should I do to help?”

  Edgar stacked the branches they collected nearby, and Xander and Camden were finishing up the tents and unrolling their sleeping bags, while Logan was busy cooking something that smelled d
ivine.

  “Sit.” Mason nudged her toward the fire. “Enjoy.”

  “Guys.” Instead of sitting, Annora cleared her throat, sinking her nails into the meaty flesh of her palms, the sting helping to ease her nerves.

  It didn’t take long for them to gather in front of her, jostling for position good-naturally, their looks expectant.

  “I decided…I don’t want to choose, especially now with danger circling us. I don’t trust Daxion not to target you to hurt me. Until this matter is settled, I want us to stick to our original plan of staying together.”

  She expected disappointment, but the guys only nodded, and she blew out a relieved breath. “I’ll still spend some time with each of you individually. Xander will continue combat training, Edgar will work with me on my magical abilities, Camden…we’ll work on your touch.” Instead of shying away, he nodded. “Mason still needs to show me more about how to survive out in the wild.”

  “And me?” Logan quirked a brow at her, but a hint of doubt about what he had to offer shadowed his eyes.

  “Wi…will you teach me how to cook?” She twisted her fingers together, suddenly nervous about her complete lack of womanly skills, and she nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’ve never had a chance to learn, and I want to be self-sufficient. That you’re able to make something over an open fire that smells so delicious is amazing. I—”

  “I would be honored.” His chest puffed up, his chin lifting imperiously. “I am the best, after all.”

  Xander snorted, Mason rolled his eyes, while Camden and Edgar just shook their heads and turned away. It wasn’t long until they were all sitting on the logs and eating, the temperature dropping drastically as the sun dipped behind the mountains.

  For some reason, she’d expected them to be the only ones on the mountain, but it was anything but silent. Insects were loud enough to create a white noise she found soothing as most of the birds and animals were bedding down for the night.

  A few of the wolves decided to take the opportunity to hunt for their supper, and Annora shook her head at the thought of heading blindly into the woods at night. It was like asking to be eaten. Loulou plopped down next to her with a sigh. “You’re not going with them?”

  “Bunny.” Loulou sighed dramatically, looking glum as she pouted. “While I might be faster than some of the wolves, they don’t trust that other predators wouldn’t see me as an easy snack.”

  Annora snorted at the likelihood. Those wolves would tear anything apart that even looked in Loulou’s direction. “So you stayed behind to let them enjoy their run—”

  “—without having to worry about me,” Loulou finished and shrugged.

  Annora gave the bunny a side-eye look, watching her scratch a welt on her arm. Loulou caught it, gave Annora a crooked smile, and threw up her hands. “Fine. These paws are made for city life. I volunteered to stay so I didn’t have to deal with the horde of bugs out to feast on my flesh.”

  Willa exited her tent, then stumbled over the ground and cursed. She dropped down on the other side of Annora and scowled. “Fucking woods.”

  “Don’t like nature either?” Annora couldn’t hold back her amusement.

  “No, I like nature just fine…just not on me,” she deadpanned.

  Annora grinned until Willa turned her snarky green eyes on her with an evil smile.

  “Training time.”

  Chapter Four

  Annora stifled her groan and plastered a smile on her face.

  Both girls just laughed.

  Loulou unearthed a bag of marshmallows from somewhere and made herself at home. “Don’t mind me. I’m just here for the show.”

  Annora rolled her eyes. “You mean you want front row seats if we set the forest on fire.”

  The bunny just grinned, not denying it as she shoved a marshmallow in her mouth, then stabbed another one onto a stick. Prem darted to her side and sat back on his haunches and begged. Loulou grinned and tossed him a marshmallow.

  Just as Loulou moved her stick over the flames, Willa snatched it from her. “This will do.”

  She brandished the stick in challenge.

  Annora glanced at it, then back at Willa, not sure she wanted to know why the witch’s expression had turned gleeful.

  The guys decided to collect more firewood and secure the campsite, giving them time to work, but she could see all of them watching her from the woods. Instead of feeling crowded, she found their nearness reassuring.

  Edgar saw her worry and gave her a confident nod. If anything went wrong, he’d be there to catch her.

  “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, Annora scooted off the log and sat cross-legged on the ground. “Let’s do this.”

  Willa grinned and copied her pose. Then she leaned forward and stabbed the bottom of the stake into the ground so the marshmallow stood between them. Loulou scooped up the ferret and wisely moved to the opposite side of the fire, where she and Prem had a front-row seat. Her blue eyes were a little too big, like she wore Coke-bottle glasses, excitement making her twitchy.

  “We’re going to take turns roasting the marshmallow to a golden brown.” Willa gave Annora a bright smile.

  “We’re going to need more marshmallows,” Loulou muttered, watching them avidly, then crammed another of said marshmallows in her mouth like they were popcorn.

  While Willa was a witch who specialized in fire and could no doubt perform her trick without a problem, it was different when using dark matter.

  It was like a lit match compared to a bonfire.

  Dark matter was a forgotten magic…if forgotten meant killing everyone born with the ability so it stayed lost. If a witch used dark matter, it would only be a matter of time before they burned themselves out, the magic too potent for them to wield.

  There was no coming back from burnout.

  Once a witch lost their magic, they died.

  That didn’t stop them from coveting dark magic. If they could learn to control it, they could easily become the most powerful branch of the supernatural.

  “You first. Ready?” Annora waited for Willa to nod, then held out her hand and called up the darkness. Tiny streams of black smoke curled up from her palm. The urge to play with it was like an addiction. It soothed the rough edges of her soul, made her feel strong and untouchable.

  No one could hurt her here.

  No one would harm her mates, not while she had a say in the matter.

  “Annora?” Willa tossed a marshmallow at her, pegging her right between the eyes.

  Annora flinched and focused on the present. It was only then that she noticed the magic had wrapped around her arm up to her shoulder, gently urging her to disappear into the afterworld. It took longer than it should for her to gain control. When she had a tiny wisp in her hand, she nodded to Willa. “Sorry. Ready?”

  Willa narrowed her eyes, then held out her hand, trusting Annora not to fry her to a crisp. She allowed a tiny wisp to kick up and lick against Willa’s finger.

  It completely incinerated the marshmallow and the stick, leaving only a dusting of ash to drift to the ground between them.

  “Shit.” Willa scowled.

  “At least you didn’t set the forest on fire,” Loulou said brightly, handing over another stick and marshmallow.

  Annora snatched it up and jammed the twig into the ground.

  Her turn.

  “Remember what we practiced,” Willa warned. “Spellcasting is a delicate balance of concentration and control. Feel the magic, but don’t let it take over. Focus on your intent. Like a painter with a paintbrush, not beating at it with a sledgehammer.”

  Then, not waiting for an answer, Willa opened her hand to reveal a tiny flame dancing in her palm.

  Annora reached for it. Instead of feeling the heat of the flames like she expected, magic bucked under her fingertips. When Willa closed her hand into a fist, Annora felt the magic snuff out. Willa demonstrated it twice more when Annora waved her off. “I think I got it.”

  She opened out
her hand in front of her and focused on creating a flame.

  Instead of creating fire, black particles swirled in the air. She poked and prodded it carefully, not sure what to expect.

  Though it might not look the same as Willa’s, it felt the same.

  Even as she watched, the particles began to swirl and dance just like a flame.

  Willa pursed her lips, but ultimately ended up shrugging. “Try it.”

  This was their third session this week on how to create fire, and it was the closest Annora got to completing the task.

  Not that Willa was doing any better.

  Both of them were getting frustrated with the lack of progress.

  Almost afraid to try it, Annora lifted her hand toward the marshmallow…and watched it turn a light golden brown.

  Then it caught fire, the stick burning down like it was a fuse.

  Willa gave her a commiserating look. “Maybe we’re looking at things the wrong way. We’re trying to teach you to cast like you’re a witch. If you wanted to brown the marshmallow, how would you do it?”

  Loulou was already walking around the fire pit and slammed the next sacrifice down between them. The guys emerged from the shadows one by one, curious as they sat around the fire to observe the proceedings.

  Annora glared at the marshmallow like it was her nemesis, then shrugged. “If I wanted to brown it, I would just stick it into the flame.”

  “Show us.” Edgar leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his eyes full of the afterworld, as if ready to yank her to safety if needed.

  Dark particles swirled around her at her call. Instead of focusing on controlling the magic, she concentrated on what she wanted done. Darkness swirled around the stick, and everyone leaned back as sparks snapped in the air. Instead of turning to ash and flaking to the ground, tiny cinders curled around the marshmallow, close enough to brown the edges before burning itself out.

  Annora stared at the melting marshmallow, not sure she believed it. “It worked?”

  “Let’s see.” Before anyone could object, Logan leaned over, plucked the marshmallow off the stick, and tossed it into his mouth.

  He hissed and began to dance around. Annora jumped to her feet, panic sending her heart thumping against her ribs. She lunged for him just when he tipped his head back and waved his hand and mumbled around a mouthful of goo. “Hot.”