Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
ANNIE
I ’m really, really not good at being a spy. In fact, being a spy might be classed as the worst thing that I’ve ever done. I was an utter failure at the party and found nothing but more guarded rooms that I couldn’t convince any of them to let me in, no matter how much I suggested I pay them. Not that I expected to find anything, but it was worth a shot, and I was happy to see Gwen got a moment with Onyx. It should be against the law for the rich to make their children ignore their mating bonds and marry who they demand. It’s sickening, and one way or another, I will find a way to bring the alpha down. Not just for my parents, but for Gwen too. I think I need to be smarter about this all, and at the moment, I don’t feel anything but useless.
I stand in Georgina’s room and look around. Thankfully, I chose the room for her when she first came, and I made sure I could get back in whenever I wanted. She let me in when we first were friends and didn’t suspect me. I know she is lying about something, and Gwenieve needs help to stop her. I can do this at least. There’s not much in here to begin with, though. Her wardrobe is empty other than the clothes she has been donated and various things like hair straighteners, pressed red tulips in an old romance book, and her side drawer has nothing in it except for a strange moon crystal, which I leave. I’m searching under her bed when I hear something that makes me spin.
It’s not Georgina, but it’s worse. It’s my shadow man. He looks exactly the same as all the other times he’s appeared, and it’s been dozens since Kos’s death. At first, I thought I was going mad, but now I’m wondering if I’m just being haunted by a good-looking ghost as a reward for my crazy life. His arms are crossed against his chest, and he cocks his head to the side. “Miss me?”
“I feel like screaming you’re not real isn’t going to do anything but make me look insane,” I whisper.
“What are you doing?” he asks, moving towards me. My breath hitches. “This isn’t your room.”
“Spying. What are you doing here?” I demand.
“Shadowing you, the usual, making sure you don’t get in trouble, or dead.” He reaches out to touch my hair. “You’ve been my mission for a very long time, and finally, it’s over. I get to take my reward and that is you.”
“You’re not real. So I’m just talking to myself and going mad again. I haven’t even told anyone about you because it’s just insane.” I shake my head. “Shadow man, disappear again.”
His laugh seems so real, so nice, and I stare into his gold eyes. “Never. This city is going to fall, and my contract is over. You’re not falling with it, and they will make all the rangers go and fight.”
“What are you talking about?” I demand. Are my friends in trouble? “I’m not going anywhere with you, but you can explain that one better. What is going to happen to my city?”
“I’m sorry, Annie, but you have to come with me. I’ll explain everything in my home.” He comes a step closer. “I vow it to the Morrigan that I will not hurt you and you will be safe.”
I don’t even know what the Morrigan is. I swear I’ve heard it before, but I can’t think straight while he invades my senses. “I’m not going with you.”
He reaches for me and actually touches me. His skin is warm and soft and so real as he runs his hand up my arm and to the back of my neck. I arch my head to look up at him, wondering why this is intimate. “I’m sorry.” His touch changes in a blink, from warm and safe to cold and empty. I gasp at the cold invasion in my head, and the room spins, my legs giving out. He picks me up in his arms, pressing his lips to my forehead like an apology. It feels like dropping into shadows as the room disappears, and I struggle to stay awake. I cling to him, this complete stranger, and I don’t even get a moment to scream. “My name is Issan, and I am going to keep you safe.”