Free A Mate's Revenge by P. Jameson Page B

“But that’s my point, baby. I’m not talking about what you need . I’m talking about what you want .” His gaze prowled her body, and she struggled with the urge to squirm. He set her on fire with that look, but she couldn’t let him know it.
    Standing, she moved to the kitchen. She’d wash the few dishes they’d used. Wipe down the counters. Anything to get her mind off of—
    “I know it’s there, underneath all the shitty wasted years. Your passion. And you’re going to find it.”
    She turned to stare at him.
    “One day, you’re going to tell me what the fuck you want, and baby, I’m going to give it to you. And you’re going to let me, and it won’t be a favor. You won’t owe me. It’ll just be me, loving you, like before. And if we’re lucky, you’ll love me back.”
    She braced herself on a chair back. Her wolf whimpered inside, wishing things could be right between her and Cael. Needing it to be. “I already love you. I don’t know what else to do.”
    “Tell me what you want. For your life. For our young. Take back your power. What do you want?”
    “I don’t know,” she shouted. The lie reverberated through the cabin. She knew exactly what she wanted. She just didn’t think she deserved it and didn’t have the spine to ask. Which made her even more worthless.
    When did she become satisfied with being weak? The strength it took to survive all she’d been through was enormous. Mountains and oceans and universes enormous. But now, where was all that?
    Sitting under a dog-pile of guilt and regret, slowly getting the life squashed out of it. That’s where.
    Cael was quiet when he responded. “That’s what you’ve got to figure out. Who do you want to be now, Isa? When you can answer that, he loses.”
    She took in a long breath. He was right. She needed to remember who she was. Needed to take control of herself, her life, her body. It was the only way the damage Jax caused would begin to truly heal.
    She had to take back her power.
    Now, if she could just figure out how.
    “It’s getting late,” Cael said. “We should sleep.”
    Besh nodded. “I’ll grab some more wood off the porch.”
    “No, I’ll go.
    Now was as good a time as ever to exert her power. “I want to. I need the air. And there’s no danger now that my heat is gone.”
    He frowned, considering.
    “It’s just the back porch, Cael.”
    He went to the coat rack and grabbed her parka. “Here. It’s cold.”
    Besh stood a little taller as she slipped the coat on. She’d figure this out. For the sake of her family, she’d be strong again.
    She nodded at Cael before slipping quickly out the back door.
    The air was so cold, it felt like breathing tiny razors. She needed it though. Like ice on a wound, it was good. She took a deep cleansing breath…
    And then froze with fear as her mind registered the scent.
    She opened her mouth to scream but it was too late. A gloved hand covered her face, jerking her backward into a hard, angry body.
    “My little bitch went and got herself knocked up, I see.” Jax’s ghost-like voice in her ear was all her fears wrapped into a single sound. “It’s okay, mate. I’ll take care of that.”
    She struggled against his grip, harder than she’d ever fought before. Her wolf— she —would never let him harm the young.
    She kicked backwards hoping to land a blow to his shin, but instead, he lifted her off the ground. Clawing at his arm only seemed to excite him more, as he dragged her farther and farther away from the cabin. From safety.
    Damn it.
    Panic set it, and her struggle became desperately real. Her foot landed a kick to a mystery body part but it didn’t slow him down in the least. She’d never win against him. Not like this. She was out powered.
    Besh went limp as she realized what she had to do, as she realized what she wanted .
    She wanted to kill the bastard who’d tormented her for seventeen years. She didn’t want Vesh to do it, or even Cael. It had to be