so that my final moments give hope and strength to those around me.
Our enemies can hurt us, but they will never break us.
“This is the one?” Morox asks, looking to Egathi for confirmation. When she nods, he roves his gaze over me, a licentious smirk appearing. “I can see why you chose this one, Jaxar. She is quite fierce for being so small and weak.”
Morox slides his gaze to Jaxar. “You are fortunate to have cheated death until now, but I still have yet to be rid of my heart’s stone barrier. And that has been severely delayed thanks to your plot to destroy me with those disease-ridden humans.”
In my gut I know my husband didn’t sabotage Morox and his tribe, but even if Jaxar did, I wouldn’t blame him. It’s obvious that the western Masse is pure evil.
Morox walks over to stand in front of Jaxar, leaning close so that they are less than a foot apart. “I want to thank you for uniting the tribes against me. Because of you there are plenty of women, both human and Boraq, who could be the one that keeps me from death. So I will test each and every one, beginning with your wife.”
At hearing this, I back up, preparing to bolt, until a Boraq male snatches my upper arms. I struggle against his hold, just as much as my heart struggles to beat. Fear has clouded all rational thought, and I don’t stop trying, not even when the male drags me to where Morox stands.
“Keep her still,” he orders.
The warrior’s grip tightens, and his claws pierce my skin, wrenching a gasp from me and halting my movements. Jaxar’s gaze finally finds mine, the gold in his eyes nearly blinding with how bright it is. My heart squeezes in on itself at the look of pure fury. No matter how unaffected Jaxar might appear, he is far from it.
Morox reaches out to touch me, and I stiffen as he runs his fingers through my hair and then down the side of my face. Keeping my focus on my husband, I block out the feel of Morox’s hand on my skin, refusing to satisfy him with a reaction. And only because I’m staring at Jaxar do I notice the slight flare of his nostrils.
“I will enjoy tasting this one,” Morox says to Jaxar. “Maybe she will work for me like she did for you… If not, I will still derive much satisfaction from driving my cock into her small cunt while you watch.” He looks at the male holding me and says, “Release her.”
No sooner do the words leave his mouth than I’m sprinting. A violent tug on my hair pulls me back and brings me to my knees. Morox wraps the strands around his wrist, and I scramble in his direction to relieve the sharp pain on my scalp. He settles me between his legs and jerks up my head before encircling his free hand around my throat. Although it’s useless, I claw and scratch at his hold with the picture of Grefina’s dead body at the forefront of my mind. His grip on my neck tightens until my lungs scream for air and my arms fall away to lie listlessly in my lap. Only then does Morox ease his hold, allowing me to suck in a breath.
My knees smart from the hard impact, no doubt badly bruised, and my head throbs in pain, but that’s nothing compared to the agony in Jaxar’s roar. I can only stare as my husband becomes a wild animal, frenzied in his need to get to me. The manacles around his wrists restrict him, but he still manages to knock down one of the guards holding him.
Jaxar’s tail acts as a whip, forcing the other guard to go on the offensive, but his hesitation to approach Jaxar is easily seen. And the male’s pause gives Jaxar an opening that he doesn’t waste. As soon as the male is within reach, Jaxar’s tail wraps around the guard’s forearm and yanks him forward. I flinch when Jaxar’s fangs sink deep into the Boraq’s neck, blood immediately pooling and then trailing down his torso.
“Enough!” Morox beckons two other males to come forward. “Subdue him, but do not kill him.”
Jaxar fights and continues to draw blood and inflict pain, but without the use of his hands, he is eventually apprehended and brought to his knees.
“I will fucking kill you for this!” Jaxar’s shout rattles me with its volume, but