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I forced myself to take on a more sympathetic, almost apologetic air as I continued in a soothing tone. “I didn’t pursue Dawn out of a sense of entitlement, and certainly not to spite you. Fate brought us together, and—”
An excruciating pain followed by a bout of coughing interrupted me. What I first thought to be bile rising in my throat turned out to be blood as the taste of iron exploded on my taste buds. A drop of blood pearled on my lips. I licked it off, furious that Jaek should have witnessed it.
His anger faded, replaced by an evil smile. “Fate may have brought you together, but not for long, it seems. Don’t worry. Dawn will forget about you, and I’ll be there to console her.”
It was my turn to be angry. “You’d let a Sarenian mind-control a woman into being with you?” I snarled.
Jaek recoiled, the genuine outrage on his face filling me with relief.
“NEVER! Whatever you may think, nothing matters to me more than Dawn’s happiness.”
“Then you’d let her be with her soulmate,” I challenged.
His face closed off. He squared his shoulders and took on a cold expression. “Your fate is out of my hands.”
“But you’re a part of this,” I argued.
He snorted. “I wasn’t until I smelled you on her. Your fate was sealed long before I got involved.”
That struck me like a boulder. The pain in my chest stunted my ability to think, not to mention my left lung feeling like it was deflated, making it harder to breathe. If he’d only joined them a few days ago out of jealousy, maybe he could be swayed back away from this path of madness. Or had Deimos taken advantage of Jaek’s sorrow to mind-control him and had merely convinced him that he had not?
“So you seized the opportunity to punish me for taking what you think is yours,” I said sternly.
“No, Jakar,” Jaek replied in a strange tone. “I’m merely keeping the one I love safe. Too bad I can’t say the same about you.”
I blinked. “What?”
He glanced at my men, still partially unconscious from sedation. “You let them needlessly suffer. As you can see, the painkillers we give them without tampering with the quality of their hormones can only go so far. As a Berserker, you could further dampen their suffering, maybe even nullify it, while speeding up their healing. And yet, you’re not using your power.”
While that comment struck a nerve, I held his gaze defiantly. “You don’t give a shit about their pain. You just want my Berserker hormones. Why else have you and your master not given me painkillers, unlike my men? And every time I’ve used my power, you’ve only implanted them with more eggs.”
Jaek chuckled. “You’re right, I don’t care. And apparently, you don’t either. I’ll get your Berserker hormones anyway. You purebloods may be strong, but you’re clearly not smart. Resisting compulsion damages your brain. You’ll find that going along makes things easier.”
“And be a puppet like you?” I retorted with disdain.
“Like I said, I’m no one’s puppet. But do keep resisting whenever Deimos chooses to enthrall you. Soon, your mind will be broken enough for us to just take what we want.”
Except it was another bout of bloody coughing that responded to his words as sharp pain sliced through my torso. His eyes flicked to my chest. He tilted his head to the side, as if admiring a mesmerizing phenomenon.
“Your first little friend is about to come out. Although you’re proving not to be too smart, I have to admit that you’re tough. Without painkillers, most people would be screaming in agony right now,” Jaek reflected out loud. He turned around to look at my men pensively. “Maybe we’ll stop giving them painkillers as well to see just how toughtheyare...” he turned back to lock eyes with me “…or how indifferentyouare to their pain. Maybe then, the Berserker in you will come out and play.”
Without waiting for my response, Jaek picked up the temperature-controlled container in which he had placed my men’s fluid bags and walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, I invoked my Berserker powers. In seconds, the pain in my chest and abdomen dropped to negligible levels and the tension straining my men’s faces vanished as my aura wrapped around them.
Feeling defeated, I closed my eyes and prayed to the Ancestors that they give me a way out of this mess.
Chapter 21
Krygor
Iglared balefully at Ravik. The wretch was eyeing me with amusement as the topic that had been poisoning my life of late finally came up in his private council. My aggravation only made him laugh further. His second son, Ganek, and Clan Leaders Boros Grumar and Raylor Caldes observed me with curiosity.
“Wait until it’s Lissy’s turn. Then we’ll see how amusing you’ll find it all,” I grumbled.
Ravik chuckled. “You’re probably right. But that’s still nine years away. And you’re assuming I’ll let the foolish male who comes sniffing around my daughter live long enough to court her.”
“Mercy might have something to say about it,” Ganek teased.
Ravik snorted. “My woman will likely be the one kicking his ass first.”
