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That growl she’d started to crave spilled from him again as he dropped one hand down to grip her hip, holding her in place while he increased the pace, driving her into the mattress with every thrust. She skimmed her lips over his jaw, tasting the salt of his sweat on her tongue.
“Come for me,” he commanded and slipped that hand from her hip to her clitoris, brushing his thumb in tight circles over the tight bud.
“Fletch!”
Everything locked down in her body, muscles clenching tight as the pleasure built and built until it exploded, rocking through her body until she saw sparks behind her closed eyes. She clung to him as he pumped furiously, and only when he roared with his own release did she ease her hold and let her body sink into a boneless heap beneath him. He remained pressed deep for a long moment, flexing his hips as he spilled every drop of seed into her. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed locked together, but when he tugged free of her and fell to her side, her emotions got the best of her. Tears spilled over, and a sob got tangled in her throat.
“Hey,” Fletch murmured, rolling her into him until she was sprawled across his chest. “Did I hurt you, baby?”
She shook her head then buried her face in his chest and cried it out. How could she tell him she’d never planned to find this moment of pure joy with a man, and it had brought everything she’d kept locked down for years bubbling to the surface? All the pain, the loss, the fear, the never-ending torture. She’d expected to die in those caves. To never see the light of day again, much less obtain freedom and meet a man like Fletch. Her mate. My God, she had a mate! Having him made her think of her family again. The laughter and love. She wanted him to meet her parents and hang out with her brothers. She wanted to gush with her sister about how gorgeous he was and how he made her feel. But she didn’t know if any of them were still alive.
“I hate them,” she cried, lifting her fist and tapping it against his chest. “They took everything from me. Everything!”
“I know, baby. They’ll pay for it. Many of them already have.”
“Why? Why do they hate us? What did we ever do?”
“Nothing, baby. Some people don’t need a reason to sow hate. We simply have to exist to make them want to kill us.”
“I wanted to die. I fought. I stepped in to protect others when I could. Took punishments for those I knew wouldn’t survive another taste of the whip.”
“You survived.”
“I did, but I didn’t…” She paused, lifting her head and shaking it. “That wasn’t my intention. I expected to die there. Some part of me knew I’d never escape that hell, that I’d take one beating too many and it would be me in that hole. Just another body, decaying into the cesspool of flesh and bones.”
“No,” he growled.
“Part of me wanted to, but I couldn’t give up. I don’t have it in me to give up. I don’t have it in me to stand back and protect myself when there’s someone weaker to protect. The scars… God, I know you’ve seen the scars on my body. Most of them, I provoked. And I would do it again and again if it meant sparing one person from that hell.”
She took a deep breath, and Fletch kissed her softly while one big hand ran up and down her spine, soothing her.
“What I’m trying to tell you is, I need to be a part of this.”
“This?” he questioned.
“If you took prisoners, I know those men. I know who will talk and who will take their secrets to the grave. If there are more rescue attempts, I want to be there. Not just because I might find my sister, but because those women deserve to see the face of someone who’s been there and survived. They need that. I need that.”
He swallowed, and she wondered if he was fighting his instinct to protect her. There was something in his gaze, some emotion she couldn’t quite decipher. Did he think she wouldn’t be able to handle seeing any of her captors? Did he wonder how she’d deal with any of the women who might not have made it out? She’d have to show him the depth of her strength. She could and would handle all of it. Hell, didn’t he realize she could shoulder even more now that she had her mate at her side? Instead of voicing any of that, she reminded him of one of the vows they’d taken.
“You swore to keep me by your side. Don’t treat me like I’m fragile, Fletch.”
“I could never see you as fragile,” he swore. “Take a few more days to take care of yourself. Then we’ll see about joining in with the ongoing searches.”
“A few days,” she agreed as he rose from the bed, crossing to pick up the tray of food and bring it back with him.
“Let’s eat then get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll show you the Holloway land.”
She nodded as she reached for one of the sandwiches.
“I’d like to see the other women who made it out.”
She needed to see them, to see who’d survived and who they’d lost when freedom was finally within reach.
“I’ll make sure Jensen tells us where everyone is,” Fletch assured her.
She took her time eating, being careful not to overindulge. As hungry as she was, her body had survived off the bare minimum for too long. She refused to eat only to throw it back up because her body couldn’t handle it. Fletch said nothing as he took in what she’d managed to consume. He merely put away the tray and came back to bed, tugging her back against his chest as they settled beneath the covers. One moment she was breathing him in, wondering if he’d make love to her again. The next she was back in the cave chained in place, facing the rock wall stained red by the amount of blood that had been spilled there.
“How many strikes can you take this time?” Carter drawled from behind her.
