Page 27 of Jace's Mate
The vans rolled forward, the town car leading the way.
Jace leaned his head back, relaxing for the first time that night.Around him, the van was filled with the contented silence of the worn-out.A few soft murmurs.One chuckle.Someone sneezed.
But most were quiet—drained, but happy.
He felt the exact moment the pup in his lap lost the battle with sleep.His little body sagged, breath evening out, pride giving way to dreams.
Jace didn’t move.
He just sat there, a sleeping wolf pup curled into his chest, as the pack rolled toward home.
Chapter 7
“You’regettingmarried.”
Anikka heard the words, but they didn’t register at first.She turned from the stove, where she was stirring a thick, savory stew, and glanced toward her uncle.He stood in the narrow doorway between the cramped kitchen and the even smaller dining room, arms folded, a smug, triumphant gleam in his eye.He looked like a man bracing for impact.
“I’m… sorry?”she said, blinking at him.She repeated his words in her head, trying to make sense of them.They still sounded ridiculous.
“Married,” he snapped, stomping forward and tearing off a hunk of bread she’d just pulled from the oven.“Ow!”he hissed, dropping the steaming piece onto the counter and shaking his hand.“You’re getting married,” he repeated, as if that settled everything.
She turned back to the stew, calmly adjusting the seasonings.“I don’t know anyone I’d be inclined to marry,” she said, her voice mild.
His cheeks darkened, mottled with fury.“You don’thaveto know anyone!”he roared.“I command it—and you willobeywithout question!”
Behind him, the two guards stationed in the doorway didn’t flinch.In fact, they seemed...detached.One leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, while the other glanced toward the ceiling, clearly bored.Anikka caught the shift and blinked.That was new.A few days ago, they’d been wary of her uncle—rigid with nerves anytime he raised his voice.But now?They just looked tired of the drama.
She shook her head.“No.I’m not marrying a random stranger.”
Wilton’s face turned an alarming shade of crimson, and for a moment, she honestly wondered if he might burst a blood vessel.“You will obey me—or face the consequences!”
Her head tilted slightly.“What are the consequences?”
The question caught him off guard.He sputtered for a moment, clearly unprepared to answer.But after a quick scan of the kitchen, his expression shifted.He straightened, puffed up like a man who’d found his trump card, and jabbed a finger toward the stove.
“You’ll go without food until you learn your place in this house!”
Anikka blinked at the stew, then turned back to him with a slow shrug.“If I don’t eat,” she said pleasantly, “thenno oneeats.”
She looked past him to the guards, biting back a smile at their horrified expressions.Apparently,theydidn’t like that plan.“I’m the only one here who knows how to cook.”She raised her eyebrows.“Do either of you know how to make a decent stew?”
Her tone was all sugary politeness, but her words dripped with challenge.
Focused on the guards, she didn’t see Wilton’s hand until it was already swinging.She caught the motion too late to fully dodge—his fist skimmed her cheek and jaw instead of landing a direct hit, but the pain flared hot and immediate.
She froze.For a split second, she couldn’t breathe.
Then it started again—those strange, furious sensations that had been building for days.
It began in her core, a bubbling ache that surged outward.Her fingers felt like they were on fire.Her spine burned.It was as if something just beneath her skin wastearing free.
What was happening to her?
“Control it!”Wilton roared, backing away now, fear replacing rage in his eyes.“Damn you, control yourself!”
For a moment, Anikka considered letting go—just releasing the flood of rage and allowing whatever this was to take over.She wassotired of suppressing every emotion, of tiptoeing around her fury, biting her tongue until it bled.
But then she glanced at the guards.
