Mating Rights Read Online Free PDF

Mali. Jaxon lifted his forearm, blocking her strike.
    The girl launched into
pitiful princess mode with the men watching her. She pouted and cried, though
no tears fell from her eyes. “She ripped my hair out and ruined my nose! You
need to beat her!”
    Jaxon stood between the
combatants, hands on his hips and feet spread wide. “You’ll heal, Angelica.”
    “What about my hair?”
Angelica shrieked, holding up the frazzled ends of her hair.
    Mali dared a grin at
the girl, earning a glare in return.
    “It’ll grow back,”
Jaxon muttered, tight lipped as if hiding a smile. “Now, who started the
fight?”
    Angelica pointed at
Mali. “She did. She can’t take a joke.”
    Jaxon glanced at Mali.
“Is this true?”
    Mali crossed her arms over
her chest, lifting her chin. “I’m not going to take abuse from anyone. Her mama
should have taught her not to taunt a caged beast.”
    Jaxon stroked his rough
jaw, tilting his head as he studied over the women. “We can’t have you two
tearing each other apart on the ride to the festival.”
    “Well, I’m not riding
with her back here. None of us are. She’s an animal!” Angelica said.
    “Figured as much.
That’s as good a solution as any. Come on, you can ride with me, Mali. Everyone
else back inside the wagon. We need to make some good time. We’ve had enough
delays,” Jaxon said, giving Mali an admonishing look.
    Mali widened her eyes,
attempting to appear innocent. She couldn’t help the fact that the other women
had formed a clique and shut her out the moment she stepped foot under the
canvas.
    Everyone piled back
inside. Adolpho took his seat at the front, and Mali walked ahead of Jaxon back
to his horse.She’d rather ride with the asshole
than a bunch of vipers any day of the week.
    Jaxon lifted her onto
his horse. When she was settled, he stuck his foot in the stirrup and launched
himself up with a soft grunt. From his action, she could see his knee pained
him.
    The trees shook their
limbs, sounding like baby rattles. Dead leaves whirled across the road. Her
mood seemed reflected in the dark gray clouds roiling through the air above,
turning the sky to slate.
    “I thought it was going
to rain. My knee’s been acting up,” Jaxon said, settling behind her on the
horse and taking the reins in his hands. The bay horse’s skin twitched with the
change in weather. He clicked his tongue and shook the reins, urging the horse
forward. The small caravan followed suit.
    She’d never ridden a
horse before, and the beast’s nervousness made her own nerves react much the
same. “What’s wrong with your knee?” she asked.
    Jaxon snaked a hand
around her waist, holding her tight against his chest. “Got taken by the Bear
Clan. About ten years or so ago.”
    Mali frowned. He wasn’t
very forthcoming. “That’s it?”
    “I don’t like ta talk about
it much,” he said.
    “Well, it’s not like we
have anything else to talk about.”
    He sighed. “Bear Clan
came up before Nicodemus had finished walling in Capitol City. I was captain of
the guard then and responsible for everyone’s safety. We took down the first
wave with silver tipped arrows, but then the Grizzlies and Kodiaks came. The
arrows hit them like mosquitos. A squad of our men were surrounded with no way
to get out. I went in with another squad to break a line for them to escape,
but managed to get myself captured instead.”
    Mali put a hand on her
chest, glancing at him over her shoulder. His face looked like stone. “What
happened?” she asked, her tone soft.
    “They slaughtered most
of us. Held me for weeks as an example, torturing me. They fed me wolf’s bane
to keep me from healing or shifting. That’s why my face looks like hamburger
and I’ll never win any races with this knee of mine. I also lost my mate Jen.”
    He said it
matter-of-fact, but there was an undertone that spoke volumes of the pain he’d suffered.
She wanted to question him more, but sensed she’d drawn as much