Page 55 of Benedict’s Rejuvenation (Dark Patriots #5)

His tone and expression made it clear he believed what he said. He wasn’t acting. Xandros thought that women were to be subservient to men. I held back my scream of rage. I needed to hear more.

“So let me guess. You’ve had several women you’ve stolen or bought. They’ve been forced to be your captive playthings. And when they don’t satisfy you, which is impossible to do, you enjoy punishing them. Making them physically hurt, tearing them apart emotionally, and degrading them.”

He smiled. “Damn right I do. Your only worth is what I say it is. And if I can’t get pleasure from your mouth, pussy, or ass, then I’ll take it out of your skin. I adore seeing my ownership on a woman’s body. Your one true job is to be a pet. Every pet requires a strong master.”

His referring to himself as a master and me as a pet was my trigger. Something took me over, and I got in his face and hissed, “You’d love to show me how you’d control and tame me, wouldn’t you?”

Xandros thrust his chin forward and smirked. “I can have you begging to serve me in any manner I wish. You’ve been exposed before, that one said. You know what your duty is. Let me show you and them what you’re made for,” he demanded. But underneath the demand, I heard the excitement and sick need.

I straightened and turned my head to meet Ben’s gaze.

I knew he was hating this and wanted to punch Xandros in the face, then get on with this.

And we would. But first, I had to teach this bastard that women weren’t weak puppets or pets.

Vadzim’s words were running around my head.

My stomach churned, and I wanted to beat Xandros’s face in.

“Release him. Let’s see what he can do. And don’t interfere. I don’t want him to say I cheated,” I directed to Ben. He shook his head. I looked back at Xandros and continued.

“However, if we do this, you and I, if I win, you have to tell us where Wynne’s dungeon is and how to get inside of it.

There has to be a prize to make it worthwhile to win.

If you win, you get to prove to all three of us women, and even these men, that your beliefs are the correct ones to have, and they should take control, and we should submit. ”

“I’m not letting him loose and have you fight him, Kensy. There’s no need to do that. If he won’t talk, we’ll get it from one of the others. We can make them talk. I know he’s pressing your buttons, but don’t let him have that kind of power,” Ben instructed.

“I’m not letting him stir up my pain without giving me a way to excise it for good.

I can’t bring Vadzim back and beat the hell out of him and then kill him again.

I’m imagining all the poor women he’s spouted his nonsense to and what he did when they didn’t believe him and bowed down to his sick dictates. Please, Ben, please.”

“Specter, I know you hate this, and I don’t blame you, but it’ll help her eliminate demons.

What can it hurt? You might walk out of here with Kensy that much closer to being completely herself and further in her recovery.

You’re getting married. I know you. You won’t want to wait to start a family with her.

Let it begin now,” Beau unexpectedly told Ben.

My man’s scowl didn’t fade for a solid minute or more before it eased, then he sighed. As it happened, he glanced over at Aryan and Jai. They were avidly watching, just like Ross. Justin and Heath were taking it all in stride. They’d had time to get used to how my sister and I acted.

“Will you move all this furniture back for us? We need room for them,” Ben told Jai and Aryan.

“Sure thing,” Jai said.

As they got busy shoving furniture out of the middle of the room and against the walls, Justin and Heath began yanking the chairs and loveseat that the other captives were on, against a far wall, with them still seated on them.

In no time, a huge open area was in the center of the room.

Even the large area rug was rolled up out of the way.

Ben had come to me. He held my face between his hands as he stared into my eyes, seeing to my heart and then past it to my soul.

“Hummingbird, I’m giving you this, but I won’t be able to do it for long.

Don’t toy with him. Fucking beat his ass so we can get this over with and the night done.

While we’re doing this, Ross and Heath will take care of those outside before they wake up and sound the alarm. We’re on the clock. I love you.”

“Thank you, and I love you,” I replied.

Ben gave me a hard kiss, then let go and walked over to Xandros.

Ben cut the ties at his ankles and then his wrists.

He moved back, and Xandros came to his feet.

Before he could take a step toward me, Ben crowded him and roughly patted him down, taking his weapons.

When he was satisfied he was clean, Ben went to stand next to Beau and my sister.

Sloan and Undertaker were together in another spot.

That left Jai, Aryan, and Justin scattered near the five restrained men.

The smirk Xandros gave me indicated he clearly thought I would be no competition and that one or more of the men would step in.

He was paying more attention to Ben and the guys than he was to me.

I snapped out a forward kick that took him in the thigh.

It made his leg partially buckle, and he stumbled back.

His face had the most outraged, comical expression on it. I smirked at him.

“Pay attention there, sweetie. You need to keep a close eye on your opponent. You’ll take an ass beating from me, not them,” I taunted.

A growl of indignation rumbled out of him. “Bitch, I’ll make you eat those words. And I’ll make you choke on something else.” He grabbed his crotch as if I needed the visual to know what he meant.

An angry grumble came from Ben, but I indicated for him to remain calm. “I doubt she’ll choke on a swizzle stick,” my sister called out, then cackled.

Xandros shot Keeley a look that, if looks could kill, she’d drop.

She kept laughing. Then his gaze was back on me, and he charged me.

I admit, he was fast, but I was expecting him to do something like that.

He wanted to catch me gloating and then take me down hard and fast and in the most humiliating way possible.

He wouldn’t have long in his mind to get in his licks before the guys interfered.

I was ready for him and waited until the last moment to sidestep his charge and land a hard punch to his ribs. He grunted with the impact. The air rushed out of him. It hurt my fist, but I knew it hurt his side and possibly cracked a rib.

“ Baby, he’s gonna become enraged. Be careful. Yell if you want help ,” Ben whispered, so I heard him in our earpieces.

“I’m frosty,” I assured him. I’d heard the guys saying it. Dad has used the term a lot to remind us to stay alert and prepared for anything.

“ Then put his ass down hard ,” Ben said with confidence.

“Just for you, Lover Man,” I replied. I heard the snorts of some of the team, but I didn’t care. Ben chuckled under his breath.

“Man, I bet that hurt. Didn’t expect that, did ya?” I asked Xandros.

He was a tall man who appeared to be physically fit.

He had muscle and maybe even some skills, but he was banking on me being full of bravado and expecting the men to cover my ass.

My increased workouts and return to my roots after my rescue instilled in me a renewed sense of skill level.

Xandros swiveled on his heel, twisting his body but not his legs, allowing him to swing at my head.

I pivoted away from him and then swept my leg into the back of his knees.

With the way he was twisted, he lost his balance, was unable to right himself, so his legs buckled and he crashed to his knees on the hard floor. I winced. That impact had to hurt.

Knowing I didn’t have endless time to toy with him, I kept twirling until I was standing in front of him, where I kicked him in the chest. He fell backward. His legs were awkwardly bent behind him. Xandros was swearing and bellowing in pain.

I left enough distance between us that he couldn’t grab me as I taunted, “Who’s on their back and a pet now?”

“Don’t let her make you look weak,” Hendrix yelled.

Xandros bellowed, “Fucking cunt, you’ll crawl to me and beg me before I’m through.”

Not waiting to think better of it, I dropped and landed a flying elbow to his throat.

I felt his windpipe crush. I rolled away, and he lay there fighting to get up and breathe.

There wasn’t any way to get enough oxygen to make a difference.

Xandros fought for about two minutes as he turned increasingly blue, then eventually stopped trying and went limp.

The room was deathly quiet. I looked over at Wynne and the others.

“Tell them what they want to know. What I just did is kid’s play compared to what they can and will do. And that’s not all I have in me by a long shot.” I walked over to stand next to Ben. I waited to see what would happen next.