Read Online Inequities by Jambrea Jo Jones - Free Book Online Page B

to the house. He knew where Ryerson was taking Vivian and he didn’t have much time.
     
    * * * *
     
    “Where are you taking me?” Vivian wrapped her arms around herself, wanting to hide her nakedness.
    “Shut up and put this on. You disgust me.” Ryerson took his shirt off and threw it at Vivian.
    She didn’t want his scent on her, but she wanted him looking at her even less.
    “If I disgust you, why didn’t you kill me when you shot Russ?”
    Oh, god. Russ. He’d gone down and not moved. He couldn’t be dead. Fate wasn’t that cruel. She refused to believe that he would be taken away from her. Vivian covered her mouth to hold in the scream. She wouldn’t cry. Not in front of Ryerson. She stood up straight and glared.
    “Because, Princess, I need a body to show Mom and Dad.”
    A body? What was he talking about? Oh. No.
    “You’re going to kill me. Why didn’t you already?” Vivian resigned herself to the worst. As much as she wanted Russ to save her, she was going to have to get herself out of this mess. And she didn’t have the first clue on how to do that. She wasn’t a warrior. She had bodyguards for goodness sake.
    “I didn’t want any more of your friends to come out. Did you rut with them all? Fucking beasts. You should have stayed home like a good little girl and fallen in with my plans. But no, you had me traipsing all over the place going after your ass. You’ll pay for that.”
    “Mom and Dad won’t believe you.”
    “Yes, they will.” Ryerson’s eyes flared an unnatural red.
    What was wrong with him? Ryerson had always been ruthless, but this was new. He held no magic that she knew of. None of her den was strong with it.
    “Even if they do, how are you going to get rid of them and take over?”
    “War my dear. Plain and simple. They will be casualties after they’ve declared me their heir. Then I don’t need them and the tribe will be mine. Now shut up. I need to get a little further away before I take care of you. Make sure I’m not followed.”
    Her parents were going to die and it was her fault. Damn it. She’d told them to make Ryerson their heir. After they saw her dead body, it would be easier to hand things over. Her den might not understand that love was all that mattered and killing her parents would only make things worse.
    What was she going to do? Vivian looked around the landscape to see if there was anything around to help her, but she was drawing a blank. Ryerson was stronger than her. She’d need something to give her leverage over him. The area had very little vegetation and no fallen tree trunks to help.
    Vivian stumbled over a root in the ground. Maybe she could slow things down? Someone had to know something was wrong by now. Didn’t they? She hated feeling like a damsel in distress. She was alpha . Not some weak-willed ninny.
    She twisted her ankle in the root. Purposely landing on it wrong. It hurt, but was worth it to slow Ryerson down. If he were to be believed he wouldn’t kill her yet.
    “What the fuck? Get up.”
    “I can’t.” Vivian played up the whine in her voice. He needed to think her weak. “I—it hurts. I twisted it.”
    Ryerson bent down and dragged her to her feet before hoisting her over his shoulder. She should have thought of that. It wouldn’t slow him down too much. How much time had passed? Had someone found Russ? Was he still alive?
    Please be alive. Oh, God. Please. I love you. Don’t die.
    Now that she was hidden from Ryerson’s view she let the tears fall. Her heart hurt and she couldn’t imagine a life without Russ. Not that it would matter if Ryerson succeeded in killing her. It took her a few minutes to realise the good thing about her position. She could reach the gun. The idiot had put it in his pants. It peeked out.
    Vivian took a deep breath, closed her eyes and made the grab. She threw her weight at his back making his balance off. He stumbled and she fell, the gun now in her possession. She shuffled away from