The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (audio ebook reader .TXT) 📕

enough. It was a pretty convenient story, but it was just that—a story. There were enough elements of truth to it to make it believable, but I wasn’t hearing them. She had betrayed me, and cost innocent people their lives, no matter what her regrets were.

I stood up and crossed over to her, ignoring the feeling of how wrong I was in doing what I was about to do. I’d been sent out here to retrieve her and the egg, and that was what I was going to accomplish. It was far easier than dwelling on what she had told me right then.

“Violet Bates Bertrand, you are under arrest on the authority of King Maxen of Patrus,” I announced, slipping the cuffs on her wrists before she could stop me.

14

Violet

The rope stretched between my cuffed hands and Viggo’s hand like a leash as we walked. Sweat poured down my skin in rivulets, and I was practically gasping for air as he marched me through The Green like a dog. Samuel gave a yip, bounding between us, reminding me that I was being treated worse than a dog.

Suddenly furious, I gave a vicious tug of the rope. Viggo’s grip was strong, so I barely moved his arm from where he clutched it. He turned, and from under his mask I could see the muscle in his jaw twitching. For a second, I wanted to punch him in that exact spot.

Since slipping the handcuffs on me, Viggo hadn’t said two words to me. Oh, I had struggled after he put the cuffs on me. I had tried to run, tried to fight, but I was still weak from the venom that had laid me out. There was no way I was getting away from him in this condition.

I was still baffled by his sudden change in demeanor. He had seemed to be listening to me as I told my story. I tried to keep it short and succinct, and he had still arrested me! He was still dragging me back to Patrus, where a noose would be waiting for me in the public gallows.

I was struck by how unfair the situation was. That feeling had intensified as the day went on, until I was practically seething with rage, like a teapot about to blow. I wondered if I had been a man, if Viggo would believe me. I dismissed the thought as soon as it came to me. The only reason Viggo was so mad was because I had kissed him.

Viggo tugged the rope, urging me to move. Defiantly, I tugged it back, my limbs shaking from the exertion from walking for the last two hours. Samuel ran through my legs and then lay down, panting, his eyes on Viggo.

Viggo took a long, hard look at us. Spitting out a curse, he walked the distance between us, pulling something out of his pocket and thrusting it into my hands. Looking down, I saw the canteen. Parched, I opened it. It was hard with my hands bound together, but I managed. Then, as I lifted the canteen up, I realized that it was next to impossible to take off my mask. If I did it while holding the canteen, all the water would spill out of it. If I did it with the canteen closed, I would be holding my breath for a long time in a toxic atmosphere.

Frowning, I looked at Viggo. I was going to have to ask him to help me and I really didn’t want to. My pride wouldn’t allow it—especially since he was acting like a domineering and arrogant… well… Patrian.

Defiantly, I replaced the cap, and tossed it back to him. He caught it out of the air deftly, frowning at me. I gave him my best rebellious face, even though my throat was desperate for water. He shrugged and began walking again.

This was the extent of our communication. He tugged the rope and I staggered on, cursing myself and him for being idiots.

I needed the water if I was going to get away from him. I needed to keep my strength up. Not taking it was only hurting me, not him.

Get it together, Vi, I told myself as I stepped over a log.

The wound on my leg twitched as I stretched too far to get over the log, and I gave an involuntary gasp at the twinge of pain as I felt the skin stretch under the bandage.

Viggo was immediately there, his green eyes blazing behind the clear plastic of his mask.

“What happened?” he demanded, his hands reaching out to steady me.

I gaped at him, as he uttered the first words he’d spoken to me for hours. It was tempting to ignore him like he’d been ignoring me, but I was too concerned about my wound. I put aside my pride.

“My leg, I might have…”

He immediately reached down and started unbuttoning my pants. Eyes wide, I jerked back out of his hands.

“What are you doing?”

Viggo gave a sigh, like his patience was being tried. “It’s not exactly the time to be prudish. I need to see your thigh. That means the pants come down.”

It was irrational, I knew, but I did not want Viggo taking my pants off. The fact that he had already done so while I was unconscious was upsetting. The logical part of my brain knew that it needed to be done, but the emotional part was unwilling to bend.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. Viggo’s face grew determined, and I took another step back. “Viggo, I said no.”

He advanced, his face a mask of grim determination. My heart started to pound as he stalked toward me like a predator. I knew I should be afraid, but the sight of him moving toward me like that made me feel… excited.

That scared me more than anything.

Without meaning to, I held up my hands to fend him off, turning my face away. “Please Viggo,” I said, my voice coming out high-pitched and shaky. Samuel