Read Ristèard Unwilling Empress for Free Online Page B

decision, Ristèard gripped the limb above his head again and began climbing. It didn’t take him long to get to the same branch she was on. Stepping around her, he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist.
    “Release the tree, Ricki,” he whispered in her ear as he pressed his body against hers.
    It took less than a second for him to realize that she was not only trembling violently, but that she was drawing in quick, tiny breaths of air. He could feel the terror running through her body and see the death grip she had on the tree. Steadying himself, he reached up to peel her arm away from the smooth surface.
    “Don’t!” She whispered frantically, looking at him in panic. “I’m not… Just leave me. Please, just leave me alone.”
    Ristèard tightened his grip around Ricki’s waist, sliding his hand down her arm until he could thread his fingers through hers. He almost winced when she tightened her fingers around his in a surprisingly strong clasp. He muttered under his breath when she didn’t let go of the trunk with her other arm.
    “Ricki,” he started to say, pausing when she shook her head frantically from side to side.
    “I can’t,” she whispered in a tearful voice. “I can’t.”
    Ristèard wondered for a moment if he had made a huge mistake in planning this entire mission. He knew that Ajaska and Torak would never have understood his belief that Ricki was the mythical Empress sent by the Goddess to save his world. Hell, he didn’t believe it, but he was desperate.
    He needed to return to his world before his absence was noticed. Already, he had been gone too long in his previous negotiation with the Kassisan Royal family. His absence had enabled the traitorous bastards on the council to set a trap for him and his guards. He was scheduled to meet with them tomorrow afternoon. That meant he needed to leave Kassis as soon as possible if he was to return before they noticed he was missing again.
    “I swear I will not harm you and neither will my men,” he reassured her, wrapping their joined hands around her waist so he could pull her other arm free.
    Ricki glanced over her shoulder at him and scowled. “You hurt Stan,” she snapped. “How on Earth do you expect me to believe you won’t hurt me too? You… What do you want with me anyway?”
    Ristèard used her distraction to pull her other arm from the tree. Her loud cry and suddenly stiff body almost toppled them both. It took him a moment to regain his balance on the thin branch. He pulled her close and braced his hand on the trunk of the tree as she dug her nails into his arm.
    “Calm or you will make us fall,” he ordered, glancing down when Andras called up in a low voice that Harald and Emyr had arrived.
    “Oh, God, please don’t,” Ricki muttered in a terrified voice. “Oh, please don’t, please don’t, please don’t.”
    Ristèard gritted his teeth in pain. He was sure that he was going to end up with a bloody arm on top of everything else. He shifted his weight until he was balanced and called down to Andras and Sadao.
    “I’m sorry, Ricki, but we have to leave now,” Ristèard said when the sound of alarms echoed from the direction they had come earlier. The human male’s body had been discovered.
    Ricki gasped loudly before a loud, piercing scream escaped her as she felt herself falling through the air. Ristèard cursed, knowing that the authorities would hear her. Time was running out and he had done the only thing he could think of to get her out of the tree. He had picked her up and dropped her down to Andras, who was waiting below.
    Turning, he jumped, landing on the ground next to where Andras stood holding Ricki in his arms. Taking her shoes from Sadao, he stepped forward and slid them on her bare feet. When he was done, Andras lowered Ricki to the ground.
    “Get the…,” Ristèard started to order before his head exploded back and he swore he saw the stars up close and personal. “What in the name of the