Claws by Karolyn Cairns Read Free Book Online

yanked out suitcases. She threw open drawers and tossed
whatever she could find into them. Her eyes filled with tears to
think of leaving. Eli renounced her. What did that mean?
    What had she done? A sorrowful mewl
escaped her to leave her children. Eli wouldn’t let her see them
again. She assumed exile meant she wouldn’t get visitation. A
hoarse sob escaped her then.
    Vivvie took all her things from the
bathroom and looked down at the large round diamond on her finger.
She was angry Eli wouldn’t listen to reason. He claimed to love
her, yet refused to believe in her.
    To hell with him! She pried the ring off and left it on the vanity.
She made short work of finding all her important papers, driver’s
license, and whatever other documents she needed. Grabbing her
purse, she shoved all the papers inside and took her keys off the
hook in the kitchen. A picture of them and the kids in Australia
was still on the refrigerator door. Seeing how happy they were only
a few weeks ago made her rip it down, blinded by frustrated tears.
She bent down and picked it up where it fell, putting it in her
purse on afterthought. She had no other pictures of her
children.
    She found the back entrance to the
compound with a wounded look back. The opening to the outside was
created during the war so the tribe wouldn’t be trapped below if
the elevators and parking garage went down. Tears streamed down her
cheeks as she walked up to the top; her steps heavy and echoing
within the shaft.
    Vivvie made her way to the main road,
hefting her suitcases. She stayed off the road; worried members of
the tribe would see her. She knew Jericho thought she would lie
down and go to sleep. It could be hours before they knew she was
gone. She planned to be as far from here as she could
get.
    ~ ~ ~
    Eli glared at Jericho. He was informed
him his patient disappeared in the night. Jericho made sure he
waited all day to let him know; to give Vivvie a head start
wherever she went. No patrol was sent out. Eli refused to go after
her.
    Tania was moving into his suite by
then. Eli was furious and wanted to hurt his mate as much as she
hurt him. He wasted little time in taking Tania up on what she
offered, showing up at her old room and giving into the rekindled
desire.
    “I know the way this looks, Eli,”
Jericho said and looked miserable. “I believe her. I don’t think
she’s lying.”
    “We’ll never know; will we?” Eli
snapped harshly and looked away. “It’s done, Jericho. She made her
choice when she did this.”
    Jericho nodded and watched his leader
stomp out of the conference room. He knew the female elder was now
living with Eli. He was angry to know Vivvie had been gone one full
day and he moved on with Tania. The thought of how she got her way
so quickly didn’t escape his notice.
    Tania entered some moments later
looking serene and untroubled. Somehow her expression seemed smug.
Jericho sensed her pleasure. She looked like she bathed in the
cream crock. The female elder looked gorgeous that day, wearing a
casual dress that accented her figure to perfection. Her long dark
hair was held back in a stylish headband.
    Jericho expected to feel the old
reaction to her but he felt nothing as she approached, her gold
eyes simmering with amusement. He knew she’d overheard the
conversation. Tania liked to listen at doors.
    Jericho tried to bite back a sarcastic
comment. It wasn’t his place to say anything. Eli was acting like
an idiot and put his wife out over a misunderstanding. Thoughts of
Vivvie wandering the streets alone made him furious he could do
nothing for her.
    “It appears you got your way, Tania,”
he said coolly. “Eli cast out his mate. You know how to make up for
lost time, don’t you? She’s been gone less than a day and you’re
already propped up in his bed. You haven’t lost your
touch.”
    “Really, Jericho, did you think it
would last?” she asked in a stung tone. “He was only too eager to
have me back. Is it my