Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,120

up, the fox elders… Including his father who was just as much of a pain in the ass. I bit back a smile when I saw them all come pouring out of the building we were by, like dogs smelling something they needed to come check out.

Actually, that was insulting to my dogs. They had better sense than these men.

I kicked out Carson’s knee, snapping it and breaking a few bones just for good measure.

“You are feral!” Elder Leisser roared. “You’ve done it now, you trash. You attacked my son and will be finally controlled as you should be.”

I smirked at him as I punched his son hard enough that blood went everywhere. “I’m trash? According to you and your vile son, this is all his fault for not being strong enough to defend himself against me. He’s so weak that he’s a burden on our society and must be managed accordingly. Isn’t that the argument you and your minions keep spewing?”

“That is for—”

“Women, yes, I know,” I drawled, giving a hard kick to break the whole side of Carson’s ribs when he tried to get up. “My ears and brain work just fine, no matter what your outdated and delusional mind thinks. I know you say it about women. As I asked your son—are you saying he’s too weak to be held to the standards of women? Or are you willing to admit your whole rantings are bullshit?”

And just like that I had them, all of them, and Councilman Leisser knew it from the way he looked at the cameras catching every second of this.

“Your choice, Leisser,” I taunted as I stepped on his son’s broken knee that wasn’t healing it. I ground my foot to shatter it into tiny pieces, several people around us wincing. “Admit it’s all bullshit and this is wrong, that it’s assault, and no one ever deserves it, and you can call the police. Hell, you’ll be a hero for finally having a valid reason to take me into custody.

“I’m doing it live on camera. But others can’t file the report. You or your son have to. That’s the law. The others can call the police as to a disturbance, but it’s on tape that Carson agreed to this and said he would teach me respect. So now you can stop this. All you have to do is admit it’s bullshit. Just say the words. It’s not hard. I’ll do it for you.”

“You can’t—” he tried but I kept talking.

“Women are equal to men and it’s not about them being weaker than men, but there is always someone stronger. There are always people out there who will hurt any of us, and that’s not their fault. They are not property or slaves who deserves what happens to them if they disobey the men in their families. They do not need to be controlled so your society runs well. Say it and have me arrested.”

He wasn’t going to. It was all over his face. He would let his son suffer just to not concede. He would take all the flack later that he had me when others were dying to get their hands on me, but he was so sexist and a true believer women were below men that he could not say it.

So I broke his son right before his eyes.

I used the rune to shatter Carson’s other leg as I taunted them both into calling the police. Then I practically shredded his feet, trashed his hips, and kicked his groin a few times. Much more and I could really kill him, so I decided to end it before I did.

I really didn’t want to commit murder on camera. Even I had limits, no matter my temper.

Pulling him up by his hair, I grabbed his arm in my other hand and twisted it back at an ugly angle, smirking at the councilman as I did. “Last chance. I do this and he might always limp in his fox form. He might never have full use of his arm again getting injured this badly when he’s not healing like a shifter should. Admit women are equal and you were wrong and I’ll stop.”

“Women aren’t equal and you’re only proving my beliefs that you all need to be controlled as this insanity is your idea of a valid way to prove your point,” he sneered.

I snapped Carson’s arm and tore out his shoulder before I even consciously realized I was doing it. I dropped the wailing