Page 101 of A Crown Without Mercy

“And what reason would he give you?” “As long as he respects the fact you belong to us, he will not cross our minds.”

“You promise you will do nothing?”

“I give you my word, Sylvana.”

“It was Alaric’s friend, Florin. It was a lifetime ago. We were only about seventeen years old, and it only lasted one season.”

“Does Alaric know?” Riordan asked.

“I don’t think so? I can only assume Florin wouldn’t have dishonored me by telling him.”

“All this time, why have you not been with another?”

“I don’t know? I guess I never wanted to let anyone get close to me. In the back of my mind, I was afraid I would reveal my true bloodline to him.”

Riordan lifted her chin and his mouth fell to hers; after a passionate kiss, he pulled away ever so slightly. “Those days are over.”

He stood, pulled her to her feet, cupped the back of her head in his hand, and took her mouth to his again.

She slid her hands up his solid chest, over his shoulders, and melted in his arms. He led her across the chamber and stopped at the edge of the bed.

“What I feel for you, I will never understand,” he admitted.

She placed her hands on his chest. “I’m scared.”

He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “You will have nothing to fear again, least of all myself or my brothers.” He then removed her leather strap and slowly unlaced the back of her dress.

Her hands trembled as she slid them up his chest and undid the straps over his shoulders securing his vest. He pulled it off, tossed it to the side, and then seductively kissed the crook of her neck as he slid her dress down her arms. “Your skin is as soft as silk,” he whispered, as he pulled his tunic over his head.

She glided her hands up his chest, and over his muscular shoulders as he pushed her dress

the rest of the way down her body. He then slid his tongue down her neck, and a soft rumble rose from his chest. “Your blood is calling to me.”

Once her dress fell to the floor, he cupped her breast in one hand, and slid the other over her ass. He then removed his trousers, picked her up, and laid her on her back.

“I can hear your blood coursing through your veins.” He glided his hand across her stomach, up her body, and then cupped her breast in his hand and suckled her erect nipples.

He pushed her legs further apart with his and dragged his canines down the vein on her neck, which forced her heart to skip a beat. He then slid his hand up her thigh and massaged it, all the while slowly rocking his hips back and forth, rubbing his hardened erection against her nub.

Damn, I want him, she thought, as she slid her hands across his back, feeling his muscles flex and relax each time he moved. “You feel amazing,” she whispered.

“You pull my desire like no other,” he stated.

He glided his hand up her waist and across her ribs; he then ran his thumb over her hard, pink bud and a soft moan escaped her mouth, yearning for more.

His lips brushed hers just long enough to inhale her breath. The way she tasted, and the nervous beat of her heart ramped up his need to possess her in every way. With each gentle touch of his, her moans grew with a nervous anticipation.

He pulled away and peered into his soon to be mate’s eyes. “You are making the right decision, and we will do nothing to make you regret it,” he whispered.

“I believe you,” she replied.

He kissed her neck, slid his tongue across her throat and over her hammering pulse. He then trailed gentle kisses down her neck, slid his hand between her legs, and slipped his fingers into her wet core.

She gasped and arched her back, needing, wanting more. He rubbed her sex with his thumb, all the while sliding his fingers in and out of her core. He licked and kissed his way down her stomach, and her body quivered beneath his touch.

He moved further down, placed his face between her legs, pushed her knees to the side, and swirled his tongue around her sex.

Her moans grew in intensity, and the sensation overtook her as he suckled her nub. She grabbed the back of his head with one hand and bunched the blanket in the other.

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