Page 139 of A Crown Without Mercy

Venthana’s warning. I need to leave now.“No, thank you. I really need to go.”

She turned and as she darted between the trees, there was a rush of wind, and her legs flew out from beneath her body when something crossed her throat. The air exploded from her lungs when she landed on her back. Having ‘turned’, she did all she could to fight back against her attacker, but it was as if she had no connection to her powers. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and she let out another large belt of air when her body hit the hard soil face down.

“Amarok? Muriel?” she screamed.

“I’m so sorry, Sylvana” she heard.

Unintelligible words were being spoken from numerous males, but she could not see through the strange material draped over her head and secured around her neck. More than one large male pinned her down, while another bound her wrists and ankles. “Why are you doing this?” she bellowed. “Muriel what have you fucking done? Amarok!”

The heavy weight of their bodies disappeared, and she lay there doing her best to hear anything that would indicate who had taken her, or why they had taken her.

She was picked up and thrown over someone’s shoulder and after what felt hours, they placed her face down and although she was freed from the binds around her wrists and ankles, she could not move; there was an ethereal energy pinning her down. Someone pulled the material off her head and as she looked up, Amarok morphed into a large male Lycan who was crouched over her. “Who the fuck are you?” she snarled.

He kneeled down and grabbed a fist-full of her hair. “My name is Ranan.” He then nodded toward Muriel, who was standing a few feet away with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I would like to introduce you to my mate, Muriel.”

“You fucking bitch! How could you betray me?”

“I am so sorry, but Ranan offered me a life I could never achieve under the Acherons’ rule.”

“There will be no mercy for your betrayal!” She swirled her hands but nothing happened, she tried again to no avail. “What have you done?”

Ranan held the flask up. “A little Faye alchemy to hold you still.” He then drug her a few feet away and shoved her to the ground over a naked male who had been savagely beaten to death. He rolled the body over with his foot and she realized it was Amarok in his human form.

“Oh! God! Amarok, I am so sorry,” she cried, as she cupped his battered face in her trembling hands. She looked up at Ranan and bared her canines. “You have made a grave mistake.”

The crack from the back of his hand stung her cheek and her head snapped to the side. He then grabbed her jaw in his hand; it was clear he was beyond reason and he looked cruel and unpredictable. “Speak another word and I will fucking cleave your tongue from your mouth.”

She flung her head to the side, grabbed his forearm and sunk her canines deep into his wrist, doing her best to sever his artery. She ripped a large chunk of flesh off and spit it in his face.

Ranan let out a guttural roar; the pain radiated across her rib cage and forearm when her body slammed into a tree. He picked her up and held in out in front of him, having grabbed a fist full of her tunic. She wrapped her hands around his forearms and tried to break free.

“A message for Riordan.” He pulled back his arm and it felt as if her cheek had exploded.

“A message for Nicolai.” Another blow caused her vision to blur, and her knees buckled beneath her. He then ripped her tunic off and slammed her face down. “This is a message for Kieran.”

All she felt was a burning sensation from the steel as it slid down her back, and the warmth of the liquid running down her body; the last thing she heard was Muriel’s voice.

“Ranan Stop!” Muriel screamed.

The Lycan who had mated them stepped over and grabbed Muriel’s jaw in his hand and snarled in her face. “You are Lycan now, and you will stand with our pack!”

The fear rose from Muriel’s stomach and into her chest.What have I done?

“Yes, pack master. Say the words,” he demanded.

“Yes, pack master,” she replied, with a shaky voice.

“An Acheron whore is what the bitch is,” Ranan roared, as he kicked Sylvana in the stomach.

“Should we inform Vispera we have acquired the Ascelin?” another Lycan asked.

“No. We can’t trust the bitch. We will keep her until I have more assurances.”

“You are defying the Faye?” he asked.

“They do not fucking control us, and this whore is the key to getting our lands back once and for all.”

“As you wish,” he replied.

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