Page 54 of A Crown Without Mercy

She cocked her head, not sure she had heard him correctly. “I am what?”

“We own you,” Nicolai replied.

“I—what do you mean?”

“If we ever find out you have been with another, we will take his head,” Nicolai threatened.

Kieran rolled off and lay next to her. “Say it. You belong to us.”

She felt the heavy, dragging thuds of her heart against her breast with their sudden and unexpected demands.What the hell have I done?

“Speak, Sylvana. This is not a choice we are offering. We need to know you understand what this means.”

“I mean, yes. I won’t bed another. I have never had loose legs, if that’s what you are insinuating?”

“We are notinsinuatinganything. We are making sure you understand who you belong to,” Nicolai replied.

Kieran moved his body against her backside, and she tucked his arm under her breasts and laid her head on Nicolai’s shoulder.

“There is one more thing,” Nicolai stated as he pulled her thigh over his crotch.

Sylvana let out a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

“You will only feed on our blood,” Nicolai replied.

“We have feeders and who decided I don’t get to choose who I do and do not feed from?”

Kieran gently turned her head toward his face. “We decided.”

Sylvana pushed Kieran’s arm off and sat up on her knees while they rolled onto their backs. “It’s not your decision. I can and I will drink from my feeder whenever I choose to do so.”

“This is not up for discussion,” Nicolai answered.

“The hell if it isn’t.”

Nicolai tucked his arm under his head and chuckled. “Sylvana, your feeder can easily disappear.”

“This was a mistake.” She scooted back and tried to crawl from the bed. However, Kieran wrapped his arms around her waist and plopped her onto her back. He then lay his powerful body on hers and pulled her bottom lip down with his thumb. “Where do you think you are going?”

“Home.”

Nicolai laughed aloud and rolled onto his side and sat up on his elbow. “No, no, you aren’t.”

She planted her palms on Kieran’s chest and tried to push him back. “Kieran, get off of me.”

“How about Iget offin you?” Kieran joked.

“This isn’t funny.”

Nicolai stroked her thigh with his hand. “We are not looking to fight with you, Sylvana. If you were nothing more than our ‘bedmate’ as you said to me, then we wouldn’t give a fuck who you fed from or whom else you bedded.”

She glared at Nicolai. “You act as if I am a potential mate.”

“Who says you aren’t?” Kieran interjected.

“I don’t know what games the two of you are playing, but I’m not falling for it.”

“This is not a game,” Nicolai stated.

---