Page 68 of A Crown Without Mercy

“You have your reasons,” Nicolai replied.

After she failed to speak, Nicolai sat up on one elbow and stared into her beautiful emerald eyes. “I assume it has to do with mating?”

“Why would you think that?”

“You keep saying you don’t want to be another bedmate. The only alternative is mating,” Nicolai replied.

“We can never be mated, so why do you continue bringing it up?”

Kieran stroked her hair. “We can take any mate we chose.”

“The Guild says otherwise,” Sylvana replied.

“We don’t take orders from the Guild.” Kieran chuckled.

“I don’t need the two of you making false promises. Neither of you have any intention of taking me as a mate. I am not a purebred Ascelin.”

“She brought it up. Now is as good a time as any to beg the question,”Nicolai said to Kieran telepathically.

“There are rumors a purebred Ascelin is near,” Kieran said.

Her stomach fluttered, and her mind spun into an abysmal coil of paranoia. “What?”

“We know the Lycans have been sniffing around,” Nicolai admitted.

Shit.“I’ve never heard a more ridiculous rumor.”

Kieran also sat up on his elbow and looked down at her. “Rumor, huh?”

“Yes, my father would have warned us if it were true.”

“You may as well fess up. We are going to find out,” Nicolai said.

“I have nothing to fess up to.”

“Well, we do,” Nicolai said.

“Great. What?” Sylvana asked, not sure she truly wanted to know.

“We came here to punish you for making the wrong choice today,” Kieran said.

“Punish me?”

They sat up, pinned her arms above her head and spread her legs apart. Sylvana wanted to speak, but the words became lodged somewhere in her throat.

“I am going to punish your tits,” Nicolai said as he nipped her bud with his canines, making her flinch.

Kieran cupped his hand over her sex and shoved a finger in. “I am going to punish your pudenda.”

They released her arms, flipped her onto her stomach, and Nicolai slapped her ass. “Dammit, Nicolai!” she stated.

“There’s more,” he replied, along with another playful slap.

Kieran crawled over her body, grabbed his shaft and slid the tip between her butt cheeks and drug it up from her core and stopped before penetrating her ass.

“Kieran, please don’t. I’ve never—” she began.

He cut her off and whispered in her ear. “If you ever defy us again, we will punish your virginal ass.”

---