Page 70 of A Crown Without Mercy

“I’ll walk. Now put me down!”

He gently set her down, and as Kieran opened the door, she felt her panic rising, and each step was more terrifying than the last.

“It’s about time you got up.” Calista said. She turned around and dropped her cup of fresh cruor the moment she laid eyes on Nicolai and Kieran; she dared not speak or move, not having a clue why they were there.

“Good morning. I’m Nicolai,” he offered.

“I’m Kieran. I assume you’re Calista?”

“Good morning—yes, milords, I’m Calista,” she stammered. She then looked at Sylvana. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine, he—they stayed the night,” Sylvana admitted.

“Um, do—are you staying?” Calista asked.

“Not for long,” Kieran replied.

Nicolai looked down at the mess on the floor, waved his hand; it disappeared, and the cup was back on the counter. “We wanted to introduce ourselves to Sylvana’s family.”

Calista and Sylvana stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing what else to say before it dawned on Calista.Alaric is outside. Fuck!

“We would like to make his acquaintance as well,” Nicolai replied.

“Umm, I think—it’s not a good idea,” Calista stated as she fumbled for words, realizing he had read her mind as easily as Sylvana said they could.

Sylvana wrapped her hand around Nicolai’s bicep. “Please, can we do this another time?”

Nicolai placed his hand over hers and looked down at her. “No.”

“Shall we?” Kieran said as he headed for the door.

Florin stood next to Alaric while he tossed the saddle on his stallion. “Are you escorting Muriel to the ceremony?”

“Yes,” Alaric replied, as he tugged on the cinch. “How is Brienne?”

“Last night she was fantastic,” Florin joked.

“Has her father granted you permission to take her as your mate?” Alaric tugged on the straps one last time; when Florin failed to answer he looked up, and Florin was staring in the manor’s direction with a look of shock. Alaric turned, only to see Nicolai and Kieran standing with Sylvana and Calista.

“What the fuck?”Alaric stated.

Florin slowly walked between the stallions and stood next to Alaric, who was glaring at Sylvana and Calista.

“Alaric,” Nicolai said with a slight nod of his head.

Alaric lowered his head and placed his fist against his chest as he addressed Nicolai and Kieran. “Milords, what are you doing here?”

“We came to pay your sister a visit.”

The look Alaric shot Sylvana’s way tore through her body like a knife to linen.

“What do you want with my sister?” He asked as respectfully as he could manage.

“We have been spending time with her and see no need to keep it a secret.”

It felt as if someone had punched her in the gut and she could not look at her brother. Instead, she stared at the ground, wishing it would open up and swallow her.

“Seeing my sister? You mean treating her as a whore?” he seethed.

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