“Don’t let Zion’s attitude dissuade you,” Isaac urged. “This is incredibly important.”
“Akariis incredibly important,” she countered. “Zion seems to have forgotten that our first concern should be protecting her.”
“Ask her if she wants her attackers punished.” Challenge rang through Jon’s tone. “What we’re suggesting might not be as traumatizing for her as you think.”
He was right. Akari should make this decision. Knowing that the monsters who abused her were punished might give her closure and allow her to heal. “I’ll ask.”
“Thank you.” Isaac’s lips curved into a sexy smile. He moved closer, green eyes shimmering in the diffused light of the corridor. “I don’t smell another male on you. Are you considering any other coalitions?”
She stood her ground, her gaze locked with his. “It would be foolish to consider bonding with males who can extract information from my mind without my knowing about it.”
Jon’s chuckle rumbled from somewhere behind Isaac. “Who said we were going to give you a choice?”
Stepping to the side so she could see him, Tara said, “Then I know I’m not interested.” Her heart thudded in her chest as his dark gaze bore into hers. Isaac shifted to the side, making room for Jon, and soon she was faced with a solid wall of aggressive males. She took a step back and felt the wall behind her. Isaac extended his arm, pressing his hand against the wall on one side of her. Jon did the same on the other. She was surrounded by them, caged.
Her pulse thudded and her breaths came faster. Each inhalation filled her nose with their combined scent. Rich and fresh like the forest with just a hint of smoke. She shivered. The smell stirred sensations in her that she didn’t understand, a longing she couldn’t quite define.
Isaac touched her first. He ran his index finger along her jawline then followed the pulse pounding in the side of her neck. “Have you felt this connection with anyone else?”
She shook her head, but whispered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jon pushed his hand into her hair and formed a fist. He wasn’t hurting her, but the move was overtly aggressive. “We don’t tolerate lying.” He leaned down, brushing his lips over hers. “Don’t do it again.”
“Or what?” she challenged. She’d had enough of bossy males. What little patience she’d had for bullies had been exhausted by Zion.
Rather than respond with words, Jon released her hair and grabbed her wrist. He led/dragged her farther down the hallway and pulled her into one of the storerooms. As well as the usual bundles and boxes, this one contained stacks of chairs and miscellaneous furniture. Jon took her to the nearest table and bent her over the dusty surface. She sneezed and reared away from the offending grime, but he roughly forced her back down.
“Let me go!” she yelled. “This isn’t funny.”
“It’s not meant to be.” Jon drew her arms to the small of her back and held them there while Isaac unfastened her pants.
As soon as Tara realized what they were doing she went wild. Kicking and twisting, she cried out and yelled, hoping to draw attention.
Jon slapped her ass hard, then ordered, “Settle down, hellion.”
“Screw you!”
“If that’s an invitation, we’d be happy to oblige,” Jon mocked.
When Isaac had her pants and panties down around her ankles, they switched places. Isaac’s hold on her arms was not as hard, but she still couldn’t move her upper body. “You are not my mates,” she cried. “You do not have the right to discipline me.”
“We will be soon enough.” Jon stroked her bare bottom, giving each side a firm squeeze. “Consider this the official start of our courtship.” He lifted his hand and brought it down on one cheek and then the other.
Tara gasped and then yelped. The sharp sound was shocking and then came the sting. “Why are you doing this?”
Jon spanked her twice more before bothering to answer. “You lied to me, then challenged me. I am simply answering your question.”
“What question?” Her voice was sharp and accusatory, which made his next set of spanks even harder. She cried out in frustration and surprise. The added intensity caused the strangest heat to travel beyond her ass. Her pussy felt heavy and—God above, was she getting wet? Why was this making her pussy wet?
“Or what,” he reminded, then rained down stinging slaps on her quivering behind.
She squirmed and twisted, humiliated by the situation and her body’s odd reaction. She was bent over a filthy table, with her pants down around her ankles. One veritable stranger held her down while another spanked her naked ass, and she was seriously aroused by all of it. Her core clenched and her clit tingled. If she rubbed against the edge of the table, she would probably come.
“Stop,” she pleaded. “Please, stop. I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“Are you?” Challenge lowered Jon’s voice to a menacing rumble. “I’m not convinced.”
Over and over his palm impacted her bottom. She held still, concentrating on the pain to combat the pleasure. Had she always been like this or was there something about these hybrid males that triggered these needs? A harsh sob shuddered through her. She didn’t care. She didn’t like it, didn’t want pain to arouse her.
