So now she stood, naked, in front of her sister, awaiting a fate almost worse than death. A shiver ran down her spine. What if she ran again? She could outrun her sister easily enough and Tannard was old. Nopot wouldn’t be so easy to avoid, though. He was muscular and would obey her sister’s commands. Even if she tried to run, where would she go? She didn’t have any friends that would harbor her if she ran from her mate and family. Could she hide out in the mountains? She glanced down at the cuff around her upper arm. She was pretty sure it was a tracking device. Any attempt to run further would only get her in more trouble when she was found.
New resolve straightened her spine and allowed the first deep breath she’d taken since Tannard had arrived. She was strong. If this was the punishment that her mate had designed for her, she’d make it through it.
“Do not fight Nopot. I’m going to have him apply the thinnest layer of oil that he can, but if you struggle I will have him restrain you and coat you.”
“Yes, Bana.”
A strange look crossed her sister’s face. Whatever it was that caused the look didn’t hold for long. Quickly the normal cool mask covered her sister’s face once again. Bana nodded absently at the male before walking to the doorway and watching, blank-faced.
The first swipe of the oiled cloth over her back made her stiffen, but when nothing happened, she relaxed. Her skin started to warm after a few moments as her sister worked down her body. Her back, arms and legs were done in minutes. Nopot came around in front of her and dabbed more oil on the cloth before reaching out again. “Hold your arms out so I can get them fully, please.”
Rella obeyed, closing her eyes to the slow burn now covering her back. The heat had been pleasant in the beginning, warm and heavy. Now her skin felt like she was standing too close to a fire, and she clenched her jaws to keep from making noise. She couldn’t concentrate on the touch of the cloth. Her ass and legs started to burn as well, sending signals to her brain to move, run, anything. When something touched her breasts, the air whooshed from her lungs. Her nipples immediately puckered and an ache so strong slithered to her pussy that she almost collapsed. Her eyes shot open and she stared down at her aching breasts.
“Done. Now, stand still while I put your belt and bracelets on.” Nopot’s voice was soft with compassion. “I will try to be quick.”
Invisible flames licked every inch of her skin. The feeling wasn’t quite pain, but it was uncomfortable and promised to turn to something much worse. She felt too warm, too sensitive, too everything. The first metallic snick on her wrist sent a jolt of molten heat to her core. The slight brush of her sister’s clothing against her skin stirred a need so violent she cried out. The second bracelet burned her skin enough that she stepped back.
“Stand still. I am almost done,” he whispered.
Nodding her understanding, she stood as still as she could. Her ankles were wrapped in chilly metal moments later. At least those didn’t create any new need in her already throbbing body. She couldn’t seem to pull a full breath into her lungs. Short gasps sounded loudly in her ears, echoing back to her in the otherwise silent room. Her heartbeat quickened, pooling in her breasts and pussy. The warmth that had felt heavy in her belly was now a clawing, tearing flame. She could feel her clit and labia swelling, rubbing erotically against each other.
When the eunuch wrapped the beaded belt around her hips, Rella nearly fell. Rough fingers touching her skin and the knowledge that a string of small torture was a heartbeat from being threaded between her pussy lips made her head swim.
You will not show weakness.
She hoped her admonishment would keep her legs beneath her and her body upright.
Cool, round hell slid between her wet folds and came to rest against her clit. She tried to keep the moan from her lips but failed miserably. Her body took the slick slide of those beads as an invitation to rush toward an orgasm. Blood pounded in her ears, her nipples contracted painfully, and her legs turned to jelly. She could feel the tightening in her belly as her clit throbbed.
“Nopot, leave. Rella, you will not come. Do you hear me? You will not give in to the pleasure.” Bana growled as she approached. Her hand clamped cruelly around Rella’s upper arm. “Move. You need to be on your way before you wake Marena with your noise.”
Rella stumbled next to her sister, barely aware of her surroundings. The burning need was so powerful she couldn’t keep her mind from it for long. Her body knew what it wanted, needed. Nerves sent information to her brain to prepare her for a release, sensitizing her skin, contracting muscles she’d only recently discovered, fuzzing her thoughts.
“Tannard, she is ready for you to take her. I will gather her belongings and have them delivered soon.”
Rella stopped walking when Bana yanked on her arm. They stood facing the servant, but she couldn’t focus on anything but the inferno burning through her veins. Even standing in front of a man naked couldn’t bring her thoughts together enough to care. Fire, pain, need. Those were the only things she could feel.
“Very good.” Tannard stepped forward, looking up and down her body. Even with her burning from the inside out she could feel the blush color her cheeks. The look of disgust that pinched his lips was enough to make her look away.
He snapped his fingers in front of her nose and huffed loudly when she jerked her gaze back. She watched him turn his back on her, like she was a whipped dog that wouldn’t disobey. He shuffled toward the door, mumbling under his breath, “Come, girl. We’re wasting time. If nothing else, you will learn obedience. What master saw in you is beyond me. If we were still on the home planet you’d be staked out in the sun for days for your behavior.”
She thought for an instant to be stubborn and not move, but she couldn’t take anything else on top of the Linax oil. With a sigh of resignation, she trooped after him, wincing with each movement as the pussy beads rubbed against her already-engorged clit. If she survived this, she was going to hurt Sabar. There was nothing that would save him from her fury once she had the oil washed off her skin. Death was looking better with each passing moment.
The ride to Sabar’s dwelling was torture. Pure and simple. She’d been instructed to sit on a towel so her “disgraceful juices” didn’t stain the seat, and then was completely ignored. Through the mounting pain she’d listened to Tannard talk to someone. She guessed it was Sabar from the tone of voice the old man had used. He’d told the person on the other end of the conversation that she’d agreed to come and that he would take care of everything. She wondered, with the small piece of her brain not focused on the discomfort, what that meant.
Every bump, dip, and shake of the vehicle had a twofold effect on Rella. First was the spike of awareness and painful arousal. The beads rode against her clit, but instead of giving her pleasure, she felt like shards of glass were placed against her swollen flesh. No longer was the heat pleasant or even uncomfortable, it was searing in its intensity. She tried to swallow the gasps, but she knew some escaped her parched lips. Secondly, as she dealt with all of that, the movements shifted her on the seat. Her skin was so sensitive that it felt like she sat on a bed of needles.
By the time they stopped in front of a moderately sized home, tears were streaming down her face, dripping off her chin and wetting her chest. She understood the reasoning for a punishment. Her behavior required it. But even for the warrior class, this was above and beyond. She sucked in gulps of air, trying to slow her pounding heart and to get a grip on her body. It rebelled, forcing a moan from her lips. She barely noted the door opening and a harsh hand gripping her arm.
“You will enter the house and walk to your new room. I will place a towel on the floor and you will kneel until Master feels ready to deal with you. I will be checking on you and if I find you in any other position, I’ll whip you. Do you understand?” The harshness of the words was made worse by the lack of emotion in Tannard’s voice. Like he felt none of this was out of the ordinary. Perhaps she’d been fooled by Sabar. Maybe this was exactly the way he ran his house.
When he shook her arm, she nodded her understanding. She stumbled behind him, forcing her feet to move. If she fell, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to climb to her feet again, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her crawl. The house was cool as they walked through it.
All too quickly they entered a large room and she was yanked to a halt. Without another word, he placed a large towel on the floor and pointed to it. She sank to her knees as instructed and sucked in a breath as the fire blazed when her legs touched the floor.
“Do not move from there.” He said nothing else before turning and walking sedately from the room. He left the door open and disappeared down the hallway.
Rella closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. Slow breath in, slow breath out. Over and over again she talked herself into pulling in a large lungful of air instead of panting. Time trickled by, and slowly the burn took over every sense she had other than the slow breaths she took.
An eternity slunk by while she burned. She could swear she could smell her skin frying, crisping under the oil. Her breasts ached from remaining puckered so long. Her pussy and clit were so swollen she had to separate her legs to accommodate the pressure. Her arm muscles shook with the effort to keep them away from her body. Her mind focused on nothing and everything. Single thoughts started and fluttered away on a wave of pain. Her tears eventually dried up, and the salt added another layer to her discomfort.
Blessed numbness crept through her legs after a time. Kneeling for so long had finally turned her shins and knees into clubs of flesh. A snicker escaped as she thought about pressing more body parts to the floor so they could become numb as well. Perhaps if she sat on her heels, her pussy could lose feeling and give her some much needed relief.
Almost as if he heard her thoughts, Tannard stepped into the room. “Stupid female. Do not sit back on your legs. Kneeling should be a beautiful position, your body at attention, not slumped back on your feet. Fix your form.”
She obeyed instantly. Whimpering, she forced herself up, straightening her back and bowing her head. She closed her eyes so she couldn’t see his contempt. Her emotions were already too fragile.
Pain took her to another place. She wavered between reality, where she burned and suffered, and a place within her mind where she couldn’t feel anything. She liked that place. It was bliss to not sense her body’s reaction to the Linax oil. Time could have stood still. Nothing changed in her environment. Pain existed, light streamed through the high windows, and she breathed.
When she was in the blissful place, she worried. Thoughts about her sister, her father, Sabar, all crowded together. Marena would have seen the healer. Rella hoped she would be fine. She worried that her father would not survive losing his favorite daughter. Her mind wandered to Sabar and tried to shy away from the implications of her predicament. Did he torture her on purpose with such vengeance because he felt betrayed? Did he still want her as a mate? Would he throw her out after this and force her disgrace on her family? She knew what happened to females that were turned out by their warrior mates. They were shunned, made examples of by the magistrate, and tortured in public. If they survived that, the families were given the option of taking them back or sending them away. She wouldn’t survive being sent from her family. She’d rather die first.
* * * *
Sabar walked into his home and found it eerily quiet. He’d rushed home from the mission, dirty, tired, and hungry. He and his men had spent grueling hours searching every inch of the sands and caves east of the city. They hadn’t found a single rebel or any sign of people. They’d sweat, trudged, and sweat some more. Now all he wanted was to see his mate and make sure she was where she belonged, in his home. He stood in the doorway waiting to hear her approach, or hear voices in another room. Silence sat heavy in the air. He wandered into the kitchen, glancing around. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but some outward appearance that his mate was in his home would have been nice. Nothing seemed different. Where was she? Why wasn’t she waiting to greet him?
“Oh, master. I didn’t hear you come in.”
Sabar whipped around, glancing behind Tannard, still expecting to see her. “Where is she?”
“In your room waiting for her punishment, of course.”
“What do you mean waiting for her punishment? What did you do?”
“I did exactly what you told me. I collected her and brought her home. I took the liberty of having her prepared for her punishment as the law requires.”
Sabar didn’t wait for anything further. He scowled and stalked down the hallway, slowing as he approached his bedroom. There was a smell he knew well. Linax oil? Gods, what had been done to her? The last few steps were taken in a rush. The sight that he found when he walked through the doorway stopped his feet and his heart.
Rella, magnificent in her nakedness, shivered and quaked on her knees in the middle of his floor. Tear tracks ran salty and white down her cheeks. Her eyes were clenched shut, dark lashes pressed against her skin. Her slim hands were fisted, held away from her body. Arms shook as tremors wracked through her body. He could see her pussy was swollen and red. The band from the night before still circled her upper arm and cuffs adorned her wrists and ankles. The band of beads that separated her labia should have been visible between her lips but were swallowed by the swollen tissues.
Rage unlike anything he’d felt before boiled through his body. He turned and found Tannard standing behind him, a look of disgust blatant on his wrinkled face. Sabar flicked a hand out and smacked it across the servant’s face, barely restraining his full strength. “What have you done?”
“I did as you instructed, master,” he stammered, backing down the hall and pressing a shaking hand to his cheek. “I knew you would be angry with her for running from you, so I had her prepared.”