Taming the Raven's Son (Galactic Lust) (3 page)

“Sage,” he said, waiting for an acknowledgment.

She turned her head toward him. Her lips quivered but she
maintained eye contact. “You need to remain facing away, toward the wall.
You’ll receive five lashes.”

“Ten!” Sovereign yelled before the men chimed in.

When their voices faded, Sage appeared to be on the verge of
hysteria, every muscle in her back and legs drawn into tight cords. Jacob
coiled the whip and walked to her side. He crouched down and stroked hair from
her cheek. “I’ll count for you. I’ll say the number before I throw. You’ll know
when to expect the pain. When I say a number, I want you to push all the air
from your lungs. You’ll feel a sting and then I want you to breathe normally.
Understand?”

He stood, waiting for confirmation. When she didn’t respond,
he said, “Sage, answer me.”

“Yes.” Her voice shook with fear and anger.

“You’ll obey?”

“I haven’t a choice.”

“Neither of us has. Now do as I’ve said.”

Her gaze followed him as he backed to where he’d been.
Unshed tears glistened in her eyes before she turned to face the wall.
Disgusted by the anticipation of the men surrounding them, he forced everything
from his mind. What happened between a Master and a newly acquired meek should
be seen to in private. A public display was perversity at its most revolting.

His forced participation sickened him for a moment before he
swallowed the feeling. No matter how lightly the strikes would land, whipping a
woman for the amusement of others wasn’t his way. Not much of what he’d done
over the last fourteen months represented the man who lived in his soul. This
would be yet another dishonorable event that would blacken his heart. But one
day very soon, the beings of Prevelor would reap the benefits of their patience
and planning.

Forgive me, Sage.

The tension in her body distracted him. He could say nothing
more to ease her fear. If he did, Sovereign would take over and the outcome
could be lethal. He hoped she’d listened to what he’d told her. If she hadn’t,
she’d suffer greater pain.

He let the whip slither across the floor before he flicked
his wrist and jerked his shoulder, getting a feel for this particular device.
The cracking sound made the men jump. Most of all, Sage jerked her bonds and
thumped against the table.

Forcing himself to relax and concentrate, he said, “I’ll
count, Sage. No surprises. Understand?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He snaked the thin leather toward his feet before extending
his arm back. His gaze never left the target. Everything else in the room faded
from view as he concentrated, concentrated, concentrated.

“One,” he said, giving her three seconds to release her
breath before he threw the strike.

Sage McVaughn fought the uncontrollable urge to scream and
thrash from the sting of the whip as it landed time after time on her tender
ass cheeks. Her heartbeat pounded in her throat. Her stomach turned inside out
as every instinct within her rose, demanding she do something to stop the
insane situation.

Helpless, hopeless and wild sensations pummeled her chest,
each emotion fighting the others for dominance.

“Six,” Jacob said in a low, unemotional manner.

His composure reached her brain and she remembered his
instructions.
Release your breath
. The air rushed from her and her
shoulders relaxed.

The whistle of the whip sailing through the air signaled the
impending sting from its tip. Before she could draw a breath, the strike
landed. She inhaled and fought the urge to hold the air. She forced it from her
lungs and continued the process of breathing. To her amazement, she tolerated
the discomfort much better that time.

Live only for this moment. Nothing exists except the next
few seconds. Concentrate! Endure! Survive!

She repeated the silent mantra as he administered the final
lashes. When he reached under the table to untie the restrains, she permitted
herself to feel the overwhelming exhaustion of having endured another beating,
even if he hadn’t damaged her as the last man had. Still, the emotional toll of
the ordeal had rendered her drained.

“Are you satisfied?” Sovereign asked as Jacob worked to
release her wrists.

“Quite,” Jacob replied as he moved to her ankles.

“We’re nearly to Prevelor. Take her to your cell and wait
there until we land.”

She couldn’t muster the strength to raise her head from the
table. Thankfully, the stinging turned into numbness, which crept into her
thighs.

“I’d like to take her back to the med unit.”

“There isn’t time. Besides, leaving her with the pain may
remind her of her place.”

Jacob didn’t reply as he helped her turn over. To her
surprise, he offered his shirt, which she gladly slipped into. When he picked
her up she wanted to punch him in the face. Instead, she managed to wrap her
arms around his neck. He’d wielded the whip. She should hate him for what he’d
done.

She also understood he’d given her the secret to tolerating
the ordeal. It couldn’t have been more obvious from his expression that he’d
never wanted to beat her. He drew her closer as if protecting her. The scuffle
of feet accompanied by the scrape of chairs and tables returning to their
previous spots surrounded them. Jacob walked and she laid her head against his
collarbone, her forehead against his neck, his head turned so his chin held her
in place.

“You did well,” he mumbled, speaking so only she could hear.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on keeping her lips
sealed tight so she wouldn’t bite him. The bouncing from him walking caused a
smoldering in the flesh of her rear end. It wasn’t unbearable, merely
unpleasant.

A lifetime of hoping to explore beyond her base planet had
resulted in an entire day aboard a passenger ship, leisurely sipping delightful
drinks before the ship had fallen victim to hijackers? A few hours later she’d
been sold to a smelly alien who’d taken her straight away to that dungeon of
torture. Within minutes, she’d been stripped naked, strapped down and beaten
half to death.

How often would something like this happen? I’d bet my
last coin it’s rare.

How could the guarded passenger ship where only a handful of
people were taken hostage, wind up targeted. The entire incident reeked of a
well-planned disaster, removing her from her position within the Bastillous
Corporation.

To be fair to Jacob, she’d been rescued and her injuries had
been treated. Wow, a high point to her much-needed adventure. Only to be
strapped down and beaten once again. Was it too late to go home? Could she get
a refund on the exorbitant amount she’d paid?

Yeah, right. Exotic planet of extreme pleasure, my ass.
When
she removed herself from this deplorable situation, heads would roll!

“You’re mumbling under your breath,” Jacob said.

She opened her eyes. They’d reached their destination. He
stood within a small cell. It housed a cot and nothing else.

Lest I forget the promise of top-quality accommodations.

“You can release me,” she said, hoping to gain some distance
from him.

“Not yet.” He sat down on the cot and repositioned her
within his arms.

She inhaled as her abused cheeks came to rest against his
legs. “No, really, I’ll stand.”

He tightened his hold. “You’ll rest here.”

“I won’t do a damn thing except bludgeon you in a minute.”
She struggled and his big, muscled body wrapped around her, trapping her.

She refused to be coddled and cuddled like some child. Her
parents hadn’t done such things to her. They’d made her strong and resilient.
Her seat at the head of Bastillous finished stripping any weakness from her.
After the recent humiliation of being naked and on display, she needed distance
to tuck away her raw emotions. Regardless of the situation, she would not cry
or bemoan her situation. Predators preyed on that type of weakness. Jacob had
proven his position and it wasn’t the victim.

“Hush and lean on me. I know you’re in pain from the discipline.”

“Discipline? You’d have to have some authority over me to
claim what you did was discipline. I don’t know you. You don’t own me. What you
did was plain and simple. Abuse. Cruelty. Mistreatment. Unprovoked violence.”

“Not unprovoked. You brought that on yourself by tempting
Sovereign’s anger. You’re damn lucky he gave me the whip. We might not be
having this conversation had either he or his assistant whipped you.”

The fight drained from her as self-pity took its place. She
knew deep down the situation could’ve been a lot worse. Tears gathered in her
eyes. He’d never see them because she wouldn’t look up. She didn’t owe him any
explanations but found herself compelled to offer one.

“I’d been awake less than a moment. I found myself in
strange surroundings.” She swallowed hard after uttering the excuse. The whiny
tone of her voice made her stomach turn. She sounded so…hurt.

Suck it up and shut up. Don’t give him any more
ammunition.

His fingers touched her upper arm, stroking her. The gesture
didn’t reassure her. It managed to deepen the recently opened well of misery.

“I asked before and you didn’t answer me. How long have you
been a submissive?”

“Are you referring to my kidnapping? Or the part where I was
restrained and beaten? You’ll have to be more specific.” A bit of defiance
crept into her voice. She sounded more like herself. A woman who wouldn’t allow
herself to be weak.

“You don’t practice that lifestyle?”

“No. Never. All I’d hoped for was a vacation. I didn’t
bargain for any of this. I deserved an uneventful luxury cruise filled with
boredom and rest. I’m not into kissing up to some asshole and ‘yessing’ him to
death while he spanks my ass and leads me around on a short leash. In fact, I
run a galactic enterprise.
If
I partook in that sort of thing, I’d make
sure I was the one in control.”

He smiled. The arrogant gargantuan didn’t believe her.
“Seriously?”

She crossed her arms, hugging the soft fabric of his shirt
against her belly, and closed her eyes. It became easier and easier to turn
back into a bitch. The conversation was over as far as she was concerned.

“Which corporation?”

She wouldn’t impress him even if she offered the name of the
company. Certainly in his mind, anything he did would be bigger and better.
She’d seen his type before. Big on brawn, adept at arrogance and short on
intelligence. Those particular types of men thrived in the business world. More
than one of them had attempted to unseat her as the head of Bastillous
Corporation. They’d taken a long fall down the corporate ladder too.

How in the hell will I get out of this mess?

“You won’t give me the name?”

“Look, I didn’t bargain for any of this. Where I come from
wouldn’t matter. After all, I’m just a dumb woman, right?”

His arms tightened into a vice before he shook her. “Don’t
ever refer to yourself as dumb.”

Surprised by the source of his anger, she asked, “Why? Isn’t
that what you plan to do to me? Treat me like some mindless pet? Beat me if I’m
bad and give me a treat if I’m good?”

He stood, turned and placed her upon the cot before stepping
away. She wanted to take back every word she’d uttered. What had possessed her
to challenge him? She swallowed, preparing for more pain because by the scowl
on his face, she was in for a doozy of a reprimand.

He crossed his stocky arms and leaned on the bars of the
cell. Muscles rippled in his abdomen and upper arms. She curled her legs and
rested against the wall. She tried like a fiend to appear comfortable and
relaxed as she scooted off center, placing her weight on her hip and not her ass.

The cot beneath her moved and the angle of the room changed.
She gulped air, not enjoying the motion of the ship as it breached the
atmosphere of her new temporary predicament. With her luck, this one would be
worse than the last.

She flinched when he stepped over and seated himself next to
her.

“We have but a few minutes to come to an understanding.”

It would be best if she didn’t respond. If she opened her
mouth, she’d puke. A tremor vibrated in the pit of her stomach, which couldn’t
be good.

“We’ll be monitored if Sovereign lets you remain with me. I
hope that’s the case so I can keep you from trouble. It couldn’t be more
obvious the role of a submissive is new to you.”

She swallowed several times, needing to correct his
assumption. “It’s repulsive to me.”

“Regardless, you’ve been cast as such. You’ll need to play
the part.”

“I can’t. It goes against who I am, how I’ve lived.”

“You’ll need to open your mind to different experiences. At
least for now. Until I find you a route to escape, you’ll have to place aside
what you know, who you’ve been and try very hard to become what you must.”

“Are you hard of hearing?” She belched and placed a hand
over her mouth, hoping to keep the contents in her churning stomach down. “Oh
shit.”

The inside of her head whirled as the air pressure within
the cell changed.

“Calm down. You’ll get sick if you don’t roll with the
ship.”

Roll. Tumble. Fall from the stars and land in a burning,
jumbled mess!

Jacob suspected what would happen if she grew any more
tense. He grasped her rigid body from the wall and leaned her against his
chest. He stroked her temples before slipping lower to search for the needed
pressure point along her temporal lobe. Once he’d located the proper area on
both sides of her upper jaw, he applied the necessary pressure to render her
unconscious.

A second later, she drooped against him. He pulled her
across his lap and leaned back against the wall to ride out the landing. In a
few moments, he would need to place what she’d said to the back of his mind. It
wouldn’t matter where she’d come from or what she’d done earlier in her life.

Sovereign would surely place her within Jacob’s quarters to
keep him distracted. He’d need to treat her like a newly acquired treasure and
begin training her, invest in her as he would any meek placed under his
control. Or at least that’s how it would need to appear. Sovereign kept
surveillance modules in Jacob’s rooms. In fact, most areas held the eyes and
ears of the bastard.

Would she cooperate? She’d have to if she wanted to survive.
The only other alternative would be to denounce her and hand her over to
Sovereign. She’d die within a few eves. With her out of the way, he would be
given more freedom. He could move among his people, speak privately with them
and prepare for the battle to come.

He glanced down and stroked the hair from her cheeks. She’d
said she ran a large corporation. That could well be true. Her displays of
bravado didn’t stem from ignorance or mere defensiveness. In her recent past,
she’d enjoyed some degree of power and control. He knew this in his heart
because he’d experienced those same things once he’d established order on
Prevelor.

Some men and women were bred for leadership roles. The
current method of creating a leader began in childhood. They had little choice
in what their future held, very similar to how he’d been raised. He’d been born
to a Domineer and a Raven. The stars aligned and his future had been written.
In his case, however, he’d broken free and found his own place.

Could he and Sage be kindred spirits? Had she ever dreamt of
a different manner of existence? Was that the reason she took to space, away
from the responsibility-filled days?

He knew he couldn’t let her die. Not at Sovereign’s hand.
Too many had lost their lives, suffering agonizing deaths. He couldn’t lose one
more. Not one. And not hers. Her temporary break from the yoke of a
predetermined life shouldn’t end this way.

If she behaved and allowed him to guide her, he could trust
his second in command, Heat, to prepare the survivors for the revolt. Yes, he
believed his loyal friend would do everything within his power to ensure the
lives of their people.

He sighed, resolving himself to concentrate on the immediate
future. On another day, he would’ve risen to the challenge of instructing the
beautiful woman in the ways of submission. But only if she’d been willing.
Which she obviously wasn’t.

He’d need to turn her thinking and change her mind, if for
nothing more than appearances. As long as she demonstrated progress, Sovereign
might be satisfied watching from a distance. If she didn’t…

* * * * *

Sage woke from the most horrific dream she’d ever had. She
moved her head, allowing the soft fur beneath her cheek to tickle her skin.