by Ashe Barker
“CAID, locate Luca and get him up here.” I bark out my instructions as I insert the organic cannula into her right arm. My partner hurtles through the door just as I’m completing the link up.
“What happened?” he demands.
“I guess she forgot what we told her about not handling Eric. The reaction is much more severe this time, her body’s in shock…”
“Fuck. Can you save her?”
“I think so. She did at least have the presence of mind to call me. If she hadn’t, or even if she’d waited a few minutes…”
Luca nods, his expression grim. Neither of us is under any illusion about the potential seriousness of this.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Best to take Eric out of here. Could you secure him in the cargo hold, at least until we work out what to do next?”
He nods. “Come on, big guy.” Eric has the grace to look apologetic as Luca carries him from the room, or maybe that’s just my imagination.
* * *
Three days later the pair of us confront Llianna in her quarters. Eric remains under house arrest in the cargo hold, and our Fyorlian appears none the worse for her adventure. This time.
“What happened?” Luca plants himself before her, arms folded. I settle down on the edge of her bed to await some sort of convincing explanation.
Llianna gnaws on her lower lip. She knows full well the enormity of what she did, and the potential consequences.
“I was upset…” she begins.
“Upset?” Luca maintains a deceptively calm tone. “Do go on.”
“I thought… I mean, Sylvan said…”
“What, exactly, did Sylvan say to you to make you do such a crazy thing? You might have died.”
“Would have died,” I interject. “You were bloody lucky I got to you in time.”
“I know. I am so sorry, truly. Eric was here when I returned from the control deck, and I… I was miserable so I hugged him. Just for a few seconds, then I remembered… But it was too late. At once, though, the rash appeared, and I could not breathe. I was so scared, I called you…”
Luca is not to be deflected. He really does do this ‘bad cop’ thing rather well. “What did Sylvan say to you to cause this?”
“He said that I must leave, that I could not remain here, with you.”
“Did I say that?” Certainly, that is not my recollection of our conversation.
She turns to me. “You did. In the control room. You said that I must plan for a future away from here, away from this ship. You told me that I could not continue to travel with you.”
I eye her grimly, and have to own that she is correct. I did use those words or something very similar, though she seems to have taken my meaning far more literally than I intended. It’s a pity she did not apply the same inexorable logic to my warnings of the dangers of snuggling up to the bloody rabbit.
Luca glances at me. “Sylvan?”
I nod. “I did use those words, but my meaning was not quite so stark. I thought you understood that, Llianna. I also told you that you were welcome here, though you seem to have chosen to ignore that.”
“I am sorry,” she repeats. “I overreacted and I forgot about my allergy until it was too late. I came back to my cabin, Eric was here, and I reached down to pet him. It all happened so quickly…”
I nod. “It’s clear that your reaction to the allergens in his fur has become much more severe. That happens sometimes.”
“Can you… Is there anything you can do to reverse this? Perhaps if I stay away from him for a while…”
Unfortunately, I suspect the problem has gone beyond that. “I think it best you have no contact with him at all now that your reaction has escalated. He can stay in the cargo hold and we’ll look for a suitable place to drop him off. Eric needs a new home.”
“No!” Llianna clutches at my hand. “Please, Sylvan, I promise not to go near him again. It was my fault, not his…”
“It was your fault,” agrees Luca, “and since we are now on the matter of who is to blame—”
“You intend to punish me? I understand that, but please, do not send Eric away.”
I open my mouth to speak but Luca is there ahead of me. “We need to ensure your safety. Right from the beginning, that’s been our primary concern and your obedience is key to it. You knew the dangers, but somehow managed to forget. We intend to make sure you do not forget again.” He meets my eyes. “Is she sufficiently recovered?”
I suspect she is, but see no merit in rushing matters. A punishment is often more effective if a little healthy anticipation is mixed in.
“We should wait. Let her rest. For now.”
Chapter Ten
Llianna
I have been summoned, this time to Luca’s cabin. They made me wait for almost two solar cycles and my anxiety has built to a near unbearable level during that time. What will they do to me?
“Get naked. Now.” A stony-faced Luca issues the command.
“But…” My protest dwindles to nothing in the face of the two implacable, determined males who stand before me, their arms folded across their solid chests.
“Now, Llianna.” Luca turns to Sylvan. “We delivered twelve strokes last time, and she still hasn’t learnt her lesson in obedience. Double?”
“Aye,” agrees Sylvan. “That’s what she deserves, but twelve from each of us might be a bit too much for her. I have a better idea, a punishment to fit the crime, so to speak.”
Luca grins at him. “And I’m there ahead of you. You get our disobedient little alien arranged over the bench. It might be a good idea to tie her down for this. I’ll be back in a minute with the stuff we need.”
Luca marches from the room and I’m left staring at Sylvan. “What stuff does he mean? Where has he gone?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Undress now, if you would, Llianna.”
I shake my head, frightened now. “No, please, I do not wish you to…”
In the next moment Sylvan has me in his arms. He holds me close, his face buried in my hair.
“Trust us. We would never do you harm, you know that. You do know that, don’t you, honey?”
“Yes, but…”
“We want to keep you safe. We need to keep you safe, and if that means punishing you for putting yourself in serious danger, and not for the first time, that’s how it has to be. Okay?”
“I do understand, I know you care about me, but I thought… I mean, it was unintended. Not like that other time when I…”
“I know that. Luca too, but it makes no difference to this. If anything, the fact that you almost killed yourself by accident makes it even more vital that we help you to understand the importance of doing as you are fucking told. In the future you’ll need to survive in a world—worlds—of which you know nothing. You will find yourself in places full of potential dangers for you and you need to take care. After this, we believe you just might.”
I nod, sobbing now. He is right, I do see that.
“What about Eric? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine.”
“I do not want you to leave him behind anywhere. He would be lonely, and I know that you… you are both fond of him.”
“We are, but your safety comes first.” His tone hardens. “If it takes all of those twenty-four strokes, and more, to convince you of that, then so be it. Don’t worry about the rabbit, we’ll find a suitable solution for him too.”
“Still not undressed? You’re slacking, my friend.” Luca interrupts us as he re-enters the cabin. He deposits a butt plug and a tube of lubricant on the bed then turns to me, his arms folded again. “Anything to say, Llianna? From what I just heard you’re not quite convinced of the seriousness of your own situation and still fretting about the bloody rabbit.”
Sylvan relaxes his hold on me. Now he rests his left palm on my shoulder and uses his other hand to tip my face up to his. “She is worried about Eric but I’ve told her we’ll make sure he has a good place t
o live. Enough talking now.” Sylvan drops his hand from my shoulder and steps back. “Remove your clothes and bend over the bed.”
I unfasten the loose shirt I am wearing and slip it from my body. I am naked beneath, apart from the tight leggings I salvaged from among my possessions on the Renascient. I peel those off as well to stand before them utterly nude.
“Ah, but you are lovely, sweetheart,” mutters Luca under his breath. “This is a sight I shall never get tired of.”
Sylvan seems to agree. “Best tits I ever saw. Prettiest arse too. Speaking of which…” He gestures to the bottom of the bed.
I drape my body along the length of it, then squeal as it starts to lift. The height is adjustable, and Luca is using a remote device to raise the foot of the bed so my feet can barely reach the floor. It stops and I hang on to the mattress, my knuckles whitening as I tighten my grip.
“I want you to reach back and part your arse cheeks for me, Llianna.”
I turn my head and see that Luca now has the butt plug and the tube of lubricant in his hands. He intends to plug me. I am accustomed to this by now, although I still find the actual insertion somewhat humiliating, especially when they both examine my rear hole as they are so fond of doing. This occasion will be no exception.
I submit to the inevitable and reach back as instructed.
“Very pretty, and so much more receptive these days.” Sylvan’s voice, and I assume his finger too as he inserts it into my arse. “Still quite tight though. Loosen up, girl, you need to make this as easy on yourself as you can.” He withdraws his fingers to land a ringing slap on my right cheek.
I squeal and endeavour to relax the ring of muscle, grateful for the cool splash of lubricant now trickling across my rear hole. I know this will help.
“What strength did you go for?” enquires Sylvan conversationally.
“Medium. Should be enough to impress our little pain slut here.”
“We shall soon know. Shall I?”
Luca has been applying the lube to the plug and as I crane my neck to watch he now hands the toy to Sylvan.
Sylvan thanks him. “You already have plenty of lube on your hands so would you mind finger-fucking her arse a little, just to work it inside and get her opened up for me?”
“My pleasure,” replies Luca. “Llianna, don’t move until we tell you to.”
I know better than to attempt such a thing. Instead I tighten my grip on my butt cheeks and let out a gasp as Luca rams two slick fingers into my arse. It feels different; there is a burning sensation that has nothing to do with the stretch of my entrance to accommodate his digits.
“Oh! Oh, that hurts. I do not like this.”
“That’s the idea.” Luca plunges his fingers in and out of my body, forward and back, forward and back. My entrance slackens to accept him, but all the while the burn is growing.
“Please, what are you doing? I cannot… oh. Oh!”
“The lubricant is laced with ginger and chilli essences. Those are spices used on Earth to flavour food. They add heat, and more than a little tingle, I expect you’ll agree.”
“It feels horrible. Please stop, I need to…” I try to wriggle from the bed but Luca’s arm across my back holds me in place. “This is a punishment, girl, and it fits the crime rather well. There are no allergens present in this compound, Sylvan has tested it thoroughly against your physiological makeup so we are certain it won’t set off any unfortunate reactions but it will serve to remind you of the consequences of coming into contact with noxious substances. You will accept it and you will learn from it.” He drives his fingers deep into my arse one last time then withdraws them. “Sylvan, are you ready with the plug?”
Sylvan hands him the slick toy and Luca positions it at my rear entrance. I squeal as he exerts gentle but firm pressure to slide the very tip into my receptive arse.
“There’s a generous coating of ginger and chilli lube on the plug. It’ll be tight inside you, and will hurt more than my fingers did, but you can reduce the burn by not clenching. If you keep your bottom nice and soft for us while we spank you, in the long run it will be easier. Sort of.”
I try not to make a fuss but cannot help whimpering as the plug stretches my opening then slides fully inside. It burns, and is getting hotter by the second. I writhe on the bed but nothing I do eases the awful sensation.
“Keep still. That will help, a little. The more you squirm, the worse it’s going to feel.”
“How… how long do I have to have it in for? Please, when will this stop?”
Luca chuckles. “Just until we finish your spanking, so not long. Twelve strokes, then if you’re ready to promise to obey us, we can stop.”
I groan, because I am more than ready to promise now.
“This is quite intense, and new to you, so Sylvan will be keeping a close watch on you throughout the proceedings and I’ll do the spanking. Take his hands, if you would, please, Llianna.”
Sylvan is seated at the head of the bed, the lower end now. His expression is serious as he extends his hands to take each of mine.
“You will maintain eye contact with me too. If you need to pause, say so. Do you understand?”
I shake my head. “No, I cannot…”
“You don’t understand?” Sylvan leans down to place his face close to mine, his expression questioning.
“I do understand,” I whisper.
“You had better, girl, or we shall be here a long time. Are you ready?”
There is nothing else for it. I flatten my lips, and I nod.
Despite Luca’s advice about not clenching I cannot help but do so as the belt whistles through the air and lands across both my buttocks. I scream and kick my feet up behind me in a vain attempt to dissipate the scorching pain.
“I suggest you secure her ankles.” Sylvan never takes his eyes from mine as he issues his advice.
“Good idea.”
I do not resist as first my right, then my left foot is tied to the legs of the bed. I am well and truly immobilised, helpless and utterly vulnerable. I should be more afraid than I am, but I feel oddly calm now, now that all control has been taken from me.
The belt whistles again as it splits the air, a moment before unleashing another explosion of pain across the lower curves of my bottom. I let out another shriek but cannot move. The burning is both on the outside and within now, there is no escape from it. I grit my teeth, press my cheek against the firm warmth of the mattress, tighten my grip on Sylvan’s hands, and I wait for the next stroke to land.
It does, and my wail is anguished now. I am crying, huge, gulping sobs. The plug feels enormous, my body stretched and impossibly full. And despite everything, despite the harsh whipping and the horrible ginger, my clit is throbbing and my pussy drenched. They need only glance at my exposed slit, visible below the end of the plug, and they will not fail to see my wetness, the betraying moisture that announces my arousal.
Luca shifts his position slightly, and the next two strokes are laid across the backs of my thighs. The bed is solid beneath me, Sylvan’s hold unrelenting. I am going nowhere. I absorb the force of the blows, not even crying out now though my sobbing continues unchecked.
“Soften for us, Llianna. Let your bottom relax a moment.”
What? How?
Sylvan’s voice is soft, so very seductive as he leans down to murmur in my ear. “Soft, no clenching.”
It takes an effort of will, but his quiet, insistent words penetrate my haze of pain. I obey, deliberately loosening the tension in my punished backside.
“There, that’s good. It doesn’t hurt as much now, does it? Inside?”
I think about that for a moment, and I am amazed to find myself agreeing with him. The plug is there, I am intensely conscious of it, but not of the burn from the lubricant.
“N-no, sir,” I manage. “Not quite so much.”
“Keep it soft then. Almost halfway now. Ready?”
I nod and wait, ready to submit now to whatever t
hey choose to dole out to me.
The next stroke is heavy, but my body is somehow attuned to the pain, able to soak it in and I breathe through it despite the searing agony rippling across my skin.
Luca pauses to crouch beside me, the belt still in his hands. “Llianna, will you give us that promise, and keep it this time?”
Promise? What promise? There is nothing I would not do for my males.
“Your promise that you will stay out of danger and when we tell you not to do something you will obey. This includes petting rabbits, all rabbits, however cute they might look.”
Ah, that promise. I nod my head. “I swear.”
Luca straightens. “Six more strokes, then we will be done here.”
I close my eyes and try to remain relaxed. At least I can manage to control the discomfort from the plug if not the pain of the whipping. It is something.
One. The pain radiates across my already tender skin.
Two. I whimper, but I am no longer sobbing helplessly.
Three. Almost there. Almost finished. If I can just endure…
Four. I cannot. It is too much. Too hard…
“Hold it.” My body jerks though no further blow has landed. The pain, like the voice I hear, is somehow distant, not in this place, not a part of me.
“That’s enough. She’s learnt her lesson. Untie her now.”
* * *
Luca carries me back to my cabin. My head is whirling, my thoughts jumbled and confused, as though I am not yet fully awake. At the same time, I am fiercely alert and painfully aware of the smarting in my punished buttocks. I cling to him, my fingers curling in the front of his tunic, and refuse to relinquish my grip when we reach my quarters.
“Do not go,” I beg.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replies as he stretches out beside me on the bed.
Sylvan follows us through the door and he takes his place behind me. I lay still, my body pressed between both of theirs, and wonder how every part of me can hurt so much yet I feel so utterly safe.
