A Short Leash

by Loki Renard

  “I never punish when it isn’t deserved,” he informed her as he carried her to her room with long strides. “You went out of your way to deserve this.”

  He deposited her on her feet in her room and gave her a look that was not soft or regretful or sorry in any way. The tight lines of his cheeks and jaws spoke to ongoing displeasure with her. Sierra didn’t care about that. She wasn’t exactly pleased with him either.

  “I’m locking this door,” he informed her. “Stay away from the window. It’s going to be electrified tonight. If you open it, your bottom won’t be your only problem.”

  “So you’re imprisoning me,” she said.

  “I’m preventing you from doing something more stupid than you already have. Good night, Sierra.”

  With that he left her. She kicked the door then collapsed on the bed and erupted into floods of tears. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. Her bottom hurt like hell and all he could do was tell her she deserved it. Why? Because she was really a danger to herself? Because he thought she couldn’t take care of herself? No. Because he wouldn’t tolerate disobedience. That was the real reason. He couldn’t handle someone who didn’t lick his boots every time he made an appearance.

  It was a long time before Sierra slept; when she did it was only because exhaustion insisted upon it.

  *

  The next day Sierra slept late. When she awoke the sun was high in the sky and the day was half gone. She didn’t care. When she tried the door, she found that it was unlocked. Apparently she was to be allowed to leave and get something to eat. Wasn’t she lucky.

  In a thoroughly foul mood, Sierra scuffed her way to the kitchen. Her bottom bore welts and aches from the punishment hours before. She could not make a move without being reminded of what Kade had done.

  Kade had obviously heard her get up, for he came into the kitchen as she drank water and greeted her. She ignored him.

  “Sierra…”

  Sierra put the glass down on the counter and continued to act as though he was not there. He was not worthy of her attention. Unfortunately, Kade could not be dissuaded so easily.

  “Come here,” he said, hooking a finger in the back of her pants. He drew her backwards and used his grip to lower the garment. Looking over her shoulder at the mirrored surface behind them, Sierra saw what he saw: six lines drawn across her skin in shades of red with light bruising and blushing in between. She was marked in a way that would take days to abate.

  “If you had been less of a brat last night, I would have put a cream on that prevented those bruises,” he said. “But you were on one hell of a tear.”

  Sierra did not reply. She had decided that she was not going to speak to him. If he wanted to beat her like a dumb animal then that was how she was going to act.

  “Sulking?” He snorted. “You really are trying every single trick in the book, aren’t you.” He released the waistband gently and patted an unblemished part of her bottom. “None of them work with me, Sierra.”

  “You only liked me when I was weak,” she said, resorting to speech. “Now I’m strong and you want to beat me to make me weak again.”

  A brief flash of something like hurt passed through his eyes. “Is that what you think? You think I spent all this time helping you regain your strength just to beat you?”

  When he said it, it sounded ridiculous. Sierra bit her lower lip and lifted her shoulders in a little shrug.

  “Do you think that I should just let you run away whenever you feel like it? Do you think we can hunt effectively if I have no control over you?”

  He had his hands on her hips, locking her in position so she could not avoid the questions.

  “No,” she admitted softly.

  “I know that cane hurts,” Kade said. “That’s why I reserve it for truly serious occasions. Your running away was bad enough, but your defiance and hiding was worse. You had several opportunities to avoid that cane, Sierra, but you didn’t take them. You thought that if you were bad enough for long enough, I might just let you get away with it.”

  How on earth had he known what she was thinking? “How…”

  “I know how pets think,” Kade reminded her. “I’ve told you many times…”

  “You’ve seen every trick in the book,” Sierra replied, rolling her eyes. “We’re all the same to you.”

  “I did not say you were all the same,” he corrected her. “In fact, no two of you are the same.”

  “Oh, we’re all different,” she said, not at all mollified by his statement. “We’re all so different it’s almost like we’re exactly the same.”

  “You must be well into your cycle,” Kade said, shaking his head. “Usually a girl settles down after a caning and behaves herself. You’re hell-bent on getting yourself back into trouble again, aren’t you.”

  “Don’t talk about my cycle,” Sierra said. “You don’t know anything about my cycle.”

  Frustratingly, he was right. She was feeling a certain amount of tension that had absolutely nothing to do with anything besides her own internal chemistry. The residual effects of the caning weren’t helping though, nor was the fact that all her anger seemed to be misplaced.

  “Watch your tone,” Kade replied sternly. She tried to pull away, but he held her firm. He was going to make her stay in his presence and he was obviously going to force her to behave as he wanted. A little whine escaped Sierra’s lips as his hands stayed clamped on her hips. “We are going to have visitors soon. I don’t want you misbehaving while they’re here.”

  “Visitors? What visitors?”

  “Seraphine and Roman,” Kade informed her.

  Sierra’s face immediately twisted into annoyance. “Seraphine? Why? She’s awful. She bit me!”

  “She did bite you,” Kade agreed, “which is why she’s coming.”

  Sierra scowled. “No.”

  “What do you mean, no, pet?”

  “I don’t want her here.”

  “Territorial, aren’t you. You need to watch yourself. I decide who comes here and who doesn’t, not you, my pet.”

  Sierra had no intention of watching herself. It was bad enough watching Seraphine simper in the wilds. She couldn’t imagine how insufferable the woman would be in Kade’s home, sitting on the same seats Sierra sat on, eating at Kade’s table. The very thought made a growl rise in her throat.

  “Roman will be here with her,” Kade said, his lips twisting as he watched her. “He could use some supervision as well.”

  A small smile passed over Sierra’s lips. “How do you supervise a citizen? Will you put a collar on him to teach him the error of his ways?”

  “I will not,” Kade drawled. “A citizen doesn’t need to be disciplined into behaving, because he wants to learn. Only pets make things harder for themselves than they need to be.”

  “Only pets have to do things they don’t want to do, you mean, so only pets need to be coerced and punished.”

  “Citizens have to do plenty of things they don’t want to do too,” Kade replied. “Roman doesn’t want to have to discipline his pet. He’s going to have to learn how to do that before Seraphine bites half the city and is taken away from him.”

  “He could just gag her,” Sierra suggested. “That way he wouldn’t have to listen to her talk either. Or! He could release her back into the wilds.”

  “Once a pet is captured and trained, she is never released.”

  “Never?”

  “Never,” Kade confirmed. “Training changes a pet, civilizes her. A trained pet can never be a wild one again.”

  Sierra narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t want to be civilized. I want to be wild. You should release me before I get trained.”

  “I’m not going to do that, Sierra.”

  “Why? You don’t want me to ever be free? You didn’t capture me. You never wanted me. I was dumped on you. Why don’t you just let me go?”

  “Because you’re my responsibility now,” Kade said. “And when I have a pet in my care, I tra
in her.”

  “What if you can’t train her?”

  “All pets are trainable.”

  “What if she doesn’t want to be trained? What if she won’t let you train her?”

  “It’s not her decision,” he said firmly. “You can leave those rebellious thoughts behind, Sierra. You’re going to be a perfect pet one day, and you’re going to have a good life and that’s all there is to it. If you want to make things painful and difficult in the meantime, that’s your decision. You are not the first rebellious young woman I have taken in hand.”

  Not the first and probably not the last either.

  Sierra was now in a thoroughly foul mood. Her bruised cheeks and ego, and her frustrated desire for freedom, not to mention the news that Seraphine was going to be in her presence soon, were almost enough to send her into a fit.

  “I think you should go back to your room,” Kade said. “Some quiet time will be good for you.”

  Quiet time. Alone time. Time away from him. Sierra took his suggestion and went back to her room, her spirits so low she felt as though they’d been trampled by a herd of wild cows. She did not want to be around when Seraphine came anyway.

  She spent the day in her room, refusing meals and avoiding all contact until Kade came for her later that evening.

  “Come and have dinner,” he said. “And be sure to dress for dinner. Seraphine and Roman are here.”

  Dressing for dinner, another stupid citizen custom. Sierra was certainly not going to try to impress Kade’s guests, nor was she in the mood to obey him. What was the opposite of dressing for dinner? An idea came to her, one that put a smile on her face for the first time that day.

  She prepared herself with all due care, then returned to Kade and his guests. “Hello,” she said with a little smile as she entered the room.

  “Sierra,” Kade said. “Nice to…” His voice trailed off as he caught sight of her. Sierra’s lithe naked body was on full display from her neat round breasts tipped with pink nipples to the violet-hued curls at the apex of her thighs.

  “I didn’t want to dress for dinner,” she said as all three stared at her. “So I undressed.”

  Kade’s expression became thunderous as he fathomed the extent of her rebellion. Behind him, the steaks were beginning to overcook, but nobody was paying attention to the state of the steak. All eyes were on Sierra with mixed expressions of shock, appreciation, and, in Seraphine’s case, naked jealousy.

  “Sierra, go and put some clothes on.”

  “Of course, Master Kade,” Sierra replied. “Your command is my wish.” She turned and left the room before he could respond. She dressed, then returned ten minutes later. Unfortunately, Kade was not any more pleased with her second appearance than her first.

  “Not those clothes! Not my clothes!”

  Standing in Kade’s shirt, which fell all the way to her knees and billowed out around her waist like a sack, Sierra gave him a helpless look as she shrugged. “I am just a simple uncivilized pet,” she said. “What do I know of clothing?”

  Seraphine’s expression was particularly priceless. She was surprised, yes. Shocked, perhaps. More important, she was learning new ways to rebel.

  Chapter Seven

  “I will give you credit for one thing,” Kade said as he wrangled her over his thighs in the relative privacy of her room where she had been sent once more. “You have managed to do something no other pet has ever done.”

  “Not so predictable after all?” Sierra smirked. Her bottom was already in a sore state, but she was completely unrepentant. He had laid down a challenge and she had done nothing more than meet it.

  “I never said you were predictable,” Kade replied, smoothing his palm over her poor welted bottom. “I said I was capable of dealing with whatever you decide to do.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true,” Sierra threw the words back over her shoulder. “Seems to me you’re just capable of smacking my ass no matter what I do.”

  A rough blond brow was lifted at her. “You think I should be more inventive with you?” He patted her bottom lightly. “Do you know what? I think you’re right. If you can find new ways to misbehave, I can find new ways to discipline you.”

  He slapped her bottom hard and let her up. “You will perform the duties of a house pet until further notice,” he said. “You will sweep, clean, dust, shine, cook, launder—whatever needs doing, you will do it.”

  “I don’t know how to do half of that,” Sierra said, rubbing her bottom.

  Kade’s smile grew devious. “That’s the best part of this punishment. Seraphine knows how to do all those things. You and she will work together.”

  “No!” Sierra shook her head rapidly. “Please, just thrash me.”

  “Oh, no,” Kade replied. “That is over too quickly and clearly you’re becoming desensitized to it. This might actually make you think twice before you decide to make a defiant scene in front of guests.”

  *

  The next day was one of the most tedious Sierra had ever spent, even more than the long days alone in the little courtyard. At least she was free to pursue her own imaginings there. With Seraphine she had to hear about the details of the most mind-numbing series of household pursuits she could ever imagine.

  “It’s not difficult cleaning up around the house,” Seraphine said after they had lunch and cleaned it up. “They have machines for most things. It’s not like in the wilds where you have to scrub and scrape and spend all day just to clean a shirt. You just take the clothes and throw them in this.”

  She opened a small metal cupboard and tossed the soiled laundry inside. “And if you don’t want to do it, then you can take something expensive and wash it and you won’t have to do it for a while,” she grinned naughtily. “Once I put Roman’s brand new watch into the washing machine. I didn’t have to do laundry for a month.”

  Seraphine was an underhanded little wretch, that much was certain. Sierra didn’t blame her for that. Pets had so few opportunities to exert control, it made sense that Seraphine would find something somewhere upon which to exert her will.

  “Aren’t you worried he’s going to punish you?”

  Seraphine sniffed. “Roman loves me,” she said. “I don’t have to worry. As soon as we go home I will do as I like again. I run our home.”

  Sierra smirked, not because she thought what Seraphine was saying was funny necessarily, or because she believed it, but because Seraphine was blissfully unaware that both Roman and Kade were standing behind her, and neither of them seemed pleased to hear what she had to say.

  “Is that so?” Roman asked the question in deep, not at all pleased tones.

  Seraphine froze.

  “Come here,” he continued, his words clipped.

  Sierra watched, thoroughly entranced as Seraphine made her way to her owner looking completely guilty.

  “I do love you,” he said, looking down at her. “That’s the only thing you said that wasn’t completely ridiculous.”

  “Yes, sir.” Seraphine lowered her head in a show of submission. “I didn’t mean what I said. It was just the idle chatter of women.”

  “Was it now.” Roman did not sound mollified. “You know Sierra is fresh to her training. I expressly told you to set a good example for her, and what do you do? Fill her head with notions that will only lead to pain. I expected better from you, Seraphine.”

  “I am sorry, sir.”

  “Are you.” It was not a question. It was a flat statement of disbelief. “We are here because you have continually disobeyed, usually while telling me how good you want to be. You tell me what I want to hear and then you do whatever you want to do. It is not good enough, Seraphine. I do not believe in harsh punishments, but it is becoming obvious that Master Kade’s methods are the only ones that work with you. Go and wait for me in our room.”

  Seraphine let out a sad little sigh and did as she was told, slinking off toward the room she and Roman were sharing with her shoulders bowed as if the weig
ht of the world were upon them. Sierra had to give her credit; she was a very fine actress.

  The moment Seraphine closed the door behind her, Roman’s features crumpled into what Sierra could only interpret as sadness. He seemed genuinely distressed by her behavior, which surprised Sierra to no end.

  “This is what she’s like,” he said. “My kindness is mistaken for weakness. She really does think she runs the house.”

  “Pets take advantage when advantage is given,” Kade said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Kindness is always a good thing, but not before discipline has been established.”

  “She’s just…” Roman shook his head and sighed in plain frustration. “When I chose her, I promised myself I would never lay a finger on her. She was so sweet, and playful like a kitten. I don’t know what I’ve done to make her act this way.”

  “Every hunter learns sooner or later that his pet sometimes needs physical correction at first at least,” Kade explained. “As time goes on that need decreases, and in some cases, goes away completely as a pet bonds with her master. When your pet is fully dedicated to you, the slightest expression of disappointment will be painful to her. Seraphine is not there yet, and she will not get there until she knows you are capable of and willing to exert your will when necessary.”

  Sierra listened curiously. She seemed to have almost been forgotten by Roman, if not Kade. She was fascinated by the exchange. It had never occurred to her that a citizen might be distressed by his pet’s disobedience, and it had certainly never occurred to her that a citizen might genuinely love his pet either. Roman did not see Seraphine as a servant or a tool. She was much more than that to him. Sierra felt a pang of pity for the citizen who was trying so hard and failing because of his love.

  “Go spank her ass red,” Kade said firmly. “And put her in her crate for the night.”

  Roman opened his mouth. “Perhaps you…” He stopped talking as Kade cut him off with shake of his head.

  “I cannot handle Seraphine any longer,” Kade said. “If I discipline her, she will bond with me and not you. It will make matters much, much worse.”

  A great wash of relief passed over Sierra. If he wasn’t going to handle Seraphine anymore, she had nothing to worry about. She watched as Roman went to tend to Seraphine and Kade took himself off to the kitchen.