[Brat 01] - Princess Brat

by Sharon Green

  He seemed to find that comment amusing, but Elissia didn’t. He was having a marvelous time at her expense, and she still hadn’t decided whether or not to let it continue. If Gardal’s safety hadn’t been involved she would have been gone like a shot, but walking away now would be abandoning her brother and leaving him to the mercy of someone else’s efforts to free him. Could she do that, even at the expense of her pride?

  That question occupied her attention for the duration of the beast’s meal, and he said nothing to distract her. When he’d eaten all he wanted he sat back with one of the drinking skins, so she decided to ask an irrelevant question.

  “Why are you doing this?” she put flatly, really wanting to know. “Why aren’t you simply sending me back, or keeping me to entertain you without the rest of it? Why are you determined to reduce me to less than nothing in my own eyes?”

  “You won’t be reduced to less than nothing,” he answered at once, putting the skin aside to reach over and take one of her hands. “You’ve been allowed to go your own way too long, to make decisions and take actions without concern for anyone else involved. That isn’t healthy for someone with your nature, so I’m going to try correcting the situation in as direct a way as possible. I don’t have years to undo what the previous years have done to bring you to this point.”

  “So you’re doing it for my own good,” she summed up as she pulled her hand away from his, still speaking flatly. “That sounds very noble and fine, but I have a feeling you have another motive as well. You like my father and feel disturbed over his relationship with me, so you’ve decided to break me before giving me back to him. Well, you’re wasting your time in more ways than one. Once Gardal is free I’ll be leaving my father’s house, and nothing you can possibly do will ever break me. I just won’t let it happen.”

  “Breaking you is the last thing I want to accomplish, but it will be a while before you can believe that,” he said, reaching for the skin again. “But does your statement mean you’ve decided to agree to my terms? You’ll give your sworn word not to leave without my express permission, and then you’ll do as I require?”

  “With the only other choice being the abandonment of my brother, what else can I do?” Elissia countered, deciding she might as well get it said and over with. “It isn’t as if you didn’t know what my answer would be when you set those ridiculous terms, so don’t pretend to be surprised.”

  “Oh, I’m not surprised,” he agreed, satisfaction bringing a stronger gleam to those dark eyes. “As long as I know you’re not likely to disappear on your own at any moment, I’ll enjoy having you with me. Your sharp mind will be a great asset to my efforts, and as far as the rest of it goes it will definitely be my pleasure to help straighten you out.”

  He raised the skin to his lips again, hopefully missing the confused fluster Elissia suddenly found it necessary to contend with. He’d actually complimented her, but why would he do that when she’d already agreed to his demands? It didn’t make any sense, and she was still trying to find an answer to the question when he put the skin aside.

  “All right, let’s start with you giving me your word about not leaving,” he said, once again looking directly at her. “And this time I’ll be listening carefully to what you don’t say as well, and you won’t be given another chance. Do it right the first time, or don’t bother doing it at all.”

  “Would you like me to sign something in blood?” Elissia asked with more scorn than she actually felt.

  “If I swear by everything I love, will that satisfy you?”

  “Everything and everyone,” he amended with a nod. “Go ahead and do it.”

  Elissia sighed on the inside before finally committing herself completely. Not long ago the beast would have taken her question as the oath he wanted, but now he really was listening carefully. She swore by everything and everyone she loved that she would not try to run away again, and there was satisfaction in his dark eyes when he nodded.

  “Now you’ve said it properly,” he granted with great generosity. “For that reason I’m accepting your word without reservation, so if you try to reclaim it this time you’ll be foresworn. Somehow I don’t think you want that.”

  He was right, blast him, but Elissia refused to say so out loud. She also refused to think about how few men would take a woman’s word under any circumstances whatsoever.

  “And now it’s getting close to bed time,” he added, stretching casually where he sat. “Isn’t there something you wanted to ask me?”

  Elissia hadn’t needed the reminder; she’d been trying to brace herself against the time when she would have to face incredible humiliation, but the bracing hadn’t worked. She still felt the heat of intense embarrassment flushing her face, and she was no longer able to look at the beast.

  “I – I’m supposed to ask to be – spanked, so I’m asking,” she forced herself to say, nearly choking on the words. If she’d eaten any of that rabbit she would certainly have thrown up, so it was a lucky thing the beast hadn’t insisted.

  “You’re supposed to ask nicely, and that isn’t my idea of asking nicely,” he stated to her mortified disbelief. “Do it again, and this time stand here in front of me before starting. And take off that cap.”

  Elissia got slowly to her feet, pulled the cap off her head to let her hair fall free, then moved two steps closer to him. She still couldn’t bear to look up from the floor, but there was a question she needed to ask.

  “I – don’t understand what you mean by ‘nicely,’” she got out, hating the man more with every passing minute. “If you don’t give me some idea of what you’re looking for, we could be here all night.”

  “That’s a good point, and I appreciate having you bring it up,” he allowed, a distant amusement to be heard in his voice. “What I want is for you to tell me that you’ve been a bad girl, so you really think I ought to give you a spanking. And don’t forget to add the word ‘please.’”

  If someone had asked Elissia if the situation could possibly get any worse, she probably would have been certain it couldn’t. Now, after hearing what the beast had to say It looked like it was a good thing she hadn’t expected to live much past the time Gardal was safely back home.

  “I’ve – I’ve been a – bad girl, and – and – so I’m – asking if you would – please – please spank me,” Elissia finally choked out after a very long hesitation, her eyes closed against the burning in her cheeks. She couldn’t have added another word if her life had depended on it, but additional words turned out to be unnecessary.

  “That was fairly good for a first effort,” the beast conceded, grudging the judgment only a little. “I’m sure you’ll get much better as the days pass and you gain more experience. Go into the bedchamber now and close the shutter, then get out of those clothes. I’ll be there in a moment to put you over my knee.”

  Elissia shuddered out a breath as she turned and fled from the room, wishing she could just keep running and never stop. But maybe this was for the best after all. By the time the beast was through crushing her under his heel, she’d greet her coming death with delight rather than fear. If she ever found it possible to feel delight over anything again

  Derand watched the girl hurry out of the room, and once she was gone he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Handling her just right was going to be one hell of a balancing act, but he was determined

  to do it exactly right. If he used too heavy a hand with her he would break her spirit, but too light a hand would have little or no effect.

  It was an incredible thing to admit even to himself, but the woman who was his wife was like no other woman he’d ever encountered. If he could get her to the point of understanding that she had to obey him for her own safety whether she liked the idea or not, she’d have a much better chance of surviving living as his wife. His realm was far from being quiet and peaceful even if most of the active fighting was over, and being his queen would not prove to be the easiest of lives.

 
; But having the delightfully quick mind that she did, she’d be more of an asset to him than he’d ever imagined a woman could be. He’d expected his wife to warm his bed and bear his children, but this one would also look at the political situation and see it more clearly than most. She would be an incredible ally who earned the right to share the ruling of his kingdom – but only if she stopped looking down her nose at him. He had to teach her respect for her husband and something of humility, and the demands he’d made ought to do that.

  Along with the rest of the plan he’d come up with. It had been disturbing to learn that she was no longer a virgin, but even that might turn out to be for the best. He’d brought along something to encourage his inexperienced bride when she shared his bed, but it could well have taken a frightened virgin a bit of time to respond to it. As things stood now that was no longer a concern, so his full enjoyment of her ought to come a good deal more quickly.

  “And let’s not forget that we now have her actively participating in the game,” he murmured with a smile as he stood and walked to the front door of the cabin. His saddlebags had been brought along with his supper, and he’d want them in the bedchamber. “She’ll probably never participate voluntarily, but this will be almost as good. Now all I have to figure out is how to extend the demand past the time we break Gardal loose”

  Elissia closed the shutter she’d opened in the bedchamber, then she undressed slowly in the dark and stood with her arms wrapped around her. Full dark had brought a chill to the air, but the humiliation burned too hotly inside her for the chill to turn to cold. She hugged herself for another reason, one that added to her deep mortification and embarrassment. She had lain with a man once, but even he had never seen her completely unclothed.

  “But how was I supposed to refuse this latest demand?” she whispered, as though arguing against someone who had accused her of acceding without a murmur. “He’s already proven he’s strong enough to take the clothes, or even to rip them from me and leave me naked to the world. At least he didn’t make me promise not to find a way to leave him bloody and dead at my feet”

  This time the thought of finding a way to kill the beast did raise her spirits a bit. Or it did until the object of her murderous intentions entered the room with a lamp and a set of saddlebags, then closed the door behind him. Once again she found it impossible to meet his gaze, and knowing that he was now able to see all of her made it feel as though her entire body burned in the flames of humiliation.

  “Why are you blushing?” the miserable beast asked in a casual tone as he passed her to put the lamp down on a table in front of the shuttered window. “Since you’re my wife, I have a perfect right to see you like that.”

  Elissia was about to point out again that she was hardly going to be his wife for long, but it wasn’t worth wasting the breath. He knew that as well as she did, but had decided to take as much advantage of the situation as he could. He paused as though waiting for her to say something, and when she didn’t he opened one saddlebag and seemed to take something from it.

  “All right, I’m ready to do as you so nicely asked me to,” he announced, walking to the rough wooden chair the room held in order to sit. “Come over here and put yourself across my knees.”

  Elissia closed her eyes for a moment, but there was no getting out of it. She just had to remember that she was going through all that for Gardal’s sake, and for that reason had to be strong. Forcing herself the few steps over to where the beast sat was hard, but not as hard as bending over his lap. He helped her with that as he positioned her to his liking, and then his big hand once again stroked her bottom.

  “I’m going to take a closer, more intimate look at my wife before we begin,” he said, his hand continuing the gentle stroking. “It won’t be painful at all, so just let your muscles relax.”

  It was very difficult for Elissia to obey him, but closing her eyes again helped to a certain extent. His big hands moved over her body, stroking down her back and along her thighs, nothing overly intrusive and certainly not painful. After a pair of moments she was able to relax even more, and in a short while she even found her attention drifting. It had been a rather long and disturbing day, and she’d grown more tired than she’d felt earlier. There were unpleasant things to be faced before she’d be allowed to sleep, but –

  “No, don’t!” she suddenly screamed, dragged back to reality by more than mere intrusion. The beast had put something into her bottom, something that wasn’t very big but still felt horribly uncomfortable. It had slid inside her as though lightly greased, moving deeper in spite of the tightening of her muscles. Even as she struggled and fought to reach it and pull it out, she could feel something like a long string against her legs that seemed to be attached to the horrible thing.

  “No, you won’t be taking it out, so stop trying,” the beast said, speaking the outrageous words calmly again and again. He’d also captured her right wrist, and held it up behind her back. “This is a device the men in my family use to increase the pleasure their women feel while doing their wifely duty, and you’ll soon see how well it works. You won’t enjoy having it in you during the spanking, but afterward will be another story. Now stop struggling, or the spanking will take a lot longer than you’ll want it to.”

  “I don’t care what the men in your family do!” Elissia shrilled, refusing to be soothed or calmed. “Take that abomination out of me this instant!”

  “Girl, it’s not coming out,” the beast repeated, his voice hardening noticeably. “It’s going to be left right where it is until I say it can come out, so you’d better get used to the idea. And I thought you said that nothing I do will be able to break you. Is this your idea of not being broken?”

  Elissia choked trying to reach the proper words to answer, quickly finding it impossible to make those words come out clear and coherent. The thing inside her wasn’t giving her pain, so she had no solid basis for a meaningful refusal. She had told the beast he’d never break her no matter what he did, but at the time she hadn’t pictured anything like this. She’d become very aware of the leather of his pants under her bare belly and thighs, the feeling underscoring the presence of the abomination inside her. But she wasn’t in pain, so what was there to say in response to his taunt?

  “Hating an unnatural invasion of my body is not the same as being broken,” she finally pointed out, forced to lie still due to what the abomination made her feel when she moved. “This wasn’t in any way a part of our agreement, so I insist that you take that thing out of me.”

  “When people are first introduced to something they never heard of, they often consider it unnatural,” the beast had the nerve to lecture. “Later on they discover that it’s simply unusual to their experience, and after a time of indulgence it becomes ordinary and commonplace. And it wasn’t necessary to make things like this part of our agreement. This is something your husband is requiring of you, and as his wife you’re bound to accept it.”

  Which is one of the reasons I never wanted to be someone’s wife, Elissia thought with a growl in her throat. It was perfectly clear that nothing she said would sway the beast, so wasting any more breath would be the act of a fool. That she’d been a fool to get involved with him in the first place couldn’t be denied; adding to it would be completely pointless.

  “How nice to see that you’ve finally decided to be reasonable,” the beast commented when it became clear that she would be adding nothing more to what she’d already said. “If you’d kept up the nonsense much longer, I would have had to punish you for that as well as for your previous actions. You’ll do enough on your own to justify future spankings, so there’s no need to look for things to add in. And in any event, it’s time to get started.”

  That decision brought Elissia as little pleasure as she’d expected it to, but something unexpected immediately arose. The beast’s big hand came down on her bottom with a sharp smack, but rather than accept the beating in silence as long as possible, she couldn’t hold back an
“Ohhhh!” of utter mortification. Feelings she’d never experienced before flashed through her body because of the presence of the abomination, and even the rate of her breathing began to increase. She also tried to speak, but now the words insisted on coming out sideways.

  “Yes, yes, I know,” the beast said as he continued to spank her, obviously understanding her garbled attempts to make him stop. “You can’t stand what you’re feeling, but only because you’ve never felt it before. And also because you don’t know what to do to ease yourself. You’ll get the answer to that soon enough, so just try to be patient.”

  Patient! Elissia choked on a scream of outrage, one step away from being beside herself. That big hand of his kept smacking her bottom, this time bringing more than just an ache to her seat. Her body had begun to squirm in protest against the spanking and the feelings caused by the abomination, and that very squirming made the whole thing even worse! Each smack caused a jolt of unbearable sensation and an involuntary movement, and the movement increased the unbearable sensation. The entire process seemed to be feeding on itself, leaving Elissia no way to stop it.

  Elissia began to wail with desperation, but even that did nothing to stop the spanking. The beast continued on until her bottom throbbed with a flaming ache and she was nearly insane, and then, abruptly, the beast began on the next phase of her torture. Instead of another smack being added to the very long list of previous ones, the beast circled her with his arms and picked her up as he stood. He then carried her the few steps to the bed and put her face down on the quilts – with his knee in the middle of her back.

  “No, don’t move from this position unless you want to go back to the chair and the spanking,” he said sharply as she tried to free herself. “I’m going to take my knee away, and if you move even an inch in any direction we’ll go straight back to the chair.”

  Elissia closed her eyes and held to the quilt with a grip of steel, needing desperately to rub at herself and do something to ease those unbearable sensations. But if she tried to do any of that the beast would start the whole thing over again, and she couldn’t face the thought of it happening. For that reason she fought silently to lie absolutely still, and did succeed in keeping the involuntary squirming to an absolute minimum.