by Rachel Red
I set my snack plate on the ledge behind me and leaned forward a little. "What do you mean?"
She smiled, "I think you have a gift; very rare. I think this has only happened to two other Haverbrook wives, and the last was probably fifty years ago. But the other two happened just as you said: an almost subconscious wish for something to move, a tingling in the wedding ring finger, and then poof! Whatever they wanted moved suddenly moved or flew into their hands."
I sat briefly speechless. "But...how?"
"Well, nobody knows exactly. But you have to remember that when you married a shifter dragon, you married a supernatural creature. Your blood was mingled with his at the Mingling rite at your wedding. All we can figure is that it’s a supernatural element transferred along with the increased longevity. And for some wives, a very few, that seems to come out as a gift to be able to move objects mentally: telepathy."
Julia set her plate on the ledge behind her, floated over to me, and took a seat beside me, her expression clearly one of relief. "This is so cool. Let's see if you can do it with something else. See if you can mentally move my plate over to me."
Elizabeth picked up a little round slice of bread from her plate and went to take a bite but stopped short. "Well ... maybe Kate will want to ease into this gift a little. Get used to the idea of it for a while."
She was right. I was having a hard time just wrapping my brain around the idea of my new gift. But before the three of us could discuss it further, another of our friends came trotting into the hot springs cavern, grinning.
"Our husbands are home."
Elizabeth, Julia and I sprang up from the spring and toweled off without even speaking. We'd all been really missing our husbands the past four days they'd been gone. A lot.
Wrapped in my towel, not even bothering to re-dress in the shorts and t-shirt I'd worn to the springs over my bathing suit, I dashed down the couple of dimly lit stone hallways that led to Victor's and my room. I flung open our front door. He was already home and stood dropping two gear bags in the foyer.
I launched myself into his arms. "I missed you so much."
He picked me up in his strong arms and spun me around, holding me tight. "I missed you more than words can say."
One of the many, many things I loved about having Victor as my husband was that even in human form, he possessed the strength of about a hundred average, mortal men. This meant that though I was a decidedly heavier with lots of curves, he could still pick me up with ease, and he often did. He often scooped me up and carried me right into our bedroom, where he’d display even more impressive feats of physical strength. (Which I loved.) In fact, he’s used his strength to our great pleasure; Victor and I have tried about every single lovemaking position in the book – and then some.
Yet another advantage of having a shifter dragon husband was that shifter dragons possessed increased appetites for lovemaking and stamina. At first, Victor had been worried his appetites would upset me but I soon proved the opposite. I couldn't seem to get enough of him and he of me. My thick, curvy body actually seemed to make him nearly insane at times. And the feel of his hard, chiseled body, all six-foot-three of it, against mine could nearly make me forget my own name.
I'd dropped my towel to the floor and after a few slow kisses Victor set me back down on my feet, took my hands and stepped back.
He swept his gaze over my bathing suit-clad body from head to toe, his breathing accelerating. "Gorgeous, sexy girl."
After pulling me close, he began kissing me again, cupping my full bottom and pulling me against his hardness. I wasn't surprised in the least. He often became rock-hard within seconds, just by looking at me from across the room.
I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, making a little whimper of pleasure. He teased my lips apart and began exploring my mouth with his tongue, causing me to make soft noise of pleasure, a little louder this time. Soon he broke the kiss, took my bathing suit straps, and slowly pulled the suit down to my waist, his breathing fast and ragged.
"Gorgeous."
After feasing his eyes on my full, bare breasts and hardened nipples, he cupped them and began slowly circling my nipples with his thumbs, making me moan. I moved a hand to his hardness and felt it through the fabric of his jeans, that was enough for Victor to scoop me up and carry me into the bedroom, planting a line of kisses from my mouth to my throat to my collarbone along the way, his warm mouth exquisitely slow and tender.
He set me on the bed, climbed on top of me and hiked one of my legs up on his hip with a growl. With an ache developing low in my belly, I closed my eyes and relished the feel of his hardness pressed against me. But I opened my eyes after a second or two when a loud knock sounded on the front door of our rooms.
Victor dropped his head, groaning; the sound of it tapering off into something like a sob.
"It's Sam and Michael. We all resolved not to reunite with our wives until after the council meeting."
I felt like I could sob myself.
"Well, can they just...can they just wait a little while, do you think?" I asked.
Victor swore under his breath, raised himself up off me, and sat back on his heels. "Unfortunately, no. Reason number one being that Sam, Michael and I did discover some fairly urgent things about The Oppressors' future plans for us while on our scouting trip to Cold Creek. The rest of the council should be notified of these things immediately, tonight. We'll need to dispatch a fresh team of men to do some continued surveillance of Cold Creek. And two, I shouldn't keep the council waiting because even though my wife is almost unbearably stunning and luscious, as leader of The Keepers, I should live up to that title by displaying enough self-control to tend to urgent matters and responsibilities first."
I knew he was right. But I didn't have to like it. Another knock sounded on the door.
Victor took my hands and pulled me up to sit. "Now, you stay right here on this bed, you gorgeous little thing. I won't be long. And when I return, I want you here on this bed, your bathing suit half off, looking just as luscious as you do right now. So stay right here."
Suppressing a smile, I made a small, inching movement, as if I were getting off the bed. "Or else what?"
Victor's charcoal-gray eyes glinted, he didn't answer right away. But when he did, his voice was even lower than usual, a little huskier.
"Or else when I get back, there will be consequences. First, I'll pull your bathing suit down all the way and give your bare bottom a few good swats. Next, I'll tie you to the bed to make sure you stay. And then I'll subject you to the most excruciating torture imaginable."
A little thrill rippled through me, and my voice came out in a whisper. "What kind of torture?"
He pulled me close and moved his mouth to my ear. "Torture that will have you crying out, begging to be released. But I won't release you, at least not right away. That's why it'll be torture. You'll be my captive, to tease and torture in whatever way I like, for as long as I like. And you'll be helpless; unable to do anything because you'll be at the mercy of your husband, the dragon lord. Because I'll have you tied to the bed, your most sensitive and intimate parts fully exposed to me, all mine, all mine to tease, and explore, and...." He planted a few slow kisses along the side of my throat. "Torture."
My pulse accelerated and butterflies rioted in my stomach.
After brushing my mouth with a lingering kiss, Victor climbed off the bed, went to the bedroom doorway, and looked at me over his shoulder. "Oh, and Kate? If you do decide to be naughty and get down off the bed while I'm gone, it had better be only to light all dozen of those candles on our dresser. A torturer needs to be able to see exactly what he's doing."
And with that, he left our bedroom, closing the door behind him, leaving me in a limp puddle on the bed, my breathing fluttery and fast. I heard Sam or Michael or whoever pound on the front door again and I heard Victor telling them to give him a second. Actually, he told them to give him a goddamned second. I knew he probably needed a little t
ime to think some very non-romantic thoughts and let his previous excitement ebb before answering the door. About a minute later, he did answer it, and I heard him close the door behind him.
I remained on the bed for all of about a second before hopping off, wondering how many minutes until he'd return.
CHAPTER TEN
I lit all dozen candles on the dresser and shut out the electric lights before climbing back into bed. In the warm and golden glow, I sank back into the pillows, wondering if Victor would really follow through on all he'd said he'd do – wondering and hoping.
I closed my eyes and pictured his face, his charcoal gray eyes and his strong, square jaw. I pictured his long, muscular body, naked. I pictured one of his strong hands delivering a few firm swats to my rear. The ache low in my belly intensified and I got out of bed again, took a few long scarves I wore as belts sometimes from a dresser drawer and then set them on top of the dresser, by the candles. I figured since I'd been naughty enough to get out of bed, the least I could do to show Victor I was sorry by providing him with something to easily tie me up with so I'd stay in bed.
I got back into bed, realizing my bathing suit was still half-off. I didn't pull it back up over my breasts because I'd liked how he'd described me as "luscious" with it down. I wanted him to still find me luscious when he returned. I sank back and closed my eyes again. I began imagining him tying me up with the scarves and what he would do after. But soon I realized I needed to think other thoughts until Victor returned because I was becoming awfully tempted to take certain matters into my own hands.
Spying a stack of books on one end of the dresser, I figured maybe some reading would help take my mind off things, and all the lit candles in the room yielded just enough brightness to do just that. Suddenly remembering my new gift, I looked at the top book on the stack, wishing for it to just fly right into my hand and to my astonishment, my wedding ring finger tingled as it did before and the book sailed right into my grasp. Giggling, I set the book in my lap and began attempting to sail it back over to the dresser, wondering if my new power worked in reverse, too. I soon found out it did – though this took me a little longer to master.
I ended up never actually reading the book. My new gift was too fun to practice. I levitated a bunch of different things around the room, including water glasses, vases and even a heavy oak nightstand. I got so caught up in the fun that I lost track of time and was startled when I heard Victor come through the front door of our rooms.
I immediately stopped and sat back against the pillows in bed. He came down the short hallway, leaned against the doorway and folded his strong arms across his brawny chest, his mouth curving in the slightest of smiles.
I gave him a little smile in return. "I got off the bed."
His gaze went to the candles and scarves on the dresser. "I can see that."
"Twice, actually. I was pretty naughty."
He returned his gaze me to me, his dark gray eyes glinting. "Yes, you were. Even though I told you what the consequences were for naughtiness would be."
My earlier excitement returned.
He came into the room, crawling into bed next to me, and spoke in a low voice, his mouth near my ear. "Even though I told you that if you were naughty, I'd have to spank you. Even though I told you that I'd then have to tie you to the bed and torture you."
I exhaled a fluttery breath. "I guess I just didn't listen."
Victor moved a hand to one of my naked breasts and began circling my nipple with a finger, making it stiffen. "No, you didn't. So I'm going to have to follow through with. I'm going to have to punish you."
I tipped my head back, the touch of his finger on my nipple making me sigh. "Yes, please."
"All right then, gorgeous, naughty Kate. Just remember, you brought this all on yourself."
"Okay."
Victor took his hand from my breast and sat back against the pillows, the rate of his breathing perceptibly increasing. "I want you to bend yourself over my lap so I can spank your beautiful bottom."
I got up on my knees and did as I was asked, the act of offering him my rear to spank made the ache low in belly return with full force. With a low growl, Victor took my hips and positioned me exactly how he wanted me. He was already granite-hard and I couldn't help but moan a little when I felt his large erection against my tingling womanhood.
He began caressing my rear with a slow, firm hand and spoke in a husky voice. "I'm going to spank your bare bottom, naughty Kate, so that you truly learn your lesson about getting off the bed."
I nodded, suddenly too turned on to even form words and respond verbally.
He began pulling down my half-off bathing suit. Heat sprang to my face; I was a little embarrassed, though in the strangest, best possible way; in a way that made me even more turned on than I already was.
Victor finished pulling my suit down to mid-thigh and ran a strong hand over my now-naked bottom. I noticed his hand was trembling just slightly, the way his hands did when he was incredibly turned on and trying to control himself. His voice came out in a low growl.
"I'm going to spank you and I want you to remain in position until I'm finished. Is that clear?"
I nodded, my breathing fast. "Yes."
"Good."
After a little more caressing, he lifted his hand and delivered a few firm, stinging swats to each of my cheeks. They weren't exceptionally hard swats and somewhat to my surprise, I realized that I wanted them to be.
"Are you learning your lesson, Kate?"
I shook my head. "No, not even close. Those didn't teach me anything."
With a low growl, Victor resumed spanking me, his hand a little harder this time, hard enough to make me squirm against his hardness with each stinging swat. He spanked me for at least a minute before pausing this time and speaking in a voice so husky it was barely a gravelly whisper.
"Have you learned your lesson now, you gorgeous, naughty little thing?"
I shook my head, the bud at the center of my womanhood throbbing. "Not quite. I still feel pretty naughty."
"Well, then, I'll have to continue with your punishment until you fully learn your lesson. I'm going to have to spank you a little harder."
I nodded. "I deserve it."
"All right, then; I'm glad you agree. But first...." Victor paused, biting back a groan, his fingers going from my upturned bottom to my slick womanhood. "Oh my God, Kate, I'm sorry. I can't resist."
He began exploring my slickness, his fingers soon parting my swollen feminine folds and locating my throbbing bud. He began stroking it with the tip of a finger, making me cry out. I spread my legs a little, giving him greater access; he stopped stroking and entered me with two long, strong fingers. With a growl rumbling in his chest, he slowly slid them in and out while I moaned, panting.
But soon, to my extreme frustration, he removed his fingers and returned his hand to my bare rear. "We have to finish your punishment. You've been a very naughty girl, and you need to learn a lesson. I'm going to finish your spanking with some very hard swats, so I'm going to hold your arm behind your back so you don't try to interfere."
My voice came out in a fluttery whisper. "Okay."
He took my right hand and gently but firmly pinned it up at the small of my back. I squirmed, whimpering, while he continued, his pace steadily increasing. My rear cheeks blazed. I actually began kicking a little. Just when I thought I might need to call out that I'd learned my lesson, Victor delivered two more stinging swats, his hand the hardest it had been yet, and then stopped.
"Now have you learned your lesson, Kate?"
I nodded right away, desperate to rub my stinging rear. "Yes. I'll never get down off the bed again when you tell me not to. I promise." I realized that was a promise I might not be able to keep. "At least...not again tonight."
Victor made a sort of amused little snort and then began rubbing my hot cheeks, almost as if reading my mind.
But soon he stopped, gently lifted me off of him, and set m
e on my back. "I believe I also told you that if you got off the bed, I'd have to tie you up. Do you remember that?"
I said I did. He got off the bed and grabbed a few of my scarves from the dresser.
"Good."
Even in the candlelight, I could see his massive erection straining against the thick fabric of his jeans. He came back over to the bed, propped my head up on a few pillows and began fastening each of my wrists to the bedposts with the scarves. He tied them tight enough to restrict me from moving, though not so tight as to impair my circulation, nor so tight that I couldn't break free if I really wanted to: which I didn't.
When he'd completed the task and had given me a few hungry, lingering kisses, he stood to the side of the bed and began undressing. I feasted on him with my eyes, panting a little. When he was completely naked, the candlelight making his hard, muscled body glow, I stupidly tried to reach out to touch him, wanting to wrap my hand around his thick, hard shaft but I couldn't.
