by Ivy Barrett
She turned around, dread rapidly eroding her buoyant mood. Kellan stood near the staircase. Had he been in one of the bedrooms? His expression was openly hostile and anger emanated off him in waves. “What’s wrong? Why are you so angry?”
“You tell me?” He pulled something out of his pocket and proffered it between his first two fingers.
Jasmine’s heart plummeted into her stomach and everything around her blurred. It was the business card Celeste had given her. Jasmine hadn’t seen the stupid thing since they visited Hanging Lake. She thought it had been lost on that mountaintop. There was nothing on the card connecting it to Celeste. Did he even realize what it was, or did he just suspect she was hiding something?
“Where did you find that?” She barely got the words out.
“We decided to surprise you with some Earth clothing, knew how much you hate the uniforms,” Zilrath told her. “We were unsure of the human sizing system, but Kellan remembered that the uniform you’d been wearing when we visited his cabin was still there. We planned to compare it to the human garments.”
“This was in the pocket.” Kellan flung it at her hard enough to hit her in the chest. “Who gave this to you, and why do you need a temporary employment agency?”
She had no idea how he’d connected the dots, but it was obvious he knew everything. “Celeste Mortenson asked me to spy on Zilrath. She said the State Department had lots of spies in the Protectorate, but the Tavorians were much harder to infiltrate.” She looked back at Zilrath and sighed. Now he looked just as angry as Kellan. “I told her no, but she gave me that card. I was supposed to call if I heard about anything important.”
“If you had no interest in spying on me, why did you keep the card?” Hurt threaded through the anger in Zilrath’s tone.
Jasmine took a step back and positioned herself so she could see them both. The business card rested on the floor between them, silently damning her. “I didn’t want to argue with her, so I slipped it into my pocket and just walked away. You two arrived a few minutes later, and I forgot all about the stupid thing.” Her voice rose right along with her frustration. This was quickly going from bad to worse.
“What did you tell her when she contacted you this morning, and the other four times you two spoke?” Kellan stalked toward her menacingly.
Her mouth grew so dry she could hardly swallow. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but how in the world was she going to convince them with the evidence stacking up against her? “Celeste instigated all of those calls. She’s desperate for information.”
“And you intended to provide it for her,” Zilrath accused, his features hard, voice flat. “Were you just waiting for something with more impact?”
“I didn’t tell her anything!” She crossed her arms and glared at them both. “Trust is a two-way street. You can’t expect me to trust you when you don’t trust me.”
“We thought we could trust you,” Kellan said, his voice even colder than Zilrath’s. “We still want to trust you, so explain why you didn’t tell us about Celeste.”
“I tried to,” she cried, her voice breaking as emotion tightened her throat. “I started to every time she called.”
“And yet until we discovered it for ourselves we were still unaware,” Zilrath said. “Why keep this from us, if her calls were truly unwanted?”
It was a damn good question, and she didn’t know the answer. What had been holding her back? “I was about to tell you just now.”
“The defense of every guilty person,” Kellan sneered. “Were you afraid? That seems unlikely. We’ve given you no reason to fear reprisal for something that wasn’t your fault.”
“Ask Nikki. I really was about to—”
“You told the governor’s mate before you told us?” Zilrath snapped. “That makes us look incompetent, weak, incapable of protecting you!”
She was trapped by her own indecision. If she’d been honest with them from the start, this wouldn’t be happening. “I’m sorry. I should have told you a long time ago.”
“We knew Celeste had visited you at Camp Accord, so we presumed she had tried to recruit you,” Zilrath told her.
“We just didn’t realize she’d succeeded.” Kellan was so angry his voice growled, and the blue marbling in his eyes literally glowed. “Get upstairs and get undressed.”
“I’m not having sex with you while you’re this angry,” she objected.
“Fucking you is the farthest thing from my mind.”
Her jaw dropped, and her heart lurched. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“You intentionally withheld important information,” Zilrath told her. “That is the same as lying to us.”
Fear momentarily robbed her of speech. Spankings were one thing, but she’d never seen Kellan this angry. “You’re not going to p-punish me either until you calm down.”
“I agree. That’s why you need to leave.”
There was no escaping his wrath. That much was obvious. He’d wait until his temper was back under control, but he would discipline her. She glanced at Zilrath, then away. His gaze was just as hostile as Kellan’s. Demoralized and angry, she spun around and stomped up the stairs. Instead of going to the master bedroom, however, she went to one of the guest rooms. This one was furnished with a daybed, clearly intended for one human. She would fit comfortably on the narrow mattress, but neither of her mates would.
Her potential mates. She’d stopped using the qualifier, had started thinking of them just as her mates. Well, the potential was back with a vengeance. This entire situation was completely unfair. She had not told Celeste anything damning, hadn’t told her anything period.
You didn’t trust them, her annoying inner voice chimed in. You were keeping your options open because part of you hasn’t forgiven them.
Forgiven them for what? she countered.
For forcing this decision on you in the first place.
Perfect! Now she was having interactive conversations with herself.
She shut the door and locked it with a rebellious flourish. They would win this battle of wills in the end. She had no delusions about that. But she was not going down without a fight!
After pulling off her shoes and tossing them across the room, she crawled onto the daybed. She scooted back into the corner and folded her legs in front of her, ready to do battle.
They didn’t keep her waiting long. She heard them on the stairs. They could move silently when they tried. Obviously, they wanted her to know they were on their way. The passed her door. There was a pause, then more stomping footsteps. Someone tried the latch, then she heard muffled words.
“Jasmine, open this door at once. This flimsy lock will not keep—”
A sharp bang and the sound of splintering wood interrupted Zilrath’s plea. Kellan stormed into the room as the door flew open and smacked the wall. “If you want me to remain calm, get those fucking clothes off!”
Okay, maybe locking the door wasn’t such a good idea.
Her heart rate accelerated until she could hear her pulse in her ears. Provoking a Ventori right before he disciplined her was downright foolish. She scooted off the bed and pulled off her uniform top. She unfastened her pants and shed them just as quickly, then instinctively sank to her knees and bowed her head.
“Open your legs.”
She did so without hesitation. “I’m sorry, Kellan. I really—”
“You will address me as Sir,” he snapped, but his voice was cold, not angry. “My name is reserved for those who have earned my trust.”
Hurt penetrated her anger and fear. She hadn’t deserved that.
Yes, you did, her inner voice insisted. And you deserve to be disciplined.
She closed her eyes and tried to silence her conscience. The brutally honest bitch always grew chatty when Jasmine was hiding behind denial.
“Why are you being punished?”
The question came from Zilrath, which made it even more frustrating. Kellan had a tendency to bully. It took a lot
more to anger Zilrath.
“Because Celeste wants me to spy on you.” That wasn’t the answer, but her rebellion wasn’t quite satisfied.
“You’ve just used your only warning,” Kellan told her. “Smart off again, and I’ll intensify your discipline.”
“I failed to inform you about Celeste.” Each word felt like it was torn from her soul, creating a strange ache. This was her last secret, the final thread attaching her to her old life.
“Why did you keep this from us?” Zilrath persisted.
“I didn’t trust you,” she admitted in a soft, sad tone. “Part of me can’t let go of the life I used to know.”
“Did you compound your lack of trust by discussing this with Nikki Orellian?” Kellan asked, still sounding like a computer.
“I did but—”
“No more excuses,” Zilrath cut in. “Accept responsibility for your actions.”
“Yes,” she snapped. “I talked to my only friend about something I’ve been struggling with. It must be nice not to need advice from anyone!”
“Your punishment has just increased in severity,” Kellan informed in that same lifeless tone.
“Fine! Whatever.” She stood up and looked into his eyes. “Just get it over with. This inquisition is just pissing me off.”
Emotion flared in the depths of Kellan’s eyes, and then they narrowed to angry slits. “You agreed to be respectful when you agreed to—”
“I didn’t ‘agree’ to any of this,” she snapped. “I signed up to be a carnal companion. That’s the last decision I made free of coercion.”
His gaze drilled into hers as he slowly unfastened the belt wrapped around his waist. He’d taken the afternoon off, so he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She watched the black leather slip through the first few loops, then snake around his waist. “Bend over the bed without bending your knees. Get that ass in the air.”
She stared at the belt as he bent it in half, heart thudding wildly in her chest. She shook her head. “Use your hand, please. I can’t—”
“You can and you will,” Kellan insisted. “Stop arguing, or I’ll go get my bag of implements.”
She looked at the daybed, then looked at Zilrath. He looked uncomfortable but resigned. He would not help her. Dread building with each step, she moved over to the daybed. Nothing she could say would change his mind. She knew Kellan well enough not to try persuasion. His mind was made up. He was going to spank her with that belt.
Shaking so badly her knees nearly buckled, she bent from the waist and braced her forearms on the thin mattress. She could see nothing but the muted geometric pattern of the comforter. She clenched her butt cheeks as the seconds ticked by. What was he waiting for?
“This is not what I want our lives to be,” Kellan said quietly. “But we must be able to trust our mate.”
“And she must trust us,” Zilrath added.
“Now a carnal companion only needs to obey,” he sneered out the comment, clearly upset by her careless words. “If she disobeys, she is punished until her behavior changes. There is no reason to worry about her emotions.”
She heard the subtle whoosh of displaced air, and then her left ass cheek exploded with stinging pain. She cried out sharply and twisted her hips, trying to escape the burning discomfort. Kellan swung the belt again and pain detonated in the right side as well. The first swat was still burning, so her entire bottom soon smoldered and ached.
And as usual, her traitorous clit suddenly echoed the throbbing pain. This hurt far worse than any of her other spankings. How could she possibly be turned on by something so demeaning? It was fucking twisted.
A harsh sob muffled her next scream as the belt struck again. She danced in place, humiliated as well as in pain. Her pussy fluttered, and she had no doubt she was getting wet. Would he fuck her when he was finished? God, she hoped so. Her need to come was almost worse than the fire in her ass cheeks.
He spanked her again, and she moaned. Her body was rapidly processing the pain, but she couldn’t fight her arousal. She tossed her head and wiggled her hips, but the painful spanks kept on coming.
“Hold still!” Kellan ordered, and the agony paused.
She gradually stilled, grasping the comforter with both hands. She tried to calm her raging emotions as well. She was breathing much too fast. Her core pulsed with the same damn rhythm as her clit and ass. Half a second later, the belt hit again, and the blazing pain pushed back her orgasm. More swats came in rapid succession. She quickly lost count.
Again and again, Kellan swung the belt until the pain bled together into one throbbing ball of misery and unfulfilled need. She helplessly reached back and the belt connected with her palm, sending fire shooting up her arm.
She screamed and sank to her knees, keeping her butt up off her legs. “No more,” she begged, tears streaming down her face. God above, how she needed to come.
But Kellan wasn’t appeased. “Zilrath, please get her back into position and hold her arms. I don’t want to hit anything but her ass.”
After a brief hesitation, Zilrath walked over to her and pulled her back to her feet. She was so shocked that he was helping that she didn’t struggle at first. But he turned her back toward the bed and urged her torso down. It felt like a betrayal. She’d expected brutality from Kellan. Aggression was his basic nature. But Tavorians were pacifists. Zilrath should be objecting, not helping out.
She came alive with a frustrated cry and twisted out of his grasp. He reached for her arm, and she punched him instead. Suddenly a large hand gripped the back of her neck and forced her to bend over. Kellan quickly caught one of her hands while Zilrath caught the other. Zilrath sat on the edge of the daybed and Kellan passed him her other wrist. Zilrath carefully grasped both wrists with one hand, then fisted the back of her hair. With steady pressure, he forced her forehead to the mattress and firmly held her there. She couldn’t move, couldn’t bite him, and couldn’t kick without losing her balance.
Kellan kicked her feet even farther apart, and her eyes flew open wide. She heard the distinct clicking of a zipper and froze. “Don’t you dare.” She ground out the words between clenched teeth. He hadn’t said that the punishment was over, hadn’t held her or dried her tears.
“But this is what you signed up for, remember? It’s the only thing to which you agreed. You’re a temporary sex slave.” He thrust into her hard and deep, driving the breath from her lungs.
The spanking had made her wet, so the brutal invasion didn’t hurt, but humiliation and regret washed over her in icy waves. She held still, furious with him and hating herself for provoking him. As if to compound her misery, her own words echoed through her mind.
I signed up to be a carnal companion. That’s the last decision I made free of coercion.
He was hard and huge inside her, stretching her pussy as never before. “A mate is cherished and adored. A carnal companion is a convenience, a willing vessel to be used and then forgotten.” He gripped her hips firmly as his cock possessed her again and again. “Is this really all you want from us?”
She was too angry to answer, yet she’d brought this on herself. First with her mistrust and hesitation, then with her own bitter words. There was no tenderness in his actions, just the selfish quest for physical pleasure.
Her arousal began to build despite her shattered emotions. Still, her orgasm was out of reach when he grunted and shuddered against her tender backside. Bitter regret echoed the warm gush of his seed. This had been so cold, so superficial. So very different from how he usually took her.
He immediately pulled out and motioned toward Zilrath. “Your turn,” he urged his podmate. “Use our carnal companion. This is all she wants from us.”
“I never said that.” Jasmine pulled against Zilrath’s hold, angry and ashamed.
Kellan shoved two fingers into her well-fucked pussy. “You’re sort of sloppy now.” He dragged his wet fingers up to her other hole and eased them inside.
She gasped, humiliat
ed by the tingling warmth that always accompanied anal play.
“Would you like Zilrath to fuck your ass?” Kellan pumped his fingers in and out, accelerating her arousal with ruthless skill. “I promised that he could go first, but I’m dying to feel this tight, warm ass gripping my cock.”
“Not like this!” Her voice cracked and a sob shuddered through her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said.”
“This is not my way.” Zilrath let go and scrambled off the daybed. “I would only use such harsh punishments for the most flagrant of misbehaviors. What she did required correction, but she’s had enough.”
“All right.” Kellan pulled his fingers out and stepped back, leaving her slumped over the daybed sobbing. He nudged her with his boot. “Take the rest of the night to decide what you want from us. Are we your masters or your mates?”
They both left the bedroom, and someone closed the door. She sank to her knees and stayed as they’d left her, naked, used, hard sobs shaking her shoulders. Her emotions forced out rational thought as the punishment replayed through her mind. Her bottom throbbed, as did her pussy, and Kellan’s cum smeared her inner thighs. She could smell it, feel it, almost taste it, as if he’d dominated every cell in her body.
Her knees began to ache even worse than her butt, so she climbed to her feet, legs shaking beneath her, and tried to sit on the daybed. Her punished ass wasn’t ready for the pressure, so she carefully curled up on her side and let the tears flow. Why had they left her alone? Always before after Kellan spanked her, he held her and comforted her, sometimes even gave her an orgasm.
A mate is cherished and adored. A carnal companion is a convenience, a willing vessel to be used and then forgotten.
The reminder made her sob even harder. Kaden had made his point masterfully. She did not want to be their carnal companion. But did she still want to be their mate?
A long time later, once her tears were all cried out, softer, more constructive emotions replaced her anger and self-pity. Okay, so she might have earned the spanking. And the rough fucking too, she added after a mental pause. Her last question was still unanswered. Did she want to be their mate?
