“I have an idea about that too,” Ailith said excitedly. “Ekrem, wander along the beach and admire the pretty rocks. Say you want to take some back for your wife. Ulrick will give you some sacks, and you start collecting stones near the big boulders in front of the cavern.”
“Ah, I understand,” Ekrem said with a nod. “There will be bags already holding the coins, and we’ll switch them.”
“Exactly,” Ailith exclaimed. “Magnus can do that. Everyone knows how heavy rocks are, and Ulrick can bring Frey over to carry them to your ship.”
“Who is Magnus?”
“You mustn’t worry, Ekrem,” Ulrick said hastily. “He was with us when Ailith showed me the chest. He’s my oldest friend and my most important advisor. He’s still in the cavern recovering from a fever.”
“Ah, I see. Ailith, you are very clever. Forgive my impatience, but can you take me into the cavern now and show me where the chest is? I must see it. I won’t be able to rest until I do.”
“I don’t see why not. Everyone’s sleeping on the sand tonight so the cavern’s empty, and they’ll be too busy downing ale and enjoying the feast to pay us any attention if any are still awake.”
“Then, please, lead the way. My heart pounds with joy.”
* * *
Ulrick wasn’t concerned about his men causing any trouble if they spotted him walking along the water’s edge with a stranger, but climbing down the side of the boat, he was relieved to see clouds dimmed the moon’s light, and his warriors were already passing out. Besides being exhausted, the free-flowing ale and feast had sent them into an early sleep.
Moving silently along the shore and reaching the massive boulders, Ulrick lifted out a flaming stick from a nearby fire. Leading the way into the cavern and across to Ailith’s cozy grotto, he pointed to the pile of rocks in the corner.
“Your coins are on the other side of those stones,” he said, handing the torch to Ailith.
Dropping to his knees, he made quick work of pushing them away to reveal the opening. Crawling through first, Ailith reached through and handed him the torch, then she and Ekrem followed.
“There it is,” she exclaimed as Ulrick crouched down and opened the lid of the small chest.
“I fear I’m about to be overcome a second time,” Ekrem muttered, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around the ornate box. “I’m afraid to leave it. I wish we could whisk it away right now.”
“Tomorrow morning we’ll come early and set Magnus to work. You’ll soon have it safely on board.”
“My family and my people will never be able to repay you, but we will try,” Ekrem said, straightening up. “If you would like to sleep in the soft bed, it would be my honor to have you as my guests. My chamber is at the other end of the ship.”
“We would love to, but I do need to stop at my boat for a short time.”
“Come on board when it suits you. We were so busy talking you didn’t eat much, so I’ll leave some food in your room.”
“That’s very kind of you, Ekrem,” Ulrick said, then gestured toward the opening. “Please, after you.”
“Why do we need to stop at your boat?” Ailith asked quietly as Ekrem began to crawl through to the other side.
“You know very well...”
Chapter Seventeen
With the upcoming punishment consuming Ailith’s thoughts, a nervous thrill rippling through her body, she’d paid no attention to the conversation between Ulrick and Ekrem as they walked back to the boat.
“Did you hear that, Ailith?” Ulrick asked.
Startled, she lifted her eyes.
“No, I didn’t. I was, uh, thinking.”
“I was just telling Ulrick how much I admire that dress on you,” Ekrem said. “It’s my sister’s. She often joins me on missions so she keeps a trunk on the ship. It saves her packing every time we leave. That trunk and everything in it is now yours.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured, staring up at him. “Are you sure your sister won’t mind?”
“Mind? If she were here she’d insist on it. Ailith, you must understand, you’ll be receiving a great deal more than just a few items of clothing. Ulrick, please send someone over to pick it up in the morning.”
“Thank you, Ekrem, and I’m sure Ailith will have a wonderful time going through it on the journey home, won’t you, Ailith?
“I certainly will.”
“But I have to find Bjørn right away,” Ulrick said, suddenly changing the subject. “Can you climb up the ladder and onto my boat by yourself?”
“The tide is out and the water is shallow,” she replied, glancing across at the tiny ripples floating to the shore. “I won’t have any problems.”
“Good. What I need to do shouldn’t take long. Wait for me in my cabin.”
“Will we go back to that wonderful bed?” she asked softly, noticing Ekrem ambling away to the shoreline.
“I’m releasing Ekrem’s fighters. If they decide to sleep on the beach then we can. After being in the hull of Bjørn’s boat all this time, I suspect they’ll want to be out in the fresh air.”
“I hope so,” she said wistfully, recalling the luxurious comfort of the raised bed.
“I’ll see if I can arrange something softer for our trip home,” he promised, then lowering his lips to her ear, he whispered, “I really do want you to be happy, even if you do have a hot backside for most of the journey.”
A bevy of butterflies burst to life in her stomach.
“Even if I’m good?” she breathed.
“My hand will make sure you are,” he replied. “Go now. Ekrem and I have things to do, and remember, when you’re being punished you must call me Master.”
“I won’t forget,” she murmured, and with her pulse racing, she walked slowly toward his boat.
The dress reached her knees, and as she waded to the ladder, the water softly lapped around her calves leaving the skirt untouched. Carefully making her way up, she reached the side of the deck and climbed on board.
It was quiet and still.
Glancing back to shore, she could see most of the warriors were sleeping, but Ulrick and Ekrem were walking toward a small group sitting around a fire and she assumed Bjørn must be among them.
An unexpected chill pricked her skin.
She didn’t like being on the open deck.
Crossing her arms, she hurried to the steps leading to Ulrick’s small cabin and pushed open the door. Though the room was small and dark, offering only the table, chair, and the pelts on the floor, a warm energy drove the chill from her bones. Unable to unfasten the hooks at the back of the dress, she settled on top of the soft fur, stretched out and closed her eyes.
“Please don’t be long,” she murmured, picturing Ulrick’s tall, wide frame walking through the door.
A deep longing coursed through her body.
She wanted his lips devouring hers, his coarse hands grazing her soft, naked skin, and his teasing fingers tantalizing her womanhood making her slick for his large, hard member. Losing herself in a sea of salacious swirling images, she let herself drift away...
Rolling her on her stomach, he pushed her skirt up past her waist. His rough hands clasped her bottom and she felt his breath against her ear.
“Tomorrow we sail for home, but before we head out to sea I must remind you of your place. You will always be mistress of your thoughts, but I will always be master of your body.”
Lying on top of her, his mouth moved to her neck, hungrily sucking and biting her skin. The pleasure and pain felt so real...
Her eyes popped open.
She wasn’t dreaming.
With his heavy weight resting on her back, and his teeth nipping her neck, she could feel his manhood burying itself in the cleft of her bottom.
“Punishment and pleasure can sometimes happen at the same time,” he growled. “If you don’t surrender you will only experience punishment. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master, I, uh, I
think so.”
“Do as I say, then you will have both.”
He raised his hefty body, but as she was about to let out a long, relieved breath, he grabbed her wrists, pulled them behind her, and placed her hands on her backside.
“Pull yourself apart.”
His gruff, husky command sent a shiver down her spine. Cringing as she followed his instruction, she offered up the lewd exposure.
“My cock will be thrusting in here,” he grunted, tickling her rosebud. “Think about it as I spank you. Think about opening up for me. It will be much better for you if you do.”
“Ooh, yes, Master.”
“Now tell me why I’m going to redden your rump.”
“I—uh—was rude?”
“Rude, childish, bratty, all those things, but worse, you rebuked me in front of a stranger. Did you think you can speak to a ruler like that and not face punishment?”
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“Even young Varig would flog you for such disrespect. Perhaps I should let him. Perhaps that will teach you to hold your tongue.”
“Oh, no, Master, please...”
“Take your hands away and lock your fingers beneath your body.”
Anxiously slipping them between the soft fur and her stomach, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited nervously for the inevitable sting of his hard hand.
“If you’re angry, you’ll wait until we’re alone to speak your mind. You will never again,” he exclaimed, landing several stunning blows, “talk back to me in front of anyone else.”
“Ow, oh, ow. I won’t, Master,” she yelped. “I promise I won’t.”
“Even by ourselves you will not behave like a spoiled child stamping her foot,” he scolded, slapping his callused hand from cheek to cheek. “Were the people of your village afraid to reprimand you if you were rude to them?”
“Ow, oh, ow!”
“Answer me!”
“Yes, Master,” she admitted breathlessly. “They thought I could weave magic.”
“Did you take advantage of them?” he demanded, continuing to rain his flattened palm across every inch of her backside.
“Sometimes... but they weren’t very nice.”
“Excuses,” he declared, grabbing her hips and jerking her up. “If you spoke to them the way you spoke to me I don’t blame them. Think about that as I continue to punish your bottom.”
As he whisked rapid-fire smacks across her sit spot, she squealed loudly and begged him to stop, but he ignored her pleas and continued the vigorous spanking. Her skin burned with a white-hot fire, her breathing became a series of gasps and howls, and just when she thought she could take no more, he stopped.
“Don’t make me punish you for this again,” he said sternly. “If I do, it won’t be my hand stinging your skin, it will be a hard piece of leather. Do you understand, Ailith?”
“Yes, Master,” she whimpered. “I’m sorry. I won’t be rude anymore, I promise.”
“When we reach my home you will be respectful to the men, and kind to the other women. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Put your arms behind you and spread your crimson cheeks.”
Though desperate to resist the humiliating order, she rested the side of her face on the pelts, and moved her hands to her bottom.
“I’m waiting,” he growled. “Spread them.”
Cringing, she parted herself, then winced as his finger pushed inside her tight, dark hole.
“I expect you to accept my cock. I can always spank you into submission, and I will if I need to, but if you accept me, you’ll find the pleasure. It’s up to you, Ailith.”
“I’ll surrender to you, Master,” she bleated, though filled with dread and not sure if she could keep the promise.
But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
Keeping his finger inserted, he moved his other hand from her hip to explore her womanhood.
“So wet,” he muttered. “My authority excites you. My discipline isn’t just something you need, it’s something you crave.”
His words echoed through her head.
My discipline isn’t just something you need, it’s something you crave.
“It’s true, Master,” she admitted breathlessly. “It’s true.”
“A strong-minded, clever young woman needs a ruler. She needs the authority far more than a female who is easily led,” he exclaimed, vigorously massaging her clit. “She needs a man smarter, braver, and stronger. A man who will devour her body and make her scream. A man who will make her behave as she should.”
As his words stoked her raging arousal, his finger rubbing her clit seemed to unite with the one thrusting in and out of her back hole, and in spite of her deep embarrassment, her body responded to the decadent attention. Her heart raced with her growing desire, her chest rose and fell as she panted, and she couldn’t stop wriggling her hips.
“Look how your ass flirts,” he muttered, removing his finger to sharply pinch the skin around her hands. “It’s begging for my cock, and its wish will be granted. Keep yourself open.”
She caught her breath.
The moment was at hand.
But she had to surrender and give herself up.
“I am your master,” he proclaimed as his cock prodded her rosebud, “and now you will fully understand what that means. You will feel owned, because you are owned, because your body belongs to me. Submit, Ailith. Submit!”
It wasn’t a request.
As his manhood pushed, an epiphany swept through her.
She had to give into her lascivious lust.
Shame was irrelevant.
Guilt had no place.
Being forced to follow his command absolved her of responsibility.
Magically she opened up and bucked back against him.
“Yes, like that,” he growled. “Accept all of my stiff, hard cock. All of it.”
As the liberating logic freed her to welcome his depravity, he drove his thick shaft deeper, and she relished his powerful domination.
* * *
Ailith was a fiery, spoiled, rebellious female, one of the most difficult and challenging Ulrick had ever met. Though her strong nature and quick mind were admirable, she could be maddeningly frustrating, and when he’d entered his cabin he’d anticipated tears and anger, not sincere, sublime surrender.
With her moans of pleasure filling the room, and his cock thrusting in and out of her tight, forbidden hole, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back his climax for very long. Burying himself and staying still, he moved his finger from her clit into her dripping womanhood to search out the sensitive area deep inside her passage. Only a moment passed before she threw back her head.
“Master, ooh, Master, that is—that is—”
But seized by a powerful orgasm, her words became shrieks of passion. With her pussy pulsing against his massaging finger, and clutched by an urgent need to resume his thrusting, he began to stroke, quickly accelerating as his climax loomed. Just as her howls of ecstasy abated, he exploded with loud groans, mercilessly plunging inside her with every fierce spasm until the final convulsion released the last of his essence.
His heart drumming and out of breath, he slipped out as her body turned limp, and as he leaned against the wall, she crawled into his lap.
* * *
As she’d dozed, Ailith had felt Ulrick’s arms come around her and hold her against his chest. The most wonderful feeling in the world had come from an episode she’d desperately feared. She was the luckiest woman on the planet.
The three other girls taken from her village unexpectedly flashed through her head. They had once teased and tormented her, but she no longer resented them, and they didn’t deserve to be ripped from their families. Lifting her gaze, she found Ulrick wide awake, but wearing a frown.
“May I ask a very important favor?” she asked softly.
“You may,” he replied, his forehead easing as he smiled at her.
“The other
girls captured at my village. Please, can you let them go?”
His frown returned.
“It’s not fair they should be taken from the people who love them,” she continued. “Surely they can’t be important.”
“You told me the people in your village were mean to you.”
“They were, but they don’t deserve—”
“Stop,” he said sharply, holding up his hand and cutting her off. “I can’t possibly ask the men who claimed them to give them up.”
“No, I suppose you can’t,” she murmured, lowering her eyes, but as a thought crossed her mind, she shifted in his arms and sat up.
“You have another one of your ideas,” he muttered with a sigh. “Go on, let me hear it.”
“What if they manage to escape?”
Chapter Eighteen
Walking stealthily along the shore toward the boat Gander used to own, Ulrick still couldn’t believe Ailith’s powers of persuasion. She had not only convinced him to fake the escape of the three young women, but also persuaded him to return to Ekrem’s ship and take several dresses from the trunk she’d been given, and stuff them into a bag for her to carry. Now sneaking past his sleeping warriors he wondered if he’d made a mistake.
He’d been malleable after their coupling, but how would he feel in the harsh light of the day when his men discovered their girls were gone? They’d immediately want to race back to the village, and he’d have to refuse. But they’d reached the boat, and were climbing up the ladder.
Leading her across the deck, he lifted a trap door and peered into the darkness. The three captives were huddled together. As they jerked their heads up, even in the dim light he could see their fear.
“Ailith, stay up here and keep watch,” he ordered quietly, then moved quickly down the steps. “Don’t be afraid,” he said as the girls cowered. “I’m here to help you escape.”
But his promise had no impact. Rather than show signs of relief, they appeared to be even more afraid.
“Your friend Ailith is on the deck waiting for you,” he continued, walking slowly toward them. “She’ll take you to the forest on top of the cliffs. There’s a trail that leads to the road.”
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