Betrayed (Hidden Worlds Book 1)

by Bethany Burke

  I leaned my head back against the side of the tub, rubbing my temples wearily from the strain of thinking so much. There was no way I could figure it out myself. Rohan was coming to answer my questions; I'd been told this straight out. There was no point in worrying myself sick until I heard what he had to say. If he were honest, I'd know a lot. If he tried to hide the truth, then I would know that I had to work from my assumptions to try and discover the truth on my own.

  I finished my bath hurriedly. As I left the bathing chamber, the white gown again flowing around me, I gave a quick consideration to the idea of escape. I was completely unguarded, alone in the oddly small, curving corridor, and no one appeared to be around, yet… what was the point? Where would I go? I wanted to talk to Rohan as quickly as possible, and making trouble for myself seemed stupid.

  After I arrived back in the chamber, however, I began wishing I'd given escape more serious consideration. My humiliating treatment at the hands of Matron Lena was not over, it seemed.

  "Lie back, now, missy and open your legs, so we can get ye cleaned once and fer all."

  I again felt completely disoriented, and all I knew from her words was that something was going to happen yet again to a part of my body that these people seemed obsessed with. "Why?"

  Again, I got an exasperated, baffled look. "So we can get you clean. Now," she held up an admonishing hand as she saw I was preparing to argue, "it's no never mind to me what you want to say. It's just for me to be following orders and orders are that I'm to get ye cleaned so ye can be put into the suite with the Lord's sisters." She grabbed my arm and hustled me towards the bed, where, I saw, a towel had been spread. "I've just about enough nonsense from you to last, missy. We're just going to get you neat and tidy, then get you dressed." She plunked me down on the bed. "Now lie back."

  I made no move. All I knew was that if one more thing was stuck into my bottom, I would simply start screaming and never stop. I didn't understand any of this… didn't want to. But Matron Lena seemed to have little care for my feelings. She pushed me back so I was lying flat, then reached for the hem of the nightdress.

  "What are you doing to me now?" I practically shrieked. "Can't you just leave me alone? Where's Rohan? I want to see Rohan." Struggling, I sat up.

  Matron Lena grabbed my arm hard. "I've been easy on ye, lass, because of your sickness and because of, well, other things. But there's rules here, and this is the last chance I'm giving ye. Ye lie back, open your legs nice and wide so I can get ye clean, and shut your sassy little mouth, or ye'll be talking to Rohan standing up with the sorest little backside this side of the Belme. What's it to be, missy? Should I go fer me linden?"

  I simply could not take any more. I fixed her gaze with a straight one of my own, so angry that the brief hiss of the door opening over my shoulder did not register. "Take your goddamn linden and shove it up your stinking ass, you fucking…"

  With no warning, I was jerked off the bed, turned, and held off the floor, my feet flailing. I raised my face… then gazed directly into the very close brilliant blue eyes and angry face of Lord Rohan. He actually looked shocked. "You foul-mouthed wee…" He glanced over my shoulder to Matron Lena. My feet dangled uselessly. "What's the problem, Lena?"

  The Matron humphed with outrage. "I was wanting to clean her sex, Lord, and she won't open up. She can't go into the suite with your sisters unless…" She paused, obviously not needing to finish the thought for Rohan. "And then, well, then, ye heard what she said. Are ye wanting me to get me linden, sir?" Lena sounded very eager to fetch the item.

  With utterly no hesitation, Rohan sat on the bed and tossed me over his knees. His legs felt like solid rocks under me and my breath whooshed out painfully. It was going to happen… Oh my God it was going to happen to me, just like what happened to Christy. I caught my breath, opened my mouth and wailed, "Nooo!" Let me up!"

  He ignored me. "No, I'll not be needing it," he muttered, as he jerked my nightdress out of the way. The cool air of the room hit my bottom, just as it had when Lena had placed me in this position earlier for her medicinal ministrations, and I knew I was completely bared.

  I felt a large hand drop to my one of my high cheeks and stroke. "So you weren't needing to use the linden yet?"

  Panting, I gave a tentative wiggle, horrified that they appeared to be commencing a conversation with me bare-bottomed in their midst. Then, when I understood they were actually conversing about my bare bottom, I struggled harder. Rohan countered my squirming by pressing a hand firmly into the small of my back.

  "No." I could almost hear Matron Lena shake her head. "Lass's been pretty sick, and truth be known, I was feeling sorry for her." She sniffed. "Well, no more. That's what I'm getting, I supposed, for taking pity. Language like that needs to be spanked right out of her, that's certain. Can't be teaching such things to your sisters, if ye don't mind my saying it, sir."

  "Not," I felt Rohan shift, "in the slightest." And with that, Lord Rohan brought his open palm down onto my bare buttocks.

  A crack like an explosive sounded in the room and pain such as I'd never felt shot through me. I opened my mouth like a beached fish, drew air to scream, lifted one leg up to try to squirm my body away and… another crack resounded in the room.

  "Sass the Matron, will ye, lass? You'll be learning once and fer all that, tricks like that will get you only a very sore little bottom."

  It had taken me four or five swats to even "save up" enough breath to shriek. I was beyond speech, beyond comprehension that anything could hurt like this, that this was actually happening to me. I had a brief, vivid image of Christy's punishment and knew that I looked just like that. I remembered how appalled I'd been at the humiliating display, at the sight of her rapidly reddening cheeks and plainly visible sex. I remembered how she struggled, kicking her legs, spreading them wide, arching her bottom and rolling it from side to side, and I knew I was doing exactly the same. With exactly the same result: nothing.

  Rohan's hand continued to fall in a steady, brutal rhythm: one cheek, the other, square across the cleft, and then down low, where my cheeks met my thighs. In desperation, I tried to crawl forward, away from the hard hand, towards the head of the bed, but Rohan just tightened his grip and kept bringing his hand down on my exposed bottom with full-armed swings that I could sense, even though I could not see. And, I realized in a heartbeat, crawling forward even a little had been a very bad idea, because it had opened up my lower bottom and thighs even more to the punishing palm. Howling, I kicked wide… and then shrieked, as his hand fell full against one of my thighs.

  "Ye learning your lesson, lass?"

  "Yes, oh, yes. Please stop. Please stop." My voice cracked with the acquiescence; I had absolutely no thoughts of continuing to defy him. Yet, in spite of my penitence, his hand continued to fall against skin that was now throbbing and burning.

  I learned, in the next minute, an important lesson about discipline on Gamma Rigel. Once a punishment was decreed, no amount of regret or apology stops the discipline until the one administering the correction decides that the miscreant has received an appropriate amount of, well, of pain. Penitence is a foregone conclusion, as everyone is rendered very, very sorry eventually, and whether the penitence comes after the bottom is scarlet or while the bottom is still white is irrelevant. My apologies and promises of better behavior grew frantic, and accomplished nothing. Still his hand fell again and again.

  I collapsed. Struggling was futile; he was far too big and strong. I could do nothing but lie and kick my legs helplessly while the cracks continued to resound and the heat in my bottom and thighs grew more and more intense. Finally, he stopped,

  "Had enough, ye wee bitchy?"

  "Yes, oh, yes, please stop. I'll be good."

  I could sense, rather than see, slight amusement cross his face and even through my pain, I hated him. "Ye'll be minding the Matrons then, and guarding your foul tongue?" His hand dropped to my sore cheeks and rubbed me casually.

  "Yes,
please, I'll be good, I swear."

  Without another word, he jerked me roughly back to my feet. My nightgown fell down around me. Frantic, I clapped my hands to my bottom, whose heat I could feel even through the fabric of my gown. The pain throbbed, ice and fire, with every beat of my heart, and I stamped my feet and wagged my burning bottom from side to side as I rubbed frantically. In a way, the pain was growing worse and worse… still rising. Every bit of horror that I'd thought I'd feel if I were punished was actually a thousand times worse now that I was really feeling it, and combined with the whole thing was a sense of utter disbelief that it had actually happened. Rohan pushed me towards the matron with a rough little shove. "Ye'll be apologizing for your foul mouth, now, girl, or I'll put you over again and this time, I'll let her go fer her linden."

  I still didn't know exactly what a linden was… and I didn't care. Whatever it was, I didn't want it falling on a bottom that was already scalding. "I'm sorry," I whimpered out, "for my…"

  "Say it, lass." The voice behind me was implacable.

  "For my rudeness to you." I pressed my mouth tight and didn't meet her eyes.

  Matron Lena gave my arm a rough shake. "Will you be lying back now and opening your legs so I can clean ye, and keeping that nasty tongue quiet, like a good lass?" I nodded my head quickly, sniffing and dashing at my wet face with the back of my hand.

  Rohan rose. "I'll be leaving ye now. Cleaned and dressed… what'll that be taking ye?"

  "Fifteen minutes, more or less."

  "Fine. I'll be speaking to the physician about the other one." He reached out one long finger and crooked my chin, drawing my head around and up none too gently, so I was forced to look at him. His handsome face was flat showing no emotion other than determination. His head was bowed so it did not scrape the ceiling of the tiny room. He was very close to me. "One peep out of ye, girl, and it'll be happening again. Are ye very clear on that?"

  I nodded with my mouth pressed tight. He released me and walked out, broad shoulders barely fitting through the door.

  I was momentarily distracted with relief, for his reference to "the other one" had to mean Christy. Again, I could only infer that she was at least alive. But my attention was quickly drawn back to the "here and now." With no delay, Lena pushed me down onto the bed. I squeaked as my pounding hot bottom came in contact with the mattress, but she ignored the sound completely and pushed me back until I was lying flat on my back. I looked away to stare at the white wall, not wanting to meet her gaze. Immediately she lifted my gown all the way up to my belly. "Nice and wide, now," she ordered, and reluctantly, still not turning my face, I splayed my thighs full open, moaning with humiliation. My hot bottom squirmed against the towel.

  Her fingers found my sex, spreading the plump outer lips and pushing the delicate inner lips and my clitoris from side to side. Then I heard a sound that chilled me, and I could not help but look over and down. What I'd heard was a snip snip snip. Matron Lena was cutting my private hair. The blades of a shiny little instrument clicked and flashed.

  I didn't bother to open my mouth or fight. I'd seen the girls punished at the school. They'd been instructed to splay their thighs before the punishment had even begun, and it had been immediately obvious that all the curly hair on their plump labia was completely gone. On the road, when Jancy and Mixal had first found us, Jancy's fingers had brushed between my thighs, and I remembered Rohan examining Christy. Both men had made some comment about an "unclean sex." Although I might be a little slow, I had it figured out. Women were not permitted pubic hair, and to have it was considered "unclean." Therefore, I was to be "cleaned."

  And "clean" I was rendered. Matron Lena clearly took her job seriously. First, using the scissors she trimmed me as thoroughly as she could, and then, after applying a slippery soap, she began rubbing me with a device that she dipped into a bowl of water repeatedly. It pulled and tickled at little, but there was no pain. At first, I could not understand its purpose, but then I saw that somehow, sharp little knife blades were built in to its tip, and the blades, as they scraped me, were removing the hair. I remembered the archaic word in English: shaving.

  First she shaved the top of my labia, then holding each lip wide, stretched almost to the point of discomfort, she ran the blade down the inside of each plump fold repeatedly. My clitoris was held firmly away, first pressed to one side, then to the other, then up, as the delicate skin at the top of my vulva was also shaved. My tender tissue became plump under her manipulating fingers, in spite of the burning in my bottom; she gave no sign that she noticed. Pressing my mouth tight, I tried not to squirm, but the combination of swollen flesh and hot bottom was too much. Then, with several long firm sweeps, every bit of hair at the base of my belly was removed.

  Using warm water on a soft cloth, Matron Lena wiped my skin, again spreading every fold fully, and she then dried me a large dry towel. The towel was of a soft, plush fabric yet it roughly textured at the same time, and the Matron used the towel thoroughly, almost roughly, rubbing repeatedly. My stiff clitoris throbbed, and I shifted my hips uncomfortably.

  Then, with a look of concentration on her face that I would have thought more appropriate for someone who had exactly ten minutes to fix the air filtration system on a deep space craft before all the oxygen was used, she inspected me, again pressing me wide apart and running her blunt fingers along flesh that was now, obviously, completely smooth. I shuddered at the sensation. One quick glance down from my position, only showed me a belly completely devoid of curly hair. I didn't think I wanted to see any more.

  The humiliation still was not complete. Satisfied, apparently, that my sex was now "clean" enough, I was rolled over onto my belly, my thighs were pushed apart, and deftly, holding one throbbing cheek wide with her cool hand, she repeated the process around my anus, first the slippery soap, then the stroking of the blade, then the warm water, and finally the rough towel. As she cleaned me, warm water trickled down over my now-smooth labia. Even without touching myself, I knew I would feel very different.

  Finally, I was rolled back over. Tears were pouring down my face, because of the horrid humiliation and helplessness I felt. She glanced at me and her expression went to complete surprise. "What's this? Did I cut ye?" She seemed genuinely shocked that I was crying and very concerned she'd hurt me in some way. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own emotion, I would have found the contrast hilarious. She watched without emotion as a barbarian struck my buttocks until they were raw and on fire, but at the prospect that she might have cut me slightly while shaving me, she was sincerely appalled. "Did I cut ye?" she repeated. "Let me see…"

  "No," I cried. "Please just leave me alone. Can't you see…" I paused, not knowing how to continue.

  Matron Lena still looked confused but she let it drop. She opened to door of the small cabinet and removed garments that I recognized instantly: the same white, open trousers and white tunic I'd been given at the girls' school. I could also see the folded white head cloth. "Up with ye, now."

  I felt a brief stab of reluctance about dressing in front of the other woman, but knew it was ludicrous. Considering that in the last hour, she'd lubricated my anus, penetrated me with two separate devices, watched as my bare bottom was soundly punished, and then examined and shaved every intimate fold of my sex, it seemed foolish to balk at being naked in front of her. Yet, in spite of everything, I could not overcome my discomfort. Everyone on Earth was so private in their dressing that this completely casual attitude seemed incredibly odd.

  I stripped off the nightgown and reached for the tunic, then slipped it over my head. She handed me the trousers and I stepped into them. As I did so, my hand brushed myself between my legs and I was astonished at the difference. The whole area was so smooth… so soft… and… In spite of the fact that I knew it was extremely carnal to touch myself there, I wanted to "explore" a little more, and would have, except I was not alone. I winced as the tight waist band pressed against my spanked bottom as I drew it up and
over.

  In a flash, I was dressed, the tunic dropping to my knees so that the slit crotch of the trousers was modestly covered. I glanced towards the head cloth in the cupboard, and she handed it to me, shaking her head. "You'll not be needing to put this on, as far as I know. He's taking you right up to the suite. But are ye remembering how to tie it if ye need it?" I shook my head, and she reached over quickly, showing me how to cover my head with it, twist it so that a band was created across the forehead, bring it down the sides, and then tie it in the back. "Simple enough," she finished, as she pulled it off.

  Lena looked at me. "I'll be getting the Lord now." She paused and her face grew thoughtful. "You listen to me, Mistress Jen. I'm not knowing your whole story, but I'm no idiot and I think I've figured enough out about ye to have a pretty fair idea of where ye've come from."

  I swallowed hard. Although I had little desire to "chat" with someone who'd subjected me to what she had in the last hour, the topic she seemed to be referring to was simply too compelling to ignore. I looked at her squarely. "You know about… Earth?"

  Lena paled and grabbed my arm in a bruising grip. "You listen to me, girl That's not something that's talked about above, ever. Rohan'll be explain it all to ye, but you mind that more than anything." She shook her head. "No, I'm not trying to talk to ye about that… I'm just trying to help ye. If you're going up to the castle with a chip on your shoulder and some wild plans about getting away, just forget it. Ye hear me, girl? Forget it. Suse'll tan it out a ye if it takes a hundred years and if Suse gets tired, Rohan'll be called in, and those two will make what ye just got here look like a nursery paddling. Ye've a chance here, like few others. You're being taken into his home like a royal princess, when he could send ye right over to the school, and things there would not be to your liking, I can promise ye that.

  "Ye'll not be winning here, Miss Jen. There's nothing anyone can do with ye, other than bring ye in like one of our own girls. Cooperate, missy, and ye may see that things aren't so bad here. But if ye push Rohan the wrong way, well, he'll have to make a decision ye'll not be liking one bit." She paused. "Are ye following me?"