“You look much fresher now, little sparrow.” His eyes were warm and his voice tender.
“Thank you, Brother Quinn, I’m feeling less anxious.”
He nodded at a place at the table. “That’s good,” he said. “And that’s often the outcome after a proper spanking. If you’re ever worried again, just let me know and I’ll be happy to help you relax.”
As he set her dinner plate in front of her, he winked. She started to laugh, and he joined in. She’d never felt closer to anyone than she did to Quinn in that moment.
Chapter Ten: Stormy Weather
Long after Quinn locked her in her bedroom later, Pepper stood at the large window admiring the view of the small city. This must be how birds felt looking down from their nests. She could see people walking, cycling, and going to and from their evening activities. They couldn’t see her. She’d always wanted to be invisible like this.
When she tired of standing, she made her way to bed, thinking she’d sleep easily. But all too soon unanswered questions and dread about the future surged through her. She rose and decided to pace in an attempt to burn off the nervous energy.
She walked until her legs ached but when she lay on the bed a second time and closed her eyes, sleep continued to evade her.
She’d never had trouble sleeping in her life so the strangeness of being so wakeful worried her. In the small hours of the morning, she stared at the ceiling, thinking about all the people she’d treated who were cursed with Waking Illness. Lily said it should be called the Lonely Disease because when you’re the only person awake in the middle of the night it was the loneliest feeling on earth.
Now Pepper understood.
She got up and opened the bedroom window as much as she could. Quinn had warned her it only opened a few inches to deter any ambitious residents from attempting to rappel to freedom. This bedroom was the official detention accommodation for citizens in transit to other places. Because of its special function, the windows were fitted with unbreakable glass.
It was well appointed, comfortable, and escape-proof.
With the window open, she ran another bath, allowing the bedroom to cool, which was part of the sleep hygiene she urged her patients to follow. As a chilly autumn breeze blew in from outside, she closed the bathroom door and poured vildehair foam under the running water. She doubled the amount she’d normally use, praying that it would relax her.
Sinking into her second bath in ten hours, she sighed with pleasure. She had no idea what lay ahead in Rosewyld so she decided she may as well take advantage of the luxuries offered while she had them. Hoping to watch the night sky through the skylight, she put a rolled-up towel behind her neck and lay back. The light clouds that had been drifting across the sky earlier had gathered in a thick ominous ceiling, hiding the stars and twin crescent moons.
The first raindrops fell as she was working on the sleep pressure points in her feet. By the time she’d completed her relaxing facial massage, rain drummed on the skylight.
She put on her nightdress at last and climbed under the warm quilt. Five minutes later, sleep engulfed her.
* * *
Quinn knocked on Pepper’s door and called her name three times, but she didn’t answer. Finally, he unlocked the door and entered. The freezing cold hit him like a slap to the face. He threw back the dancing drapes and shut the window on the driving rain.
Still Pepper didn’t stir. He took a minute to admire the curves of her body and the shine of her hair, now free from its braid. She slept like a child, mouth open, cheeks flushed. The innocent sight made him want to keep her safe from all of life’s dangers. Shaking off that impossible thought, he resisted the urge to stroke her lovely face. He closed the door quietly behind him.
Five minutes later he gently shook her awake while holding a mug of coffee close to her face. Her eyes fluttered open and he admired the way she brought herself to instant alertness.
“Brother Quinn,” she said, pulling the quilt around her chin. “Thank you.”
“Time to get up, my sparrow,” he said. “You must be ready to travel quickly.”
She opened her mouth as if to protest but swallowed whatever argument she’d thought of. Ten minutes later she sat opposite him at the dining table and picked her way through breakfast. He realized she probably didn’t want to eat at all and her compliance with his unspoken will pleased him.
Unfortunately, he thought, it made her even more attractive. He’d hoped when she obeyed, she would become too subservient to interest him any further but no, what he felt was amused curiosity. He wondered how long it would be before her natural impudence challenged him again. His cock stiffened in anticipation.
* * *
Pepper had been dreaming about Quinn. Once again, he was teasing her breasts only this time he didn’t stop so quickly. He continued to suck and nibble them until her entire body was electrified with desire. His hand slid between her legs and teased her to orgasm. She woke to the sound of someone knocking on her door at the same time her body shuddered with the last of the pleasure from her dreams.
It took a few minutes to realize where she was and how she’d come to be there.
“Pepper?” The deep voice was quiet, followed by another rap on the door.
Pepper. Not Sister Pepper. How quickly he’d come to using her first name only. It was such an intimate change, she wanted sleep to drag her back to that fantasy of delicious sensual pleasure so she could have it all again.
But no, the man kept knocking and calling.
When she heard the door click open, she didn’t stir. She kept her breathing low and steady, her body limp. She’d worked on enough sleeping patients to know the difference between feigned and real sleep. She knew how to imitate the state of soft relaxation. So she lay still, hoping Quinn would find her irresistible and take her where she lay.
He didn’t.
When he returned with coffee, she went through the motions of waking up. She blinked. Then an expression of mild bewilderment crossed her face before she brightened in a way that suggested she’d just remembered where she was.
His warm smile almost made up for the lack of a more intimate touch. But not quite.
She dressed quickly and met him at the breakfast table. She usually didn’t eat until midday and the plate of eggs, toast, and fruit made her stomach heave. Catching his stern look, she managed toast, half an egg, and three sections of gingerfruit, washed down with a huge mug of sweetened milky coffee.
Quinn ate with great appetite, making Pepper wonder how much food he needed to satisfy his seven-foot frame. Because he was Devmaerean, it wasn’t surprising that he ate a mountain of toast and hash browns along with the rest of his breakfast. As she watched him eat, reading mail on message screens from his CommBand, she wondered if his carnal appetite was as strong as his appetite for food. Rumors said that Devmaereans were highly sexual. She hoped she’d find out soon if that was true.
“It’s going to be a rough trip back to Rosewyld today,” he said.
Pepper lowered her eyes, hoping he couldn’t tell that she was sitting there, damp between the legs at the memory of his cock pushing into her when she sat on his lap the day before. “Really, Brother Quinn?”
“Yes, Pepper, it will be.”
He was staring at her, she could feel it. In response, the heat of a blush rose up her neck. When she heard him crunch on another slice of toast, she trusted herself to look at him again. He met her glance and held her eyes with his, chewing slowly, as though he was penetrating her thoughts.
“This wind and rain will force us to travel closer to the ground. Heavy weather like this interferes with the maglev field. I was hoping we’d be at my residence by midday, but it will be closer to evening if this keeps up the whole way. The weather maps show the storm settling in for a while.”
The palms of Pepper’s hands went cold. She set down the slice of gingerfruit she’d just picked up.
Quinn laughed in a kindly way. He reached across t
he table and placed one of his big blue hands over hers. “Don’t worry, sparrow, I will get you to your new home in one piece.”
New home. Then her suspicions were true. He had no intention of ever taking her back to Rosemoor. Bastard.
She smiled as sweetly as she could manage.
“Thank you, Brother Quinn.” She kept her tone respectful, reminding herself how much power he had over her.
After breakfast they found the Tribunal Guards waiting for them in the lobby. They’d brought Quinn’s Box around and loaded the luggage while Quinn and Pepper finished breakfast.
The autumn rains had arrived with a vengeance. Pepper didn’t say anything as Quinn shut the passenger door, but she saw the measured look he gave the sky and sensed his concern. In the far distance, thunder roared. She shivered. She’d never been in a vehicle in a storm and it felt all wrong. She would’ve preferred to stay another night, another week, in the hotel. She resolved not to let him see how the flashes of lightning and explosions of thunder upset her.
“We’ll be traveling under the canopy of the forest to stabilize our ride,” Quinn explained. It was the only thing he said after he got in the car. He started the engine and eased the Box into the direction of the highway, his eyes fierce with concentration.
Even under the cover of the canopy, the wind buffeted the ride from one side of their route to the other. Quinn’s hand gripped the steering wheel as he wrestled to stay on course. Pepper said nothing, afraid to distract him even with polite conversation.
Three hours later they pulled into a hotel in Mandan, the last town between Torpeth and Rosewyld. Quinn sighed with relief and rubbed her knee. “Normally it’s only an hour’s ride from Torpeth to here. I’m sorry it hasn’t been a smoother experience so far.”
“That was kind of fun,” she said. Even though she’d watched him struggle to keep the Box on an even keel, she’d been confident the entire time that he had control of the vehicle. That confidence strengthened her respect for him and deepened her desire.
There were many other travelers in the hotel, all of whom appeared to recognize Quinn immediately. They whispered and pointed. Some of them studied Pepper with sharp interest. Just like at the rest stop and in Torpeth, none of the people here were in Handbook regulation clothing. She felt like a freak as they openly gaped at her.
In a well-practiced maneuver, the guards fanned around the two of them, herding them into a private room reserved for Quinn’s use only. The guards protected the door while Quinn and Pepper ate a hot lunch before resuming their journey.
In the afternoon, they continued to travel at less than half the speed of the day before. The dark trees closed around them and shadows danced on the side of the road. Some people said evil creatures haunted Rosemoor’s vast forests, but Pepper knew those were stories told to frighten young children from wandering off.
The scariest thing about this trip was the man sitting beside her and the power he had over her life.
When the thick forests finally gave way to rolling farmland, Pepper knew they were close to Rosewyld. At long last, the food crops changed to acres and acres of roses, which meant the city was almost in sight.
The late roses were blooming now. This part of the country was so temperate, roses flowered right through winter. Their sweet fragrance, lifted by showers, permeated the Box. Soon she’d see the ocean again. She’d see that last place her parents had been alive. Maybe she’d feel a connection with them.
Quinn glanced at her sideways. He spoke for the first time since lunch. “Do you remember this place?”
“Yes. The roses don’t look as glorious as they did in the summer sun, but they have a different type of beauty this way.”
He smiled and turned his attention back to the road. As they ascended a hill, he said, “And now we have the ocean, the port of Rosewyld, the entrance to Elsinania.”
Below them the city sprawled in every direction except west. Its western edge was defined by the sea. Pepper’s stomach clenched. This surging sea couldn’t be the same ocean she’d visited as a child. It was black and angry, spitting flecks of deadly white foam off its monstrous surf. Waves the size of houses crashed against the shore. Pepper pulled her cape around herself tighter and fought the bile that rose in her throat.
Far in the distance the beacon from the Elsinania Lighthouse blinked through the curtains of rain. The lighthouse stood, lonely against the gunmetal sky, pummeled by wind and a furious sea.
Ever since her parents had died on the lighthouse island, Pepper had wanted to come back and walk the sands where they’d last walked. The terrifying scene below her told her she’d never visit that cursed island again. Papa and Mama had not drifted off in a benign sleep, in the way she’d always comforted herself. This hideous beast, this water monster, had devoured them.
For the first time since they’d died, she understood how much they had suffered. Their terror and the cruelty of their death hit her like a sucker punch. She began to shake uncontrollably. The soup she’d eaten for lunch churned in her gut. Her mouth burned.
“Stop,” she said, her voice staccato. “Brother Quinn, please stop. I need to get out.”
Hearing the urgency in her voice, he tilted the Box downward, landing on the side of the road below.
Her feet had barely touched the ground when she started to vomit. She bent over, hacking and retching, until her gut was empty. Then she sank to her knees and sat on the gravel, her stomach twisting, eyes tearing.
“Come, little sparrow.” Quinn lifted her easily. “I’ll take you to your new home where you can recover from this terrible trip. I regret we’ve had to travel in such adverse weather.”
He set her down in the passenger seat and handed her another one of his large white handkerchiefs. She smiled wanly as she took it, wondering if he ever used his handkerchiefs himself or simply carried them around for needy females. The kind way he looked at her and the gentleness of his touch softened her toward him, at least for now.
As they started the last leg of their journey toward Rosewyld, one guard ride overtook them and led the way. The other one closed the space behind them. Those simple changes signaled that the capital city wasn’t as safe as the official messages on the viewing screens wanted people to believe.
Pepper dried her tears, wiped her mouth, and sat up, fully alert. She forced herself to look at anything but the ocean.
As if he sensed her need for distraction, Quinn launched in with an explanation of some of the landmarks they passed. Pepper barely heard his words until they approached the city gates.
“The forest used to reach the walls of the city,” Quinn explained. “But that was considered a security risk so it was razed and the land given over to agriculture. That way the sentries have clear sight of anyone trying to launch a sneak attack on the capital. A happy side benefit was when we learned how much other nations would pay both for our roses and the products from them.”
“Attacks?” It was the only word that had registered on Pepper. “I thought Elsinania was known to be a peaceful nation. Doesn’t the Handbook say that?”
“It has been peaceful for your lifetime, that’s true. But I’m old enough to remember when the country was divided by fighting.”
“That’s why the Tribunal wrote the Handbook,” Pepper said by rote. “So every citizen would know exactly what was expected of them.”
“And every citizen would know when someone was behaving contrary to national interests,” Quinn finished.
As Pepper’s nerves steadied, her resentment toward the Handbook and her nation’s rigid rules fired into life again. She’d be the best damn therapist that Rosewyld had ever seen. She’d teach their resident therapists the ancient skills she’d sworn to share with no one. She didn’t care. All she wanted to do now was get away from this fierce, dominant man and back to the quiet town where troubling contradictions between national policy and the way people actually lived were few and far between.
Chapter Eleven: Old Rules,
New Rules
The lead ride stopped at the city gates in front of them. The driver held up her CommBand. The sentry touched it with a reader and the small parade of vehicles was waved in.
Either the city had changed enormously since Pepper was a child, or she had forgotten how different it was than rural Rosemoor. Her hometown had few shops and signage was modest, usually hand-painted by local artists. Only a minimal amount of lighting was permitted after sunset. Streetlights were allowed for safety reasons, but shops had to restrict their nighttime lighting to soft illumination of their window displays.
In contrast, Rosewyld was a glittering jewel. The streets were lined with shops, beauty salons, bars, and restaurants, all of which announced their presence with bright neon lights. There were more streetlights in a single block here than all of Rosemoor combined. Wide awnings covered the sidewalks, protecting pedestrians from inclement weather.
The pedestrians interested Pepper the most. While many of the women wore capes making it impossible to see if their dresses conformed to the Handbook’s rules, many more of them wore jackets and coats. In the long drive across town, Pepper didn’t see a single modesty cap like the one she’d packed away in her suitcase.
The men were not in the loose-fitting jeans and shapeless jackets dictated by the Handbook. In Rosewyld they wore snug jeans topped with smartly tailored jackets. Some wore their hair long and wild. Pepper’s pulse raced at the sight of their fearless masculinity.
Then there were the colors of the clothing, almost as blinding as the lights. Men and women wore bright blues, deep forest greens, electric purples, shocking pinks, as if there was no shame in it.
She was both aroused and more than a little jealous at this easier way of living. She wanted this freedom of dress. She wanted to walk these bright streets and look in the stores for things she’d never see in her hometown.
Once again, she knew she’d never be going back to Rosemoor. Already she knew too much.
Bound to the Commander Page 8