Bound to the Commander

by Libby Campbell

  “I have spies everywhere,” he said.

  “But I’m not a girl anymore. I’m not supposed to...” Her voice trailed off as she remembered that the Handbook was being rewritten. “Does this mean all the women of Elsinania, even those from sedate farming communities, will no longer have to give up colors when they turn eighteen?”

  “That’s exactly what it means,” he said, sitting beside her and picking up one of the pairs of socks. “But it also means that I love that part of you that is so girlish and impetuous. I love your resilient youthful spirit and trust it will serve you well throughout your years as a woman.”

  “Where did you even find red socks? Were they made just for me?”

  “I know a man who owns a restaurant who can get most things a person may want. This particular artisan doesn’t usually weave socks, but she stopped and did these just for me. I ordered them for you the day we arrived together in Rosewyld. I was going to give them to you when the time was right.”

  “The timing couldn’t be much better.” She grinned at the socks, thinking how easily these had been won. No messy dye making, no stained fingers.

  “Actually, there is another part of this gift.” He lifted some clothes out of his suitcase and handed her a large leather-bound tome. Elsinania’s Handbook for Proper Conduct was written in gold ink across the cover.

  All the air rushed from Pepper’s lungs. Her eyes widened.

  Quinn, understanding immediately, put the book down and sat beside her. He put an arm around her and rocked her, chuckling softly. “I’m not giving you this to live by. I’m giving you this—the master copy of the Handbook—and asking you to help me revise it.”

  She shivered with relief and laughed with him. “Me? Why me?”

  “Because you know the book well enough to quote it chapter and verse and because you, like most country people, have lived within its strict guidelines. Most of your city counterparts have picked and chosen the bits they want to obey.”

  “You trust me this much?”

  “Of course. We will work together on it but a team from the Tribunal will finalize our changes. Plus you’ll need something to occupy your time onboard while I’m engaged in active service on Silvelea.”

  At the reminder that she would be confined to quarters while he, Kai, and Gael went searching for her father and other victims of Daedra Mazrant, she pouted.

  Quinn clicked his tongue and lifted her chin to make her meet his eyes. “By the way, the red socks will have a special meaning in our shared lives.” He grinned.

  Pepper smiled uneasily. “Yes?”

  “When I tell you to wear red socks, that will be your notice that I intend to spank you sometime during that day. The socks will remind you that your bottom will turn that color before you go to bed that night.” He hugged her.

  “That’s horrible.” Her words belied the warmth that flooded through her groin. She bowed her head, trying to hide the way her body responded to him.

  “That’s fair warning. On the other hand, if you know you’ve been a naughty girl or you just feel you need some attention, you may choose to wear them so you don’t have to directly ask. It’s a system of signals and promises.”

  Pepper stared at the socks. “That’s an unnecessary system.”

  “The blush burning across your face right now says it excites you. Is that closer to the truth, little sparrow?” He kissed her ear, teasing her with a slight touch of his tongue.

  “It might be.” She giggled, marveling at the strong connection between them, the way he understood her so well.

  “This is the first day of our sworn commitment to each other. I think you should put on a pair of these socks right now. Then tonight you can show me your obedience by presenting yourself for a spanking before bed.”

  Pepper sat for a moment, fingering the fine soft socks. The heat in her body was sending a signal stronger than a search light and she had no way of stopping it.

  Quinn glanced down at her, reading her dilemma. “You’re hesitant because you’re anxious, I understand that. I could make it easier for you,” he said. “I could give you a red bottom right now to remind you of your vows. Would that encourage you to put them on?”

  His voice was like a caress. Although it threatened discipline, it promised love in that contradictory way that sent her body and soul reeling.

  “Fine!” she said, toeing off her shoes and dragging off her plain white socks.

  Quinn stood and resumed unpacking his bag, laughing quietly at her embarrassed, excited submission to his wishes. She wouldn’t always be so compliant and for the times when she changed from sparrow to sparrow hawk, he’d welcome the challenge.

  They went back on deck where the crew was stowing the mooring ropes, preparing the ship for the open seas. Quinn led Pepper to the starboard side so they could watch the great continent of Elsinania recede from view.

  “It’s so big,” she whispered, as though the moment demanded reverence.

  “It is,” Quinn said. “Elsinania is a beautiful, challenging land, like the women who come from there.”

  Pepper leaned her head against his shoulder, thinking how this was the second journey they’d taken together. The first time they’d traveled from Rosemoor to Rosewyld as wary adversaries. The success of that trip had been brought about by Quinn’s single-minded determination to deliver her to the capital.

  This journey signaled a new day dawning. Quinn and Pepper, both committed to the goal of finding her father, traveled willingly together just as they would share all their journeys from that day forward.

  She gripped his arm tightly, realizing that soon they would be surrounded by water and nothing else. The fearsome ocean that she’d once loved, then learned to dread after the false report of her parents’ death, would be her landscape for days to come. She shivered.

  Quinn drew her close, sheltering her in his mighty arms. She closed her eyes and melted into his embrace. She imagined all the places they would explore together in the future, bound by their vows and letting love and trust light the way.

  He kissed the top of her head. “As long as you’re under my protection, little sparrow, you have nothing to fear.” A smile lit his voice. “I will love and shelter you until my dying breath.”

  Pepper sighed, as her fear of the ocean fell away and her overflowing heart filled her with courage.

  The End

  Glossary

  CitizenBand: An ID bracelet issued to every citizen when they reach sexual maturity. It contains identification information including education and medical status. For female citizens, there is a contraceptive option that only the wearer can turn off and on.

  CommBand: A communication device that combines the function of the CitizenBand with higher technology. It can create and deliver message stars. When enabled by government authorities, CommBands can also take photos and videos. Only senior members of government and society are allowed CommBands.

  Devcat: An orange and blue cat, about the size of a cocker spaniel. The markings are like an ocelot’s.

  Devmaereans: The colonizing people who arrived on Devmaer two thousand years ago. They renamed the planet, previously called Kedranz, to honor their status as a conquering force. A blue-skinned, amethyst-eyed, tall race.

  Devros/Devcent: Currency of Devmaer. A Devcent is 1/100th of a devro.

  Devsow: A massive pig-cow type of livestock animal.

  Disappearing Powder: A powder that makes fingerprints and other DNA traces disappear for twenty-four hours.

  Domestics: Girls, mostly refugees from Silvelea, who are raised in orphanages and trained to be ideal mates.

  Elsinania: The nation that is physically closest to Senne. It’s an insular society with the motto ‘from each according to his ability to each according to his needs.’

  FalseSilver: A strong sleeping potion that can render a healthy person unconscious for twenty-four hours if used incorrectly. Suitable for extreme cases of Waking Illness. Unlike SlipSilver, the vic
tim is not paralyzed but rendered into a deep sleep.

  Gingerfruit: A grapefruit-size fruit that tastes like sweet orange spiced with ginger.

  Hovercar, Hoverbike: See vehicles

  Joining/Mating: A tradition like Earth weddings only the period of the binding is limited to four to six years depending on the country. Couples whose love and commitment stretches beyond that period can renew their vows at the end of each term. Every renewal is marked with increasing festivity to celebrate enduring love.

  In the country of Senne, binding ribbons are tied around the joining couples’ wrists at the announcement of their intention to mate and again at the ceremony.

  Kedrants: The original people of Devmaer whose ancestors all possessed magical talents, including the ability to heal, grown certain crops, and, in rare cases, read the thoughts and feelings of others. This is the least populous race on Devmaer and its numbers are falling while its magic gifts are disappearing. Kedrants have different colored eyes and extremely curly tiger-striped hair that cannot be dyed.

  Message Stars: Stars created by CommBands that allow messages to be delivered anywhere. Once a message is delivered, it disappears forever. It is a delayed delivery, not a real time, system.

  Patchers: Root vegetables, a cross between a potato, a yam, and a beet.

  Prakinroot: An herb that, when rendered properly, can relieve the symptoms of the Waking Illness. It doesn’t cure the disease.

  Raskin Flowers: Small blue flowers whose pulverized thorns heal the bruises and after-burn from a good thrashing.

  Revenge Berries: Also known as snow berries. When used skillfully, they are into poultices for burns, sores, cuts, chapped and injured skin. If ingested, they cause severe reactions with gastroenteritis-type symptoms.

  Senne: The last nation on Devmaer with a monarchy.

  Silvelea: A lawless nation inhabited by pirates and outlaws.

  SlipSilver: A white sparkling powder, also known as the death spice. A forbidden mineral that induces a deathlike state. The victim is paralyzed but conscious and knows everything that is going on around them. Unlike FalseSilver, the victim is not asleep.

  Sympathetic Powers: Thousands of years ago, all Kedrants had sympathetic powers: the ability to mind read. Now less than five people on the entire planet have sympathetic powers.

  Vehicles: Other than workers who need vehicles for their occupations, only the most elite citizens and nobility own private rides. Almost all vehicles are antigravity hovercraft but some superseded combustion engine vehicles are still around, often pulled by humpback equids because fossil fuel is hard to find.

  Viewing Screens: Large screens in home and public buildings. A cross between a TV and a low-level computer with some games available. Content is controlled by each nation’s government.

  Vildehair Flowers: Large, dahlia-like flowers whose perfume is a natural relaxant.

  Waking Illness: An illness that has only appeared in the last year on Devmaer. Its victims cannot sleep through the night and rarely get adequate rest. It is also called the Lonely Disease because its sufferers spend a lot of time alone in the middle of the night.

  Symptoms eventually progress to: hallucinations, delusions, loss of appetite, joint pain, breathing problems, and scaly, reptilian skin that doesn’t heal well after even minor trauma.

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