“Lottie!” Daen gasped in surprise.
“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me,” she said sheepishly.
Daen seemed at a loss for words, but Marc was not.
“You are going to get a hell of a spanking for scaring us like that, Charlotte.”
She probably did deserve a punishment, but she could see Marc was more relieved than angry.
“Nobody’s going to be spanking anyone for a while,” Victoria said sternly. “Now, can you give us some space, so I can check Lottie over?”
“I am not leaving her side,” Daen said with uncharacteristic fierceness.
“Nor I,” Marc and Ren said in unison.
Victoria shot her a look of helplessness.
“I will be fine for a short while,” Lottie assured them. “You should take a break.”
“Go to the mess hall,” Victoria suggested. “Have something to eat and then come back. This won’t take long, I promise.”
Still her mates refused to budge.
“Please,” Lottie said. “You probably haven’t eaten all day and I’ll only worry about you if you don’t go and get a good meal inside you.”
She had them there. None of her men would want to risk causing her anxiety. They exchanged a look and seemed to silently agree to give Victoria time alone with Lottie. Each of them bent to place a quick kiss on her forehead before leaving the room without any further argument.
“How do you feel?” Victoria asked as she grabbed Lottie’s wrist and felt her pulse.
“Sore.”
“I’m not surprised. You’ve got a few cuts and bruises and your ankle’s sprained.”
Lottie tried to think how that might have happened and then she remembered.
“I must have done that when I jumped out of the ventilation shaft.”
Victoria shook her head despairingly and Lottie raised her eyebrows in question. It wasn’t as if her friend wouldn’t have done the same thing under the circumstances.
“Look straight ahead,” Victoria instructed.
Lottie screwed up her eye as Victoria shone a light in her eyes and then relaxed. She followed the other woman’s directions as she asked her to look to the left, right, and then up and down. Then she sat still while Victoria used a handheld device to carry out a scan of her brain. A second later an image appeared on the other woman’s data tablet. Victoria looked at it and smiled.
“The good news is your original injury wasn’t exacerbated, the bad news is you’ve now got a nasty swelling where you were struck.”
“I’ve been having headaches and nausea for a couple of days,” Lottie confided.
“You’ve probably been putting yourself under too much strain. You have to realize you’ve been through a lot. Waking up from a coma and plunging headfirst into trouble wasn’t smart. I can give you a serum to help your recovery, but you need to take it easy for a while.”
Lottie gave her a look she hoped would convey how unlikely that was to happen. Victoria sighed.
“Well, just try not to let anyone hit you in the head for a while and you should be okay.”
“Don’t worry,” Daen said as he returned to her bedside, “we won’t let anyone hurt her.”
Lottie should have known her mates wouldn’t leave her in peace for long. If she was honest, she was glad of their overbearing ways. Their behavior communicated their need to protect her far more than words ever would. She was glad it was Daen who’d come back to her first. They needed some time alone.
“Thank you, Victoria.” Daen’s tone left no doubt he was dismissing her.
Victoria threw her arms around Lottie’s neck and squeezed tight.
“I love you, even if you are a fucking idiot,” she whispered before turning and walking away.
“Love you too, you harpy,” Lottie muttered under her breath.
Daen hovered for a moment, unsure of himself. Lottie moved over on the bed and patted the empty space beside her in an invitation he quickly accepted. He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Lottie rested her head on his chest and sighed contentedly. They weren’t going to spend hours analyzing what had gone wrong between them and she was glad of that. She liked raking over the past as little as her mates did. That he was prepared to look to a future with her was enough for Lottie.
“Was it awful for you on board that ship?” Daen asked.
“It was worse for Zinnie and Bryn.” Lottie suddenly realized she hadn’t asked about the others. Zinnie was asleep in a bed across from her and the baby was in a cradle made of some sort of clear plastic. She couldn’t see Bryn, though. “Oh, my god, how is he?”
“They are taking care of him, but his condition is grave. He is likely to die.”
It was typical of a Bylanthian not to try to sugarcoat the situation. In a way, she preferred their frankness but the shock of hearing that Bryn was in a bad way brought all the emotions churning inside her to the fore. She started crying in great, heaving sobs. Daen pulled her close and stroked her back to comfort her. They stayed like that for the longest time until Marc and Ren reappeared. Lottie sniffed back her tears.
“You made her cry?” Ren accused Daen.
“Crying is good for a woman,” Daen said, flexing his sexist muscles, something he didn’t do often.
“Well, she must stop it,” Marc said sternly. He held up a strange spherical object Lottie couldn’t identify. “Allik Loarn has set up a vid-link to Jax for us.”
Lottie wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to look unruffled as Marc activated the communication device and a holographic image of Jax popped up.
“It’s good to see you.” Lottie’s heart ached with longing as Jax’s eyes raked over her. It was less than a day since they’d last been together, but so much had happened it felt like longer.
“My brothers assured me you were well,” Jax said, “but I had to see you with my own eyes.”
“I’m fine but I miss you.”
“You will never have the chance to miss me again,” Jax vowed, “because I am never letting you out of my sight. You will return to Bylanthia and rule by our sides.”
It was an incredible honor and for once Lottie was lost for words.
“We love you, Charlotte, and we want the people to love you too.”
The love Jax expressed for her was reflected in the faces of his brothers. Lottie looked at each one of them and was sure her heart would burst, it was so full.
“And I love you.” She reached for Daen’s hand and squeezed it tight. “All of you and nothing will ever come between us again.”
They sat in contented silence for several long minutes before Victoria approached, a look of apology on her face.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Bylanthia’s within range of our shuttles now.”
“Shuttle?” Lottie was puzzled. Surely her mates must have flown their own spacecraft to get to her.
“Our fighters are not built for comfort,” Daen explained, “and you are injured. I will accompany you on the shuttle.”
Lottie nodded but a tear welled in her eye as she looked at Victoria and wondered when she would see her friend again.
“Soon,” Victoria promised.
Lottie threw back her head and laughed. “Am I so easy to read?”
“Easy enough that I know you’ll soon land yourself in trouble,” Victoria said.
“Don’t worry about that.” Ren grinned with wicked intent. “We know how to keep our mate in line.”
“I’m sure you do, but no corporal punishments for at least ten days,” Victoria advised, “and give her a drop of this serum twice a day until the vial is empty.”
She handed the little bottle to Daen, smiled, and walked away.
“No punishments for ten days,” Marc said. “We will just have to keep a log of your misdeeds and discipline you for them later.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary. I’m going to be good as gold from now on.”
Warmth filled her at the deep, rumbling laughter that c
ame from all her mates. She had no intention of behaving herself, but fortunately, they wouldn’t have her any other way.
Chapter Eighteen
“Five hundred and eighty-six?” Lottie screeched. “How the fuck did it get to five hundred and eighty-six?”
“Five hundred and eighty-seven now,” Ren said with a wicked grin. When she furrowed her brow in bewilderment, he added, “You cursed just now.”
Lottie shook her head in disbelief at the impossibly high number of spanks she’d apparently racked up over the past fortnight. Some of them were for her exploits on the flesh traders’ ship, of course, but the rest were for minor infractions she’d committed since then. If she’d realized they were taking note of every time she swore, she’d have chosen her words much more carefully. Her potty mouth probably accounted for ninety percent of the punishment they intended to dish out.
“We’re obviously not going to deliver them all in one go,” Daen assured her.
Even if they spread it out over twenty punishments, it still seemed unfair. Lottie snorted and angrily whipped her dress off over her head, leaving her body completely bare.
“Get on with it, then.”
She had no business issuing challenges given that she was already in a heap of trouble, but the sheer volume of spanks they told her she’d earned infuriated her. She’d been trying so hard to be good for them.
“Not yet,” Daen said. “We need to wait for Jax.”
Of course they did. Tonight she would receive her first punishment in over a fortnight and he would not want to miss out on that.
“Where is he, anyway?”
“He is speaking with Taryn Duff.”
Lottie hoped he would remember to ask the Taar-Breckian what news there was of the people she’d been a prisoner alongside. Even though their captivity together had been brief, she was anxious to know if they were alright. She paced over to the window and looked out over the city. She still hadn’t accustomed herself to the miserable gray stone or the overwhelmingly bleak skies, but within the walls of the palace complex, she felt at home.
The moment Jax came into the room, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms.
“Is Bryn alright? Did you find out anything about Zinnie? What about the baby? Is there news of Elizabeth?”
Bombarded by her questions, Jax untangled himself from her embrace and gently pushed her back so he had a little space.
“Lieutenant Errak is recovering from his wounds and the woman is fine. The baby is being looked after by Commander Rossingham’s mate while Ambassador Barron is in New Cambridge trying to discover what has happened to the mother.”
Lottie hoped William was able to find out what happened to Elizabeth without anyone discovering he was involved with the rebels. As far as she knew, his cover as a member of the High Council still protected him, but things changed rapidly so there was every chance he was in danger.
“Is your curiosity satisfied?” Jax asked.
He had come nowhere near to answering her questions. Jax had given her only the most basic information about her friends when what she really wanted was detail. It wasn’t enough for her to know that Zinnie was fine. She needed to know what she was doing, where she was living. Perhaps if she behaved herself well for her impending punishment, Jax would let her contact Victoria to find out more.
“Because if it is,” he continued, “we have another matter to attend to.”
“Very well,” Lottie said with a sigh. “Where do you want me?”
“This way,” Jax said and, to her surprise, he moved toward the main door to exit the apartment.
“Uh, should I put some clothes on?” she asked.
“They’re only going to come off again in a minute,” Ren replied.
She took a breath and followed Jax out into the corridor. The other three men followed close behind. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with her nudity, but this was a private part of the complex and it was unlikely they’d bump into anyone.
As they walked into the great hall, Lottie froze. Up on the dais was the wooden frame from the claiming ceremony and down on the floor were three chairs positioned to give the best possible view of the stage. Lottie’s pulse spiked with a combination of excitement and dread.
“What’s going on?”
She squealed as Daen swept her up off her feet and over his shoulder, carrying her to the front of the room.
“I haven’t claimed you yet, or had you forgotten?”
No, Lottie hadn’t forgotten. In fact, she’d been waiting for it to happen. He set her down in front of the bench and took a step back from her.
“Kneel,” he instructed, his tone more commanding than she’d ever known it to be.
Lottie immediately sank to her knees and looked up at him, waiting for further direction. He simply raised an eyebrow and she realized what he wanted from her. She lowered her head to the floor and stretched her arms out in front of her, prostrating herself at Daen’s feet.
“That still needs work,” Jax grumbled from behind her. He was such a damned perfectionist.
“It will do for now,” Daen said firmly. On this occasion, he was running the show. “You will receive a spanking, Charlotte, and then I will make you mine.”
“Yes, Daen.” Lottie tried not to sound too eager but, after two weeks in which her mates hadn’t fucked her because they wanted to be sure she’d healed properly, she was desperate to feel him inside her.
“Did I give you permission to speak?”
Lottie grimaced. She should have remembered the instructions Marc had given her all those weeks ago and kept silent.
“No.”
“And yet you just did it again,” Daen scolded. “You are just begging for extra punishment, aren’t you?”
This time, she held her tongue, knowing that whatever extra punishment he was referring to, it wouldn’t be pleasant. More than that, though, she wanted to show Daen she was willing to obey him as she did his brothers.
“Get up and position yourself on the bench,” he instructed.
Lottie got up, aware that the less than elegant way she surged to her feet would have Jax rolling his eyes in despair. She turned and walked to the bench, taking a deep breath before spreading her legs wide and lowering her upper body onto the padded surface. She stretched her arms up over her head and turned her face to the side to see the approving looks on the faces of her mates.
Her heart pounded as Ren and Marc stepped forward to secure her wrists and ankles. As Marc pulled a strap across her lower back and fastened it tightly, she was rendered almost completely mobile. Wriggling to test her bonds, she found she had only an inch or so of movement. Whatever Daen planned to do to her, he wanted to make sure she had no way of escaping it.
“You are beautiful in your submission, Charlotte,” Daen praised and his brothers voiced their agreement. He stroked the rounded cheeks of her bottom, making her squirm with anticipation. “And such a pretty ass.”
“Her ass is beautiful,” Ren agreed, “but it needs a little something.”
Lottie’s eyes widened as Ren stepped forward and handed a large purple butt plug to Daen. Something told her that this was the extra punishment he’d mentioned. He held it out for her to see. A wave of dread and delight made her stomach twist as she caught the scent of something sweet yet sharp, which she recognized as a synthetic form of ginger, a spice that had once grown on Earth.
“How do you think this is going to feel when I put it in your naughty little ass?” Daen asked, before adding, “You may answer.”
“It’ll sting.”
“I imagine so,” Daen said pleasantly. “Now, ask me to put it into your bottom.”
What she really wanted to do was tell him to shove it up his own backside, but there was something about the dominant air around Daen that made her go weak at the knees. She would do just about anything to please him right now.
“Please, put the plug in my naughty little bottom.”
“Well, since you as
ked so nicely.”
Placing one hand on the small of her back, Daen slowly began to slide the plug into her rear channel. Lottie closed her eyes and tried to relax as her muscles fought against the invasion. Usually, she was able to take a large plug but anticipating the sting of the ginger made her tense.
“Stop fighting it,” Daen commanded.
He slid the plug out a little and then pushed it back in, applying more pressure this time. Lottie whimpered as it breached her tight muscles and sighed contentedly as it was finally seated inside her. The relief at it going in was fleeting. She adjusted to the size of the plug easily enough but as it began to secrete its fiery liquid she moaned. It stung and as she wiggled her hips as much as she was able, the burning sensation intensified.
“You probably want to try to hold still,” Ren said helpfully.
“Oh, you think so?” Lottie snarled, earning herself a hard swat from Daen’s hand.
She let out a yowl. The slap had not hurt much, but it had taken her by surprise and she’d clenched her muscles around the plug. Now the uncomfortable prickling seemed to be spreading inside her. She was going to have to relax to survive this punishment.
“I will give you twenty strokes with the paddle,” Daen told her. “Count each one out loud.”
Before she had the chance to tell him she would do as he asked, the paddle cracked across her bottom.
“One,” she hissed. The pain from the paddle was nothing compared to the discomfort coming from within.
The paddle struck her right butt cheek and she clenched her fists. That one had hurt more than the first and a shockwave rippled out across her flesh.
“Two.”
As the paddle fell repeatedly across different parts of her bottom, she struggled to count out the numbers. Given no time to absorb the pain from one stroke before the next one fell and trying to deal with the unpleasant tingling inside her anal channel, it quickly became impossible to think. She moaned and writhed on the bench as Daen continued to deliver a masterful spanking.
Tamed by Her Mates Page 17