Page 45 of The Commander

“Why is it so cold? They have hot water in the town. Why don’t you?”

“Cold? I thought it a pleasant temperature. You like it hotter?” Bastian snuggled his face into the irresistible feel of her skin.

“Yes, Damnit!”

He couldn’t tolerate her constant unruliness. “Cease with that language, Kitten.”

“Stop being such a giant walking dildo and trying to freeze me to death.”

“You have a couple of bruises on your backside, but those will heal in due time. I’m not adverse to adding more.” He squeezed her waist. He liked her strong and spunky, but she was his mate. He wouldn’t accept disrespect.

“You can’t spank me like a child.”

“Lower your voice, Kitten.” He fisted his hand in her hair, tightened his arm at her waist, and pushed her against the wall behind her until the breath was squeezed in her lungs and the mulish twist of her pink lips went lax.

“You damned sasquatch. What is wrong with you?”

Bastian growled her name in warning, “Kitten.”

She froze, finally hearing him.

“Mate, there are any number of things I can do to you to make you listen. Some of them are painful on your body, some of them will be painful on your mind. Would you like me to keep you naked, on a leash, and make you follow me everywhere I go? Would you like the reds to watch that? Your own people? Would you like me to spank you? I have many ways to make you behave that will keep you alive, whole, and mine. And I can make you enjoy some of them, or make you cry with shame.”

“The water is cold,” she tried again, softer and less hostile. Her eyes bounced over his face and her little fists opened and closed on his shoulders, self-conscious.

“This is the temperature that relaxes me. I didn’t think about it being too cold for you. What would you like me to do?”

“Could you warm it up?”

“Isn’t there a nice way you weaker humans ask for that when you don’t get to control a situation?”

She thought about it for long enough, Bastian wondered if she really did not know anything about civilized behavior. Looking so adorably pitiful that he had to rethink some of the possible punishments. Her shining big eyes were expressive and rather perfect. Would he be able to look into them and hurt her with more than a sting to the ass now? He doubted it. But he would lie about that as long as possible.

“I am in charge, Kitten. I am your mate and master. My role in your life is to keep you safe and at my side. You will adjust. Immediately.” She blinked and frowned.

He turned the water colder.

Kitten yelped out, “Please warm up the shower.”

“There you go, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

“You are an alien,” she said, as if that explained her lack of manners.

“Am I? Perhaps you are the alien. Does it matter? Do you think you could leave me if I let you? We are tied, my sweet little pussy cat. Perhaps I need to show you what that means?” He gentled his hold and lowered her.

“You must cleanse yourself of germs your eyes cannot see. The red hats are known to carry e-coli because of their eating habits. I am not sure if you have heard of this, but it is dangerous to humans.” Bastian had a weird impulse to keep talking, to comfort her, to tell her he would make her new life good, to defend his actions. He strangled the impulse to silence.

She sent him a frown that scrunched her eyebrows down but said, “Alright. Give me the soap.”

“Use your nice words, Kitten.”

“My name isn’t Kitten.”

“Your name is what I say it is. Are you going to ask me correctly?”

She didn’t answer. Fighting the bond with her mouth, she couldn’t hide the lack of tension in the muscles under her skin, or the way she opened her hands, hugging him to her instead of scratching and fighting.

“I’ll do it, then. I must make sure you are clean.” She huffed out a breath, frustrated.

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