Page 32 of Ruled By Magic

“I’m supposed to hate you, but you’re making it difficult. The thought of you trapped up here, naked, kept me distracted today.” His hand traced up my inner thigh. Need surged in the wake of his fingers. Reason and logic fled.

“Was it hard not to touch yourself? Have you ached for me all day?” He leaned closer. “Do you want to know what your punishment is?”

Fear, tempered with curiosity, swirled through me. My mouth dried as I drank in his expression. Hunger. Whatever it was, he needed it. Burned for it as much as I did for him.

“What?” I whispered.

“Stay there.”

He walked to my dresser, opened the drawer, and pulled out a thick wooden paddle brush.

Oh.

I’d expected it. Pages of his book were devoted to physical discipline. But I flinched at the thought of that heavy wood striking my skin.

“No. Lord Commander, please.”

He ignored my protestation, sat on the edge of the bed, and gestured to his lap.

“Over my knee. Face down.”

“But I don’t—”

“I don’t care.” His soft voice belied the power of his words. No choice. No negotiation. I could only endure the punishment he gave me. “You knew the rules.” His eyes creased with the hint of a smile. “And I’m going to enjoy this. Eight strikes. More if you don’t get right over here.”

He could wave his hand and flip me onto his lap in an instant. I could only delay the inevitable. Shame engulfed me as I slid over his legs and positioned myself with my ass in the air.

Dear Zantus, this was undignified.

“Hands behind your back.”

Magic secured my wrists together. Without the support of my elbows, my face and breasts pressed down into the bed and my ass lifted even higher. The Lord Commander pushed my knees apart. On display for him again. How intimately he knew my body already. No man had ever seen so much.

He gripped my ass with one hand and moved the other between my legs. “Take your punishment like a good girl, and you get a reward.”

All day I’d craved his touch. When he reached the apex of my thighs, he sent a short, tantalizing trickle of magic into me, then started the slow journey back down. I squirmed, already frustrated, and he laughed.

“Ask me for each strike. ‘Please, Lord Commander’ will do. Whenever you’re ready.”

My world narrowed to the sensations of my body. The silk bedsheet against my cheek, the steel hardness of the Lord Commander’s thighs beneath me, and the slow motion of his hand between my legs. He drew teasing circles around my clit, then slid two fingers inside me. He paused there, stretched me just long enough to make me crave movement, released another brief ripple of power, and withdrew. I bit back a moan at the tiny dose of wanton pleasure. It left me desperate for more.

Was I going to do this? Yes. It wasn’t like I had a choice. “Please, Lord Commander.”

The brush came down with a sharp smack. Pain blossomed and radiated out where it landed, a heated wave across my skin. I yelled and jerked back, but he gripped me tight, keeping me in place. The sting faded to a lingering heat. Had it left a mark? Would it bruise? I steeled myself and requested another.

The brush landed on my other cheek. Ready for the impact, I let my breath out in a silent burst and willed myself to stay still. This time, a strange thrill traveled through my nervous system like a jolt of electricity. A sharpening of my desire.

“You’re getting the hang of this. I should have given you more than eight. Don’t worry, though, this is just the beginning.” His voice dropped into a mocking whisper as his hands went back to work. He plunged his fingers deep, hitting a spot that made me whimper. The burst of vibrating power was longer this time, more intense. I writhed against his hand.

“I don’t need an excuse. I can discipline you whenever I want. You’re my toy for the next six months. My beautiful little plaything.”

Toy?

The word shocked me, deep in my soul. A degrading word. I should be outraged. Part of me was. But another part soaked the word in.

“Please, Lord Commander.”

Four more smacks in quick succession. Each fell harder than the last, the pain on my sore skin lightning hot. With every strike, my desire built. The pain morphed, changed into something else as it traveled to my brain. What was this? As the sixth strike landed, a moan slipped from my lips.

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