Page 19 of Varro's Human Bride
How many times would he bring the leather down across her backside?
Part of her wished he would stop circling her and get the punishment over with now, but another part of her appreciated the delay, no matter how tense the atmosphere had grown between them. The short reprieve as he prepared to administer her chastisement gave her the time needed to collect her thoughts. At least she was no longer angry about leaving the market. Only saddened.
And, it was not as if there would never be another opportunity to randomly run into Nova in public again. Julie had only just arrived on Tarrkua. Surely there would be plenty of times in the future when she’d have a chance to venture into the capital city and run into her sister. Except now she had a feeling it would be quite a while before Varro allowed her out of the compound. Given her outburst in the market, she couldn’t blame him. She also should have been more understanding of his obvious desire to leave the same area his former fiancée was hanging around, but instead she’d been impulsive and selfish.
Regret swept through her and she lowered her head further as he rounded her once again. She blinked faster, but another tear found its way down her cheek. To her utter surprise, Varro moved forward and wiped it away with his thumb. She dared a glance up at him. He still appeared livid, but she could’ve sworn she glimpsed the slightest softening in the depths of his dark otherworldly gaze as he brushed away her tear. Perhaps she’d only imagined it, but even so, it brought her a small amount of much-needed comfort in the midst of her nervousness.
“Get on your knees, little human.”
She settled on her knees, as instructed, and stared at his boots, a wave of surrender rolling through her, a tingling awareness of her acceptance of his authority over her. He was her husband and master, whether she liked it or not. But the truth was, even in this moment, she couldn’t honestly claim she detested the dynamic between them. If anything, it was quite the opposite.
He made her feel protected and more welcome on his planet with each passing day. He’d shown her kindness and patience as she became accustomed to the ways of his people. Her pulse quickened. It was not as though he hadn’t given her specific rules to follow, none of which were horribly unreasonable, and she’d broken several of them today.
Now she must pay the price for her defiance. She hoped she could accept her punishment with as much grace and dignity as possible. She’d already shamed herself enough today with her disgraceful behavior. She couldn’t fathom a circumstance in which Varro would embarrass her in public in the same way she’d done to him today and her shame deepened.
He reached for her chin and forced her gaze to his.
“Do you understand why you are in trouble, Caylee?”
“Yes,Xerr,” she replied in a tremulous whisper, “and I am so sorry. Please, I-I know you must punish me, but I want you to know how sorry I am.”
“Why did you refuse to leave the market, little human? I do not understand the reason for your disobedience. Until today, you have shown no sign of rebelliousness. Your behavior today was quite out of character.”
Julie raced to come up with a response that didn’t include yet another lie. She drew in a long breath, still maintaining eye contact with her stern-faced husband, even though she longed to wrench away from his grasp and resume staring at his boots. The disappointment reflecting in his gaze gutted her and she would give anything in this moment to see him smiling down at her instead.
“Caylee? I asked you a question and I expect an answer.” He towered above her, a fierce aura of power radiating from his massive form.
“I-I thought I saw someone in the crowd I recognized. An old friend—her name is Nova—from New Leesburg. I wanted to keep walking toward the jewelry booths to see if it really was her. She came to Tarrkua four years before me.”
“You should have told me this while we were in the market,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. “I’m not unreasonable. I would have taken you to the jewelry booths to ascertain if the woman you saw was indeed your old friend. But instead you pulled against me and argued about my decision for us to leave. All you said was that you’d wanted to stay longer.”
“I-I know,Xerr. I made a mistake. Please, please know how sorry I am.” Would he ever forgive her? She blinked hard and another tear burned a path down her cheek. Varro wiped it away, gave her an intense look, then released her face and stepped back.
She watched, her heart in her throat, as he walked over to the leather strap.
He removed the frightening implement from the wall and turned to face her. She gulped hard at the resolute gleam in his eyes. He looked beyond intimidating as he stood with the strap in his hand, his legs spread slightly as he stared at her, his entire stance radiating power. Her pulse thundered in her ears. But even as fear clutched her, she couldn’t help but chide herself for not having told Varro what she’d just told him while they were still in the marketplace—that she thought she’d glimpsed a familiar face in the crowd. How foolish could she be? Very, apparently.
“Stand up.”
Somehow, she managed to rise to her feet, though her legs had turned to jelly. Her hands trembled at her sides and she felt another wave of surrender steal over her. Varro walked closer and she bowed her head in a show of submission, wanting to please him. She longed for his forgiveness and desperately wanted to put this unpleasant episode behind them.
But first, there would be pain, tears, and remorse.
“You disappointed me today, little human. Your behavior was entirely unacceptable.” He stepped closer and clutched the strap harder. “It was shameful, the way you acted in the marketplace.”
Her heart broke. She’d seen the disapproval clear as day in his dark, scrutinizing gaze, but hearing him say it aloud left her sorrier than she’d ever been about anything. She couldn’t recall ever experiencing as much regret over a wrong she’d committed at any time in her life.
“I know,Xerr.” Her voice broke with emotion. “I’m so sorry. Please.” But she didn’t know what she was begging for. She wouldn’t dare beg him not to punish her—she knew his mind could not be changed. Perhaps she was only begging for leniency, understanding, and forgiveness. More tears escaped her eyes, but he didn’t move forward to wipe them away. Instead, he nodded at the bed.
“Bend over the bed, Caylee. It’s time to pay for your transgressions.”
Her transgressions. Oh God, if only he knew the full extent of her misdeeds.
She hurried to comply with his sharply spoken command. She bent over the bed and stared at the wall in front of her, dreading the sound of his bootsteps. When she heard them as he moved closer, it was all she could do to remain in place and obediently await the first impact of the strap against her bottom. She’d never been physically disciplined before, but she knew without a doubt it would be an experience she would never wish to repeat, not if she could help it.
Once he reached the bed, he placed the leather strap beside her and stepped back to cup her bottom cheeks. A shiver ran through her, his touch eliciting goosebumps but also waves of heat that she didn’t comprehend. Little pleasurable pulses—the telltale beginnings of her arousal—affected her between her thighs. Her eyes widened and she buried her face in the covers, filled with shame over the possibility of becoming wet while he whipped her. What would he think?
But she couldn’t help it. His nearness always affected her, even when he wasn’t pleased with her and meant to punish her, apparently.
