Page 20 of Mastering their Maiden

“He didn’t need to insult you. Or Aria.” Kaiden sighed and I shrugged. “You can’t expect me to stand back and let them speak to you that way or let them put my hands on our woman.”

“She isn’t ours yet.”

“Yes, she is,” I said firmly, pointing a finger at him as we started toward our quarters. “You like to pretend you aren’t staring at her, or that she’s just a distraction and nothing more.”

“She is a distraction. She’s reckless and bull-headed. Stubborn.”

“She’s fierce. Protective. Loyal. The perfect woman for the four of us.”

Kaiden rolled his eyes. “Let’s see how fierce and loyal she’s being for Dex and Umber before we decide that, huh?”

He pushed open the door, and paused for a second when we crossed the entryway. My cock was already half hard at the thought of a battle, but it became rigid in my trousers when I saw Aria bent over. Umber had his hand on her back, and he swung his palm down, striking her behind. Dex held her wrists, his body covering hers, his lips pressed to her ear.

“Don’t fight it, Aleria. You know you’ve been just as bad as you’ve been good.”

Umber slapped her ass, his eyes wide and filled with lust as Aria arched into the slap. “I did exactly what you wanted. I got the others involved. I convinced them to stand up and fight.” Umber struck her again and she hissed in pain, trying to wiggle free. “And now you’re—”

“The woods, sweet girl,” Umber murmured. “If we’re bringing in extra rations and taking charge of the stalls in the market, you don’t need to go into the—”

“You don’t control me,” Aria snapped. “I can go where I want when I want.”

“You’ll get yourself killed,” Kaiden grumbled, and Aria jerked her upper body upright when Dex released her arms, turning over her shoulder to glare at Kaiden.

“What do you care? You probably want to make me nice and pliant so you can deliver me to your bastard of a father and watch—”

“He’s not my father.”

Kaiden’s voice was ice. Filled with so much venom that even I felt the sting of his words, and I knew Ryne wasn’t Kaiden’s father. Aria’s expression stayed hard, but she didn’t respond with more taunting about Kaiden’s parentage, trying for a different tactic instead.

“I’ve done what you asked, but I won’t quit hunting, or foraging, or going outside the fence,” Aria hissed. “The Elders will let you manage supplies for now, but there will be some other punishment they levy on us. I want to be ready for that.”

“How do we know you’re not making plans to run away?” Dex challenged, raising his eyebrows when Aria whipped her gaze to his. Umber’s hand was still caressing her ass, cupping her cheeks, soothing away the pain he’d given her. But something was off about this lovely picture, and it made my arms clench, my fingers flexing as I ached to discipline her myself.

My Aria was wearing panties.

How the fuck was she wearing panties?

I’d taken all of them. Made sure of it. But now, her ass was covered, white cloth cupping her cheeks and her pretty little cunt. There was a damp spot on the fabric that made my mouth water, but I was angry. She didn’t need them here, and once we had her back at our estate and things were normal, she’d never wear them again. I wanted nothing in the way of me sinking inside her whenever I felt like it.

“I can’t run,” Aria muttered, interrupting my thoughts. “I can’t abandon people like Summer and her baby. They depend on me. They need me—”

“And you need us,” Kaiden said, coming over to stand beside Dex. “You don’t need to prove how brave you are.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything. Least of all to you.” She glared at Kaiden, then turned to Umber, her angry expression not hiding the desire in her eyes as she bent over, willingly offering her ass up for his discipline. “Get this over with and let me move on with my day.”

Umber’s eyebrows lifted and lowered, but when he raised his hand to spank her again, I caught it, pulling him back and looking at Dex. I said nothing, just jerked my chin for him to release her arms so I could stand her up.

Aria inhaled sharply when I pulled her to her feet, looking down in alarm when I put my hands on her waist. She tried to shove me back, but I held firmly, pulling her body against mine and trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

“Did he hurt you?”

Her fighting stopped, and her blue eyes filled with confusion. “Did who hurt me?” She looked at Dex, then at Umber, and frowned. “They spanked me for doing exactly as I was asked, but they didn’t—”

“I’m not talking about them. Dex and Umber would never hurt you.”

Aria blanched, but there was a flush to her cheeks, and by the way her eyes darted to my partners, I knew she believed me.

But she didn’t want to. It was easier to defy us if she thought we might hurt her someday. We never would. We never could. Any pain we gave her would be turned to pleasure.

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