Chapter Fourteen
Kronos
“I had thought to deny you pleasure as a penance.” His focus drilled into her. “But now I see you need much more from me.”
It was odd to be the one on his knees. After so many centuries watching others bow and scrape to him, the position was a novelty, but with Kristina, there was pleasure to be found in every deed. It was intoxicating to be so close to her as he promised to deliver what she was owed.
His hand traveled along her upper thigh, grazing over her soft skin as her breathing came even faster. “You need to be spanked again, don’t you?”
Her breath caught at his verdict, but she nodded immediately. “Yes, Master.”
He blinked in wonder at the concession. Not many days had passed since he’d first brought her there and taken her over his thighs for her first spanking.
Back then, she’d refused to comply. She had required his magical intervention to get her into place, and even then, she’d protested about the fate.
Sitting before him then, though, like a tempting queen giving commands from her throne, she did anything but protest. Her lips parted, her cheeks flushing as she processed her own answer.
She wanted the punishment.
Perhaps because, he suspected, she knew she deserved the pain. She’d been reckless when she’d fled, heading outside even when he’d alluded to the dangers. She couldn’t have known the real consequences, but she’d understood he’d strictly forbade the move.
Before that, she’d failed to tell him the truth about how she’d been feeling. Naturally, he could understand the reasons for her reticence, but his rules had been plain enough. Not telling him the truth was tantamount to a lie, and she knew there would be a price to pay for that.
He didn’t take his eyes from her as he rose to his feet. “I’m not promising to go easy on you, little one.”
His throbbing cock hovered around her eye level, reminding them both of the fun they could have been having if she hadn’t required correction.
“I understand, Master.”
Her chin rose as she held his gaze, and a sound he’d rarely heard from her before reverberated in her voice.
What was that? Contrition?
He straightened, intentionally enjoying the moment before he closed the distance between them, and held out his hand to her. “Up you get.”
Her brows knitted. “Master?”
“Take my hand and climb onto the chair,” he explained, purposefully keeping his tone low.
It had been a while since he punished her, and he wanted to set the right tone. He’d grown exceptionally fond of her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t act when his rules had been willfully broken.
He watched as her delicate fingers grasped his, her gaze flitting past his enthusiastic cock on the way back to his face. Shifting on the seat, Kristina was wordless as she rose on shaky legs, but even standing on the furniture, she barely matched his height.
“Now we can talk properly.” He held her steady. “Before we begin, you will tell me why you’re going to be spanked, little one.”
There was something glorious about being able to ask the question of her face-to-face. Usually, she would already have been cast over him before he sought the clarity, but gazing upon her blushing cheeks, he was glad he’d taken the opportunity to hold her to account.
“I…” She faltered, her widening eyes suggesting that was not what she’d expected him to say. “I broke your rules, Master.”
Her head fell with the admission, an indication of her shame. She had asked him to punish her, which conveyed that she had felt remorse for at least part of what she’d done, but hours had passed since then. Maybe being reminded of her crimes all over again was harder to bear than she’d envisioned.
“How did you break the rules?” He squeezed the fingers of her hand lightly.
“Master, please.” Her voice was that soft, imploring tone that his dick strained to hear more of. “I know I messed up and I’m admitting it.”
Her free hand rose in a conciliatory gesture. “Please don’t make me go over it all again.”
“The details are important.” His tone remained even. “If you don’t know what you’ve done wrong, then how can you strive to improve? How can any of us?”
Not that he had spent much time dwelling on improvement over the years. Kronos had favored arrogance over enlightenment, but for her, he was willing to do better, to be better, and that started with being a kind master.
He waited as her eyes closed briefly to consider his questions.
“So…” he goaded, aware not only of his responsibilities to her, but also, of how much the delay was turning him on.
It was easy, when one was as strong as he was, to exert authority over another being.
Mortals were like playthings to the gods.
But it was something else entirely to have affected a human so greatly that they were prepared to submit to his will by choice.
He sensed Kristina was on the verge of that precipice, her confession that she’d broken his rules the first step toward her true surrender.
It often took months, or even years for him to move a woman to that point, but she had glided there in only a handful of days.
Because she’s special. He suppressed the smile that wanted to rise. That’s why I love her.
He stilled at the judgment, staring into her gorgeous blue eyes as the premise resonated.
He loved her.
That was why things between them were different from any mortal he’d taken before. It was why he couldn’t contemplate the idea of losing her, and even the notion of allowing her liberty further down the line tangled his emotions.
He loved her, and he never wanted to let her go.
Pushing down the startling revelation, he forced himself to focus. He would need time to process his emotions, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t relish her correction.
“Tell me what you did, little one.”
His free hand snaked around her waist, drawing her closer to the edge of the seat and against his body. His shaft strained at her hip, frantic to claim her all over again, but the organ, like both of them, was going to have to be patient.
“I tried to leave you, Master.” She blinked at him as though she, too, couldn’t believe what she’d attempted.
“Yes.” His hand lowered to squeeze her ass, finding her skin cold.
She’d moved to the chair because she’d claimed to have been too hot, yet it seemed the time apart from him had allowed her body heat to disperse altogether. Not that it was going to be a problem for long. He would make sure her backside was hot, at least.
“I know there were no specific rules about staying in bed until your master returned, and I know I had vowed to be here when you awoke, but attempting to flee definitely constitutes a breach of rule one, don’t you think? Good little ones do not run at their first opportunity.”
She tugged her lip into her mouth. “It was disobedient to leave, Master.”
“It was,” he agreed, thrilled that she’d recalled what rule one was without him needing to clarify. “You knew how upset I’d have been if your scheme had succeeded, and surely, you must have known that I’d find you again.”
She pulled in a breath. “Yes, Master.”
“This isn’t over, Kristina.” Tugging her hand to his lips, he skimmed his mouth over her knuckles. “This is far from over. Didn’t you realize that?”
A crease appeared in her brow. “I didn’t think that far ahead, Master. It wasn’t planned. I just saw a chance, and I took it.”
“You took it.” He squeezed her ass cheek harder. “And got yourself killed.”
He was certain that he’d warned her not to go beyond the threshold, yet she’d done so anyway. It had been a miracle that he’d got to her in time to save her.
“I know.” She fidgeted against him. “I’m sorry.”
Releasing her digits, his hand brushed a caress at the side of her face. “I know, and once you’ve been thoroughly spanked, you’ll be entirely forgiven.”
Although, he suspected, however much he might have wanted to, he’d never be able to delete the lifeless image of her body from his memory.
“What else, little one?”
“Rule four, Master.”
“What about it?” He released the pressure on her backside, massaging the cheek instead.
She sighed. “I didn’t tell you how afraid I was to be left alone in my cell.” Her gaze burned into his. “I thought you’d use that fear against me and leave me there more, and I couldn’t bear the thought of that.”
“You thought the worst of me,” he summarized, although he could understand why she’d have questioned whether his motivations had been honorable. He had snatched her away without her say-so. Her fear was at least logical.
“I know better now, Master.” She pushed the words out in one long exhalation.
“What do you know now that you didn’t know then?” he probed, relishing the visceral energy that was sparking between them.
With her there on the chair, there was nowhere for his little one to hide. Every movement and each expression were exposed for him to witness and enjoy, and as his cock could well and truly attest, he was reveling in her obvious mortification.
“I know how powerful you are,” she admitted, her cheeks burning an even deeper shade of crimson. “But there’s something else too, Master.”
“Oh.” He grazed his hand down along her chin until it reached the back of her neck and cradled her head. “And what’s that?”
“I know how much you care for me.” Her smile was back then, lighting the depths of her alluring eyes. “I can hear it in the things you say and see it in how you treat me, and I’m glad, Master, because I care for you, as well.”
Tightening his grip at her nape, he wanted to cheer with glee, but he didn’t dare. That moment was about clarity before her punishment. His elation would have to wait.
“I’m glad to hear it.” He pressed a kiss to her parted lips. “We shall discuss this matter further.”
He wished the caress could have lasted longer, just as he wanted to hear how much she cared for her master, but duty beckoned. She had a reckoning to come, and neither of them could move forward until she was punished.
“But,” he concluded with a wink, “we cannot dwell on affection until the hue of your ass matches the color of your face.”