Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Cora
Sure, it’s a weird practice. This is the third time I’ve let Daddy feed me a bottle. Perhaps I should protest or eat more food so he doesn’t insist on treating me like an infant. But the truth is just as I told him. I enjoy the way he cares for me. It makes me feel special. Loved. Wanted.
Maybe it’s easier to let myself live in this fantasy world.
It’s helping keep my mind off the fact that Quinn is outside putting cameras on the cabin because of me.
Because my asshole of a stepfather is unhinged and will come here eventually.
When he does, it won’t be pretty. That scares me.
But the cameras will help both of us sleep at night.
I put my hand over Daddy’s as he holds the bottle to my mouth.
I doubt he’ll ever let me feed myself. He’s too controlling.
That also means that eventually I’m going to need to spend more time in my big-girl panties.
He’ll go back to work. I’ll need to take care of myself while he’s there.
After only one day, I already hate the idea of making decisions.
There’s something so refreshing about allowing Daddy to make choices for me.
When the bottle is empty, he carries me into the bedroom.
Admittedly, I’m groggy, probably from the peacefulness of being fed in his warm arms. I find myself whining when he sets me on the bed and pouting when he takes off my dress.
He lowers me onto my back, strips off my panties, rubs cream all over my folds, and diapers me. It’s a process that’s still unnerving.
Daddy pops a pacifier in my mouth and scoots me to the center of the bed. He smiles down at me. “I bet I have something that will make you happy.”
I frown. My mouth is already plugged, so I can’t ask what, but I push up onto my elbows to watch as he moves across the room where my meager belongings reside in two boxes that Sylas brought from my house.
Daddy reaches into the open flap of the top box and pulls out Puppy.
I giggle behind the pacifier as I’m reunited with my stuffed animal. The one that went by the name Puppy, because I didn’t understand actually naming the stuffie when I was a toddler. So, Puppy stuck. My mother thought it was cute.
As soon as he’s in my arms, I curl onto my side, and Daddy pulls the covers up to my chin. He adds another one on top of me and then tucks huge pillows down both sides of me.
“There. You should be warm enough like this. I don’t want you getting out of bed unless the house is on fire, understood?”
I giggle again. Silly Daddy.
“You stay right here in this snug little space. The pillows will help keep you from rolling off the bed. If you need to go potty, use your diaper.” He gives me a stern look, eyes narrowed.
After a kiss to my temple, Daddy leaves the room. He doesn’t close the door all the way, but the cabin is small enough that he would be able to hear me from anywhere in the main room.
I already need to pee. I haven’t gone to the bathroom in a while, and I just had a bottle, so my bladder is full.
There’s no way I could nap with this discomfort, so I take a deep breath and wet myself.
It’s beyond weird. It actually makes me nervous.
What if I get used to using a diaper and then accidentally wet my panties one day?
Now, I’m even more sleepy, and I’m wearing a thick diaper. It’s very absorbent, so my skin isn’t wet. Plus, Daddy put diaper cream on me, but it’s heavy and strange feeling.
It feels like submission.
There’s a reason Daddy didn’t take me to the bathroom before he fed me a bottle and diapered me. He likes it when I wet myself. It’s in his nature to dominate me in this fashion, and now it’s in my nature to submit to him.
Relaxing, I hug Puppy close, suck my pacifier, and drift off to sleep.
* * *
Deep voices yank me out of my nap, and I push to sitting and look around the room. The sun is still up, so I didn’t sleep for too long, but I bet it’s late afternoon.
My pacifier is no longer in my mouth, and I glance down to see it next to the pillow. I guess I spit it out. My diaper is cold, so I didn’t pee in my sleep. The thought of doing so unnerves me.
Suddenly, Daddy steps into the room. He’s smiling as he shuts the door. “Sorry, Little doll. Navin and Brea are here. I’m sure we woke you, but you need to get up anyway, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
When he reaches me, he tugs the covers away, pushes the pillow to the side, and grabs my ankles to drag me toward the edge of the bed.
I giggle as I fall onto my back.
Daddy palms my diaper and meets my gaze. “Go pee again, Little doll.”
Darn. He’s astute. I was hoping he wouldn’t realize the urine isn’t recent.
He places his hand on my tummy and presses against my bladder. “Brea would like to spend some time with you. Be a good girl and wet yourself so you can get to know your new friend better.”
I whimper. It’s so hard. I don’t normally pee on my back. It’s an awkward position. Plus, Daddy is watching me. Waiting. My bladder is shy.
“Close your eyes, Little doll. Concentrate.”
I take a deep breath and do as he says, shuddering when I finally manage to wet myself.
Daddy kisses me all over my face and then down to my naked chest, making me giggle at first and then moan. Now, I want him to do more things to me, but he doesn’t. He’s all business, removing my wet diaper, cleaning my skin, and standing me up to put my panties and dress back on.
“I’m going to wear this to see Brea?”
“Yep. She’s also wearing a cute little dress. If you get cold, I’ll give you leggings.”
Daddy guides me to the bathroom and stands behind me to brush out my hair before gathering it all together at the back of my neck and adding a hairband. “How’s that?”
I grin. “Good.”
He takes my hand and guides me out of the bedroom.
Nerves eat at me. This is a big deal. I met Brea yesterday, but that was before I entered into this new dynamic. Before Orion bit me, claiming me, making me a part of the pride.
Brea will be like a sister to me. I hope.
She’s sitting at the kitchen table when we enter.
Navin is behind her. Brea has an intricate coloring book and pencils in front of her, and she drops the one she’s using as Daddy guides me closer.
She jumps up and skips around the table toward me, throwing her arms around me when she gets close enough. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I smile at her as she releases me. “Me, too.”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s been so boring being the only woman living with these twelve giant lion shifters. Now, there will be two of us.”
I’m self-conscious about my dress and lack of bra, but Daddy was right. She’s wearing a pastel blue dress similar to my pink one, and she doesn’t have a bra on either. I won’t let it bother me. It’s not like I’m naked.
“Why don’t we all sit in the living room for a bit and talk,” Daddy says.
I’m kind of surprised. He must have something to say, and he’s not going to exclude me.
Navin takes the armchair and lifts Brea onto his knee.
Daddy sits on the couch and does the same, pulling me between his legs before also propping me on his thigh.
Everyone has a serious expression.
“Did something happen?” I ask.
“Basically, your stepfather is unhinged and crazier than a loon,” Daddy says.
I smirk. “But I knew that.”
“Well, I don’t trust him. We have surveillance cameras on him, and he’s acting erratic. I worry he will do something dangerous if he’s not stopped.”
“Like what?”
“Like burn the house down and possibly start a forest fire.”
I gasp. “Why would he do that? He’d lose his free place to live.”
“Why do crazy people do anything? He probably doesn’t realize that we’ve figured out that he doesn’t own the land or the house. He’s an ass, and he’d rather burn it all down out of spite.”
“How do you know he’s planning to burn my house down?”
“He has gas cans, and he’s been stomping around both the inside and the outside of the house all day today. He’s even loaded some boxes into his truck, presumably his belongings.”
I stare at Daddy in shock. My home. He would burn it down? Because he’s mad?
Daddy rubs my back. “Some of my pride brothers and I are going to go over there. You’re going to stay here with Navin and Brea.”
“Daddy…” I whine. I hate this idea. What if Vincent hurts him? What if he shoots him or he’s already started a fire before Daddy arrives?
Daddy hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head. “I need you to be strong and brave for me while I’m gone. Can you do that?”
“I don’t want you to go,” I grumble as I twist in his lap to grab the front of his shirt.
“I know, Little doll, but it’s necessary. I’ll be fine. Trust me. I’m bigger and stronger and smarter. Plus, I’ll have my brothers with me.”
I lean my cheek against his chest. I hate this. I don’t want him to go, but I’m not going to change his mind, plus I realize as long as Vincent is unhinged and out for vengeance, my existence is endangering everyone in the lion pride.
Daddy gives me another squeeze and stands, depositing me on my feet on the floor. He tips my chin back. “Be good.”
It’s a silly thing to say. I’m a grown woman.
I don’t need him to tell me to behave like I’m a toddler, but it’s his way of exercising his dominance over me.
He’s reminding me that I’m his to protect and his to discipline.
Unspoken is the thought that if I’m not angelic during his absence, I will end up over his knees with a red bottom.
But it turns out, I like having a red bottom, so I’m not sure I can actually be good. Especially if I’m stressed and need something to do to keep my mind off whatever Daddy is planning.
“I don’t see how you’re going to reason with him,” I grumble.
Daddy sits back down and cups my face, holding my gaze level with his. “I’m not going there to reason with the man, Cora.”
I swallow.
“The man stole your property from you. He stole four years of your life. He’s been abusing you, keeping you as a slave, and lying to you for years. I can’t and won’t risk him ever getting near you again.”
“But… What if you get in trouble?”
“I won’t, Little doll. I promise.” He smiles. “Did Brea tell you how she came to live with our pride?”
I shake my head.
“She was sold to a man in town for drug money. He was a middleman who intended to traffic her, but she bravely stood up to him, and for her trouble, he took her out in the woods, sliced her leg open, and left her for dead.”
I gasp and glance at Brea.
She’s leaning into her Daddy, but she nods.
Orion continues, “The bastard went out for a hike one evening and fell off a cliff. Idiot.”
My eyes widen at his sarcastic tone. “He fell?”
“Yep.”
I search Daddy’s face. That’s all I’m going to get out of him, but it’s enough. The bad man who’d trafficked Brea may have fallen off a cliff, but I’m certain he had help getting there, and something similar will happen to Vincent.
I should feel remorse, but all I feel is premature relief. It hadn’t occurred to me that there might be a way to eliminate that asshole from this Earth without anyone getting caught doing it. That would be tidy.
Throwing my arms around Daddy one more time, I whisper, “I love you. Be careful.”
“I love you, too, Cora. And I’ll return without a scratch. Promise.”