Page 20 of Empress of Ruin
We’ve had our differences, but I respect Carter. Admire him, even. He’s as ruthless as I am, though a bit reckless for my tastes. Nevertheless, bringing him into The Eyes as an ally would certainly strengthen my position in their ranks. The organization has been coveting him for some time, and he is extraordinarily powerful in his own right. His dealings move far beyond smuggling; he has a foot in almost every door in the criminal underground.
Carter lets silence linger in the wake of my question. Finally, he say glibly, “If Silas is being that much of a pest, kill him.”
“Ican’t,” I growl. “I’ll be suspect #1, and if The Eyes don’t sanction my actions, I’ll get into deep shit.I’llbe killed in accordance with their rules. I’ve submitted a request, but they’re taking a long time to review it.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want to join.” Carter hisses out a breath. “If I want someone dead, I ensure they’re dead. I don’t want to ask for fuckingpermissionto do what I have to do.”
“Most members are far more valuable alive than dead,” I argue. “Silas is an exception.”
“Fine.” Carter sniffs. “Here’s my offer; kill Silas, and I’ll consider joining.”
He hangs up before I can respond.Total fucking asshole.
His demands are fair, but they put me in an impossible position. I require a powerful ally in the Eyes, and I have my eyes on one. But, in order to get him, I have to do something that’ll get me killed.
I decide to take my irritation out on Lyra in the morning. Another splendid reason to have her around. She’s incurred plenty of punishments in our time apart; I intend to sporadically administer them in whichever way satisfies me from moment to moment.
I climb back into bed after working through the morning. It’s nearing 10AM, but she’s still fast asleep, curled up on her side. I roll her onto her back, spread her thighs, and gaze down at her pussy. There’s a slight glisten there; it looks like my little bird has been having some sordid dreams. I contemplate tying her down, but I like holding her down much more than I like having her held down. I love it when she struggles against me, only to inevitably succumb to my touch. It’s invigorating.
I dip my fingers into her center, lips curling with pleasure when I find that she reallyiswet. I might make her tell me exactly what she was dreaming of later. For now…
Her eyes start to flutter when I circle her clit a few times. Her legs shift restlessly around the bed, and when I take that tiny bundle of nerves between my index finger and thumb and pinch it, she wakes up almost instantly.
“Good morning,” I rumble, circling her clit to sooth away the sting. She gazes at me with a mixture of confusion and panic, and promptly attempts to roll away.
I pin her down with a hand on her chest, right between her breasts.
“Hold still,” I say.
“Killian,” she gasps, trying to push my hand off. “What—” she cuts off with a high-pitches yell when I clap my palm down against her pussy in a sharp, succinct spank. It’s not particularly hard, but it doesn’t need to be over this sensitive part of her anatomy.
“I said hold still.” And I don’t feel like repeating myself.
She falls still almost instantly, save for the shivers wracking her limbs. I return to gently stroking her center, all while considering her. So many options for what I could do… and now that I no longer have a predetermined end-date, I have literally all the time in the world to do it.
“Pick a number between one and five,” I invite her.
Her eyes shadow over with understanding. “Please, not there.” She tries to close her legs, but I’m kneeling between them, keeping them open.
“Do you want me to pick for you?”
She squeezes her eyes shut. “One.”
“Very well.” I spank her pussy two more times in rapid succession; she cries out so loudly I’m thankful my nearest neighbors are two floors down.
“I saidone!” she laments.
“I didn’t say the number represented how many times I’d be spanking you.” I run my fingers through her slit again, pleased to find that she’s grown nice and wet for me. Pain really does work wonders on her.
“Then what?”
I smile. “You’ll find out soon enough. Now, in terms of your morning spanking—”
“What?”her voice is high-pitched.
“Morning spanking,” I clarify. “You didn’t actually think yesterday was all the punishment you were going to get, did you? No. You were gone for 160 days. That’s how long your punishment will last.”
“K-Killian.” Her expression fills up with fear. Real, visceral fear that awakens the predator in me.
