“She has to stay with me, not be sent to a training center. And I’m the only one who punishes her.”
“And who’ll train you to train her?”
“Who trains any pet owner?”
“In our case, our father.” Evston shrugged. “How strong is your need to dominate her?”
“Strong.”
“But not always!” Giss said.
Linc clasped her fingers, but didn’t alter his statement.
“Rocurt and I kept human pets for years. We had strict training protocols. Rocurt broke some with Mels, but as you can see, she’s a perfect pet. It comes naturally to her. My wife sometimes struggles with her role. I’d like for your stay here to be extended, but two rebellious young women together might not be the best idea.”
“Maybe what your wife needs is support. It might make her happy to have another friend around to encourage her,” Giss said.
“I defied a king to support my wife.” Evston said, standing. “She’s never in doubt that I love her and will help her achieve her personal goals. That’s a separate part of our marriage. Today though she challenged my authority more than once, which she knows has consequences.”
Giss’s eyes widened. “She’s a princess.”
“Yes, but in a marriage like ours, as in life, princesses don’t rule.” The lord stretched. “You should come to the playroom later. Brande put on a show today. It’s fitting for you to see the final act of the night.”
* * *
“She’s so naughty sometimes,” Mels said as she brushed her hair and tied ribbons around it. “I think she tests him so he’ll seize control.”
Giss and Mels were in a pets’ room that was like a glorified cage since the door was made of bars.
“Lord Evston doesn’t seem like a good man to challenge,” Gissandre said. “I’d think honey would work better on him.”
Mels chuckled. “She’s full of honey afterward, among other sticky liquids.”
Giss’s cheeks heated, and she turned away from the mirror. “Is she happy?”
“Well, she makes everything complicated, so sometimes I suppose she is and sometimes she’s not.”
“But why does she have to be the one to behave in a certain way? Why can’t he be the one to change if they fight over who the boss should be?”
“He couldn’t change that any more than he could change the color of his eyes. He did offer her a compromise. She could be his proper wife and never anything else, and he would go on buying pets for that other purpose. But she was adamant that she was going to be the only one in his life. So then, she has to behave herself if she doesn’t want to end up with cane marks on her pretty backside. Instead, she pushes him to see what she can get away with. It’s silly. Lord Evston’s too smart and too strict. He always wins in the end.”
“Linc isn’t very strict. I think he felt he had to punish me for the things I did, but when we’re married longer, I think he’ll probably give me more freedom to behave as I want to.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” Giss asked, pinning her hair up so only a few tendrils hung down.
“I think a warrior probably handles a virgin as gently as he can stand to. And a new bride probably gets special treatment too when a groom loves her so much. But even so, last night you had a big plug in your bottom during your public spanking and you were on your hands and knees for your first time. That should tell you plenty about what to expect from your warrior husband.”
Giss’s brows crinkled. “Are you saying I should be afraid of him?”
“No, I’m saying don’t get fussy expectations. You were a proper lady on your home planet, but you’re doing a lovely job of forgetting all that.”
Giss was startled to think of herself as no longer a lady, but she understood what Mels meant. They had been on a pleasure liner where she’d been locked in a pretty cage. Not the life of a lady. When she thought about it, she decided she was in Melsint’s camp in terms of her feelings. Giss had liked that spa liner adventure and had wanted to stay a little longer.
Melsint drew Gissandre out of the pet’s room and into the hall near the playroom, but Giss paused at the doorway. She heard crying and a swish of air followed by a snapping sound. She bit her lip and shook her head, not sure she was ready to enter.
“Wait here,” Mels whispered, disappearing into the room.
