Page 38 of Royal Beast (Royals of the Underworld #1)
KELLAN
D arcy is still shaken up by the ordeal. I can tell by the way her eyes dart nervously around the room, the way she holds her arms around herself. She says she wants intimacy right now but I’m hesitant to introduce something that might upset her further.
“What is it you want, exactly?” I ask, tilting my head as I study her.
“I need to feel in control again,” she explains, “but also safe.”
I nod, stroking my chin as I run a few scenarios through my mind before I decide on something I think would do that for her.
“Okay,” I say, brushing the tears from her eyes. “I’m going to take you into the bedroom right now. I want to make sure we’re somewhere you feel safe.”
She nods and follows me to the bedroom, but I make no move to strip her down or even touch her yet. Instead, I look through my drawer for a few items and place them on the bed.
“This is the scenario I have planned, sweetheart. I’m going to have you take off your clothes and fold them, neatly. Then I’m going to blindfold you and have you kneel at my feet for ten minutes, resting your head on my thigh while I send off a few text messages.”
Darcy breathes out slowly, her eyes roaming the assorted items with curiosity. “Okay. What’s that thing for?” she asks, pointing to the lace-covered paddle.
“That’s for the next activity,” I explain. “You’re going to lie across my lap and I’m going to give you ten hard spanks with this paddle. The point is to give you some measure of pain, which can bring you out of your head. It will remind you of whom you belong to. Is that okay?”
She hesitates, and I see it in her eyes. “This is about you, baby. We’ll take this as slow as you need. You’re in charge of stopping this anytime, okay? If you don’t like what’s happening, you’re allowed—no, encouraged to say—yellow, or even red, and everything will stop.”
Darcy exhales, smoothing her hands over her thighs. “And then what?” she asks, a nervous edge to her voice.
I smile. “Then I’m going to tie up your hands and eat you out until you’ve come for me.”
Darcy nods, the tension easing in her shoulders. “Go ahead and start taking your clothes off,” I order, stepping back to give her space. She takes them off with little fanfare, folding them neatly as instructed and placing them in a pile on the nightstand.
I step forward, moving my hands slowly toward her, broadcasting my movements.
With deliberate motions, I guide her toward the dressing table, where I sit down in the padded chair and wait for her to kneel at my feet.
Once she’s on her knees, I slip the blindfold over her eyes and guide her head to my thigh, keeping an eye out for any signs of discomfort or distress.
“Color?” I ask, getting comfortable.
She shifts slightly before answering, “Green.”
“Good girl,” I say, resting a hand on her head. “I’m starting the timer now.”
Once it’s set, I swipe over to my messaging app and start firing off messages, first to Rory to explain why I took off like a bat out of hell, then to Brody and Miles, asking them to take care of a pesky little problem named Guy.
After that, I send a message to Lucky, asking him to go pay a friendly visit to Max and find out if any other nefarious plans are coming down the pipeline from the worthless bastard.
I stroke Darcy’s hair, listening to her soft breaths as I work, hoping she understands that she’s safe with me, she’ll always be safe with me. She seems to be doing well, and I discretely check the timer. A few seconds left. Good. She hasn’t had any issues yet.
The timer buzzes and I reach down, lifting the blindfold off her face. “You did so well, Princess,” I tell her. “You’re doing so good for me. I’m proud of you.”
Darcy’s eyes light up at my praise, and I help her to her feet, guiding her over to the bed. “Are you still okay with the next part?” I check. “We haven’t explored much in the way of pain yet, but it can be a good way to get out of your head.”
“I’m green,” she says, voice quiet but firm.
I sit down, and she drapes herself over my lap, tensing up immediately. Stroking a hand over her ass, I rub slow circles into it. “We’re not going to start until I can tell you’re ready,” I say, my tone leaving no room for argument.
It takes a few moments but Darcy slowly relaxes, breathing evenly in and out as I pet her backside.
Once she’s nice and loose-limbed, I reach for the paddle and raise it, bringing it down with a swift, resounding smack.
Darcy’s ass blooms red immediately, and she whimpers, though she doesn’t cry out.
“One,” I call out. Running gentle fingers over the spot, I rub it for a moment before pulling my hand back and giving her another smack with the paddle. “Two.”
She whimpers again but still doesn’t make any other sound. I stroke the heated flesh, admiring the beautiful pattern left behind, the lace marking her skin in intricate swirls.
The next hit lands, and a broken cry slips from her lips, tears starting to fall.
“Three,” I say over the sound of her tears.
I’ve been expecting her to break soon, and I’m ready for it.
I bring the paddle down two more times, swift and precise.
Darcy’s sobs grow louder, and I gently soothe the red, tender marks, murmuring soft reassurances.
“Four, and five. Let it out, baby,” I encourage, my words wrapping around her like a blanket. “You’re safe with me. Let all those tears fall.”
Raising the paddle, I bring it down once more, a fraction harder.
“Six.”
Darcy’s body shakes as she cries out, ass growing red as a cherry tomato. The lace pattern crisscrosses across her flesh, leaving gorgeous marks that I stroke with a loving touch, marveling at their beauty.
Another two swats, one after another, and she’s trembling head to toe, the sobs racking her body. “Y–Yellow,” she stammers out, toes curling as she struggles to stay still.
“That’s seven and eight. Good job telling me,” I say, setting the paddle down as I rub her ass, soothing the burning sensation as best I can. “We have two more to go. Can you take them or do we need to stop?”
Darcy looks up, her eyes rimmed red from crying, face a mess of tears and snot. “I want to finish,” she insists, sniffling through her words.
“Then I’m going to make them hard and I’m going to do it fast, and then it will be over, okay, sweetheart?”
She sniffles again and nods, turning her head back to face the floor, but I lift her chin with one finger, making her look at me. “I need you to verbalize it for me, baby.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she says with a shaky sigh.
For the last two, I bring the paddle down hard and she screams, flailing as I finish.
“Nine and ten,” I tell her, then toss the paddle into the corner before scooping her up to cuddle her to my chest. “You did it, baby, it’s all over. It’s done. You’re all done. Look at yourself. You’re strong. You’re amazing. You’re safe with me.”
We rock back and forth slowly for a few minutes as I praise her and press kisses to the top of her head, cheeks, forehead, and eyelids. Her sobs slow and she breathes deeply in and out, relaxing into my chest.
“Are you ready for the last part?” I ask, making sure she’s looking into my eyes. I want to know that she’s still with me, that she’s doing alright. Her trusting me with this precious gift makes my heart tighten in my chest, and all I can do is hope I’ve given her what she needs from me.
“Yes,” she breathes out, eyes locking onto mine. As I look deep into her blue eyes, the depth of emotion there nearly knocks the air out of me—so raw, so powerful as to be almost overwhelming.
“Okay. I’m going to have you sit right here for me,” I tell her, rolling my shirtsleeves up. She sits on the bed, hands clenched on her thighs while I pick up the padded cuffs and show them to her.
“What’s your color, baby?” I ask.
She stares at the cuffs for a moment and then shakes her head. “Yellow,” she admits quietly.
“Okay, no cuffs then. How about this? You love to sit on my face. How about you sit on my face while I eat you out, and that way, you’re in full control?” I offer.
Darcy seems to like this idea, and she nods before correcting herself. “Yes, Daddy,” she says, and I reward her with a kiss before tucking the cuffs away.
It takes me a few seconds to get undressed, but once I’m down to my boxers, I climb onto the bed and lie about halfway down, then pat my chest, waiting for Darcy to move.
She crawls up and positions herself over my face, wincing as she shifts, her ass still red from the paddling.
Just before she gets on top of me, she stops, reaching out to stroke one hand over the marks when she catches a glimpse of them in the full-length mirror across the room. A small smile blooms and she turns back to face me, some of the old confidence sparking in her eyes.
Settling over my face, she begins to rock back and forth, her pussy surprisingly wet. Maybe there’s a little bit of a masochist in Darcy after all. I suck in a breath, then start to flick my tongue, rolling it from her clit down to her entrance, lightly tonguing the slickened entrance.
Her pussy grinds into my face as she bucks against me, and I hold her thighs, making her take my tongue deeper. Her soft, slick walls clench around the intrusion, a high-pitched keening noise breaking free.
“Kellan!” she cries out, slick gushing from her entrance. I lap up every drop, trying to hold her steady, but as soon as her hips come to a final rest, I gently lift her off me and sit up, bringing her back to my chest.
“How are you feeling now?” I ask, cradling her head in my hands as I examine her. “Are you still shaken up?”
“I feel better,” she admits, her voice low and quiet. “You helped me get out of my head and feel like I was in control of things again. Everything around us has been falling apart, and I feel like you’re the anchor holding me together. Thank you, Kellan.”
“I hope it wasn’t too much,” I murmur, kissing her cheek.
“It was exactly what I needed,” she assures me. “You were right. The pain of the paddling helped me stop thinking and stressing. I could just be in the moment.”
She kisses my lips, her hand resting against my face. “Thank you, Kellan. I wasn’t hurt, just totally freaked out after everything. I didn’t want to go to the hospital and feel like some kind of victim with a bunch of questions and nurses poking and prodding at me.”
I rest my forehead against hers. “I’d do anything for you, Darcy. You and Rose, you’re my whole world.”
Clary smiles at that. “Let’s get cleaned up and have Clary bring Rose home. She deserves some kind of explanation about what’s going on,” she says, standing up. I follow behind, still in awe of the trust she’s able to place in me.
I just hope that I can continue to protect her from all the bad stuff that’s going on lately.