Page 25 of The Dragon Warlord

There’s the hum of his approval and then he rubs the thin cane against my bare arse. “What is the title I’ve given you?” he prompts me.

“Dragon Warlord, Alpha.” That bit is kind of bad arse. Why couldn’t he have been as awesome as the title?

Whack!

Three … two … one … Motherfuckerthat hurts. I wince, but I don’t cry out. I can get through another nine of those. Easy.

Everything is quiet for a few heartbeats. It’s just me over a spanking bench with a burning line across both cheeks, River to one side, a hot wizard called Rayne sitting on the table, and an annoyed dragon lord with a cane.

“Any chance we can get on with this, Alpha?” The “alpha” holds as much pure irritation as I feel.

“No. You’re not in charge. I am. Every time you speak, we’ll wait longer. Heels off the ground and up on your forearms.”

Thank fuck for Strobavik’s training. I say a fond, mental thank you to the Elven dungeon master and raise to stand on my toes. I lean into my forearms, which activates my shoulder muscles.

“Who is your alpha?”

Are all the questions going to be this obvious? “You’re my alpha, Alpha,” I say instead of arguing.

Whack!

Three … two … ow, fuck! The second stripe is laid precisely over the first. What are the chances that was a mistake? None. I think we’ve found the fucking catch.

We wait again, but this time my muscles burn with effort, standing on my tiptoes. We wait and we wait until the wait becomes excruciating for my poor shoulder muscles, bearing all my bulk. Tears wet my eyes. We’re only on two.

“Your position as Warlord is important; therefore, I won’t be easy on you. You shouldn’t want me to be. The world depends on you doing everything right.”

“No problem. Take this collar off and I’ll sign myself up for the job.”

He taps my arse with the cane but doesn’t give me another stroke. Instead, he uses it to instruct me. “Higher. Now, or we’re going to be here all night.”

Maybe I need to keep my big mouth shut. Time ticks by and everything burns. I beg him—in my head—to give me another one. The pressure on my shoulders from standing on them is uncomfortable.

“Are you going to behave so I can finish your discipline?”

Gods, I want out of this position. “Yes, Alpha.”

Whack!

Three … fuck! Another stripe over the first two. It’s harder not to move. My right thigh twitches.

“You curious as to why I’m not moving the love around?”

“No, Alpha. I know why,” I grit out.

“Oh?” He’s amused.

“Because I’m not as well-behaved as you’d like me to be.”

He bursts with laughter as if maybe I’ve surprised him. Then he taps my arse with the cane. “Have a break.”

“Gods,” I moan. My booted soles sink to the stone, and I rest my chest on the bench relieving my shoulders. So far, he’s winning. I haven’t made it past three.

“What do you say?”

God fucking dammit. “Thank you, Alpha.”

“Very good. I’m going to tell you my expectations. You’ll follow them to the letter. The first is that I expect you to catch on to our protocol by the end of thirty days. If not, I’m happy to continue these lessons. Do you understand?”