Delivered by the Defender (Kindred Tales)

He watched her carefully as he spoke, wanting to see her reaction to this possibility. Her breath hitched in her chest and her eyes grew wide, but she didn’t cower or look miserable or afraid. Instead, she nodded submissively.

“I’ll be good, Master,” she whispered. “You…you won’t have to punish me.”

“That remains to be seen,” Valen said sternly. He turned to the chief harness maker. “Will you please see to it that my lady’s luggage and the discarded dress are sent to my residence? I have a home here on the Ambassador’s Square.”

“Yes, of course Master Kindred.” The harness maker nodded.

“Oh, but, Master…” Selena protested.

“Yes?” Valen frowned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Is there a problem, little one?”

“I just…I thought I was supposed to stay at the Ambassador’s residence. I mean, that’s what Jess said,” she said, looking at him uncertainly.

Valen shook his head, though part of him whispered that it might be wiser to let her stay there. It would put some much-needed distance between them.

But he couldn’t help himself—he wanted the curvy little Elite near him. More and more he was intrigued by her—attracted to her. He knew it wasn’t smart, but he couldn’t help himself—he wanted more of her. And he couldn’t have that if she was located across the square in a different house.

“No,” he said firmly, frowning at her. “I am your Master, therefore you’ll be staying with me, at my residence. Do I make myself understood?”

Selena dropped her eyes at once.

“Yes, Master,” she murmured submissively.

“Good. Then let’s be off to the tailor’s shop—it’s almost time for the banquet.”

“I’ll send word ahead that you’re coming,” the chief harness maker said, nodding at one of his assistants, who took off like a shot. He clipped a long platinum chain to the ring between Selena’s full breasts and handed the end of the “leash” to Valen. “Oh, and you’ll want this as well,” he added, producing a small, silver remote control.

“What does it do?” Valen examined the sleek control with a frown.

“Works the suction domes, of course, Master Kindred. See here—the top buttons control the breast domes and the bottom one controls the one over your lady’s pleasure button,” the cabinet maker explained. “Try them out, if you like.”

“Hmm…” Experimentally, Valen pointed the control at Selena and touched the top two buttons.

“Oh, Master!” She gave a soft cry and her nipples seemed to get even bigger under their crystal domes.

“How does that feel, little one?” Valen asked her. “Tell me.”

“It…it feels like you’re sucking them…sucking my nipples, I mean,” she admitted in a low voice. “Sucking them really hard.”

“Yes, but is the sensation one of pleasure or pain?” Valen demanded. He was watching her closely, wanting to know what she felt—and how it affected her. “Look at me as you answer,” he added, lifting her chin with one finger. “And tell me the truth.”

Selena lifted her eyes to his and he saw that her pupils were dilated again, the black nearly swallowing the soft brown of her irises completely.

“It…it hurts and feels good at the same time,” she confessed softly. “Please, Master—it…it’s very tight.”

“It’s meant to be tight,” the harness maker said, nodding. “Though I don’t recommend using the suction domes for more than a few hours during the banquet,” he added, speaking to Valen. “And afterwards your lady’s nipples must be suckled and her clit massaged in order to help the blood flow.”

“Thank you, I’ll remember that,” Valen told him.

And he was going to remember Selena’s reaction to the suction domes as well. “It hurts and feels good at the same time,” she had said. Did that mean she took pleasure in sexual pain?

He had heard of such things among members of the Ma’shorkan Court—mostly the double-faced ones, who had royal blood. But he had never imagined inflicting sexual pain—any kind of pain—on a female himself. Hurting a female was considered wrong and shameful in his culture—the Kindred called a male who enjoyed inflicting pain a “Broken One.”

Valen had always hated the idea of being a Broken One. The thought was shameful and abhorrent. He told himself he couldn’t possibly be one—after all, look at the vow he had taken after what had happened with Ka’leesa! Didn’t that prove he didn’t enjoy giving a female pain—even though he had to do it in order to draw blood?

And yet, here stood the curvy little Elite—he had inflicted pain, of a sort, on her—and it seemed to have aroused her. He could still remember the way Ka’leesa had cried and shrunk away from him when he was forced to bite her. She had certainly not been aroused.

And neither will Selena be, when you bite her, whispered a pessimistic little voice in his head. Applying a bit of suction to her nipples is worlds different from sinking your fangs into her neck!