Chapter Four
As they disembarked from the shuttle, Victoria’s eyes scanned her surroundings, taking note of every detail. There was no mistaking that this was a military vessel. Everything around her was stark, functional, just as she would expect. The men they passed in the corridors moved with brisk efficiency, charging the air with an atmosphere of excitement. This was a busy ship, bustling with activity. Everywhere she looked, Victoria found that there was something new and interesting to examine. There were so many strange gadgets whose function she couldn’t work out. There were control panels on the walls with flashing lights. The ship was clearly equipped with advanced technology and Victoria wished she could learn about what it all did. She found everything around her fascinating and suddenly realized that this was the type of place she’d always longed to be. On board a vessel like this, everyone had a purpose and that was something she lacked.
“Remain by my side.” There was clear command in Allik’s tone. “This part of the ship holds many dangers for a human female.”
Unsure whether he’d intended some insult in that rather impersonal reference to her, Victoria scowled but nodded to signal her understanding all the same. Until she got a better feel for things, had worked out exactly what type of man her captor was, she knew it was safer to try to appear compliant. It was a strategy she’d employed in her dealings with the High Council and it had always served her well.
As she hurried along the corridor at Allik’s side, Victoria looked through large glass panels into what appeared to be the main docking area. Short range fighters sat there, waiting for action. They were sleek, beautiful craft with narrow bodies tapering into an even narrower nose. She’d seen these single seat spaceships many times as they patrolled Earth’s skies, keeping its people safe from hostile forces. The security arrangements were part of a treaty that Earth and Taar-Breck had made many years ago but Victoria had heard rumors that it would not hold for much longer. Whispers suggested that the High Council’s treatment of her friend, Caroline Chatterton, had enraged the Taar-Breckians whose commander had taken her as a bride. Some people even spoke of the possibility of war breaking out. She hated to think what might happen. Against the military force of the Taar-Breckians, Earth would stand little chance.
Shrugging off her worries about what might happen to her homeland if the accord with their alien neighbors collapsed, Victoria wondered what it would be like to fly in one of those nifty little spaceships. Then she thought about the nausea she’d experienced in the shuttle and realized that it probably wouldn’t suit her. Not that she was ever likely to be given the opportunity to fly in one. It had been a long shot before but, now that she was this warrior’s prisoner, the chances seemed even more remote.
As they passed an open doorway leading to the docking bay, she found herself unable to contain her curiosity. Slipping quietly from Allik’s side as he strode along the corridor, she wandered into the vast hangar. Up close, the spacecraft were larger than she’d expected. They’d have to be pretty big, she supposed, to accommodate the impressively built Taar-Breckian pilots. Victoria wondered whether Allik flew one of these or if he was in charge of one of the bigger battleships. She would have to find the right time to ask him about his military service. Victoria had always harbored a secret interest in the interplanetary forces. She’d kept her curiosity under wraps because the men she’d been surrounded by would not approve. She suspected that even her more enlightened friends from the Hyde Ladies’ Circle would have considered it a step too far if she’d spoken of her dreams of one day joining a peacekeeping unit.
Suddenly she was shaken from her thoughts as a loud siren wailed. She looked up and saw that a hatch was opening in the side of the ship, directly in front of her. For a moment, her mind seemed to stop working and a puzzled frown formed on her brow. As she glanced around, she realized that she’d inadvertently wandered onto what appeared to be a landing strip. As her mind pieced together what was happening and acknowledged the potential danger, she froze. Her legs locked and her heart beat furiously. Somehow, she just couldn’t make her feet move. Behind her, she could hear yelling, a warning, perhaps. She couldn’t make out the words.
As the hatch opened fully, she saw a small ship in the distance, approaching fast. It seemed to be headed straight for her. Finally, her legs obeyed her mind and she ran for cover. Just as she made it to what she thought would be a safe distance, she found herself being flung to the floor. Something large and heavy covered her. It took her a moment to recognize the warmth of another body lying on top of her, shielding her from harm. Two massive hands went over her ears, blocking out all sound.
A mere moment later, a terrifying juddering shook the floor beneath her, signaling that the ship had landed. For several long seconds, Victoria remained pinned down. Her heart beat furiously and she started to feel as though she was being crushed. Then, suddenly, the weight was gone and she found herself being hauled to her feet. She was spun around to face Allik who looked as though he was about to explode with rage.
“You could have been killed!” he snarled. Although she could tell that he had an iron grip on his anger, his tone still shook Victoria. She knew nothing about this man, what violence he might inflict if provoked. In that moment, his eyes were filled with such fury that she dared not test him any further. As he began to lead her across the docking bay, she offered no resistance but stumbled along behind him. “I warned you not to leave my side.”
“But I got out of the way!” Victoria protested.
“Barely,” Allik replied. “The energy force from the ship would have thrown you across the room and the vibrations of the engines would have burst your eardrums.”
“I’m sorry.” Victoria felt foolish at having come so close to disaster. Despite being treated like a child her whole life, the thought that Allik would think her incapable of looking after herself bothered her. “I didn’t know.”
“No, you didn’t, which is why you need to listen to what I tell you. Had a ship taken off whilst you were daydreaming, you would have been vaporized.”
Daydreaming? So, he did see her as some woolly-headed female. The reason why that realization stung so bitterly was something she didn’t want to examine too closely. After all, she had no reason to seek his admiration, did she?
“I’m sorry,” Victoria said again. “Truly.”
As Allik continued to lead her across the room, she was horrified to find that they were gathering a small crowd of curious onlookers as they went.
“You’ll be even sorrier in a moment,” Allik said ominously.
Before she could ask him what he meant, Victoria found herself being swung off her feet. She shrieked as, in one fluid motion, Allik lifted her, took a seat on a bench, and pulled her over his lap. Realizing what was about to happen, Victoria began to struggle, earning herself some amused snorts from their audience as Allik subdued her with ease.
“You have earned yourself a spanking, Victoria.” His tone was firm and it sent a delicious tingle running through her. “And you will not be allowed up until you have learned your lesson.”
“You have no right,” Victoria spat. Who the hell did he think he was?
“You are mine. I have every right.”
The truth of those assertions was debatable but Victoria heard murmurs of agreement with what Allik had said and decided not to protest. There was a time and a place for her to set him straight and this was definitely not it. She looked around at the other Taar-Breckian males—tall, imposing beasts of men who’d assembled to witness her humiliation and knew she was better off keeping her mouth shut. Many of them wore looks of disapproval while others simply appeared curious about what would happen next. None of them questioned Allik’s right to punish her as he saw fit.
“Do you have to do it here?” Victoria’s voice was almost a whisper.
“Yes. You dishonored me publicly when you disobeyed my command and so your punishment must be public,” Allik told her. “Perhaps you will consider that in the future.”
Victoria shifted on his lap, testing whether there was any possibility of breaking free, still not quite ready to accept the inevitable. His hand flattened across the small of her back, letting her know that he would not allow an escape. Victoria knew it was pointless to struggle. Even if Allik did let her slip from his grasp, she would never get through the semi-circle of onlookers who waited to see her punished as they no doubt believed she deserved.
“As this is your first punishment,” Allik continued, “I will just use my hand.”
Victoria imagined she was supposed to be grateful for that apparent generosity. Although a sarcastic response sat right at the tip of her tongue, she said nothing. She didn’t want to get into a verbal sparring match she doubted she would win. There was no point making things worse. Lying across Allik’s powerful thighs with her feet barely able to touch the floor was humiliating enough without her bringing further degradations down on herself.
Deciding that a show of contrition on her part would be for the best, she hung her head and waited for what was to come. She’d never been spanked before but if it was just with the palm of his hand, how bad could it be?
* * *
Allik viewed the moment she chose not to fight him as a great victory. He felt her chest expand as she drew in a breath. Then she let out a sigh and her whole body relaxed. Her delicate softness seemed to melt against the hardness of his thighs. Her lithe body seemed the perfect complement to his. He had sensed a real struggle within her as she tried to decide if she should accept the punishment gracefully. There was a lot of pride in her and it pleased him that, once again, she had put it aside and chosen the sensible option. If they were to succeed as mates in the future, she would need to submit to his mastery. Whether she recognized it or not, this spanking was the first step on the road to her becoming his.
He knew that she wasn’t happy about the venue for this punishment and, in truth, neither was he. But her transgression had been one that could have endangered others. It had been witnessed by a number of his comrades. Therefore, it was essential that her atonement was made publicly.
As he drew her skirt up around her waist, Allik was relieved that she made no further protest. A little of the tension he hadn’t even realized he was holding in his shoulders released when he saw that she was wearing panties. Although he had a distaste for such undergarments on females, he was glad that she was somewhat covered up by the wisp of silky fabric. It was bad enough that he had to deliver her first spanking in front of the other men when he had no idea how she might respond, without the risk of them glimpsing her sweet little pussy before he claimed it as his own.
Realizing that he wanted to get this over with as much as she probably did, he drew his hand back and brought it down across her perfectly rounded buttocks. The slapping sound of the impact seemed to echo around the vast, open space. Her flesh wobbled enticingly and even through the filmy white fabric of her panties, he could see a delicate blush of color. He imagined it would be a beautiful pink if he saw it in the flesh.
“That hurt!” Victoria complained, kicking one foot and then the other on the floor in an adorable little dance.
“I imagine it did,” Allik replied. “Now, hold still. The more you move about, the longer the punishment will go on.”
She stopped bouncing around but wriggled a little, clearly trying to alleviate the sting in her bottom. It seemed over the top after a single swat with his palm and he guessed that she had never been spanked before. Perhaps the outrageous threats the feeble human males made against their women were enough to keep them in line. They seemed to enjoy striking terror into the females of their species. It was completely at odds with Allik’s approach. Like all of his people, he favored correction appropriate to the transgression, followed by complete forgiveness. Taar-Breckian males preferred to promote respect rather than instilling terror in their women.
Allik laid a hand on Victoria’s back to remind her to hold her position. The calming gesture was not just for her sake. As her body rubbed against his, the motion was teasing his cock mercilessly and this was not a forum in which he could see release. It was clear to him that this punishment could very quickly become as grueling for him as it was for her. He just hoped she would continue to cooperate so he could get it over with.
* * *
Was it possible to smell dominance? Victoria certainly found the distinctively masculine scent she was picking up from Allik to be one of authority and control. With each inward breath she took, her senses were becoming more and more intoxicated by Allik’s raw power. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily be seduced into relinquishing her will to this man.
Victoria settled on his lap and closed her eyes tight as she waited for that heavy hand of his to connect with her tender flesh once more. He had only struck her one time and the sting had been far greater than she had imagined it would be. She wasn’t sure how many of those she could take and resolved to try to bear the spanking with dignity in the hopes that it would not go on for too long.
As she felt a sharp smack on her left bottom cheek, she gave out a little whine. Her face contorted into an expression that spoke of discomfort. Heat seemed to bloom across her flesh and she was convinced that her skin must already be glowing red. Three more times, his palm made contact with her bottom, hitting different spots with each stroke. Victoria wailed in misery but she suspected this was far from over. She pushed up on her tiptoes, almost inviting the next two strokes that landed in rapid succession on the right side of her bottom. Tears streamed from her eyes. Allik’s hand was starting to make a real impact now and she knew that she would feel the effects of this spanking for some time. An agonized moan emanated from somewhere deep inside her and frantic apologies began to spill from her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she cried out. “I’m truly sorry. Please stop.”
“Hush.” Allik’s deep, calming voice soothed her. “You’re doing well, Victoria.”
Hearing her name on his lips at such a moment did funny things to her insides. Her heart pattered rapidly and her pussy clenched involuntarily. To her horror, she felt a new kind of warmth spreading through her and she realized she was becoming aroused. Was it really possible that her desire had been ignited by being thrown across a man’s lap and spanked like a recalcitrant child?
As Allik’s hand fell once more, Victoria cried out in a confusion of pain and burgeoning pleasure. She bit down on her bottom lip as the spanking intensified with each strike of his palm landing on a different part of her now throbbing derriere. She whimpered and moaned.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Please, I’ve had enough.”
“You do not get to decide when the punishment ends,” Allik said sternly.
Three more strokes fell across her bottom and Victoria felt the sting radiating out from the point of impact as a deep burn. Pushing even further up onto her toes, she clenched her buttocks.
“Relax your bottom,” Allik instructed in a tone that demanded obedience yet was infused with compassion. “This will be the last one.”
Taking a deep breath as she tried to get her tears under control, Victoria loosened her muscles. Almost immediately, a hard smack struck the fullest part of her bottom, propelling her forward across Allik’s lap. Had he not steadied her with a hand on the shoulder, she was sure she would have fallen, face first, onto the floor. As the combination of dull pain and sharp humiliation threatened to overwhelm her, she opened her mouth to cry out. The only noise that came was a small, strangled squeak of anguish that she knew must sound pathetic.
Tears streamed down her pale cheeks and she began to tremble. To her surprise, Allik scooped her up into his arms and held her close. Crying in earnest, she burrowed her face into his neck as he made sounds that might have been words. Her mind was too fogged for her to make sense of what he was saying.
As he got to his feet, keeping her wrapped tight within his arms, Victoria looked around through eyes blurred with tears and realized that the other Taar-Breckian warriors had dispersed. In fact, they seemed to have disappeared completely. She was grateful that they hadn’t lingered. The way she now clung so desperately to Allik’s neck was humiliating. Considering the punishment he had just meted out, she should want to be as far from him as possible.
Yet, somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to let go. For reasons she couldn’t understand, she wasn’t annoyed with him for spanking her. If anything, she was angry with herself for letting Allik down and she found that perplexing. How could she care so much about upsetting a man she’d only just met? A man who, to all intents and purposes, had kidnapped her. If she was going to have a chance to escape from this situation, she was going to have to get a grip.
She said nothing as Allik carried her along several plainly decorated corridors and down a flight of stairs. Her bottom smarted but really it was her pride that had received the deeper wounds.
When Allik came to a stop in a wide hallway, she struggled to be freed from his arms. To her surprise, he set her down carefully and without comment. As he moved, Victoria was sure she saw a grimace pass across his face as though he was in pain. Realizing he would not respond well to being questioned about it, she stood next to him and watched as he pressed his thumb against a scanner. A door slid open and he gestured for her to go through.
Victoria stepped into a sparsely furnished room. A cushioned bench ran along the length of the back wall and there was a low table in the corner. There were two doors, leading to other rooms. This was, she surmised, some sort of living space. As he looked around, she was aware of Allik’s presence close behind. She turned to face him and waited for him to speak.
For several minutes, he said nothing but just stood there, his eyes raking over her. She had no idea what he was looking for but his quiet appraisal made Victoria self-conscious to the point where her face reddened and she felt compelled to break the silence.
“This is my room?” she asked.
Allik shook his head. “These are my quarters.”
Victoria felt a tremor of uncertainty deep inside at the realization she was in his private space. Suddenly he seemed even larger, more intimidating and she wondered what his intentions for her might be.
“And I’m going to stay here too?” She sought clarification.
“Yes,” Allik replied. “You will be safe here.” He paused as though trying to decide what else to say before adding, “You will make yourself comfortable.”
If that was what passed for hospitality around here, she supposed she would have to just make do with his rather curt instruction.
“Okay,” she said, her tone cautious.
“Good. Someone will attend to you shortly.” He turned to leave.
“Wait!” Victoria called out and he looked back at her. “You’re not staying with me?”
“No.” The surprise that she had asked was evident in his raised eyebrows. “I have work to do. I must report to my superiors.”
“Oh, I see.” Victoria felt deflated and then, anger surged inside her. He couldn’t just bring her here and then abandon her. She folded her arms across her chest. “And when will you be back?”
“As soon as I am able.”
With those words, he promptly left, closing the door behind him. Victoria felt unexpectedly bereft at his departure. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now. Throwing her hands up in the air, she mumbled a curse and decided to explore her surroundings.