Keeper of the Heart

Chapter 40

Stars, had she really thought this wouldn’t matter? As she followed Falon into the house and up the stairs to their rooms, Shanelle knew damn well it did matter.

He’d said not another word to her. He didn’t even look back to make sure she was following. She was. The thought of trying to run the other way did cross her mind, but she scratched it, not about to make things even worse. Who was she kidding? It couldn’t get any worse.

When he opened the door to their rooms, then stood there waiting for her to enter, she said hesitantly, “Can we talk about this first?”

“No.” And he grabbed her hand and yanked her toward the bedroom.

“Shouldn’t you at least wait until you aren’t so angry?” she asked, desperate now.

“No.”

“Falon!”

No answer at all this time-except the kind she didn’t want. He simply pulled her to the bed, sat on it, and down she went across his thighs.

The first smack was merely a hot sting. Shanelle had time to wonder whether, if she screamed loud enough, he might at least cut her punishment short. Five more whacks and she had no control over her screams. They came without any added help on her part, in full volume, and they made not the least bit of difference to the strength behind each whack or the duration of them he’d already determined. And the damn bracs, so tight across her bottom, seemed to make it hurt even more. They certainly made each strike sound louder.

Shanelle lost count of how many times Falon’s hand descended. But there was no doubt about it. She’d definitely think twice before she ever disobeyed him again. But that was the point of the whole thing, to make sure she didn’t want to disobey him again, for any reason. But what was the most galling, perhaps even the most humiliating, was that when he was done, that beast lay back on the bed and held her in his arms until she stopped crying-and she let him.

It took a good long while, however, because Shanelle made no effort to try and stop the tears. Now that it was over and her backside merely on fire, she hoped like hell Falon was suffering as he’d claimed he would be if he ever had to punish her. And she didn’t give a damn that she’d already figured out that maybe she deserved it. He still hadn’t had to be so damn vigorous in his lesson-giving. She didn’t think she was going to forgive him for that.

When she finally squirmed out of his arms and sat up, it was to wince and lean quickly on one hip. Just great. It was bad enough that the punishment hurt like hell while it was happening, but obviously it was going to hurt like hell for some time to come.

“Shanelle?”

She stiffened, refusing to turn his way. “Don’t talk to me, warrior. Don’t look at me, don’t touch me, don’t talk to me.”

“Perhaps I will not, for I am still too angry with you.”

“Good,” she retorted. But no more than a second passed before she turned and began to shout, “I knew what I was doing out there! My father taught me to use a sword. I disarmed your sister in less than ten seconds!”

His brows drew together to give testimony to the anger that was there. “I care not what level of expertise you have reached, woman. You were forbidden to accept her challenge.”

“She wouldn’t leave me alone, damn it! She was insulting me every time I turned around, and my mother, and I’d heard enough of it. But instead of showing her she’s nothing but hot air, I should have just hauled off and socked her one. Would you like it better if I broke her farden nose?”

“I would like it better was there no reason for you to fight with her at all.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you keep her away from me? Some protection you were offering,” she added bitterly. “I was being harassed and you didn’t do a thing about it!”

He drew in a sharp breath, his complexion lightening a notch. “Was I told this?”

Did he have to look so hurt by her accusation? “All right, so maybe that was unfair. But she’s your sister. You know her better than I, so you should have known she wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“You should have said something, Shanelle. Why did you not?”

“I was supposed to complain, after you asked me to be understanding? You just joined your life to mine, and I’m supposed to start that off by whining about your family? Well, I chose not to. I thought I could take it. And that just goes to show I’ve got a lot less control than you do. She called me a coward once too often, Falon. She slandered my mother once too often. But if you want to know what really set me off, I saw for the first time how she treats Drevan, and it made me sick to think he’s lived with that all his life.”

“I had already spoken with Deamon, Shanelle. He is taking Aurelet to live with his own family. Drevan will stay here.”

Her eyes flared wide. “Why couldn’t you have told me that sooner?”

“Perhaps I should have.”

“There is no perhaps about it. I could have withstood anything she dished out if I’d known it would be ending soon. That’s the only reason I accepted her challenge, to get it to end. It’s your fault, Falon!”

“Woman, I did not place that sword in your hand. Nor did I send you out there to risk your life.”

“You might as well have, when you could have prevented it with a few words,” she said stubbornly, then wished to Stars she hadn’t.

He grabbed her to him and shook her, then set her straight down on her inflamed bottom and shook her again. “I did prevent it, by forbidding it! Such was all that should have been necessary to keep you out of danger. You willfully disobeyed me, woman. If this is not clear to you, then perhaps I did not punish you enough!”

She paled even as she shouted, “The hell you didn’t! I already need a meditech.”

“Which you will not have the use of. The effects of your punishment are to remain with you until they are eased naturally, thus will you better remember to avoid such punishment in future.”

“How clever of you,” she sneered sarcastically. “I was sure to forget otherwise.”

“Woman-”

“Oh, leave me alone, Falon. Just go away and leave me to suffer in peace.”

She rolled over and curled into a ball on her side of the bed, giving him her back. She waited to feel his weight leave the bed, but he didn’t move. She waited to hear some sound from him, but there was none for a long while. Then there was a sigh.

“I do not care to leave you with these angry words between us, Shanelle. I hated causing you hurt-”

“You could have fooled me.”

“-but I hated more the thought of losing you because of your foolishness. You knew you would be punished for what you did. You had been fairly warned never to place yourself in danger, or such would be the result. So do not resent me now that you have reaped that result. It is done. Now do we go on as before.”

Wanna bet? she said, but as usual, only to herself.