Page 274 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

Chapter Four

At some point, her mind gave up on reliving history and let her fall into an uncomfortable sleep. It didn’t last long and when the temperature dropped in the darkness it woke her. She sat up with a wince. Everything felt sore and achy when she moved, probably from the cold, though sleeping on the hard ground hadn’t helped.

The insect song and mating calls around her stilled as soon as she moved, and for a whole minute there was absolute silence. By the time the first tentative chirps began again, she was convinced that whoever had been chasing her was gone, which meant she could move.

As much as she would have preferred to sleep, she badly wanted to find a shelter where she could risk a small fire to keep her warm. A vague memory of the colony’s maps indicated a rock face riddled with caves not far away and that was her goal. Of course, she wasn’t stupid enough to think she would be the only exile to go there, but she’d figure that out when she found it.

She knew her survival was going to depend on finding other people to band with. She just needed to make sure they were safe to trust. She’d heard stories about how the outcasts treated each other, but what were her alternatives?

She hefted her pack onto her shoulders and started to walk. At least moving would keep her warm and if she couldn’t find the caves, she’d keep going until morning and then sleep during the day. Her people saw pretty well in the dark, but the light of the moons overhead was a big help.

After a couple of hours trudging along, she was half-asleep on her feet and stumbling over everything in her path. The rock came out of nowhere and she didn’t see it in time. She cried out as she tripped and hit the ground face first. It knocked the wind out of her and for several minutes she just lay there fighting the urge to cry as she struggled to breathe.

By the time she was ready to try getting up, it was too late. She hadn’t lost her follower after all and her startled shout had told him exactly where she was. She saw him burst from the underbrush and scrambled to her knees.

“Don’t move,” he said. His voice was rough and sounded rusty from lack of use. He stood in the shadows and she couldn’t make out his face, but he was tall and sturdy, towering over her in an ominous threat.

“W-what do you want?” she asked. She wrapped her arms around herself to make the shaking less noticeable.

“You’re a new exile.” It wasn’t a question, he knew.

She wasn’t sure how it was so obvious, but she didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes. They kicked me out because—”

He cut her off with a sharp gesture. “Save it. I’m not interested.” And then he was reaching down and hauling her to her feet with a harsh yank that made her stumble against him.

She put up her hands as she fell into him and they ended up trapped between their bodies, pressing against his chest. Her eyes widened as she felt the rock-hard muscle under his clothing. That much strength should have been frightening with her so vulnerable, instead she was oddly intrigued. It took an effort to force her hands to drop, and then she took a step back.

She knew he wasn’t going to let her go, but some part of her thought if she pretended, then he might go along with it. “Thanks. Well, I better be going,” she said as she turned away. Her intention was to put a little distance between them and then take off running before he caught on. She didn’t get more than two steps before he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to a stop.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.

“I-I have to keep moving if I’m going to stay warm, but thanks for helping me up. I’m fine now,” she said, putting some firmness into her tone.

He stared at her like she was crazy and then shook his head laughing. “You’re not going anywhere girl, I’m claiming you. Besides, it’s no good you being out here alone. You won’t last the night before something makes a snack out of you.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by claiming, and she didn’t intend to find out. “I’ll be fine, thanks, but I appreciate your concern.” She made a real effort to keep the sarcasm out of her tone and mostly managed, though the way his eyebrow rose suggested at least a little had slipped in.

His grip on her arm tightened painfully. “Girl, things are different out here. We don’t follow those polite colony rules, and you better learn fast or you’ll regret it.” It was a clear warning.

She probably would regret it, but she hadn’t broken free of one confining situation just to get herself trapped in another one. She stuck out her chin stubbornly. “My name isn’t girl. It’s Mara, thanks, and I’d really like it if you let go of my arm. I have friends waiting for me and they’ll come looking if I don’t catch up.” The last was pure bluff of course, but it was worth a try.

“Your name is what I say it is, girl, and I’d be happy to let go of you, but then I’d have to tear your ass up when you took off. Now, is that really how you want our relationship to start? With me whupping your ass for not listening?” His eyes narrowed and he gave her a shake.

She barely noticed it because she was stuck on what he’d said. No one had ever hit her, not even as a child. Even her playmates knew better than to do anything that could be considered violent. The punishments were too severe. That was why she’d been so shocked when she’d fought her advocate off and accidentally hit her in the face.

Now this man was just casually threatening to beat her and for the first time she realized how much trouble she was in. “You—you wouldn’t do that,” she said. Her voice was empty of any confidence.

“Try me,” he said, with a snort. “This isn’t the colony. Life is dangerous out here, and people who don’t listen die. Trust me, there’s a lot you don’t understand yet. I don’t want to be chasing all over saving you, so I’m going to make it plain. Listening?”

She nodded slowly; mouth closed tight to avoid saying something she’d regret.

“Good. You obey me and we’ll get along fine. If you don’t, I’ll strip you down to the fur, bend you over my lap, and blister your ass until you can’t sit down. I tell you to jump, you jump. I tell you to stay still and you freeze like you’re made of ice. We clear on that, Mara?” He put just enough emphasis in her name to make it obvious he was mocking her.

She swallowed hard and nodded, but this time it wasn’t good enough.

“Say it out loud,” he snapped.

“I—I’ll obey you.”

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