She sniveled and crushed her legs together, trying to ignore the unwanted sensation. As he admonished her in his unwavering and direct manner, she fought with the realization he’d awakened something inside her that she’d kept buried—an attraction to dominant men. She cringed, wishing he’d behaved meanly or obnoxiously, so she could justify hating him. However, there was little point in hoping for a more meaningful relationship with the marshal, especially since she was going to be locked in a tedious cell while he roamed the ship.
The smacks had slowed, lessened in intensity, but given how sore her ass was, the easing off made little difference to the smarting. Jade couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that kind of scorching pain anywhere in her body. Mason rested his hand and soothed her with sweeping strokes that circled her buttocks. Helping her up, he perched her on his lap. She blubbered like a child, her snotty nose irritating her because she wanted to wipe it and it shamed her to think she might look pathetic. Blinking, a splash of wetness hit her cheeks. Too late. She was fighting a losing battle—she had not a jot of grace left, none at all.
Mason sighed when he spied her tears on her cheekbones and wiped them away with his thumbs. “You’re not that old, are you? I guess you passed into womanhood recently?”
She nodded, hating her appearance—she wasn’t that young, she’d been a student for several years, but somehow, she’d held onto that girlish look, never quite grasping the maturity of a woman. It was misleading, because in her heart, and when she compared herself to her friends, she was years ahead of them in confidence and independence. Or so she thought, because Mason possessed a much greater authority on the subject of independence than her and he swiftly reminded her of that as he spoke.
“And here you are
, on your own, navigating the wildest part of our galaxy. Speaking as someone older than you, I don’t think it’s wise, do you, being on your own and so inexperienced?”
She answered with a shake of her head. Wisdom came with age—she agreed with him on that point, but she really didn’t want his observation to be true.
“I’m going to take you to your ship.”
She lifted her head, her eyes widening with disbelief—he’d changed his mind!
“To collect your personal belongings for your stay in the cell,” he continued. “First, let’s get you dressed. We can pick up your clothes on the way.”
She slouched her shoulders, disappointed that she’d failed to dent his armor. He wasn’t going to let her go that easily. Jade said nothing and her muteness was an unfamiliar response. She’d temporarily lost the ability to answer him back. It seemed spanking her had had an impact on her demeanor. The realization somewhat surprised her. What else was Mason capable of doing to her?
* * *
Having collected her clothes from the medical bay, Mason escorted Jade to her docked ship and supervised her as she retrieved more clothing and a few personal effects, including a cube that projected images onto a wall for viewing. If it kept her occupied, he didn’t mind.
The cell had originally belonged to a junior officer. The ex-troop ship had a handful of private quarters for the officers, whereas the soldiers had bunked in a compact dormitory that now formed the stasis chamber.
Jade trudged through the door and stared in bewilderment at the cot and tiny adjoining bathroom. Mason made no apology for the lack of space and the uninspiring plain furniture. However, there was a small window and it afforded Jade a view of the distant planet of Kalamar, her original destination.
“I’ll bring you food and once a day you can take a run around the cargo bay. It’s largely empty since I don’t need much in the way of supplies. Just me and my frozen fugitives.” He grinned, but lightening the tone of the conversation had no impact on Jade’s situation. Frozen or not, she was about to be locked in a cell.
She dropped down onto the cot with a forlorn expression, then jumped back up when the hard surface made contact with her bottom. She winced and rubbed her behind.
Such a great pity she’d chosen to take advantage of the gravity failure to escape and ruin the trust he thought they’d brokered. However, he’d forgiven her the inconvenience of the futile escapade, because once she’d gotten into the job of fixing the problem, she’d forgotten her nudity and seemed to enjoy the task, humming to herself as she worked. He doubted she’d admit to the observation. As for Mason, he’d not taken his eyes off her shapely legs and flowing hair.
His erection was something he’d swiftly had to dampen down when he’d tossed her over his lap to complete her punishment.
It had given him no pleasure to punish her with another spanking, which followed swiftly on from the first one. Her tanned ass would take a while to cool down. What he had taken delight in seeing was her neat form laid out across his lap. She possessed the attributes of a dancer or athlete with lithe muscles, tight waistline, and curvaceous hips. He’d gritted his teeth in a determined manner—he’d let his professionalism slip during the cavity search. It wouldn’t happen again.
Having deposited her in the cell, and with nothing else to say other than to remind her that the intercom would call him to the cell if she needed anything of importance, he locked the door with his thumbprint.
Mason lay on his bed and imagined Jade wasn’t his prisoner. It wasn’t helpful. Back on his icy planet, if he hadn’t joined up and become a marshal, he would have followed the practices of his Stratum and be married by now. His slave-wife would have been chosen from his Stratum, whose women were meek and tirelessly obedient and complemented his own innate dominance.
This very Stratum system was what the Novador Federation wanted to impose across its domain in the hope of bringing order and a steady stream of new recruits to its armies. Kalamar, the first planet chosen, had refused to indoctrinate its people into the system and the result had been trade embargoes that had cut the planet off from the rest of the Federation, forcing it into a state of emergency.
Jade believed she was helping the stricken planet, whereas Mason knew her actions only prolonged their inevitable defeat. The Stratum system for all its faults was the best solution to the deterioration of law and order. His Stratum, whose males were all high-functioning alphas, had filled many leadership roles in the Federation. It was his choice to enroll as a space marshal and be part of a team who’d spread themselves across the Federation, bringing dangerous criminals to the justice courts. Jade’s comment about bounty hunters especially riled him. Only the best alphas made it into the ranks of marshals. Bounty hunters were usually disgraced enforcers or mercenaries.
Sleep escaped him. He sat at his desk and monitored the communication traffic coming in from his informants and fellow marshals. A brief message caught his eye and he read it through twice.
Callo sighted leaving Kalamar. Traveling alone. Expected to arrive at SP Gamma in two days.
Mason rubbed his hands together. Callo was one of his top three fugitives. Rumor had it that he planned to visit the spaceport to see his lover and therefore traveled alone to lessen his chances of being caught. However, Mason’s informant knew the ruse and Callo had been recognized leaving Kalamar in a stolen shuttlecraft.
Without knowledge of the precise route, Mason would have to weave back and forth between the planet and the spaceport until he intercepted the fugitive. With luck, in a couple of days, the scumbag would be frozen in stasis.
The screen flickered, the lights dimming a fraction. Another key system was on the verge of failing. Mason cursed and thumped the console. It was the last thing he needed.
Chapter Four