Chapter Twenty-nine

“Are you comfortable, mistress?”

“Sitting in water? Getting wet? Am I supposed to be comfortable?”

The sarcasm was unmistakable, but it didn’t bring the miserable expression to Jalla’s face. That had been there since the girl arrived with more food, and stayed to draw Tedra’s bath and urge her into it.

“A bath is said to be soothing after certain punishments,” Jalla offered.

That brought a rigid frown from Tedra. “Does everyone know I was punished?”

She realized that was a stupid question when she recalled how loudly she had screamed with frustration during the worst of it. But Jalla nodded anyway, and that made Tedra glower even more.

“That’s just great, just what I needed to know, that I’m more humiliated than I realized. And you’re no help, Jalla, so why don’t you absent yourself? You’re good at doing that, aren’t you?”

The miserable expression got worse, causing Jalla to drop some genuine tears. “I know it was my fault, mistress. You may punish me if you wish.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tedra snapped, further annoyed that she’d been taking her anger out on the girl. “My actions are my own responsibility. If I didn’t venture out yesterday, I’d have done it sooner or later. So stop giving me that hangdog look. It doesn’t help to know you feel guilty. But why did you take off yesterday? Were you afraid you’d lose your dinner, too?”

“Lowden Ly-San-Ter would not have been as lenient as the shodan if the matter were brought to his attention. For no less than seven risings, I would have been assigned the chores I most dislike the doing of.”

“Is that all?”

“You scoff, mistress, but it is no pleasure being driven from your bed in the middle of the darkness to bake the bread for the first meal. Before the sun rising you have wilted from the heat of the great ovens, and your arms feel as if they will fall off, they are so sore from so much grinding and kneading. There are Darasha with thick muscles who love the baking of bread. To them go chores they do not love when punishment comes to them. Master Lowden is wise in knowing what chores are most hated and by whom.”

Tedra could only shake her head. Barbarian reasoning was so fascinating. Trust them to find such harmless yet despised means for discipline.

She could not help grinning as a sudden thought hit her. “What happens if there’s a chore everyone hates doing? Does it ever get done?”

“There are many Darasha in the castle, mistress, as well as many women under protection of the shodan. Thus is there always someone or other in need of punishment.”

“Almost guaranteeing that the one thing barbarians won’t want to trade for is robocleaners.” And that idea made Tedra laugh out loud.

Which was how Challen found her when he entered the room. This was not exactly what he had been expecting, but he got the expected the moment she noticed him. Her humor vanished instantly, and worse, she turned her back on him without the slightest acknowledgment of his presence.

Challen found himself at a sudden loss. He had been prepared to deal with the angry words the computer had promised would be his, not the damning silence it had also predicted. That silence sat on his shoulders, pushing them down in defeat as it continued.

He dismissed Jalla with a nod, but he made no move toward the bath once the girl was gone. Watching Tedra was out of the question. He was fully prepared to see to any remaining need she might have, now that the double dose of dhaya juice had finally worn off. But her need must also be gone, and gaali stones could lose their light before he would force his own need on the woman, with her feelings for him so altered.

Tedra remained in the water, but certainly not because she liked it. It was more that the punishment denying her the use of clothing or even a covering made the bath slightly preferable just then to getting out of it. Or would the barbarian consider the water a covering? Ha! Just let him say so and she’d have an excuse never to get disgustingly wet again.

She had known Challen would show up eventually, and she’d been so afraid he would come before her body was hers again to command. She had thought he would want to take advantage of that, but he’d surprised her. Whether intentionally or not, he’d given her enough time to return to her normal inclinations and urges, instead of those he’d created. Her need for a man was gone. What she hadn’t counted on was its coming right back at the first sight of him. But it was controllable. It had farden well better be controllable.

“Do you intend to spend the whole darkness at your bath, kerima ?”

The question drew her attention no more than to say, “I was considering it.”

There was a silence while she sensed him moving across the room to the table where food and wine awaited him. “I know you dislike the water. Come out.”

“Is that an order, master? If it is, I will certainly obey it. If not…”

She deliberately scooped up two handfuls of water and only cringed a little as the slippery stuff poured over her breasts. But one scoop was enough to get her point across-if he was watching. She wasn’t going to look to find out.

“It was no order, woman. You may do as you please.”

“Well, aren’t we accommodating tonight,” she replied dryly. “In that case, I’ll get out. I’m not one for making subtle statements anyway, or spiting myself to make them. I much prefer spelling things right out.”

“You are welcome to do so.”

That got her attention, swinging her around so fast, a wave of water hit the side of the sunken tub to splash back at her. “And get myself punished again if I do? No, thank you.”

She watched him warily as he came forward then, but it was only to pick up one of the waiting drying cloths to hand to her. She took it as she stepped out of the tub, damning the fact that she wouldn’t be able to keep the cloth once she was dry. Prancing around naked in front of the barbarian was not her idea of fun, Kystran-style fun, anyway. Now, if it would get him wanting some Sha-ka’ani fun, that’d be another story, worth a little revenge when he found out she didn’t want the same anymore. But he’d proved beyond a doubt last night that her nakedness didn’t affect him. All it was doing was giving her further punishment by the means of embarrassment.

That embarrassment was extreme just now, with Challen simply standing there watching her. And the way he watched her, with an alertness that seemed anticipatory, as if he were waiting for something in particular to happen.

That annoyed the hell out of her. He’d as much as said she could be frank, but she wasn’t buying that. Her frankness would sear his ears off, and she wasn’t forgetting for a minute what such disrespect to warriors would get her. His offer had to be a trap, and that suggested that he’d had such a good time punishing her last night, he was now going to hunt for excuses so he could do it again.

She wouldn’t help him toward that end. She’d keep a lid on her temper if it killed her. But it made her absolutely furious that she had to, enough to throw the drying cloth down before she was completely dry. She walked away, heading toward the closet, refusing to remain in the same room with him unless he ordered her to.

His voice came before she was halfway there. “You will join me for the meal.”

Thank Heaven’s Stars she could say to that, “I’ve already eaten.”

“Then you will sit with me while I do.”

She turned, forcing mere inquiry in her expression. “Is that an order, master?”

His jaw clenched, hearing her call him that again. “It is a request.”

“Then I decline.”

“Then it becomes an order,” he gritted out.

“Then certainly I will obey.”

No matter how sweetly agreeable she sounded, her movements told another story. Stiff and stomping, she stalked to the table. Challen got there first, swinging her around to face him.