Fated Mate Conquered - Luna Voss Page 0,59

past, talking to him like that would have earned me a spanking. Now, I don’t even know what it earns me, or what I want. What I do know is that when Turan used to spank me, it always ended with me feeling closer to him. But being sent to my room and told to stand in the corner makes me feel the opposite.

Turan raises his eyebrows, and I stare back at him defiantly, a growing part of me wanting him to flip me over his knee and put me back in my place the way he used to.

But he doesn’t. He sighs and his shoulders slump, as though he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do.

“We have Rojan’s ceremony tonight, and I expect you to come with me and be on your best behavior to keep up appearances. But until then, you can stay in your room.”

Turan leaves, shutting the door behind him. I punch the bed, not understanding why I feel so unfulfilled.

23

Turan

I feel lost. The way things are with Kora right now feels terrible, and I have no idea what to do about it. The fact that she’s asked me not to spank her makes this so difficult. Ordinarily, the solution to her speaking rudely to Gorrutvia would be simple: she’d get a trip over my knee and a reddened bottom. Then, after I was satisfied with her submission, we would hug, make up, and I would have her apologize. And that would be the end of it.

But now, I don’t have that option. And since she won’t even obey me and stand in the corner, what the hell am I supposed to do? This isn’t how a Voorian relationship is supposed to work. I feel impotent. Disrespected.

I can’t help but feel that there’s something else at play, too. Something else that happened in the time since I stopped putting Kora over my knee. It definitely seems like it happened on the day we captured Rizban from the Tajiki Comet Casino. But I don’t get it. That was a day to celebrate. And now Kora feels so far away.

Composing my face into a mask of stoicism and hiding my inner distress, I go to get Kora from her room.

“It’s time for Rojan’s ceremony. Can you be out in a couple minutes?”

“I’ll be ready,” she calls through the door.

Kora

I sit next to Turan in a crowded room, watching Rojan get made. I’ve witnessed this ceremony once before, and I find it interested. It involves the vostrat in question holding a burning picture of his own likeness in his hand until it turns to ash. I myself did something similar when I first joined the Family. It doesn’t actually get as hot as you might think.

After the ritual, the other Vostra couples and families in the room all start to mill about, offering Turan congratulations and best wishes. I can’t help but notice that the pretty young Voorian woman from lunch keeps hovering around him, vying for his attention. He pays her no mind, and I amuse myself trying to determine whether he’s ignoring her, or oblivious.

Turan is on the other side of the room in conversation with a group of other important-looking vostrata. He glances at me, as if attempting to make eye contact, but by the time I look back, he’s already turned away.

Outside the room we’re in is another patio area lit by candlelight. I peer out the glass door and see that Gorrutvia is out there, seemingly by herself. With a sigh, I get up from my chair and go to join her. I have an apology to make.

“Gorrutvia,” I say, walking out to where she’s standing.

She nods. “Hello, Kora.”

I take a deep breath. “I want to apologize for snapping at you earlier. I was in a bad mood, and you didn’t deserve it. You’ve been a great host. I’m really sorry.”

She smiles kindly, a motherly look in her eyes. “That’s quite all right, dear,” she says. “Lord knows I’ve had my fair share of outbursts that Metturion has had to discipline me for. Think nothing of it. You’re lucky you have a man like Turan who deals with it with a firm hand.”

I shuffle my feet awkwardly, thinking about the unsatisfying corner time I received instead of a real punishment. Gorrutvia continues, her tone sympathetic: “Really, no reason to stress over it. There are no hard feelings from me. If anything, I felt bad about you having to sit through that whole ceremony on