Fated Mate Conquered - Luna Voss Page 0,60

a sore bottom. I hope it wasn’t too uncomfortable?”

“Actually…” I don’t know why I’m confiding in Gorrutvia, but for some reason I find myself wanting to share with her the way I’m feeling. I guess I just need to talk to someone, and she seems like she might understand.

“Turan doesn’t spank me,” I admit, my cheeks growing slightly warm. “He just puts me in the corner as punishment.”

Gorrutvia’s jaw drops, and she looks at me with dismay. “Oh, you poor, dear child… I’m so sorry. That isn’t how a man should discipline his mate. A punishment should get its point across, and then end. It can involve pain, it can involve tears, but then it should be over, and everything forgiven. A punishment should bring you and your mate closer together. I can’t imagine what things would have been like between Metturion and me if all he ever did was put me in the corner when I needed discipline.”

I feel the need to defend my mate and explain the situation. “I… I asked him not to spank me anymore,” I admit. “It wasn’t his decision, it was mine.”

Now she looks at me with confusion. “And why would you do a silly thing like that?”

My shoulders slump. “I don’t know. We’re still newly-mated. I didn’t even know he was my Fated Mate until the night he claimed me. I’m still getting used to all of this.”

She bites her lip. “Well, it speaks well of Turan that he was so willing to respect your decision in this area… But Kora, you need to look inside and ask yourself if this is really what you want. The life of the Vostra can be hard, and not just for the men. Much is asked of you as a woman in this life. Surrendering to your Fated Mate makes it easier. There are some burdens you don’t have to bear all by yourself.”

I look back at her, feeling conflicted. “I want to let go like you’re saying. But I don’t know how.”

“It requires trust,” Gorrutvia tells me firmly. “Trust that your mate can be strong, and that he knows what’s best. Trust that he cares about you, and won’t cause you harm.”

“And trust that he respects you?” I offer.

She smiles. “Certainly. The core at the center of every relationship is respect.”

We both go quiet, and the silence that lingers between us is surprisingly comfortable. I find myself feeling a lot of affection for Gorrutvia. Not only is she a sweet lady, but it turns out she has a lot of wisdom to share. And just talking about this to someone means the world to me right now.

The hard part is going to be talking to Turan.

24

Kora

I don’t get a chance to talk to Turan that night. Or maybe I just can’t pluck up the nerve. In either case, we go to bed in separate rooms. I look for him the next day, but everyone I ask just says he’s busy doing something with Metturion. Great.

It isn’t until after dinner that I see him in one of the common rooms, deep in conversation with an older vostrat who I don’t recognize. I go up to him, gathering my confidence.

“Turan?” I say shyly, interrupting their conversation. “Can I talk to you?”

He barely glances at me. “Later, Kora.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. I’m trying to save our relationship, dammit. “Turan, it’s important to me.”

“And I said later.”

Several people around us look up as I stamp my foot. “Dammit, can you please take me seriously for once?”

Turan and the man he’s talking to share a look. “Sorry,” he says, “I’m going to need to deal with this.”

The other man nods. “That’s quite all right.”

Turan gets up and takes me by the wrist. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” he says under his breath as he leads me down the hallway to a private room. “Your behavior lately has been completely inappropriate.”

We enter one of the guest rooms, and he closes the door behind us. “What do you have to say for yourself?” he asks me, looking somewhere between angry and defeated. “Kora, I don’t know how to deal with this. I wish so badly I could put you over my knee.”

“Maybe you should,” I mutter, not looking at him.

He freezes. “What?”

I take a deep breath. “Turan, we need to talk. I don’t want to go on like this. I don’t want this to be the way things are between us.”

He’s silent for a long