Katie let out a squeal as he pulled her up from the table, and carried her off toward the bedroom, leaving the fibrous plants behind. She allowed herself the luxury of snuggling into his muscular body, feeling the power of the king wrapped around her until they reached the privacy of his bedchamber.
He placed her down on the bed gently and sat down beside her, beginning to disrobe her.
“No,” she said. “Please. I don’t want you to see me.”
“Why? You’ve never been shy.”
“I used to be pretty,” she said. “I’m not anymore. Those bumps on my shoulders are getting bigger and weirder. I’m like a hunchback. I’m ugly. Like some kind of… monster.”
He swept her up in his arms again and held her close. “You are not ugly. You’re just not finished changing yet. When you are finished with this metamorphosis, you will be more beautiful than ever. Believe me when I tell you that, Katie. Even now, you are still my most precious pet. Every morning I wake up to your face, and every morning I feel something I have not felt before even as king. You make me stronger. You make me happier. You are my lover. You are my pet. You are going to be the mother of my babies. And you are going to be brought before the public to be punished for your crimes.”
“Wait… what?”
“There is one matter still very much unattended to. One matter you seem to have forgotten.
“What is that?”
“Your one-woman crime spree in my capital city. You will be punished for that, pet. Publicly.”
“How publicly?”
“You will atone before the merchants and the guards and soldiers you led on such a merry chase. Several hundred at least.”
“Several… hundred.”
“Yes.”
She swallowed. “Is there not some other way we can…”
Dominax was shaking his head. “No, pet. I do not want you thinking that you got away with your escapades. You are badly disciplined enough as it is. I want to show you, and the merchants and law guardians, that nobody is above the king’s law.”
“When?”
“No time like the present.”
“No,” she said. “Not now. Not yet.”
“Now,” he said. “Right now.”
“But you were just comforting me because I was sad… can’t you wait to ruin a better mood?”
“The way your emotions shift and boil, my human, there would never be a moment to punish you. The time has come. It has been long enough. All is in readiness, both the audience, and the means of your punishment.”
“What do you mean, the means of my punishment?”
Dominax produced something from behind his back, something long and thin and hard. Something Katie had never actually seen in person before, but knew precisely what it was anyway.
“Is that a fucking cane!?”
“Yes. I found it while researching suitable punishments for humans. I think this will teach you the lesson you have been refusing to learn for months.”
She didn't know what to say. But it didn’t matter. Nobody cared what she had to say. The time for being able to say something and make a difference was over. Probably.
Katie wracked her brains as Dominax led her toward what felt like the end of everything. The throne room was only a few yards away and she couldn’t think of anything.
“Sorry?”
Dominax stopped and looked at her. “Is that an apology, or a guess?”
“Uh….”
That was not the correct answer to his question, and it resulted in Katie being pulled, naked as usual, into the verge of the throne room. There were thick curtains on either side of the throne, sort of like a stage. She peeked out from behind them while Dominax consulted with a servant.
The room was full of Homelanders in fancy clothes. They were staring toward the dais where the winged throne sat, with the hushed awe of people attending the opera. Katie swallowed and looked at Dominax, knowing full well that they were not there to see the fat lady sing. They were there to see her get spanked and cry.
Jesus, she had butt sweats just thinking about it. How the hell had she gotten herself into this much trouble? And why hadn’t she been able to talk her way out of it?
“Umm, Dominax, sire…”
“Yes, pet?”
“I know I fucked up. I do. I know. I mean I… anyway. But please. Don’t do this. Especially don’t do this in front of them. Please.”
“They need to see that you have been punished. If you can make an apology to them which satisfies them, you will find your punishment much less severe.”
“Okay. Okay. I will say sorry.”
Dominax nodded and pulled her out before the throne. With her hand firmly in his hand, there was no more escape. There was only being displayed nakedly before the assembled merchants.
She felt her face flush with embarrassment and more than a little fear as dozens upon dozens of dark eyes fell upon her, searching the nakedness of her form with interest. She felt her wing buds twitch awkwardly, and wished with all her might that Dominax would spare her this humiliation.