Hi, sorry for the longer than usual wait. This wasn't the kind of chapter I could write at work so it took a little longer.
Welcome to all the new readers and thanks, as always, for all the reviews. I'm very happy with how the story is being received.
Here we have some head games and it took up more page space than I had intended but I hope you enjoy it.
Oh, it's 1am here so please forgive any typo's.
Scenes of corporal punishment.
Lil'D x
xxxxx
Emma looked to Red but didn't speak. The wolf was pinned under her, both women breathing heavily. Red held still, the slave's hand around her throat and she let out another, totally involuntary whimper, the wolf's body betraying her, it had learned that such actions were usually, eventually, followed by great pleasure, once her queen had worked off the day's stresses.
At the sound Emma realised what she was doing and regained some control of her body and emotions and released her grip, sitting back on her heels but not moving off her opponent.
"We need to go," Red's words cut through her daze and Emma stood and nodded, the wolf eyed her warily now she knew what the slave was capable of. A cautious exploration of her nose showed her it wasn't broken from the blonde's head-butt, it was just sore. Hopefully, she had some of the queen's salve left in her rooms otherwise it was going to hurt for a couple of days, even with her accelerated healing.
Emma was still caught in a strange place, mentally. She felt herself slipping between personas and she knew it wasn't safe for her to be doing that. Her tussle with Red had awakened her dominant nature along with her aggression. Normally, in her old life she reminded herself, she would be able to work it off at work, home or as a last resort the gym, but here -. Here, she was expected to go to the queen and submit, fully, no half measures as the queen would know.
She was also feeling the burn between her legs, it always accompanied her darker urges and it was not used to having no outlet. She had no idea how she was going to get through the next session with the queen without angering her.
"Hurry!" The wolf urged, not wanting to incur the wrath of the queen. She was also still shaken from her encounter with the blonde and had no idea how her mistress was going to react to her failure. Emma and Red walked swiftly through the corridors, both on edge from the fight, both wondering what their mistress had planned for them.
Regina waited patiently and then with growing ire as her pets took longer to arrive than they should. Her mind wandered to what could be keeping them and she didn't like where her thoughts were going. Reaching out with her magic she felt for her wolf, the link not defined but she could sense her pet's emotions and general state of mind. She was upset, aroused and confused. Regina knew exactly why and her brow creased in a frown. An upset wolf was never a good thing.
Red reached the doors a second or two before the blonde and paused, waiting for her to catch up to open it. They hadn't spoken since they had left the training room and there was an unresolved tension in the air. Emma avoided looking at the wolf as she waited for the door to open, she had enough going on in her own head without needing to deal with whatever Red had going on as well.
Regina knew her pets were outside and got tired of waiting, opening the doors rapidly, sending them crashing against the wall for effect, startling her loitering slaves.
"When I say now, I mean Now!" She hissed at them, her magic wrapping them in invisible bonds and pulling them inside, the door closing with a bang behind them. The second they felt the magic leave them they both dropped to their knees.
Regina was really annoyed now, they had totally quenched the arousal she had from watching them fight and she had to get it back, somehow.
Emma was still fighting herself, keeping her eyes down, away from the queen's, still very conscious of what her mistress would see there. Red knew her queen was disappointed and was afraid of what form her punishment would take.
"Pet, look at me," Regina sensed the blonde's tension. Emma slowly raised her head and locked eyes with the queen, she knew she was still an open book. Regina had not seen the look in the blonde's eyes before, this was not her subservient slave, the one who had served her effortlessly since she had been collared. No, this was someone else entirely. She had seen this happen with Red, back when she was first claimed by the queen, sometimes there were things that set her off, regressed her training but they were things connected to her past, before she came to live at the palace. Regina now knew her triggers but it seemed her new pet had a dark past too, the look in her eyes when Red had her pinned against the wall told her a lot, this told her more.
She turned to her wolf.
"Red?" The brunette looked up, she was easy to read. "You lost a fight," Red's shoulder's sagged. "You've never lost, to anyone," she purred, "but me."
"No, Mistress," Red murmured, dropping her eyes in shame. Emma knelt next to the wolf but couldn't find it in herself to feel bad for her companion.
"You had her at your mercy but you underestimated her, my wolf. With your speed and strength it should have been an easy win, but you failed and she beat you," Regina wasn't mocking, just making sure her wolf was fully aware of her error.
"I'm sorry, Mistress. It won't happen again." Red apologised, hanging her head.
"I know," Regina reached down and gently placed two fingers under the brunette's chin, lifting her head back up. "You rarely disappoint, dear." Red felt herself relax but she was still upset with herself.
"Pet." Emma jerked to attention. "Stand up." The blonde raised to her feet. "You did well." Regina pulled her slave closer by her collar, so close their lips almost touched. Emma felt her heart race increase to a rapid staccato and her breath began to come in short pants. Regina smiled before pushing her away, the blonde staggering back. The queen smirking and Emma felt a spark of anger toward her mistress, how dare she tease her? Regina narrowed her eyes, matching the blonde's glare that she was being subjected to.
"I have a solution to your predicament," the queen murmured, stepping back into Emma's personal space, their breasts almost touching. The blonde frowned, wondering what the queen knew of her little problem. "Red, strip." the wolf looked up at her mistress but didn't hesitate or question her, just quickly divested with practised ease.
When she was naked Red waited for her mistresses next command.
"Pet," Emma hadn't taken her eyes off her queen. "Look, she's beautiful, isn't she?" The blonde let her eyes rove over the wolf's lithe form. "Come," the queen reached out and took the blonde's hand, leading her in a circle around Red. She was a lot more muscular than she looked clothed but not unfemininely so but Emma couldn't withhold her gasp when she saw the wolf's strong back, covered in a tattoo similar to her own. With a difference. The queen's insignia, the apple tree, was in the same style and approximately the same size but the branches formed the silhouette of a wolf's head in their centre, it looked as though it was howling at an invisible moon.
"She is," Emma responded to the queen's question, her eyes still lingering on Red's tattoo.
"It started off just like yours," the queen explained, gesturing to the wolf's back. "It adapts to it's host." She smiled at the frown that followed. "I'm extremely curious to see how yours turns out."
"Yes, Mistress," Emma ducked her head in acknowledgement, a little overwhelmed by the revelation and still not comfortable with being marked without her consent.
"Red's was expected but sometimes they do surprise me," Regina informed her slave who's curiosity was not overcoming her previous mood. The set of her mouth was giving her away, a harder line than usual, the blonde generally proving to be in fair humour. Regina came to stand behind her pet, body pressing against hers, arms snaking around to cup her breasts. Emma inhaled sharply at the queen's actions, Red heard the noise but they were behind her and she knew better than to turn around.
"I know what you need," the queen purred and Emma frowned, doubting she did but not willing to cross her mistress and disagree. "I can see it in your eyes," she whispered, sharp teeth finding a sensitive lobe and biting down, hard. Emma tensed and forced herself to stay still, rigid but still obedient, every instinct she had screaming at her to turn and take her frustrations out on the one who taunted her so.
"You're fighting yourself. Fighting for control. I can see it, feel it." Her mistress surprised the blonde and Emma's heart was pounding in her chest at the queen's words, every one of them true. She dropped her chin to her chest, trying to focus, regain control of herself but the hot body pressed up against her really wasn't helping, at all.
Red was standing stock still, her wolf hearing picking up every whispered word. She'd been in the blonde's position more than once but the queen was too unpredictable to fathom the outcome of today's encounter.
"It's Ok, let it out," Regina purred and felt a shudder travel through her slave but the blonde didn't relax, she could feel the muscles of her back flexing where they were in contact.
Regina stepped away from her pet and stretched out her hand, conjuring a cat o'nine tails, a short whip with nine plaited strands.
"Here." The whip was passed to Emma who looked down at her hand in confusion. Red gasped as her hands were pulled above her head by an invisible force, held together at her wrist and pulled up until only the balls of her feet were in contact with the floor. "You lost, she won." The queen's words were blunt and Red's heart rate increased. The queen was going to let Emma punish her, she didn't know how she felt about that and she let out an animalistic growl.
Regina circled round the blonde, who was still stood, staring down at the whip, not really comprehending what was going on, until she came face to face with her wolf.
"You lost. You will be punished," the queen stated coolly, reaching up and clasping the wolf's chin between strong fingers forcing yellowed eyes to look at her. "She beat you, wolf. She won the right." Red let out another growl and struggled against her bonds. Regina narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening, her nails cutting into soft flesh, moving closer to whisper in a delicate shell of an ear. "It will give you an incentive not to lose to her again." Red whimpered as slender fingers travelled from her clavicle, down through the valley of her breasts, over taut abs until they began to gently stroke her sex, deft fingers sliding over slick folds. "Don't try and pretend she doesn't turn you on," Regina let out a low chuckle as rested her finger ever so lightly on the wolf's clit. Red keened, a low cry as the queen's magic coursed through her. She hung her head, never able to deny her mistress for long. "Good girl," the queen purred in her ear before sharp teeth bit down and drew blood from the soft flesh of her earlobe. The wolf whimpered but surrendered to the inevitable.
Regina stepped back from her pets, noting how the blonde had not moved but her knuckles white as she gripped the whip, still facing the wolf's back, The queen doubted that her slave had heard her conversation with Red, her hearing was not as sensitive as the wolf's. She took a moment to settle herself into her customary chair, the high back giving it a throne like quality and she was well positioned to view both her pets as they stood in the centre of the room, Red still bound, arms above her head.
"Begin." The simple command cut through Emma's daze and she hefted the whip in her hand, it was well balanced. A light flick tested the weight of the lashes and gave her an idea of the force to exert. Regina watched as the blonde took an experimental swing, the leather swooshing through the air but not making contact with Red's exposed skin, yet.
Then Emma let go, channelling all her emotion into the whip. The first blow startled the wolf who cried out before grounding herself, letting her weight hang from her wrists knowing how best to handle what was coming. Emma didn't give her much time before another blow landed, they were not light but neither were they cutting into her flesh, they stung, a lot but Red could handle it.
Regina watched in fascination as a change came over her slave, her shoulder's straightened, chin jutted out, mouth set in a thin line but lips slightly parted as she reigned a steady stream of blows onto Red's back. It was a hypnotic sight, the whip rising and falling, the smack as it hit the flesh. Red was silent, she'd taken a lot worse for her queen and she was beginning to think Emma was maybe going easy on her.
She couldn't have been more wrong.
The blows kept coming, moving off her back, that was now very sore, down to her ass and the backs of her thighs then calves until the entire rear of the wolf's body was a glowing pink of abused flesh. Red was beginning to really feel it now, she was sweating and her skin was on fire with no one point more sore than any other but that made it worse because she had nothing to focus on.
The blows stopped and the wolf thought she may be done but then she saw the blonde look to the queen for permission to continue.
"Mistress?" Emma queried and Regina smiled at the husk in her pet's voice, it was not a tone she had heard before but she liked it. She also liked the dark glint in the blonde's eye and the impressive ease with which she swung the whip.
"Yes, but take off your shirt," the queen replied. Emma was surprised by the request but obliged, looking around for somewhere to put down the whip so she couldn't undress.
"Open," strong fingers pulled Red's chin down and green eyes met darker green and the wolf felt the handle of the whip pushed between her teeth. Regina smirked at the blonde's inventiveness although she very much approved of the visual. Both visuals actually, as her pet quickly removed her shirt and placed it neatly on the seat of a chair before freeing her whip from the wolf's jaws.
Red observed the blonde with caution. She did not refuse her as doing so would displease the queen but even so she did not like the fact that she was being used in such a way. But, she couldn't deny that the queen's new pet had skill. Emma held the wolf's eye and brought the whip up, gently caressing Red's breasts with the leather lashes, slowly sliding them over the sensitive peaks of the wolf's hardened nipples, the leather supple and surprisingly soft considering the pain it could cause.
Red couldn't hold in a whimper at the sensation and hated how her body betrayed her as the blonde teased her, eyes never leaving hers. She was very much like the queen in that respect, she could feel a connection to the slave, nowhere near the depth of the one she felt for the queen but it was there, undeniable. The soft touches continued until Red was twisting in her bondage, muscles straining but she wasn't sure whether she wanted to escape the sensation or needed more.
The decision was taken away from her when Emma pulled back. This time the wolf saw the movement before the whip hit, this time coming down on her sensitised nipples and making her cry out, it hurt like hell but she also felt a flood of fluid pool between her thighs.
"More." Emma turned at the sound of the queen's demand, a curt nod and she was back in her zone, whip falling rhythmically, this time over the front of the wolf's body. Regina admired the skill and control her slave exhibited and now her torso was bared, the flexing of smooth muscle as she worked.
Red began to whimper, it hurt and yet she was getting so turned on by the sensation, only her mistress had ever managed to achieve that before and she now knew why the queen was so fascinated by the blonde, by much more than what was on the surface. The queen understood her and even through her uncontrollable moans and whimpers Red wondered what had made the blonde the way she was.
"Enough!" Emma's arm halted, stretched to it's highest reach, the queen's voice freezing her in place before she slowly lowered her hand and let it hang by her side. Her breathing was a little deeper than normal, it tended to get that way due to the physicality of her actions but also because she enjoyed it, it excited her.
"Excellent job," Regina praised her slave, her eyes drinking in the sight of both the blonde and brunette, the scent of fresh sweat and arousal heavy in the air.
"Thank you, Mistress. She is a good subject, she handles it well," Red's eyes raised at the praise and she observed them both studying her. Again she noticed the similarity in expression, evaluating, calculating.
"Ah!" Red fell to her knees as her bonds released unexpectedly and she crashed to the floor but she gathered herself up quickly and knelt before her queen, reddened skin stinging from her sweat, eyes down as she waited to see where this was going as she had absolutely no idea.
Regina surveyed her wolf, she was so beautifully coloured up, cool fingers met heated skin and Red whimpered as her mistress touched her back. Regina looked to the blonde and raised her brows.
"Good work, the skin is hot but no welts," the queen praised.
"It's easier than with a longer whip, Mistress. I have more control," Emma explained. "would you like me to mark her? I can?" Regina frowned at the blonde's offer.
"No, any fool can cut through the skin," she replied, as she circled her wolf who was as obedient as always, keeping her eyes down. "But this, this is magnificent." Dark eyes surveyed the reddened flesh of the wolf's breasts, a pinch of an erect nipple had the wolf whimpering and the queen smiling down at her. "How do you feel, wolf?" Red paused as she gave the question brief thought.
"Sore. Good." Red couldn't really vocalise the emotions she was feeling for her queen, for Emma. This was way out of her comfort zone.
The blonde gasped as she found herself grabbed by her collar and pulled into the queen's body, hot mouth against her ear as they stood breast to breast, the silk of the queen's dress teasing her nipples as it brushed against her.
"Feel better, pet?" The queen husked in her ear and Emma took a second to evaluate her current state.
"Yes, Mistress. Thank you," the slave conceded . She felt at ease, relaxed and back in the head space she needed to be in to submit to the queen. Regina smiled at the answer, her lips tracing the shell of the blonde's ear.
"Good." It was only one word but sent a shiver down Emma's spine but she was given no reprieve when firm lips covered hers and she was dominated by teeth and tongue, a moan escaping her at the sudden onslaught. Regina smile into the kiss, her pet surrendering completely to her dominance, none of the underlying tension from earlier in the action. It was Emma's turn to whimper as another tug on her collar pulled their bodies completely flush, the warmth trapped between them as they kissed. This was the most intimate the queen had been with her so far and Emma was a little overwhelmed by the attention and brutal sexuality of the woman as her body reacted to the attention.
A whimper reminded Regina of Red's presence and she pulled away from the blonde although her body resented the fact, it wanted her pet's warmth and total, irrevocable submission.
"Red."
"Mistress?" Red looked up at the queen's words, she was experiencing a wide range of emotions, arousal being the most prominent but coloured by pain and jealousy and new, uncategorised feelings towards the blonde.
"You did well but I do not need you tonight." The wolf whined at the words before cutting herself off, not wanting to attract the queen's disapproval. "Run it off," Regina suggested, "but no other relief, my wolf."
"Yes, Mistress," Red agreed but did not argue, it was not the first nor would it be the last time she was left in this state of arousal by her mistress.
"Now go," the wolf rose and gathered her clothes, throwing on her long shirt for the short trip back to her rooms.
"Mistress," Red bobbed her head as she exited, the door closed and left the queen alone with her slave.
"My turn," Regina purred as she took in the aroused blonde standing patiently in the centre of the room. Today had revealed a lot about her latest toy.
Emma shivered, she couldn't help but be drawn to this woman, her queen, they stared each other down until Emma came to her senses and dropped her eyes, the silence broken by the sound of a wolf, howling at the moon.
xxxxxxx
Next on The Collar
"You have pleased me today," the queen purred as she stalked her pet, approaching from the side, just on the edge on the slave's peripheral vision. "Time for you reward, hmmm, dear?" Emma held still as the queen stepped ever closer, not knowing what she had planned but too aroused to really question her intentions.