Anna was too late. When she climbed back into her room from the window, she found a horrible thing: pillows piled on the middle of her bed. She clenched her bottom and swallowed. She was going to have to lie over those pillows, bare her bottom, and submit to an extremely severe spanking. Pearl always had Anna bend over and willingly submit her vulnerable bottom to be corrected with a spanking. Unless - unless she planned to thrash her so soundly that she didn't expect Annabelle to be able to stand on her own two feet.
She bit her lip. Looked out the window. The snow storm hadn't let up in days. There was no way that her Mama was able to commission a new cane yet. Maybe she had a thicker belt made from real leather to use on her. She found herself rocking on her feet and when the door to her bedroom opened, she shot her hands behind to cover her bottom.
It was ridiculous. Anna had been on her own for over a hundred years. She'd racked up quite the kill count while searching for a way to rescue Pearl. She'd made deals with witches and wolves alike. None of Katherine's enemies ever laid a hand on her. And she'd avoided many an adult vampire keen to take a fifteen-year-old vampire under their wing. But here she was, terrified of getting a smacked bottom from her Mama.
Anna had proved herself. She took a deep breath and folded her arms. She was not gonna bend over for a licking. She was an adult. If she wanted to spend some time with her boyfriend, she had the right to. She steeled herself as Pearl entered her bedroom.
Until.
Until she got a glimpse of what her Mama was holding. She took a few steps back. Pearl took center stage. She pointed at the bed. "Strip and lay down."
Annabelle couldn't tear her eyes off the horrid weapon her Mama was holding. A tightly coiled black extension cord. It was thick. Sturdy. Industrial grade, for commercial use. It wasn't a cheap, flimsy thing you could find in any household over the world. Pearl began to unwind the cord. Anna felt tears well up as it became clear that the cord was at least five feet long. She could fold several times over, creating several different horrible loops to spank with at once, like a modern day version of a birch rod. She swallowed and shook her head, stepping back until she hit the wall. "Not that, Mama. Please."
"Now, Annabelle!"
Anna could do nothing but obey. She stripped down, put her clothes up neatly, and crawled face down on her bed. Over the pillows. Her bottom was a nice round target for her Mama's ire. High up in the air, ready and waiting to be smacked.
"Have you ever been spanked with one of these?" Pearl's voice was unexpectedly soft and kind.
"Yes," Anna couldn't stop squirming and clenching.
"Who?" Pearl was furious.
Anna could lie. Maybe redirect her rage to a new target. She knew her Mama well enough to know she was gonna get a spanking, but she might be able to avoid it for a bit. Get her a bit calmer. Maybe Mama would choose to whip her with literally anything else. But she couldn't bring herself to lie. Not while she was face down, bare bottom up, and about to get punished. There was one other person besides Pearl Zhu that could give Annabelle Zhu a spanking without forfeiting their life.
"Katherine," Anna admitted, "I might have pissed off a powerful coven. She killed them all. Then tore a cord off a lamp and thrashed me with it." She turned slightly to give Pearl a pleading look. "You don't understand, Mama. Those things hurt almost as much as a cane!"
"I understand very well, Annabelle," Pearl said. Her lips were drawn tight. "I've been researching modern innovations for spanking implements." She began to wrap the cord around her arm. Anna moved her hands behind her to protect her sit spots. "First hand accounts have informed me that while this would be extremely abusive to a human child, it's the perfect tool for a vampire child in need of an extremely severe whipping. Fold your arms in front of you, Annabelle. We have a lot to discuss."
"Yes, ma'am," Anna said and obeyed.
"I spanked you this morning," Pearl set her hand on Anna's back and set the cord across the center of her backside. No loop. A single line of a thick and sturdy cord, just long enough to cover both her cheeks. Her coming spanking was going to hurt like hell, but she knew it could be so much worse. "I apologize, my daughter, for not spanking you hard enough. It won't be a mistake I make twice."
Mama rose the cord and smacked it down, piercing Anna's skin with a cut so sharp that it took her breath away. And she had no way to easily catch her breath because Pearl tore into her, hard and fast. The cord cut deep, painful welts into her bottom and thighs. She healed quickly, but it was hard to be grateful for that because Mama just licked her bare fanny with the cord again and again and again. The cord's tongue was next to silent as it whipped, but Anna was not. After she got her breath back, she began to moan and cry as her Mama punished her with her with that sturdy black cord.
"Now that you're warmed up," if Anna was being thrashed so hard for a warm up, the real deal was going to be unbearable. And Anna would have no choice but to bare it. "We have a lot to discuss, Annabelle."
"Yes, ma'am," Anna said.
"We'll start with Katherine," Pearl said. She set the horrid cord on the top of Anna's thighs. "What happens when you get a spanking from her?"
Anna didn't want to say it. "I get a second one from you."
"What kind of trouble did you get up to?" Pearl asked.
Mama was tapping her thigh with the wicked extension cord. They were nothing but gentle little pats, but they produced a mild sting all the same. "They were going to help get you out of the tomb. I spent over a year vetting them, but they were playing me. They had a grudge against Katherine and were using me as bait."
"Then what?"
Vampires shouldn't be able to flush, but Anna was blushing up a storm. It wasn't fair. "Katherine called in some favors and had the entire coven killed. Then she pinned me over a chair and thrashed me with the torn off lamp cord."
"What did you learn, my dear girl?" Pearl asked.
"To be more careful, ma'am." Anna wished she didn't have to get into it. Not only was it embarrassing, she'd gotten one of the soundest thrashing of her very long life. Worse, she'd deserved it. "I ignored a lot of red flags. I just wanted you back so much."
Pearl pulled her into a hug. She ran her fingers through Anna's hair as she pressed several kisses on her forehead. "I am grateful you worked so tirelessly to save me. But." She pushed Anna back down. Spent a few minutes making sure her butt was very high in the air. Annabelle folded her arms in front of her as Pearl set her up for a potent punishment. "You need to be more careful."
She set the horrible cord back across Anna's thighs. Anna choked on air as her Mama started to punish her again. She cut deep into Anna's thighs. The cord stuck against her skin, adding some extra warmth to the healing welt. She hit the same spot again, but even harder. Mama wasn't spanking her fast, but this wasn't much better. Resting the cord against a fresh welt made the sting even worse because even the cord's gentle kisses were painful in their own right. And each time Pearl lifted the cord, she brought it down harder than before. She kept hitting the same exact spot, the very top of her thighs. And her timing became better as she practiced. Mama didn't lift the cord back up until the welt was about to heal and when she slammed it back down, she left a fresh new welt right on top of the healing one. Then sensation of the thick cord sticking on her punished skin made her cry.
For what felt like hours, she had a single welt adjusting her behavior. The litigation was horrid and effective. Anna felt like a little human girl like this. Mama hit the same welt into her skin over and over so that it could continue to teach Anna a good lesson! But it was worse because the cord cut harder and deeper each smack, making the welt increasingly severe as time went on. She wished the welt would just stay on her skin so she didn't have to endure lick after lick. She wiggled her hips around, but Pearl just set a hand on Anna's back and whipped her with the sturdy cord again and again. Anna's howls became harder and louder as the licks kept falling, but that didn't stop her Mama. She just kept hitting and teaching and Anna kept crying and learning.
"Am I getting through to you?" Anna had no idea how her Mama could sound so calm and put together when she was striking her daughter so damn hard.
"Yes!" Anna tried to wiggle, but Pearl kept her still with ease. "Ma'am, I'll be more careful."
Pearl stopped spanking and started to rub Anna's back. Anna buried her face into the sheets between her folded arms and wept quietly. The cord's burning sting was gone, but she felt horrible. Katherine and Mama both thrashed her for the stunt with the witch coven and she knew she'd deserved them both.
"Are you ready to continue?" Pearl asked.
Anna was reluctant to admit she was. "Yes, ma'am."
"You were grounded for your disrespectful attitude," Pearl said, resting the cord against the crest of Anna's bottom, "and you broke it. Against my better judgement, I'm letting you court young Jeremy Gilbert. If this happens again, you will be thrashed longer and I'll reconsider your relationship with him."
Before Anna could say 'yes, ma'am,', Pearl punished. Anna thought she was too tired to shout in pain, but she was very wrong. Pearl swung the cord fast and hard, coving every inch of her backside with hot cuts. Anna was sure that she was being skinned alive, she was being smacked so soundly. Not only did she howl like she was being murdered, she wiggled around in a desperate attempt to avoid at least one strike from the searing cord.
But Pearl had no problem hitting her target. She'd been spanking Annabelle for centuries. Her eye was keen and her aim perfect. She laid down the law with ease, tanning Anna's soft and vulnerable cheeks with ease. The cord never punished a hip, back, or leg. Pearl had clearly decided this portion of the spanking was going to be done exclusively on Anna's cheeks.
It was terribly painful. Mama had no problem spanking Annabelle's legs, and while that was no picnic, it meant that there was more skin to tan. One area might be thrashed, but another area got a blissful moments of peace. Concentrating all the discipline in one area meant there was no peace, just punishment. Pain. Welt upon welts. Unwanted attention that Annabelle was unable to escape.
Then it got worse. Pearl spent several agonizing moments whipping Anna's sit spot with the industrial grade extension cord. Built to stand wear and tear. And it was wearing and tearing up the most sensitive part of Anna's helpless bottom. Anna sobbed brokenly as her stern mother taught her a lesson that she would never forget.
"You are grounded for an additional week," Pearl had lightened her touch so that Annabelle could hear her voice. Anna listened to her Mama's words, but it was no easy task. Her poor crease was still being firmly disciplined even if the heat it delivered was no longer hellfire. "Are you going to break a grounding again?"
"Nooooooooo," Annabelle promised as her Mama punished her sit spots with delicate but pointed precision, "never again, ma'am."
Pearl finished disciplining Anna for that misbehavior with a flurry of super fast and extra hard licks. Annabelle cried out like a banshee as the cord terrorized her poor sit spots with unforgiving heat, cutting brief but brutal welts into those sensitive curves.
Mama's hand was on Anna's back, rubbing slow circles. Anna forced herself to take deep, calming breaths. Pearl's comfort helped keep her steady. She knew her Mama still had much to teach her and she dreading it, but she was not afraid. She knew she was safe under her Mama's dependable leadership.
"Now," Anna shivered at the tone in Pearl's voice, "we need to discuss you wondering in what could be a dangerous blizzard." Unfortunately, spankings really did work. The belt had done a good job convincing Anna not to make a remark about global warming and that her Mama was right to be cautious. "Spread your legs."
Anna twisted around and gave her Mama a pleading look. The tears building in her eyes were legitimate. "Not that!"
Pearl pressed her lips together before reaching down to spread Anna's legs for her. She gave Annabelle a horrible preview of what was to come by sharply smacking her inner thighs. That decision made Anna yelp. Her Mama's hard palm was also very persuasive tool of correction. She twisted her wrist and made sure to cover every inch of Anna's thighs with sharp, stingy slaps. Anna buried her face in her folded arms and wept.
"You need to obey me," Pearl said.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Grab the headboard," Pearl said. Anna obeyed. She bit her lip as she heard her Mama adjust the extension cord. "Stay like that until I conclude your spanking."
"Yes, ma'am."
Anna swallowed loudly as her Mama set the cord down across her left thigh. This portion of discipline wasn't going to be doled out by a horrible line of cord. Mama had bent it into a circle. And, as she'd feared, that was much more painful. The cord hit twice as much skin at once. Her punishment suddenly became twice as bad and it had already been really bad.
Pearl was merciless with the extension cord. Annabelle tightened her grip around the headboard as her Mama skinned her for being reckless. There was no rhyme or reason guiding her pace. She never knew where the next lick would land. All she knew is that it would hurt. There was just a painful blow teaching her and then another one making sure the correction stuck. Mama didn't just add Anna's inner thighs as a target to punish, she also went over Anna's calves.
"We can't always avoid danger," Pearl said. She moved. Then she began to thrash Anna from the other side of the bed. The angle of her aim was different, but no less painful. Annabelle sobbed. "You will learn not to unnecessarily put yourself at risk."
Pearl taught, using the extension cord to cut welt after welt. Annabelle learned from the fiery licks burning her skin. Her legs and buttocks paid a steep price for her foolish actions. That price was a good whipping raining fire everywhere on the lower half of her body.
"Please, Mama," Annabelle begged, "no more! I've learned my lesson!"
Mama responded to that claim by exclusively attacking her right inner thigh. She didn't cut the same welt in the same place over and over but she focused on punishing just a few inches of extremely sensitive skin. Anna hated the penalty and dug her fingers into the wood of the headboard. Pearl continued to correct her hubris with the wicked bite of the cord. Anna was too worn out to kick or wiggle around. She just laid still as the cord lectured her delicate and vulnerable skin with its piercing tongue.
Annabelle had to beg again. "I'm sorry!"
Thankfully, Pearl believed her. Unthankfully, she moved to the end of the bed and punished Annabelle's calves. They weren't as sensitive or soft as her cheeks and thighs so Mama made up for that by putting quite a bit more force behind her smacks. Licks. Horrible fire cut burning welts into her skin without any end in sight.
Anna was a helpless little girl, unable to do anything but accept a whipping from her Mama. Pearl moved again and she was right back where she started when she began spanking her little girl. She punished Anna's sit spots with the fierce determination of a mother willing to do anything to keep her daughter safe. She beat Anna's crease with her sturdy extension cord over and over. Mama was tireless when it came to protecting Annabelle.
She would main and torture, slaughter without remorse, wheel and deal with those she hated. And, yes, she would thrash her little girl within an inch of her life. She'd done research into what kind of whipping would hurt the most so that she could give Anna a good lesson. Annabelle was learning from the horrid bite that only an industrial grade extension cord could deliver.
Annabelle slumped, out of tears. She was a good girl. She kept her hold on the headboard. Her unrelenting Mama kept disciplining her by smacking her right where she sat. The pain wouldn't linger after the punishment was over, but it was hard to remember that. It felt like Mama used the cord to skin her under curves and was now attacking her nerves directly. She'd never sit again!
But Anna was determined to be good girl. She didn't beg for an end. She just accepted her Mama's decision to give her a long and hard whipping with that thick black cord. She kept her hands on the headboard as her tender sit spots were tanned.
"It's all over," Pearl said as she gathered her little Annabelle into her arms. Anna clung to Mama. She desperately needed Pearl's protection and forgiveness. "I'm so proud of you. I know you'll be more careful in the future."
Anna nodded and curled into a little ball. She never wanted to leave the safety of her Mama's arms. She closed her eyes and rested her head against Pearl's chest.
"Rest, my girl," Pearl said, so gentle. "I will be right here."
Annabelle fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that her Mama would keep her safe from everything, including herself.
Thankfully, her fears were unfounded. Anna was able to sit down very comfortably at the kitchen table the next morning. Pearl had made her some peanut butter cookies to have with her breakfast of blood. Mama always gave her some treats after a more severe whipping.
She was starting to feel like her old self again.
Then there was a knock on the door. It was Damon. Carrying a duffel bag. He dropped it on the middle of the table, unzipped it, and took out a diamond. It was bigger than his hand. Perfectly shaped. Sparkly. Very, very, pretty. But Annabelle wanted it as far away from her as possible. She could sense dark energy from it.
"You were right," Mama looked smug, "there is a supernatural case behind the weather."
"Did a witch use that to power it?" Anna asked.
"No," Damon said, "the witch in question made this herself." He dropped down in a chair and grabbed a cookie. "Bennett witches draw most of their power from this emotions and memories. It looks like little Bonnie might have more raw power than even Emily."
"Are you saying this storm is a temper tantrum?" Pearl asked.
"Basically," Damon said.
"Then that should be easy to fix," Pearl said, "all she needs is a hot bottom and good night's sleep."
"That's going to be a problem," Damon said, "seeing as Sheila's dead, Abby's been gone for a decade, and her father is on the moon for all we know."
"Do it yourself," Pearl said. Anna and Damon exchanged sour looks. "I assumed she was already part of your household, Damon."
Damon rolled his eyes. "I promised Emily I'd watch over her descendants for all of eternity in exchange for saving Katherine."
"Are you going back on that deal?" Pearl asked.
"She broke it first," Damon said, "so our deal is over. I'm washing my hands of the Bennett line completely."
"Liar," Anna said. She swiped the last cookie and munched on it, "you've got a bird tailing her. I see it at school all the time. And don't just say it's for Elena, you aren't even stalking Jeremy."
"The crows like her," Damon said with a shrug.
"Why did you pick a murder crows of all things to be your familiars?" Pearl asked, "they're difficult to control."
"They picked me," Damon said, "probably because I fed them when I was human. It took me years to realize I was bonded with them. And if tried to back out now, I'll have generations of angry crows pecking at my eyes forever."
Most vampires didn't bother expanding their powers beyond compulsion and getting into people's minds in general. It was extremely monotonous to develop the powers into anything useful. You usually had to gorge on blood to the point of stomachaches in order to gather enough power. Anna had been extremely surprised that Damon of all people had bothered to put in the work to develop his skills.
Katherine hadn't. He can be relentless when he wants to be, she'd told Annabelle when they'd meet up in the 1940s. She been less than pleased about Sage taking Damon under her wing. She might have even been jealous. Anna was pretty sure Katherine had genuinely loved Stefan, but it was harder to pinpoint what, if anything, she felt for Damon. Beyond lust, anyway.
"What's with that diamond?" Anna asked, "I kind want to throw it into the sun."
"Bonnie really hates vampires," Damon said, "you're probably just sensing the judgement she gives off in waves. This thing could become pretty powerful if she can learn control. I'd ask Bree to help, but she's angry that I killed Lexi."
Pearl was all caught up on the Salvatore Drama. Anna had occasionally checked up on the brothers. Damon had always been annoying, but she'd been close to Stefan when he'd been human. After Anna had convinced him to explore the part of the woods where the Lockwood wolves gathered with her, Pearl had caned them together. Hard not to bond with someone after that.
"Calm her down, Damon," Pearl said. She picked up her tea glass filled with blood and took a sip. "You've spent enough time with her family to at least teach her the basics until we can find a suitable mentor."
"I'm not going to take orders from you," Damon said, "you calm her down."
Anna's eyes darted to the fireplace in their large kitchen. Mama had some hooks set up. When the blizzard calmed down, she knew she'd contact a Deveraux witch to create a new special cane. The extension cord had hurt more, but a Deveraux cane would leave behind welts that would take a few days to heal. At least caning were short. Pearl never gave her more than twelve cuts. And after that session with the cord, Anna knew her previous independent life was gone.
It wasn't as bad as she'd been fearing. She knew she was more than capable of taking charge and surviving, but she preferred working from the shadows. She still felt fifteen at heart and longed to be protected and guided by her Mama.
"I just let helped you murder most of my household," Pearl said, "I had to send Harper away to New Orleans because I didn't have the tools to help him." Marcel Gerard, a former slave turned prince was probably Harper's bet in figuring out how to survive as a vampire. Anna was sure he'd died over a hundred years ago, but Pearl was sure the rumors of his death were false. And, as she often was, Pearl was right. "On top of that, I was desiccating for nearly a hundred and fifty years. I need time to recover before adding to my household."
"Are you suggesting that you can't handle a cranky teenager?" Damon tilted his head to Anna, who was able to fight down a blush successfully. "You seemed to warm her up just fine last time you were at my house."
"Speaking of cranky," Anna said, "you didn't like it last time Mama took a teenage mortal to task." Very few people had the nerve to yell at her formidable mother, but Damon Salvatore had done a lot of yelling at her when he found out Stefan had been caned by Pearl. He'd been a such a love struck fool he thought Katherine was a better guardian than Pearl when he'd been off at war.
Instead of quipping back, Damon smiled. Anna instantly went on high alert. He took something else out of his duffel bag. "I promised Stefan and Elena a new paddle. Got a two for one deal." The paddle was large and thick with ten holes drilled into it. The wood was fine and looked sturdy. Anna relaxed. Mama's hand hurt more than what was clearly a high school paddle meant to discipline human teenagers. "Consider it a housewarming gift, Pearl. I like the new place." He was staring into Anna's eyes. "Nice and secluded. No one will hear when you have to send Annabelle to bed with a hot bottom."
"Rot in hell," Anna said in her sweetest voice.
"Language," Pearl said as she picked up the paddle.
"Stefan's least favorite brand of soap is Dove," Damon said, "but I can assure you it cleans out the mouths of vampires very well."
"Not in the house," Pearl said. Anna pouted and set down the broken in half wooden spoon she was planning on piercing Damon's shoulder with. "But you have my permission to teach Damon to be more respectful, Annabelle. Do keep in mind any property damage in our home will come out on your behind."
"It'll probably take awhile for him to learn anything," Anna said, "but I'm up for the task."
"Why not touch the blade of the paddle," Damon said.
Pearl rose her eyebrow but decided to play along. She brushed her finger across the wooden plane of the paddle. She frowned. "It's cold to the point of pain."
"The wood isn't unbreakable," Damon said, "but you don't need to hit too hard to make your point. It's also been treated with some modified vervain that prevents vampire healing." Anna was going to kill Damon. Slowly. In his sleep. "It takes years to create and the witches who make it demand a high price."
"Thank you, Damon," Pearl said. She stood up and walked over to the fire place. She set the paddle on the mantle before turning back around and walking back over to them. "It's a very fine gift. I imagine young Stefan and Elena will find it as educational as my Annabelle. But, I think that Bonnie should be your first test subject."
"Why me?" Damon asked.
"You should listen to your crows, you moron," Anna said, "Stefan's been giving Bonnie sad puppy eyes for weeks. Elena's exhausting herself trying to be there for Bonnie while she ices out her one true love, Stefan. Not even Caroline can get Bonnie to smile these days. My mother is trying to help you."
"As I said," Pearl gave Damon a hard look, "leading a household doesn't end in discipline."
"You say that, but you want me to spank her," Damon said.
"Then you'll take her to the boarding house where Stefan can feed her something that didn't come out of a box while they complain about what an ass you are. Stefan's the good brother who she'll befriend and you'll be the bad brother that'll keep her check," Anna told him. "How have you managed not to die from stupidity yet? Because I'm afraid I might have to tell you to make sure Elena's there, too."
"I don't care if Stefan and Elena are happy," Damon lied, "and Bonnie's no longer useful to me so I hope she burns herself out and joins her Grams in the afterlife."
Pearl sighed. "Then be pragmatic, Damon. Having a Bennett witch in your household will help you protect your danger prone charges."
"I hate both of you," Damon said, standing up and pointing at them. He knew was going to run another errand for Pearl Zhu and was extremely unhappy about it. "You both owe me."
"If you can get this storm under control," Pearl said, "I will be in your debt."
"I hope you rot in hell," Damon said, gathering up the diamond and rushing away.
"Why are you helping him?" Anna complained, "he's like a walking, talking headache."
"I think I developed a bit of a soft spot for him," Pearl admitted with a shrug. It struck Anna that she'd helped him too. She, realized, with mild disgust, that might have a soft spot for the idiot, too.
Anna glanced over at the mantle. "You're not really going to use that paddle on me, are you?"
"I'll have it checked out first," Pearl reassured her.
Completely unassured, Anna folded her arms and sulked.