Bound to the Commander Read online

  Bound to the Commander

  By

  Libby Campbell

  Copyright © 2020 by Stormy Night Publications and Libby Campbell

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  Campbell, Libby

  Bound to the Commander

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by Period Images, iStock/Pgiam, iStock/da-kuk, and iStock/borchee

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One: Night Visitor

  Chapter Two: The Commander

  Chapter Three: Thunderstruck

  Chapter Four: New Trails

  Chapter Five: Kidnapped

  Chapter Six: A Different Perspective

  Chapter Seven: Going Nowhere

  Chapter Eight: Reckoning

  Chapter Nine: On the Road

  Chapter Ten: Stormy Weather

  Chapter Eleven: Old Rules, New Rules

  Chapter Twelve: Life in the Capital

  Chapter Thirteen: Sisters

  Chapter Fourteen: Easy Living

  Chapter Fifteen: Changing Plans

  Chapter Sixteen: Fitting In

  Chapter Seventeen: Initiation

  Chapter Eighteen: Visiting Royalty

  Chapter Nineteen: Joining Forces

  Chapter Twenty: Family Secrets

  Chapter Twenty-One: Different Directions

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Suspended Sentence

  Chapter Twenty-Three: Changing Directions

  Chapter Twenty-Four: Lost and Found

  Chapter Twenty-Five: Out of the Frying Pan

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Confession & Consequences

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: Pain, Pleasure, and Other Promises

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: Vengeance and Vows

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Related Books by Libby Campbell

  More Stormy Night Books by Libby Campbell

  Libby Campbell Links

  Prologue

  In the year 3817 CE, as Earth collapsed under the ravages of climate change, fleets of spaceships were launched in a last-ditch effort to save the human species. They traveled to far galaxies looking for another world to call home, carrying with them elements of earth cultures as well as Earth-based plants and animals.

  A solar flare scrambled the navigation systems and scattered the fleet. One lone ship drifted aimlessly for months. With the crew on the brink of starvation and their fuel almost exhausted, the captain landed the ship on an uncharted planet where the readings indicated an ecosystem hospitable to human life.

  The humanoid residents of Devmaer, of Devmaerean and Kedrant origins, nursed the Earth-born visitors back to health and welcomed them to their abundant planet. The humans quickly assimilated.

  Chapter One: Night Visitor

  Three hundred years later...

  The stranger came to Pepper as she slept. Again. For the past few nights he’d been in the shadows of her dreams, waiting. She caught glimpses of a strong jaw and powerful shoulders but nothing fully formed. She wanted more, much more. He seemed to loom over her, always out of reach. A demanding presence, he watched her, radiating a fierce desire.

  Tonight, for the first time, he was in her bed. As he lay beside her, he teased her throat with feathery kisses, before his mouth traveled down her collarbone to her breasts.

  He was a stranger but somehow vaguely familiar. She knew she should stop him but every sensible thought was lost as this hungry dominant man possessed her.

  He took a nipple in his mouth, sucking and nibbling it. His hand slid between her legs, opening her velvet crease, stroking her pearl, and driving her to the edge of orgasm. And then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

  Pepper flailed at her blankets in frustration as urgent knocking shook her out of her troubled sleep.

  Rain hammered on the roof as the rapping grew louder. Her feet touched the cool floor and bleary-eyed, she noted the time. It was shortly past midnight, long after curfew. No one should be out at this hour.

  Without turning on a light, she felt her way down the four steps from the sleeping loft.

  “Sister Pepper!”

  At the familiar voice cutting through the darkness, she threw the door open. Anna McGilvery, manager of the Rosemoor Clinic where Pepper worked, stood on the doorstep, wrapped in her rain cloak.

  “Your services are required immediately.” Anna motioned with the slightest movement of her chin at two dark figures standing as still as statues on the sidewalk.

  The blood drained from Pepper’s face when she recognized the unmistakable silhouettes of Tribunal Guards. With arms crossed over their chests, neither flinched as rain sluiced off the brims of their military caps and ran down their faces.

  The pounding of her heart was louder than the thundering rain. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but Anna gave a curt hand gesture and mouthed the words shut the fuck up.

  Anna swept past Pepper but left the door open so the guards could continue to monitor them. She pointed to the small closet and dressing area at the end of Pepper’s tiny house. “The Minister of Citizens’ Services is staying at the hotel. She wants you to attend her so get dressed, and be fast about it. Please.” Her voice held a shrill note of fear.

  Pepper’s stomach turned to ice at the memory of the black hover-limo and the two escort cars that had crawled up Main Street late that afternoon. Only very senior government officials had private vehicles. Only the most senior of the senior traveled with military escorts.

  In a few efficient moves, she shed her nightgown, pulled on a clean pinafore dress, and tucked her tiger-striped hair into a modesty cap. She wrapped herself in her rain cape as she looked around her cozy house with longing, wishing she could go back to bed.

  “Why?” she whispered to Anna when she was calm enough to pose the question.

  Like Anna had done many times since Pepper’s childhood, she took Pepper’s hand in hers. “She’s heard of your gift.”

  How had the minister heard of her? Pepper tried to swallow but her mouth was parched. She lived in a small country town where there were few outside visitors. Who would have said anything to the minister?

  She wanted to delay, to take a few minutes to compose herself. With effort, she managed to say, “I’ll need the portable table and my oils...”

  “They’re being brought to the hotel now.” Anna’s tone was businesslike, but Pepper still heard a note of fear in her voice.

  As they stepped outside into the storm, Anna nodded at the guards. One guard took the position in front of them. The other fell behind. Their heavy boots struck the wet pavement, beating out a rapid marching pace. After a few short minutes, Pepper’s soft moccasins, slipped on in a hurry, were soaking. They flopped about on her freezing feet, but she clenched her teeth and forced herself to keep up. The hotel wasn’t far away.

  * * *

  Rosemoor with its small population had only one hotel. Most citizens had been in it at one time or another, but few made it above the restaurant and reception rooms on the ground floor. Occasional travelers stayed in the general rooms on the second floor. The third floor with its luxury suites was reserved for the exclusive use of the country’s ruling
Tribunal.

  The guards led them past the reception desk where a night clerk bent over a book, her face ashen and eyes lowered.

  The party of four rode the elevator to the executive level in tense silence. Pepper told herself to enjoy this rare privilege of seeing the restricted area but her rising terror made that impossible.

  What if she couldn’t provide the minister the relief she needed? Would she be sent to the Healing and Rehabilitation Camp to be retrained?

  The elevator doors sighed open on the executive level. Pepper blinked at the lavish surroundings. The light from sparkling chandeliers reflected off the dark marble floor. Bright paintings hung on the walls. Smart leather chairs stood on either side of a low table that held a vase of several dozen yellow roses. Compared to the worn carpet and old furniture in the rest of the hotel, this was another world.

  Two more Tribunal Guards stood at attention by the door to the suite. In front of them, the county chief, the highest ranked person in Rosemoor County, paced. She heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Pepper.

  “Finally!” she said, adjusting the silver medal on the scarlet sash of her office. She took Pepper’s cape and pushed her toward the door roughly. “Go in,” she said. “Don’t keep the minister waiting.”

  Anna handed her cape to the chief as one of the guards knocked on the door.

  “Enter,” a curt voice called.

  The guard opened the door and Pepper, stilling holding on tight to Anna, stepped forward. The guard dropped a hand in front of Anna.

  “Not you,” he said. He was Devmaerean, blue-skinned and a foot taller than Pepper with her Kedrant-human bloodlines.

  “The minister agreed,” Anna said, brushing his hand away. “I must be there to make sure that she receives only the best treatment possible.” Her voice was strong now. Any fear she felt was well buried.

  Inspired by the older woman’s courage, Pepper drew back her shoulders. “Of course she must,” she said in a similar authoritative tone. “Sister Anna is the practice manager at the clinic. If my services are substandard, the responsibility will ultimately be hers.”

  The guard hesitated for a moment, studying the two women. Pepper lifted her chin, acting much stronger than she felt. Her eyes met his and then, with a low growl, he motioned them inside.

  The sitting room was opulent, far grander than anything Pepper had ever seen in real life. Her portable massage table had already been set up in front of a roaring fire that warmed the room in a deep comforting way.

  There were two dark green sofas in a velvet-like fabric. A dining table, big enough for eight, had a large bowl of bright red vildehair flowers in the middle of it. Their sweet, intoxicating perfume filled the suite. That had to be Anna’s touch, Pepper reckoned.

  Standing in front of the fireplace was the Honorable Daedra Mazrant, Minister of Citizens’ Services. She was the most beautiful woman that Pepper had ever seen. Her blue skin and height said she was part Devmaerean. Her blue eyes and copper hair spoke to her significant human bloodlines.

  Her heart-shaped face was flawless with cheekbones that looked carved from stone. Her mouth was wide and gently curved. She had long, elegant limbs, and even in a plain white bathrobe, her hourglass figure was apparent.

  Pepper cast her eyes over the woman, appraising her. She didn’t like patients to feel they were being stared at and she’d learned the art of taking in many details with a quick glance. The minister was about forty years old. Maybe older but well maintained. There was a coldness in her eyes that sent a chill over Pepper. It was rumored that powerful members of the Tribunal could have citizens sent away for any perceived infractions.

  Daedra’s beauty was slightly marred by the lines of fatigue that pinched her face and the dark circles blooming under her eyes. They confirmed it. She had the Waking Illness.

  Pepper could bring relief to cases of Waking Illness when all other methods had been exhausted. But this woman didn’t look like someone who was going to succumb to Pepper’s hypnotic therapy readily. With her hands bunched at her side she appeared to be primed for a fight.

  Anna stepped between the two of them. “Honorable Minister, I present Rosemoor’s top remedial massage therapist Sister Piera Thornback. She’s known to her family and friends as Pepper.”

  Daedra smiled and the temperature in the room rose five degrees. She walked toward Pepper with her arms outstretched, “Sister Pepper. I’m so glad to meet you.”

  The ice in her blue eyes melted into warm pools as she drew Pepper into a gentle hug. “Your reputation precedes you. I hope you can give me some relief. I haven’t slept through the night for a month.” Her voice was like honey. “You may call me Sister Daedra.”

  Relaxing into Daedra’s tender embrace, Pepper’s fears lightened. The minister needed her. She inhaled the woman’s smoky scent of lemon and spice and decided not to be intimidated by her illustrious title. Sister Daedra it would be.

  She allowed herself a tiny smile.

  But the moment of relief evaporated as Daedra drew an unblemished hand around Pepper’s neck, scraping the skin lightly with her pointed, claw-like fingernails.

  Daedra pressed her thumb into the soft flesh at the base of Pepper’s throat. She held it there as she spoke. “You’re not going to disappoint me, are you, Sister Pepper?”

  Her eyes had turned to ice again.

  Chapter Two: The Commander

  Pepper clamped her fingers on the windowsill and hoisted herself in a determined chin-up. As she hung, suspended from the ground, she had a good view into her sister Lily’s tiny house. She peered past the kitchen and the narrow living area, all the way to the small bathroom at the other end. No one. She squinted to the sleeping loft above the kitchen, but it was impossible to see if anyone was up there.

  Knocking on the door for a solid minute hadn’t got her anywhere. She wondered if Lily was sleeping heavily or in trouble. Damn. Lily had given her a key, but she couldn’t remember where she’d put it.

  From what Pepper could see, Lily’s house looked exactly like it did the night before. It was tidy enough to pass a snap inspection.

  Tiring, she lowered herself to the ground to catch her breath.

  Lily’s case of the Waking Illness was progressing faster than anything Pepper had seen. Two weeks before, Lily had only complained about the usual symptom of sleeplessness that tormented all sufferers. But, for the past few days, she’d been plagued with joint pain, pain so persistent it was robbing her of the little rest she could get.

  The night before Pepper had pulled out all the stops to try to ease Lily’s misery. She’d filled Lily’s small home with vildehair flowers, whose perfume was a natural relaxant. Using her most potent oils, she’d massaged Lily for over two hours, working first on her aching joints and then turning her attention to the sleep spots: the spirit gate, the three-yin intersection, and the bubbling spring points. As Lily relaxed, Pepper sang a low throaty lullaby, an ancient Kedrant song she reserved for her most desperate cases.

  When she’d tucked Lily into bed, she’d shuddered at the chilling memory of how she’d done the same for Daedra only a few days before. She shook off thoughts of that dreadful night. No one had said anything to her after her session with the minister, and she’d forced herself to believe that no news was good news. If she refused to think about it, it could be forgotten, like a bad dream.

  She and Lily had planned to go to the farmers’ market this morning. The biggest holidays of the year, the Harvest Feast and Bonfire Night, were fast approaching. Already a festive mood was spreading over their small town. Travelers from all around the county and beyond thronged to the weekly market. Almost as much fun as the feast night itself were the days of preparation, buying special food, decorating, and catching up with friends over mugs of mulled wine.

  There was only one problem: no Lily.

  Pepper bounced up again, hoping for a sign that Lily was okay. She raised her face level with the window, but her arms ached from the effort. She
dropped to the ground with a thud.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” a man said from behind her. His voice was as deep as thunder, authoritative, and vaguely familiar.

  Pepper smoothed her lavender midi-dress and tucked a loose strand of hair under her modesty cap before turning to face him. Her hands went cold when she saw who had spoken.

  Looking down at her from a lofty height stood a stately man, a blue-skinned Devmaerean. He was dressed in the gray uniform and shiny black boots worn by all male members of the country’s ruling Tribunal. But the red cuffs on his jacket and the scarlet scarf at his neck were worn by only one person: the country’s leader.

  Commander Quinn Garrick’s face was impassive, and his amethyst eyes glittered with something like amusement. “Are you planning a burglary?”

  His rich voice made Pepper’s insides tighten, but not from fear. The hair on her arms stood on end. Her toes curled, responding to his aura of power and authority. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  Her face burned with embarrassment at her body’s primal response to him. Wasn’t she the woman who could say no? And usually did say no. Wasn’t she the one who was rarely tempted by desires of the flesh?

  Until now.

  Her breath came fast and shallow as the axis of her world shifted.

  “Uh. No, sir.” She gulped.

  She glanced around for the Tribunal Guards who should have been close. Curiously there were none nearby. Neither was there was a film crew on hand, recording their encounter. It was just the two of them standing in front of Lily’s place.

  Pepper swallowed as icy fear edged out her initial sensation of lust. The commander was known to be a rigid enforcer of the rules that made their country safe and stable. And he’d just caught her peeking into a house that wasn’t hers.

  Dread fluttered in her chest. As she broke eye contact with him, she noticed the broadness of his shoulders. A cinched belt emphasized the trimness of his waist. She glimpsed the healthy bulge at his groin. In spite of herself, her fingers twitched at the thought of touching that beautiful muscle, teasing it to its magnificent fullness. His strong thighs flexed under his tailored trousers.