Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) Machelle Hanleigh (best ebook reader under 100 .TXT) 📖

so that her palm faced up and place it on his thigh. "Leave your hand there but take a step back."

She complied.

He took the strap and laid it flat against her palm, his eyes locked with hers.

She nodded her understanding and to indicate that she was willing.

He lifted the strap up and brought it down on her palm hard.

She winced. The sting hurt from the initial blow and then gradually intensified. She frowned.

He held her hand against his thigh, he took the lid off the pot, and grabbed the ladle beside it. He dipped it in the pot to get some of the contents. His eyes locked with hers as he poured a minuscule amount into the palm of her hand.

She said some unladylike words that rarely passed her lips, and her knees buckled as fire shot through the palm of her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Do you understand now?" He asked.

She nodded. She could feel his anger rising. It doesn't change anything, she replied into his mind. She didn't trust her resolve to speak the words aloud.

Moto set her aside, cursing, and stepped away from her and the table. He ran his hands through his braids.

Kaily sat on the table and watched him pace back and forth, cursing all the while. She had no idea there were so many Kahoali curse words. They put the English and Gaelic ones she knew to shame. She waited for the chaos in his mind to settle before she spoke to him. Were you mistaken to ask for retribution in the first place?

Demanded, Kaily, not asked. He heatedly countered.

She gave him a pointed look.

He stopped and faced her. "No, but"

She nodded. "That day even Sari said you were within your rights to ask," she paused as a protest entered Moto's mind, "demanded," she corrected her word choice. "You were within your rights to demand retribution that day. Nothing has changed. I still wronged you and you still have the right to retribution."

He walked to where she sat and stood in front of her. He caressed her check with the back of his fingers.

She leaned into his caress and closed her eyes. She could feel and see the conflict in his mind and soul. He didn't want to hurt her, but neither did he want to that day. To him, it wasn't about the pain she would feel, it was about the process as he explained then. He was willing to let it go, but there was a part of him that didn't know if it would hurt their relationship if he did let it go. There was a deeper part that even he avoided. She opened her eyes and locked gazes with him as realization came to her. She reached up and placed her hand against his chest over his heart. "You are not going to push me away with this. I promise I'm not going anywhere."

He smiled at her and took her hand in his. "You are getting quite adept at reading my mind, little one."

She shrugged. "Guess I have a good teacher." She waited patiently as his gaze drifted to the back of the cave and he turned inward. There wasn’t anything more to say. He needed to come to terms with his own thoughts on the matter. Regardless of the outcome, she was determined to abide by his decision, although she knew that this would always be between them if he didn't follow through, and she also knew that deep down, he knew that as well. She felt the moment he made his decision as his eyes locked with hers.

"Do you understand why retribution was demanded?" Moto formally asked.

Kaily nodded.

I need you to tell me. Moto coaxed.

"Because I lashed out at you without thought to consequences or that I could have caused you serious harm," she turned inward and thought back to that day. "Because I lost control and could have killed you."

He nodded. "Do you yield to this process and accept responsibility for your actions?" He asked.

"I do." She said. "If you're feeling charitable, maybe we could forgo the liquid stuff."

He gave her a sad smile. "I wish I could, little one." He lifted her hand and turned it over exposing the palm he poured the liquid on and rubbed it with his thumb.

"Ow." She said.

"Did it hurt in truth?" He asked amusement in his voice.

She frowned and looked at her palm. "No, not really," she turned questioning eyes to his. Her palm didn't sting anymore, and she didn't even notice.

"The plant the strap is made from is mildly poisonous. If you touch it there won't be any reaction, but when used as it is for punishment, poison is released into the skin. If left untreated the area will become inflamed with redness and eventually blisters. The liquid neutralizes the poison and heals the skin not only from the poison, but from the strapping itself. We use the liquid to heal open wounds, which normally doesn't hurt quite so much as it does when part of the retribution process."

She stared at him open-mouthed. "You people have issues."

He smiled. "You're probably right."

She took a deep breath and looked back at the contents on the table. She steeled her nerve. She agreed to be with him as his bonded mate. She knew this was important to him. She could do no less than give him as much courage as she could muster. "Let's get this over with."

He touched her face. Forgive me.

Always, she replied. She lifted her arms as he lifted her dress to take it off her. He projected into her mind how he wanted her to lie on the cushion and she had to be naked as part of the process. Her eyes drifted down as she tried to gain courage. She frowned when she saw red angry blisters on one of his thighs. "Moto, did that happen when you hit my palm?" She pointed to his thigh.

He nodded without looking to where she pointed.

"Why didn't you