As the bells at the top of the hour rang throughout the castle, Gwen lifted her eyes from the book she had been immersed in.  She counted each chime, and as they progressed, a sinking feeling began to consume her.  She prayed she just misheard, for if it was in fact an hour so late, Richter would surely be wondering of her whereabouts.  She decided to trust her ears and linger no longer, slamming the book shut so she could make her way to the bedchamber.

On a typical night, she would have been waiting for Richter there, or would accompany him on his way should she have the pleasure.  Never once since the night he had claimed her had he retired without her, and never once was he met with an empty room.  She had never considered the possibility of what could occur should she not be there when he settled down for the evening, for she took great joy in spending each night by his side.  She prayed as she all but dashed through the castle, prayed that perhaps Richter would be just as distracted as she and that she would still be able to beat him to the chamber.

She had no such luck. 

She snuck into the room, but immediately felt the weight of a dark gaze upon her.  Looking across the dimly lit chamber, she saw that Richter lay atop the bed, clearly expecting her with his arms folded and brows knit.  He was already dressed down for rest, but wore a scowl so fierce that her heart dropped to the depths of her stomach.

“How pleased I am that you could join me, vampire,” he said.  His voice lacked emotion.  “Pray tell, what keeps you?”

Both his tone and the way he stared her down in utter disdain were so cold, she felt as if the fire in the hearth mere feet from her had been extinguished with one look at him.

“I apologize, my lord,” she said with a bow as she twisted the hem of her gown.  “I… I did not know the hour.”

A dark brow arched at her.

“You claim you could not hear the chime of the bells?” he flatly asked.  “For they ring quite loud.  Louder still for a creature with senses as keen as yours, I presume.”

“I… I was distracted,” she admitted.  “Indeed, I heard, but it did not register as anything but background noise ‘til the top of this hour.  ‘Twas careless of me.  ‘Twas foolish.  I beg you forgive me for keeping you waiting, Lord Belmont.”

“Distracted?” he scoffed.  “At this hour, your attention belongs to me, not some foolish story or whatever else you find to occupy yourself in my absence.  Me alone.  You know this well.”

“Yes, my lord.”  She kept her head low as she nodded.  “I assure it will not happen again.”

“Indeed, it shall not…  For I intend to give you a reminder most painful.  So soon you forget that you are able to roam the castle as freely as you wish by my mercy, vampire.  ‘Twas my reward to you for your obedience and how you please me.  I wish not to treat you like a prisoner nor the monster that you are, yet I see your special treatment has been taken for granted.”

“‘Tis not, my lord!” she exclaimed.  “Verily, I appreciate you and your mercy with my whole heart.  ‘Twas a mistake!”

“Silence!” he demanded with a slam of his hand against the bed, effectively hushing her.  An incredulous laugh followed and Richter shook his head in disbelief.  “Now you dare raise your voice at me?  What in God’s name has gotten into you?”

She opened her mouth to protest, but decided she had already gotten herself in enough trouble.  Richter ran a hand through his head and sighed.

“‘Tis my fault for being too soft with you,” he proclaimed.  “You have grown too comfortable with my lenience and forget who you are, forget that you are indeed a pet of mine…  A pet whose sole responsibility is to keep me company and entertain me when I so desire.  ‘Til the day comes for your true duty to me as a beacon of Dracula’s wrath, you are little more than my pet and you know I desire you in the evenings.  ‘Tis been this way from the night I claimed you.  I’ve been good to you, too good.  I’ve spoiled you rotten.  A little discipline is in order to help you remember.”

He sat up on the bed, swinging his feet off the edge to plant on the floor, but he did not rise from where he sat.

“Come to me, vampire,” Richter beckoned.

She took a cautious step forward, leaving much distance still between them.

“‘Tis late.  We haven’t all night now that you’ve squandered it.  Come to me, or your punishment shall be tenfold.”

Gwen knew not what he had in store for her, but she feared it.  In the past, any punishment had been of the intimate nature, which did not much feel like punishment at all.  She did not for a moment believe she would get off so light this time, as the man seemed upset in a way she had not before seen of him.  He did not once look upon her with his typical arrogant smirk, but with lips drawn so tight they appeared to be naught but a thin line.  His previous rage was out of hatred for her kind, or the one instance of anger that she would dare attempt to use magic on him.  Her neglect of him this evening appeared to cut deeper, thus the idea of her forthcoming punishment frightened her to the bone.  Her heart broke upon knowing she had greatly displeased him.

“Remove that gown.”

She unlaced the front of her dress with haste, allowing it to drop to the floor around her feet.  She went to remove her chemise next, but Richter held his hand up.

“That may remain.”

She dropped her hands to her side and awaited his next instruction, but it did not come.  Instead, he reached out and tugged her forward by her wrist so she stood right by his side, then swiftly bent her over his knee.

“‘Whoever spares the rod hates the child.’” Richter quoted while his hand smoothed over the curve of her behind.  “Though you are not a child, still you belong to me, and believe it or not, vampire…”  He paused, hand halting as he drew in a deep breath.  The harsh edge to his voice was lost when he continued.  “… It seems I do not hate you.  Yet it pains me how little regard you have for me.”

All he had to say was that and fat tears fell from her eyes.  The truth in his words hurt more than anything he could ever do to her physically.  Had she known how imperative her presence was to him in the evenings, she would have stayed vigilant.  She would never have made him wait for her.  She did not think herself capable of offending him in such a profound way.

“For that,” he began again.  His voice regained its strength.  “I must correct you.”

Gwen had but a split-second to recognize the bottom hem of her chemise was drawn above her hips before she felt the full force of his palm against her bottom.  Her tears stopped at once and she yelped at the sudden contact, going stiff in his lap.  The hand that spanked her tugged at the braided cord of her hair.

“Do not writhe.”  He leaned in, making sure to look into her bleary eyes as he warned.  Both fire and ice existed in his stormy gaze, making it so painful to keep contact, but she dare not glance away.  “Lest you want me to do this to you ‘til your skin is raw.”

He released his hold on her hair to slap her behind again.  The skin was already tender from the first smack, and it took all the strength she possessed for her not to squirm in his lap.  His palm came down once more, right upon the same stinging flesh.  It was indeed painful as he intended it to be, but despite that, she bit her lip- not to silence her cries, but in anticipation of the next strike.  What cruel fate that a swat so harsh could send such searing heat pooling between her legs!

Oh, for heaven’s sake, what was wrong with her?  She tried futilely to remember this as the punishment it was intended to be.  She swore at herself internally that she need not be enjoying herself when she had upset her lord and lover so.  When he hit her again, she whimpered so pathetically.  The more her hindquarters stung, the more her sex throbbed in a way most humiliating.  She prayed that Richter did not notice her unsavory reaction, prayed that he would not be able to smell her arousal as it trickled down her thighs with the compromising position she was forced into.

It appeared that her body was not alone in its unexpected response.  Beneath her belly, she felt a stiffness gradually swell.  He too was deriving pleasure from this!  She knew not if it were out of the fact that he was spanking her or the fact that he could tell what that was doing to her.  She choked on her gasp, but was not successful in stifling the moan that the next impact of his palm brought out of her.  A stillness followed, so still, she swore Richter was not even breathing.  She winced upon thinking that he had realized how his plan to discipline her had backfired in such an awkward way.

“Remove yourself from me, vampire.”

She scrambled to her feet and stood before him.  He did not so much as look at her as he threw back the blankets and crawled beneath.  She remained where she stood motionless, unsure of whether he would still have her by his side or wanted her out of his sight.  As she weighted her options, he tossed in the bed, now facing her direction.

“Have you not wasted enough of my time tonight?” he huffed.  “Find your place in my arms while I would still have you.”

It was then she realized Richter was pouting.  Gwen would dare think he looked adorable if she didn’t still feel so much remorse over pushing him to this point.  She wasted no time joining him in bed and settling with her back to his chest.  He pulled her closer, and she felt the extent of his erection pressed against the small of her back.  She clenched around nothing, yearning for it between her legs instead.  For a moment, she wondered if he would take her tonight, as upset as he was with her.  Moments passed and no further moves were made, much to her dismay.

“You would be wise not to give me reason to punish you again,” he whispered in her ear.

“I will not, my lord.”

“I trust this is so…”  She felt his nose brush the line of her jaw, and his lips upon her neck.  He planted the faintest kiss on her skin before allowing a sigh to fall past his lips.  “For the true ache has yet to set in, my pet.”

The same palm that struck her earlier now smoothed beneath the linen of her chemise, slipping between her thighs before squeezing one of them.  The side of his hand brushed the valley between her legs before he pulled it away and found it a chaste resting place on her belly.  With that, she realized that he was well aware he’d garner such a reaction out of her.  The real punishment would be leaving her untouched after doing so, neglecting her like she had inadvertently neglected him.  Indeed, the true ache had yet to set in, but a night of this torture would discipline her well.