Free Conquering Lazar by Alta Hensley Page B

it.
    "Elbi…" The one word came clearly as a warning. She did not know Malachi well, but she knew enough to know his patience with her game of silence was wearing thin.
    She should have answered him. The harem girl in her should have… but she remained trapped in her own silence.
    Malachi pulled away enough so that he was able to start lowering her silks. "I have had enough of your disrespect. When I ask you questions, I expect the courtesy of an answer. You can answer me, or be punished for defiance."
    The harem girl should have answered right away and apologized for her behavior. But Elbi realized at that moment that the harem girl in her was what was lost.
    "Very well," he said, as he tugged at the knot holding her silk tight. Once that had been loosened, her clothing fell to the ground, exposing her completely. "You have made your choice."
    The harem girl in her should have responded with a 'yes, sir' but once again, she held her tongue. The harem girl was somewhere else… mislaid in the desert.
    "Since you have nothing to say to me, then maybe a trip over my lap will help you find your voice." He pulled her with him to a modest wooden chair by the table in the middle of the room, still covered with what should have been a pleasant breakfast. In one effortless motion, he draped Elbi across his knee, readying her body for a punishment.
    The harem girl in her should have submitted willingly, mentally preparing for the spanking in store. But that did not happen. Instead, she tensed and tried to get up. Her heart was beating so fast and hard, she almost wondered if it could be heard by Malachi. She was no stranger to discipline, submission and dominance. She knew how to be submissive… and yet… she didn't want to be.
    He pressed her back down firmly and trapped her legs between his, then grabbed both of her hands and pinned them behind her lower back with one of his. If she wouldn't willingly give her submission, he was clearly about to force it.
    As she stared at the wooden floor only a few inches from her face, she challenged his hold. She wiggled and bucked, trying her best to break free. Could she escape if she really wanted to?
    Her answer was a sharp slap to her bare ass. It stung, but for some reason she didn't want him to know it did. Another swat landed on one cheek and then another. Malachi continued the spanking at a fast pace, but Elbi refused to gasp, plead or cry any further. She may not have control over her life, but she had control over her emotions with this spanking. She decided that she would take this punishment with grace and dignity. Malachi had already seen enough tears from her.
    He spanked in silence. There was no lecture, no words of disapproval, just the sound of his hand peppering her rear with a growing force. Her bottom was on fire, and yet her eyes remained as dry as the desert. The pain grew as the spanking intensified, but she took the discipline in the most stoic of ways. A hive of stinging bees overtook her sensitive flesh as swat after swat landed on her upturned ass, and yet not a single gasp or moan escaped her lips. Not until the lecture began.
    "It's all right to be scared." SWAT, SWAT, SWAT. "It is all right to feel weak." The spanking continued between his words. "If you are lost, then we will find you." As hard as Elbi was trying not to let the spanking affect her, the pain escalated to a new level. "But I will not let you lose your spirit. I will not allow you to demean yourself and think less of who you are." SWAT, SWAT, SWAT. "You are a fighter, Elbi! Only the strong have survived, and you are alive!" The palm of Malachi's hand came down with such ferocity over and over, that she had no choice but to release a wail of pain—but she would not let any tears come. She would hold on to that sign of weakness. "You will become stronger every single day, and we will make a warrior of you. I have no doubt that one is hidden behind the surface of this scared little girl."
    His final