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But for some reason, Mia wouldn’t listen to him—though she’d always been respectful of his opinion before, just as he was respectful of hers. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she understand that he wasn’t trying to be an asshole—he wastryingto save her from whatever bad effects that fucking Nutrient Crème drink might have on her?
If we were back on my home world, I’d put her over my knee!he found himself thinking.I’d tan her luscious little ass until she couldn’t sit down for a week!Thatwould make her think twice about disobeying me!
Wait—what was he thinking? Sev stopped in the middle of the living area, stunned at the turn his thoughts had taken. Had heactuallybeen thinking of striking his partner? Of treating Mia like a naughty brat who needed to be punished for her own good instead of an equal whose opinions he trusted and respected?
Sev shook his head. What waswrongwith him? He’d left his home world to get away from such things. He worked hard to put those urges behind him—to keep them locked behind the door of his past. He—
The knocking on the front door came again, interrupting his guilty thoughts. Right—the door—Brother Jonash.
Sev ran a hand over his horns. He would have to deal with this later. For now, he had to deal with the male who called himself their “Spiritual Advisor.”
He just hoped Brother Jonash would be less irritating and abrasive than he had been the day before. After having a fight with his partner, Sev didn’t know how much more irritation he could take today.
SIXTEEN
MIA
Mia heard the front door open and Brother Jonash’s slightly nasal voice before he and Sev walked into the kitchen, where she was still sitting in front of her mostly full plate.
“Ah—here you are, Sister Mia.” Brother Jonash clasped his hands together and nodded at her. Then his eyes wandered to her plate and he frowned. “Why is she eating all that food?” he demanded, turning to Sev, who still had a scowl on his face. “How did she get it? I programmed her tube for the self-control setting.”
“You mean thestarvationsetting?” Mia demanded, forgetting that she’d promised to be “good” today. “Tell me, Brother Jonash, how am I supposed to live on six blue Brussel sprouts and a single ham cube?”
The look of disapproval on Brother Jonash’s face deepened.
“You know, I was willing to put up withsomeimpropriety from you yesterday, Sister Mia—seeing that the two of you are new to our Dome and the principles of the PPP. But today is your Induction Ceremony and I must warn you—after you are officially entered into the PPP, therewillbe consequences for such behavior!”
“Mia has a point though,” Sev said, surprising Mia by taking her side, even though he was mad at her. “Shecan’tlive on such small portions.” He frowned. “Or do you set all the females’ food rations so low to make certain they’ll drink plenty of your fucking Nutrient Crème?”
“Brother Severith, please! Your language!” Brother Jonash looked shocked at hearing the F word. “I wouldthinkthat you’d be happy I set your wife’s portions to self control mode,” he added, frowning reproachfully at Sev. “Wouldn’t you like her to be thinner? It’s so much moreattractivewhen a female is at or even a littlebelowher optimal weight.”
Mia was burning to give him a piece of her mind but before she could open her mouth, Sev was speaking.
“Your idea of ‘attractive’ is a hell of a lot different than mine,” he growled at Brother Jonash. “You see, we Kindredlikeour women curvy. Mia is an Elite—a female the Goddess has blessed with extra bountiful curves. She’s fuckingbeautifuland I have no intention of turning her into some skinny, underweight bag of bones! I want herjustthe way she is soback the fuck off.”
“Well!” Brother Jonash looked taken aback, as though he wasn’t sure what to say.
Mia felt the same way, actually. She was surprised—and also gratified—to hear her partner defend her so ferociously. Mentally, she forgave him for the foolishness with the morning smoothie. Any man who would argue for her right to be curvy deserved a pass once in a while, as far as she was concerned.
Brother Jonash still appeared to be speechless. At last, he nodded and cleared his throat.
“All right—as you are Sister Mia’s husband, it’s definitely your right to let her remain overweight. Er,curvy,”he amended quickly, since a growl was building in Sev’s deep chest. “However her body pleases you best, that’s how you should maintain it,” he finished hurriedly.
“Mia maintains herownbody,” Sev said. “I don’t tell her what to eat or drink. Well…” His eyes darted to the empty smoothie cup. “Not often, anyway.”
“But when youdotell her, does she listen?” Brother Jonash raised one silver eyebrow and looked pointedly at Mia. “Don’t worry if the answer is no, Brother Severith,” he added. “Now that you’re here in the Dome, we will teach you the proper way to train your wife so that she will become the chaste, dutiful, obedient woman you wanted when you first married her.”
Mia felt hot words rising to her lips but Sev gave her a warning look so fierce she bit her tongue to keep them from coming out.
“Remember you promised not to say anything that would make these people force me to punish you,”he had told her. And since they still didn’t have any idea of what “punishment” consisted of here in the PPP Dome, Mia thought it was probably wise to keep her promise—no matter how provoking Brother Jonash’s constant misogyny was.
“Now, before we can get to the training or your Induction Ceremony, I’m afraid there will have to be a review,” Brother Jonash went on, when no one contradicted him. “The Council of Elders has seen some disturbing things when they reviewed the camera footage of your domestic doings this morning.”
“So you’re already watching us?” Sev growled, his big hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“I told you we would be,” Brother Jonash reminded him. “Come—we must go, for the Council is waiting. Leave the dirty dishes,” he added when Sev started to take his plate to the sink. “Your wife can deal with them later.”
Biting her tongue again, Mia picked up both dirty plates and took them to the sink. Damn if it didn’t feel like she was right back in her old sect and her old marriage again! She was the “little woman” who did all the domestic chores around the house and didn’t have a right to her own opinion.
