Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) by Machelle Hanleigh (interesting novels to read txt) 📕

he carefully said. He handed her a bowl of porridge and then dished one for himself. If she was going to be his bonded mate, she would need to learn his way, and he would need to communicate it to her.

She took a bit of the porridge. How so? She inquired.

He smiled to himself. He was careful not to let it show on his face or in his mind. "Mild punishment," he refrained from saying 'like what he just gave her', "is handled within the family unit. More egregious offenses are handled through the leadership of the villages and if severe enough the Queen.”

She made a disdainful sound. "Oh, so you abuse your children."

He gave her a stern glare. "No." He gave her credit for not looking away. There were times like now that he knew she possessed inner strength. "Spankings are given sparingly and only when it fits the offense. If a parent was found to be overly harsh with their children, it would be considered a crime and they would be dully punished in like manner."

She frowned and sort of smiled. "Spanked? Really?"

He nodded, "In a manner of speaking."

"That's barbaric." She shook her head at the thought.

"How are offenses punished on your world?" He asked.

"Criminals are put in jail for their crimes." She said.

He saw an image of a line of cages form in her mind. He was shocked that anyone would do that to another person. The cages, in her mind, didn't provide enough room for anyone to move around in. "You put your people in cages? You call that civilized?" He asked.

She looked away. "Not when you put it that way." She handed him her empty bowl. "Thank you, that was delicious."

"So, you like my cooking better than Shimani's." He took the bowl she handed him. He much preferred the teasing, and lighter side of conversations with her.

Kaily looked back at him and narrowed her eyes at him. "There is not a great way to answer that statement."

Moto laughed and ruffled her hair. "No, I imagine not."

"You spank your adults? In truth?"

He could hear curiosity in her voice and see it in her mind. It wasn't a pleasant subject for him, and he only mentioned it to lessen the sting of her own punishment at his hands, but apparently, she was not going to be appeased by a short and simple explanation. He finished cleaning up and then sat back down next to her. "Seldom, but yes with a strap," he said.

"Does the number of hits depend on the crime?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"No, it's about the process of letting go, accepting responsibility for one's actions, and being repentant. Are we really going to talk about this?" Moto took her hands in his and scooted his cushion closer to her so that there was not even a portion of the table between them.

"Not if you don't want to." Kaily said.

He could see in her mind that she would let it go if that was his wish, but she did want to know, and there was disappointment in her mind. He shook his head and gave in to her wish for knowledge about the topic he brought up. "It isn't a pleasant subject, but I understand the importance for you to learn everything about being Kahoali there is to learn."

"Yes, it is important." She touched the side of his face with the tips of her fingers. "I do want to know, but only if you're okay talking about it."

He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Moto took a deep breath. "If it is within the family unit, the spanking is with the hand, and only occasionally a strap. The number of times depends on necessity to make a point about the egregious behavior, and never out of anger. If the punishment is administered at the direction of the Shanees or the Queen it is always with a strap, and always until the individual is repentant and let's go of any stubbornness they might be harboring. Kahoali are natural empaths, so we can feel when the person being punished has truthfully accepted their responsibility and are repentant for what they have done. It ensures that offenses are not repeated." Moto rubbed the crease between Kaily's brows. Peace, little one, there is a purpose behind the process of administering punishment.

"If you say so," Kaily said, "I just don't see what it could be."

Moto felt the doubt in her mind. He tilted his head to the side. "How high would you say crime is on your world?" He already knew the answer from what he saw in her mind, but he wanted her to make the connection that his world didn't have the crime hers did. They would never refer to those that committed a crime as criminals. There was no specific word for those individuals, because they were not the sum of their offenses.

"High," Kaily looked behind Moto as if gathering her thoughts. "I didn't see anything like a jail in your village."

"You won't," he said. "Individuals make mistakes. We punish them and then let them get on with their lives without any of it being held against them. Each person is an important part of our lives within the villages."

"What about those that cause server harm to others?"

He winced at the images passing through her mind. He closed his eyes and pulled her onto his lap. "No Kahoali would ever consider doing any of those things in your mind to one another."

"There are less of those types of crimes in the smaller towns, but it still exists. I can't imagine that places exist were there isn't someone causing harm to someone else."

"And you want to go back to that world?" Moto rubbed his hand up and down her back.

It's my home, she replied.

His hand stilled on her back as he caught a brief note of longing for her home in her mind. I understand, he replied. He couldn't imagine living in the