Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Demon Snax

 A dead scholar wasn't what I had thought to deal with that day. Or the five of them pawing over me. Or Soir for dinner. But they herded me back to the Hippocamp house, Ormiss not hiding how annoyed he was that they just presumed to cross the threshhold, and once the doors closed, he snapped his fingers and a deluge slammed into Haven and the storm unleashed its fury.

Or his fury, I think.

Yanice and Deliah came down the steps, and practically fluttered and preened at the arrival of their actual (and preferred) employers.

"We warned her," Yanice told Korr with a demure, downward gaze.

Korr's pale eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you did. Excuse us. Ethat, remain here."

Ethat flopped down in the foyer and pouted.

"It's your own fault," Korr told his brother, "You ate the scholar, so now you're trapped in that form until you digest him, and you can't fit through the other doors. I have warned you about eating people."

Ethat belched.

"...ate...him?" Deliah echoed faintly.

"My brother has a number of proclivities, including devouring his prey," Korr said.

Yanice stared down at Ethat in polite horror, clearly reconsidering all her ambitious choices.

Ethat continued to pick at his teeth. There was a scraping sound and he spit out a piece of bone. Deliah fled with a gasp.

Itek herded me back into the study, and Asund closed the doors behind us.

Well, weren't they taking a lot of liberties. I glared at all of them. But it was hard to argue with them taking charge when I clearly didn't know how to be in charge myself. And poor Maris... he didn't deserve to die.

I didn't think, at least. Maybe he did. Everyone else seemed to think he deserved it.

"Why did you summon Maris?" Korr asked as soon as we were alone--Ethat would make sure the maids didn't listen in.

I backed around one of the tables so there was something between me and all of them. "I needed him to read a note. I can't read."

"You could have asked one of us."

"I'm trying not to run to you lot with every little problem." What did he want me to say, just tell him how much I needed them? How I was helpless without them?

Korr walked up to the edge of the table. He rested his fingertips on the fabric-covered surface, raking them lightly, and instantly conjured a reaction in my skin, which hungered for him to rake me like that.

I hadn't been with Korr. Just Ormiss and Itek and Ethat, if we wanted to count that. And I wasn't sure anymore if I wanted to count Itek... mounting... me like he had... even if I'd wanted it at the time. My scars twisted and ached like my soul, wracked by confusion.

Korr said, "Have one of your maids read it."

"They aren't my maids, they're yours on loan, and I don't trust them."

"You don't?" He seemed bewildered.

"They hate me, if you haven't noticed--"

"I haven't."

"Because they keep it from you," I said darkly. "They want to please you. They don't give a fuck about pleasing me. I'm just some mutt you took in off the streets, and come on, Korr, are you naive? They want to be your skirts, or they want to be seen by someone else advantageous. I am beneath them."