Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Exotic Meat

 Pain stabbed up through my seams while my scars felt like they were tearing open, getting sawed by a thousand claws just slicing into my skin over and over again.

"Theia!" Asund spun around just as I sagged into Ormiss' arm.

"Take her," Ormiss' voice sounded breathless, and I realized he was still restraining all the summoned magic in his staff.

Asund grabbed me and lowered me down. "I have you. I have you."

My scars pulled. My body was slick, and not in the fun way between my thighs. I gasped, "I'm bleeding."

Asund looked me up and down while Ormiss dropped to his knees, still clutching his staff in one hand. Asund said, "No, no, you aren't."

"My scars." I clenched my teeth and tried not to writhe around like a tormented bug.

"They're intact." Asund's voice was steady, very calm. Too calm, actually, but that made up for how not calm I was feeling.

"What did he do to her, Marcus?" Ormiss demanded of the Steward still rooted to the floor.

"Nothing I can sense," Marcus said.

"Do not lie."

I clawed at Ormiss' skirts. "He's not lying."

"If it was the Lord-Raven's song, her pain should pass when the echos stop," Marcus' voice wasn't entirely steady. In fact, his Song sounded mostly like he was singing to himself that he couldn't believe what had just happened to his life.

I knew the feeling. I laughed once as the pain hit a crescendo that tried to rip my face off my skull.

"Should," Asund growled.

"I'm guessing. Raven Songs are powerful but temporary--" he stopped talking

"But your master is a SongBird."

"The Lord-Raven didn't intentionally harm her. He never would. He's in love with her."

"He's in love with the puzzle, nothing else," Ormiss spat, then he turned back to me and caressed my cheek with his free hand. Then he withdrew his hand. "The--"

"What?" I rasped. The pain had backed off to something survivable even if every part of me felt mis-matched and jagged. Asund shifted me in his strong arms and kissed my forehead. It seemed to help.

Ormiss frowned at his hand. He showed Asund his fingers.

"If you tell me you're seeing blood, I'm eating Raven for dinner," Asund said sharply.

"You don't see that," Ormiss said.

"I see your fucking hand, horse-fish."

Ormiss peeled back my dress to see more of my scars. "Bird, do you see anything?"

"Nothing I would not expect to see. Lord-Regent, you are ah--restraining a large amount of magic." Marcus gave the staff and Ormiss' obvious physical restraint the side-eye. "Perhaps you are seeing the weather-mage equivalent of spots."

Ormiss' entire arm had corded with muscle and swollen veins that traveled up across his shoulder cap into the muscles of that side of his chest.

"I'm better." I had to pick myself up before anything else came unglued. Like Ormiss holding back an entire summer seaside storm.

"Steady." Asund helped me back to my feet. I did feel sort of slick all over. I pawed at my scars, but there was no blood. Asund, still steadying me, said, "It's your body playing a trick on you. You're not bleeding."