Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Show Me Yours, I Will Show You Mine

Korr reached up and grasped his Trinket. "Where?"

"It belongs to the Captain of the High Guard in Everfell," I said. "A wolf shifter named Asund."

Ethat snorted and sat up like a giant cat. He peered down at me, fireflies streaming out of his curled nostrils.

"Are you certain?" Korr asked, his handsome face drawing into a very serious frown.

"I am positive. Here, I'll show you how I know. Look at my Trinket." I fished out my Trinket. "Maybe there's some kind of conspiracy and the gods are punishing us for this. Maybe you high-breds can do something about it."

I brought Korr my Trinket, and pointed to the thorn that had been the one to match Asund's thorn. "See, here? This one. He was wearing one that matched exactly.I think the Temple is re-using the same castings and it doesn't mean anything. I've just got a whole Trinket, but you all got the thorns, and someone probably has the ball."

Korr pulled off his Trinket and laid it side by side with mine in his palm. His Trinket's thorn matched one of the thorns on my Trinket exactly. He handed it all to Itek, who compared it to his own Trinket.

"See?" I told Korr. "Go to Everfell if you don't believe me. Ask to see Captain Asund. He had come to my Enclave, and I saw the similarities, and tried to argue he was my consort. I was just distraught over Tynn and now I realize I was an idiot."

"Asund rejected the idea?" Korr said, while Ethat practically trembled, his sides moving with careful, deep breaths. Korr had never been so serious, his sky-like eyes peering deep at me, like I was a well of mysteries.

"They're identical," Itek told Korr, having used his superior eyesight to determine this. "She's right."

"Asund wasn't very kind about it," I said quietly. I touched between my breasts. "I wore my Trinket. That's why I'm calloused. I took it off when I got here and saw you two had Trinkets that matched Asund's, and realized it's all a lie. That the Churn is just a lie. And even if you're right about the perfect mate being perfect, that means all the high-breds will just get high-breds, and the Churn is really bullshit."

Ethat shifted his wings and tossed his head impatiently, snorting something.

Korr put his Trinket back around his neck. He looked at Itek.

"It would seem things have become interesting," Itek said.

"It would explain a great deal," Korr murmured.

I didn't care what they were interested in or what was worth explaining. "I'm leaving. I'm glad you and Itek are happy together. It's nice to know it's not total bullshit. But if this is any help to you getting the world sorted, I'm glad. Just leave me alone."

I shoved my Trinket back in my bag.

"Theia, wait," Itek said.

I grabbed a pillow and flung it at him as I passed the couch. "Thanks for making sense of it. Now at least I understand why your husband ground his cock against my back while we both watched you get naked."

Itek grinned. "Korr's not my husband, and it wasn't my naked ass making him hard."

"Not usually anyway," Korr said, amused.

"What? You two always wear your Trinkets. You—everyone in town thinks you're married!" I exclaimed, completely confused.

"That's an assumption they make, and we let them make it," Korr said. "We aren't married. We aren't mates."

"So you know the Trinkets are a lie!" I exclaimed. "You knew the whole time it was possible!"

"No," Korr said. "Ethat."