Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Pearl Hunting

The Hippocamp Queen did not believe in 'mercy', clearly.

Korr's eyes narrowed, but then he flicked his head in annoyed acknowledgement. His fingers continued to play with my loose hair, while the fingers of the other hand stroked the arm of the couch like it was a tolerant cat.

"I can be reasonable," Ormiss added with a smug twist of the knife.

Korr flipped him the middle finger.

"And it's not even appreciated. I think I shall return to being unreasonable."

Asund sighed. "Please don't. I'm tired of combing out your hair."

Ormiss gave him a shocked and somewhat betrayed look. I opened my mouth to ask what Asund had meant, then thought better of it. Whatever might have happened while I'd been off pretending like I had a choice in any of this wasn't my business. Korr had almost melted, Ethat had withered, Itek had preened himself into bald patches, maybe Asund and Ormiss had cuddled or something. Wolves groomed those they were close to, and I'd seen horses grooming each other, so maybe Hippocamp groomed each other.

I twisted onto my hip, tugged Ormiss by a braid, and kissed him. He startled, then eagerly leaned into the kiss, his tongue grazing my lips.

I pushed him back before things got heated. "Shush."

His obsidian-and-garnet eyes danced with flicks of purple and lightening-blue. Asund rested his chin on my knee and looked up at both of us.

Ormiss caressed my cheek by cupping my jaw and smoothing his thumb over my face, slowly.

Korr's fingers found my hair again and returned to caressing it. "So I suppose I will have to earn my keep and figure out how to present all of this to Haven in a way that will not offend any species, while Itek goes on a hunt for historical knowledge."

"I'm sorry if I sound stupid," I said, twisting around to look at Korr, "but why does it have to be a to-do?"

"Because not announcing a pairing is seen as disrespectful," Korr said. "Especially when it is cross-species. Everyone knows the Churn can have disappointments as the gods care nothing for politics."

Ormiss gave Asund a kick in the thigh. Asund grumbled and kept his chin on my knee.

"And we all have family waiting back home that will expect us to do things well," Itek added with something like a sigh.

"Don't act like honoring her the way she deserves is a burden," Ormiss snapped at him.

"I am sighing for her sake," Itek retorted. "She is the Lady-Consort of the Hippocamp, and very possibly about to become Crown Princess given Soir is pushing for your cousin to be declared dead. Our families and our species will be mortified if we bungle it further, while the Ravens and Wolves and humans make the most of the elder shifter species being addled fools."

"There's also no protocol for this sort of situation, so we will have to make our own," Korr said. He sighed and sat up straight, wincing around his ribs. He looked down at it.

"Is it getting worse again?" I shifted away from Ormiss.

"Not at all."

"I have more blood."

"I am well past needing such... extreme...treatment," Korr said with mild revulsion. His pupils constricted into something not-quite circular and more reptilian. "I just need to recover. It only hurts like a bruised rib and magical exhaustion."

"Then you need to rest," I said.

"Ah, eventually. Considering my brother is below, I will have plenty of time to rest." He winked at me.