Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
Because I am.
Infatuated.
I can’t stop thinking of Sarya. I’m not sure why. I’ve hired plenty of sex workers in the past. Another one shouldn’t be special. It’s that she made me feel…normal. Most of the time I feel like a freak. A Taurian male in rut is thought to be irrational and difficult. The moment a bed partner finds out that I have a knot, they look at me differently. Treat me differently. Demand more coin for “extra” work. Like I’m a problem.
Sarya didn’t act like I was a problem. Didn’t act like my knot was an issue, just noted that it was there and it was nothing but another tool for pleasure. There was something about her—her self-deprecating humor, her ease with my body, and how she used me to give herself pleasure. All of that fascinates me. Her gorgeously thick curves helped, too. I don’t care what she looks like—all humans are a little bit strange-looking to a Taurian—but I want to see her again. I want to talk to her again. Hear that throaty little chuckle of hers. I just want to get to know her, which sounds ridiculous considering that it’s her job to fuck and not chat.
I want to be with her. Just…with her.
I can’t find her anywhere, though. She’s disappeared. Every person I asked in the hospital gave me the stink eye, as if they would never hire a sex worker on my behalf. I’m guessing they’re not supposed to talk about it. I’ve approached all the brothels, too, looking for a tall, busty blonde named Sarya. No luck.
My knot has been aching since I was released, and I should just hire one of the many men or women who service the city’s sexual needs. Pay extra to have someone work my knot the same casual way she did. Or just break down and get another potion dose. But I want Sarya. I’ve never been choosy in the past, but I suppose everyone can have a change of heart, even a lecherous piece of shit like me. Maybe it’s not just Sarya. Maybe it’s that Hawk, my oldest friend, is utterly besotted with his new human wife. That he has a partner—not just for upcoming Conquest Moons but for every day in between.
I’m envious. I’ve never had a romantic partner. Sex partner, yes. But romantic? No. Most respectable men and women run for the hills when they hear I have a knot, and the disrespectable ones are just interested in my coin. I’m back to taking cock-deadening concoctions.
Maybe that’s why they’ve called me in. I’ve been caught. They’ve realized I’ve been loading up on potions on the sly. “What’s wrong with frequenting brothels?” I ask, since they’re both being rather quiet. “Didn’t know it was suddenly against the rules.”
“It’s not,” Rooster says in that same delicate, sour tone that tells me he doesn’t approve. “But it does make me wonder about your discretion.”
“Raptor is the most trustworthy male I know,” Hawk says immediately, sitting up as if he wishes to fight in my defense. “Just because he’s hiring companions doesn’t mean that he can’t keep a secret.”
So…I’m not in trouble. They’re just worried I can’t keep a secret? I arch a brow at Hawk, wondering what the muck this is about. He’s busy staring down Rooster, though, as if daring him to take a chance on me. “I know when to keep my mouth shut.”
After all, no one in this room knows that I’ve been pilfering artifacts from Lord Nostrum’s expeditions for my own pockets. Been doing that for years and never been caught. I take stuff that only brings a few pennies here and there on the black market. I’ve gotten good at spotting things, and the person I sell them to never asks questions. It’s helped me keep my potion habit going. It’s helped me pay off a friend’s debts. It’s helped keep me afloat when Lord Nostrum decides that he’s not going to pay us for an excursion, or our Five ends up with a fruitless run. Is it skimming off the top? Yes. Is it illegal? Yes. Is it hurting anyone? No.
I wouldn’t have to do it if cheap Lord Nostrum paid his team every excursion. A lot of the time, he decides that our efforts are not worth his coin and won’t open his wallet. It gets harder and harder for him to carry a team that doesn’t know if it’ll get paid or not. I’ve been his only long-term artificer, and that’s because I’m taking a bit here and there to make ends meet. As it is, I can barely keep ahead on my potion costs. Which makes me think of Sarya again, and the envy I feel at Hawk’s contentment.
The guild master exchanges a look with Hawk, and silence falls on the room again.