Page 151 of Trove’s Purpose

But if he had no other way of getting her off him, it was certainly an option.

Though, it did come with the horrible possibility of her being into that. It was not likely, but he knew very well that the more extreme people became in their search for pleasure, the more extreme the things they tended to like became.

He kept himself under control, his happy smile perfect and unaffected, as Rinnicks ran her hands up his arms. She locked them around his wrists, just under the magcuffs. Another layer of binding that made her smile as she felt her control over him.

“You and I could have enjoyed ourselves,” she purred, rolling her body over his. “We could have had such fun, and you would have walked away a wealthy male for your efforts. But you had to be stubborn, didn’t you?”

“I beg your forgiveness,” he responded evenly, his tone bright and not at all matching her deep, husky voice. “I do have a reason however. I’m sure you would understand if I told you that I am a mated male.”

That obviously surprised her. She leaned back, blinking rapidly.

“Mated?” She repeated, then scowled. “Now you lie to me? You are not mated. You are a domini. Your cock would not work for any female but yours if you were mated.”

“Admittedly, it is a very new mating. I only just met her recently, and I haven’t visited a single brothel since I laid eyes on her.”

“Who?” Rinnicks’ face pinched, then brightened almost immediately in understanding. “Oh! The little wild haired human female that kept trying to defend you? That ugly little thing?”

“I find her quite pretty,” Trove smiled affectionately.

Rinnicks’ lips curled in disgust. “You would. That stupid bond makes fools of even the most levelheaded people.”

“Funny enough, you and I agree on that.” Trove chuckled. “I’m very much changed since I met her. Though I have always found her pretty.”

Rinnicks looked like she was going to be sick. But she shook her head, banishing the feeling, and focused once more on him.

“I don’t really care,” she finally said. Her hands continued up, covering the fists he had curled his into. “I don’t need your cock. That’s not what the ladies whisper about.”

Of course, not. They never experienced that part of him. It would never work for them, just as it would never work for Rinnicks.

But, like the prostitutes, like his mother, like his aunt, Rinnicks didn’t actually care about his pleasure in this act. She only cared about what she could get from him.

And now, she looked at his new claws with distaste.

“You regrew them,” she remarked angrily.

“A treatment long overdue,” he assured her easily. “I think they look rather nice, don’t you? Makes my fingers look long and fancy, don’t they?”

“You really are a fool,” she gave him a cold look. “You’ve removed the only use I have for you. And wasted your credz in the process. I always get what I want. And I will get it if I have to rip those claws out again myself.”

With that, she tossed her leg over him. She swung them both over the side of the bed and stood, moving to a small stand he hadn’t seen because it was tucked out of sight behind one of the many drapes dangling from the ceiling.

On it was a short glass filled with an amber liquid he recognized as a liquor, a pair of simple pliers, bright and shiny new, and-

-the magcuff control.

There it was.

Trove was satisfied that he had located that and now just needed to figure out how to get it so he could release himself.

But even as he was having that thought, Rinnicks was picking up the pliers. They fit neatly in her hand as she turned to him with the hard look of a female used to destroying people to get her way. Be it physically, financially, or emotionally.

Or just through torture.

And he was relieved.

Unless she had ripped out someone’s claws before – and that was doubtful – she wouldn’t know how to do it.

And unlike her, he had experience with someone ripping out his claws. He knew exactly how long it took, especially when the one doing it had to figure out exactly how it was done. And unlike before, he wasn’t a weak youngling, barely able to fight back. Rinnicks was also alone, she didn’t have someone there to hold him down while she grasped and pulled. It was going to take even longer.