Page 128 of Plug and Claim

“It’s at the jewellers. We can go there next to pick it up.”

Kira groaned and jabbed a piece of crêpe in his direction. “If it’s another plug, it’s going straight up your ass.”

“It’s not another plug, I assure you.”

Kira was sceptical, but she hitched a polite smile on her face. “Sure. Let me just freshen up.”

In the privacy of the café’s washroom, she removed—with some difficulty—the plug. It turned out she didn’t need a crowbar after all, but removing it was so intense that it took several attempts, and she nearly chickened out. Finally, she braced herself and wrenched it out, stifling her gasp and cringing as a deep powerful ache left her reeling.

“Fuck you, Nathaniel,” she breathed, wrapping the toy in a washcloth and hiding it at the bottom of her purse. There was no way she was going to spend the next few hours waddling around the Capital. She would have to make sure she reinserted it before they returned to the academy. She felt queasy at the prospect, but she didn’t want to find out what Nathaniel would do if he noticed she’d removed it.

“Ready?” she asked lightly. She felt less weighed down without the plug in place and was determined not to let Nathaniel think she was up to something.

Thankfully, he was none the wiser as he led her through the shopping district. The jewellery shop was an elegant corner building painted midnight blue with large windows facing both streets. On one side of the jewellery shop was a cobbler, and around the corner on the other was—

Her stomach dropped as she spotted a boutique with fur coats on display in the window and gold lettering that read: Capital Taxidermy. She’d never been so pleased to see dead animals before.

“In here,” Nathaniel said, leading her into the jewellery shop.

She reluctantly followed him inside. The jeweller was a prim man with a small thin moustache and a large opinion of himself.

“Prince Nathaniel,” he greeted, bowing low. He didn’t deign to greet Kira, and she didn’t appreciate the disapproving way he looked at her. He glanced pointedly at the sign on the wall—no pets allowed—but seemed wise enough not to refer to it.

Nathaniel’s presence dominated the room as his slow footsteps came to a standstill. He cleared his throat loudly, and it was almost a growl, one that made the wolf in her proud, and caused the jeweller to jump.

“Greetings, miss,” he stammered, giving her a quick half bow before glancing fearfully at Nathaniel. “The piece you ordered is ready, Your Royal Highness. If you would care to inspect…?”

While Nathaniel spoke to the jeweller, Kira took note of the escape routes: the front door they’d entered through, the back door behind the counter, and several shuttered windows on the front faces of the shop.

“Here it is, sir,” the jeweller said, placing a large, flat case on the glass table. “For your special…lady.”

Kira would have snapped her teeth at him in warning, but she was enjoying watching Nathaniel defend her honour. Besides her foster parents, who’d rarely accompanied her into Nordokk or the surrounding villages, she’d never had someone to look out for her like that. It was…comforting. Like she wasn’t alone in everything.

Nathaniel took the case and presented it to her, opening it as if it were a ring box to reveal its contents.

Despite her apprehension, the beautiful necklace took her breath away. Judging by the short length, it was a collar, but there was nothing demeaning about it. It was an elegant piece, with bright red precious stones that sparkled in the dim light.

“For you,” Nathaniel said, and there was a hint of nervousness in the way he waited for her reaction.

Kira touched the collar, tracing the red gems. “This is beautiful,” she breathed. “Don’t tell me these are real rubies.”

“They are indeed, miss,” said the jeweller, his enthusiasm seemingly overcoming his bigotry—or perhaps he was just sucking up to Nathaniel. “These are the finest stones—deep pigeon blood red with perfect clarity.”

She raised an eyebrow at Nathaniel. “Pigeon blood red?”

“That’s just what the colour is called,” he smiled. “May I?”

Kira nodded, too startled by the glittering necklace to protest. It seemed too formal to wear during the day. Could she pull off something so elegant?

“You keep buying me jewellery,” she murmured as Nathaniel fit the collar around her neck. It was a snug fit.

“Like I said, this one is special,” Nathaniel said, his breath soft against her neck as he clipped the clasp into place. “This is from me.”

Kira frowned. “The plugs were from you as well.”

“Yes, but…this is different.”

“Different how?”