But Garnet didn’t have permission.
With a weak sob, she lowered her hand. He allowed it to happen. Watching as she turned the stick off before dropping it. Letting it roll away towards his feet.
Tanin nodded once in approval. “Come here.”
Garnet didn’t hesitate this time. She stepped away from Gissrn. Coming closer. The ribbon around her wrist loosened and fell away. Tanin pulled it back in, wrapping it around his wrist again as she came to a halt in front of him.
Tanin took her by the chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. “Okay?”
She nodded, sniffing as she smiled weakly. Hopefully. “You’re sure Goldie is safe?”
“Alred wants to keep his presence secret. But not so much that he would allow her to get hurt. Trust me. He would reveal himself to protect her. He hasn’t said a word, which means he’s in his core right now. Which he would only do if he knew she was safe first. She is unharmed, I assure you, or this would have gone very differently.”
Right. That wire hanging down from above was Alred setting Tanin up to remove the collars from the others. He had seen the collars and prepared for them to be broken. Goldie had likely been in the medbay when they came in, and Alred had control of all the doors and locks. He could have sealed her in. Or sent her to the shelter if he had time. He obviously didn’t notice the collars before they entered or he wouldn’t have allowed them through the bulkhead door, but he noticed afterword and took action.
Which would have included saving Goldie.
The last of her tears dried as the logic penetrated her panic. “Thanks.”
“Let me take care of this.”
Garnet chuckled, unable to resist. The way he said that, it was like he was asking her to let him take out the trash. “Yes, please.”
“Good.” Tanin finally looked past her to where Gissrn was still laid out on the ground. Garnet turned her head as well, and she failed to bite back a grin.
It was a pathetic sight.
She had no pity for this male that managed to traffic her and Goldie off Earth. A proud male that was now nothing but a sniveling, writhing mess. Snot and tears and blood smeared down his face. He had managed to recover enough to fall onto his side, one hand covering his crotch, the other trying to lift himself off the ground.
He didn’t look very kingly now. His fancy suit was all mussed and dirty, the jacket having ridden up from his thrashing. His neat braids were loose and frizzy. His nose was bleeding, his lip was bleeding, two of his five eyes were puffy and swelling.
He was a weak, trembling mess. Garnet could only smirk, taking no small amount of pleasure in how low he looked right now. His threats were bad enough. She was also fairly sure she and Goldie weren’t the first ones he’d done this to. He’d probably hurt a lot of people. He deserved this.
As they watched, he cracked his eyes open, glaring hatefully.
“You will pay for this,” he hissed with a pained groan. “I will destroy you both! You will regret this. I am aking! You worthless insects. I am powerful! I am untouchable!”
Tanin walked past her, approaching the spitting male who was trying to push himself up. Aside from his raised quills, Tanin looked as calm as ever.
Gissrn, however, flinched when Tanin bent down and grabbed the downed king by the front of his shirt. He stood, dragging Gissrn towards the rail. Without so much as a word, he threw him over.
Garnet whipped around, fully expecting to see him hitting the ground. She wouldn’t mind if he went splat.
So, she was surprised when Rok, blood drying on his face, caught him in all four arms.
Rok’s jovial smile was gone. Replaced by a hard scowl as he held the king up with two heavy hands on his shoulders, two more under his arms. Behind him, the others were gathering around. Vytln, snarling, grabbed one arm. Trove, expression eerily blank, grabbed the other. The twins, one of them limping, approached with their blades in hand.
“What was it you said you would do to me?” Tanin asked calmly, standing at the rail, looking down at him in a complete role reversal of where they had started. “Rip my cock off, break all my limbs, and kill me slowly? I believe it was.”
Garnet came to his side. Smiling when Tanin automatically put his arm around her waist, his ribbon trailing down, tickling her legs as it dangled in the air. She put a hand on his chest, leaning her head against his shoulder as she watched Gissrn stare up at them with wide, terrified eyes. His legs dangling weakly as Rok held him up like a doll.
“Y-You wouldn’t,” the king said, breathing hard with fear. “You can’t! I am a king! If you touch me, you will be ruined!”
“How?” Tanin asked, cocking his head. “You said yourself that no one knows you’re here.”
Gissrn opened his mouth, but no sound came out as he realized Tanin was right. “You… You…”
“What was the lesson you were trying to teach me before? Beauty is power? You have the right to possess beautiful things because you have the power to keep beautiful things. I believe that’s what you said to me. An interesting theory to be sure. Would you like to hear mine?”
