He flashed a bright grin. “Sure, you can try.”
It relieved me that his frown disappeared. I preferred his smile, and he smiled when I admitted defeat. That should’ve been troubling. Kur’tok did not admit defeat—except to small flesh-bag humans, apparently.
And yet, I wasn’t perturbed. For some reason, I didn’t mind bending my iron will for Paz’s sake.
But only a little bit. In the end, he was my pet and I was his master. If he was going to live under my collar, it was time he learned the rules of my domain.
7 /Paz
After eatinga fruit breakfast that Kur’tok declined to join, my captor gave me a tour of his territory. Unlike the Maeleon village, Kur’tok took his residence by a cozy waterfall beneath a thicket of exotic trees. He lived alone, except for the two other Maeleons he called “underlings” and his pets, Kookee and now me.
I wanted a chance to talk to Arr’tow and Haz’rull, but Kur’tok whisked me away before I could get a word in. I didn’t recognize them from the village, and they’d clearly never seen a human before, so I wanted to know their deal. Were they the young Maeleons on a quest that Zat’tor mentioned? Why did they leave? Was Kur’tok keeping them captive, too?
My grouchy captor stomped around the place, showing me the boundaries of his territory—words I’d never heard a Maeleon say before.
“You will never go past here,” Kur’tok said, pointing to a loose ring of bright blue flowers on the ground. They formed a vague circle around Kur’tok’s waterfall area. “In fact, you will never wander around on your own. You’ll only be by my side. Understood?”
I had a feeling that “rule” was flexible. My interactions with Kur’tok so far proved he was easier to communicate with than I’d anticipated. I already got him to admit fault once, and that was half the battle. I felt like a pushy salesman—once I got my foot in the door, I could sweet-talk my way with him. Probably.
“So, I’ve basically got no agency anymore,” I said. “Got it.”
Kur’tok growled, his feelers rising like steam. “Are you making fun of me, flesh-bag?”
I gave him an angelic smile. “Not at all. I’m just repeating what you said in different terms.”
Grunting, he swept around and trudged back towards the waterfall. He clutched my leash loosely in his fist. At least he didn’t have a heavy hand. My experience as an alien’s captive could’ve been much worse.
But I couldn’t stay here forever. Kur’tok wasn’t horrible—honestly, he was pretty cute, in a weird way—but I needed to get back to the village. Were Levi and Jaeyoung worried about me? What about Zat’tor and Linn’ar? Did they even care about their mates’ friend, or was I just window-dressing to them?
The thought filled me with melancholy. I wanted to be special to people. I wanted to be liked. Was that so much to ask?
“Why do you frown again?” Kur’tok demanded.
Man, he was in tune with my feelings, wasn’t he? I’d never been great at hiding my emotions, but Kur’tok picked up on them instantly.
“Just thinking about the village,” I replied.
Kur’tok scowled. His feelers flashed a deep red, bordering on purple. “Forget it,” he snapped. “You are somewhere better now.”
It was sweet how he tried to make me feel better in his caveman-ish way. But I shook my head. “I can’t forget my friends that easily. I’m not some pet rock you found on theground. I’m a living, breathing person. I have memories and bonds and all that jazz.”
Kur’tok’s tail jerked back and forth like a frustrated cat. His shoulders squared tensely and he looked like he wanted to bark orders at me, but restrained himself.
“You annoy me with your flapping mouth, human,” Kur’tok grumbled. “At least Kookee can’t talk.”
“Gee, thanks. That really makes me want to stay more.”
A flicker of fear crossed Kur’tok’s red eyes. Was he worried I’d try to escape? I couldn’t exactly go anywhere with a collar around my neck, but Kur’tok still seemed nervous.
He stepped closer, his massive alien body dwarfing mine. He worked his jaw for a moment, then barked, “What doyoulike, prey-pet?”
I blinked. Was he trying to make me feel better about being his captive?
“Let’s see... I like relaxing and eating. Oh, and sleeping,” I said.
Kur’tok furrowed his scaly brow in confusion. “You have already done those things. What else? You said you need sex?”
A blush exploded across my cheeks. I didn’t expect him to bring that up, but I guess openness about sex was common across all Maeleons—even Kur’tok, the black sheep of his culture.
