Then I felt large hands on my body. My eyes fluttered open. I glanced down to see Kur’tok touching my chest in gentle, soothing strokes. My cheeks warmed. Kur’tok was petting me, but I didn’t feel like an actual pet, not like Kookee. I was something different to him.
The way Kur’tok touched me reminded me more of a lover. And since we just had sex, I guess we technicallywerelovers.
Why did I like that idea so much?
10 /Kur’tok
The human must’ve been weakerthan I realized. After releasing his pollen, Paz fell asleep again.
Right in my lap.
I stared down at his prone, delicate body. He was so fragile, yet he trusted me enough to pass out in my grasp.
Either that, or he was deeply stupid.
No, Paz was not stupid. I banished that brief thought from my mind forever. I wouldn’t tolerate anybody insulting my pet—not even me.
As I watched Paz sleep, a wispy feeling swarmed in my chest like vine tendrils. I ignored it, whatever it was.
A purple wash stained the sky overhead. We’d spent a long time fooling around in the waterfall pool. I needed to put Paz to bed properly.
Gingerly wrapping my arms around him, I carried my limp pet back to the den. His soft, rhythmic breaths puffed against my chest. Those fuzzy tendrils knotted between my ribs again. I swallowed hard, attempting to dislodge them, but they didn’t budge. That was annoying. Had an insectoid gone up my nostrils without my noticing?
On the way to the den, I noticed my domain was oddly empty. I’d lost track of my underlings. Then I noticed I didn’t feel a flare of annoyance at the thought of them. Maybe having a new pet distracted me from their incompetence.
It was when I reached the mouth of the den that I saw them. Arr’tow and Haz’rull stood meekly beside the entrance, their eyes gleaming with curiosity. Instinctively, I held Paz closer to my chest.
“What do you want?” I demanded, keeping my voice low so I wouldn’t disturb Paz.
“We wanted to see the human,” Arr’tow said.
I lashed my tail. “I’m taking him to sleep. Do not disturb us.”
I strode past them. After a beat, Haz’rull asked, “Is he going to live here forever?”
My shoulders bristled, and my feelers flashed violent red. “Of course he is!”
The pair exchanged furtive glances. That angered me more. What had they discussed behind my back—and about Paz, no less?
“Does the human know that?” Haz’rull ventured.
My feelers jolted like they’d received an electric shock. I turned slowly to face Haz’rull.
“It is not up to the human,” I growled, enunciating each word so it’d get through my underling’s thick skull. “It is my choice. He stays. He ismine.”
Arr’tow balked at my anger, but Haz’rull stared back at me in defiance. They looked tense, as if about to argue, until Paz roused in my arms with a muffled sound.
“What’s goin’ on?” he mumbled.
Had he heard our conversation?
“Nothing,” I reassured him, still glaring at Haz’rull. “Get back to hunting.”
The pair lingered for a moment, then took off. My muscles relaxed when they disappeared from the den and left the two of us alone.
“You sound annoyed,” Paz pointed out sleepily.
I grunted. “I’m not.”
