Kur’tok screwed up his expression. “You are a strange little morsel,” he grumbled. “I will eat you quickly so you don’t play tricks on me.”
Again with the eating, I thought.He can’t be serious... can he?
“It’s no trick,” I said. “We’re just chatting.”
“Silence,” Kur’tok roared. I braced myself against the wave of his hot breath. “Shut your mouth now.”
His tone startled me. I’d never heard a Maeleon speak so rudely. What the hell was wrong with this guy?
“You know, there’s nicer ways of asking me to be quiet,” I pointed out.
Kur’tok snarled. His tentacles tightened around my waist, making me wheeze. The pressure wasn’t painful, but just enough to be uncomfortable.
“Hey, can you ease up?” I asked.
“Why?” Kur’tok barked.
Okay, niceties didn’t work on him. I had to think like he did.
“You don’t want to turn your prey into mush before you... eat it,” I said.
Kur’tok pouted angrily, then relaxed his tentacles. I breathed out in relief. At least he was willing to listen. Sort of. That meant I still had a chance to get out of this mess. Geez, was this how Levi felt when his stupidity crashed our ship?
Grasping me with his tentacles, Kur’tok lifted me in the air, then dropped to all fours and ran. I dangled in his grip, helpless. My arms and legs were trapped. I couldn’t do anything to escape. My voice and diplomacy skills were my only weapons. My only chance at freedom.
Reality drenched me like a bucket of cold water. I was the captive of a carnivorous Maeleon—and I had to win him over before he ate me alive.
4 /Kur’tok
My prey was fleshy,delicate, and fragile. Even the slightest tightening of my tentacles bothered it. It baffled me how long the creature—the human—had stayed alive in spite of its weakness.
But it would be over soon enough. It wouldn’t have to worry its tiny mind.
I arrived back at my domain. The familiar scent of water and flowers greeted me. I was glad to see Kookee dozing comfortably, and also irritated that my useless underlings were still gone.
I didn’t need their help. I’d hunted my own prey.
My fatigue was stronger than my hunger. I sat on my throne, stretched out my legs, and sighed in contentment while my prize dangled in my tentacles.
“Hey, Kur’tok,” the human said. “What is that?”
Didn’t I tell the flesh-bag to shut up? But when I saw it nodding at Kookee, my anger fizzled out.
I grunted. “That is Kookee, my pandar. It is my pet.”
The human—Paz—blinked curiously. “Huh. I didn’t know Maeleons kept pets.”
Baring my fangs, I snarled, “You think you know everything about Maeleons?”
“No.” Paz shook its head. “I barely know anything. That’s why I asked.” Glancing at Kookee, Paz did that curved-mouth thing again. A smile. “Kookee is pretty cute. I’ve never seen a pandar before.”
“Of course Kookee is cute,” I grumbled, reaching over to pat its shaggy side.
Paz raised one of the furry lines above its eyes and smiled again. I watched Paz closely, strangely intrigued by the human’s weirdness. It didn’t writhe and scream like most prey. It didn’t try to escape. Didn’t it realize I was about to eat it? Maybe it was too stupid to understand the danger it was in.
But that wouldn’t do. I preferred playing with my food. I wanted to rile it up, get its blood pumping before I sank my fangs into that tender flesh...
I lowered Paz to the rocky ledge beneath my throne and withdrew my tentacles. It blinked, looking surprised. I watched my prey closely with narrowed eyes.
