“No one can see you like this!” he exclaimed. “My precious human.”
Someone wasn’t thinking any clearer than her. She waited for him to set her down before cupping his cheeks to keep his face even with hers.
“If you let me get some clothes, I’ll use the bathing unit and dress. When I come out, I’ll be all covered up with a robe full of helpful toys.”
By the time she was done talking, he seemed to be calmer. He closed his eyes for a moment, pressing his left cheek harder against her right hand before opening his eyes again and sounding a rumble of agreement.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll fetch you clothing. You stay here.”
After that he turned and left, and Amina shook her head with a chuckle. Well, she had her orders!
She heard him come and go while she used the cleansing unit. When she was finished and stepped back out, fresh clothes were on the built-in bench and her robe was hanging from a hook in the wall. She tugged on the items and then her robe.
When she left the cleansing unit, she didn’t expect to find Myrum and Gis wrestling with the curtains around the bed.
“Why did you guys tear down the curtains?” she asked, stepping up to help lift an end and hand it to Gis.
“I didn’t do this,” Gis said with an Ossiso hiccup-laugh. “This was done before I arrived.”
She looked at Myrum. “Did you get tangled in them or something?”
“Or something,” Myrum said with a rumble of amusement. That’s when their earlier aerobics came back to her and she gasped.
“Never mind, forget I said anything!” she said and grabbed more curtain to hand to Gis.
With the three of them working together, it didn’t take long to put the bed back together.
“There we go!” Amina announced. She turned to face Gis. “Why are you here?”
“We should sit,” Gis said, pointing to the sitting room. “I have some information.”
“Not in there,” she said and explained about the vid-capture in the living area.
Gis sighed and leaned against a wall. “After what I’ve found out, I’m not surprised.”
Myrum took a seat on the bed and pulled her into his lap.
“What did you find out?” Amina asked as she wiggled and got comfortable.
“There is an aspect of this visit that I wasn’t expecting,” he said, looking a little sick, which gave Amina a bad feeling. He focused his attention on Myrum. “Lorse is obsessed with you. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Obsessed in what way?” Amina asked.
“Are there different ways to be obsessed?” Myrum asked.
“Sure,” she said. “I mean, I’m a little obsessed with you, but in a good way.”
“You are?” Myrum asked, purring loudly.
“I am,” she said, brushing her lips over his. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here with you.”
“I’m obsessed with you too,” Myrum said. “I want to talk to you about scent—”
Gis’s impatient sound interrupted whatever Myrum was going to say. “I’m afraid Lorse’s obsession isn’t like the way you two see each other. He views Myrum as a possession.”
Myrum jerked a little. “Does he think I don’t have a soul?”
“No, he believes you have a soul, and he won’t start referring to you asit,” Gis said. “But he wants to keep you at his side forever.”
