That probably sounded odd to her, but he needed her to understand. “There aren’t that many humans in the universe, and you don’t have a homeworld. There’s no governing body or diplomatic corps to help you if something happens. I don’t know how you’ve managed to remain free for so long, but it’s imperative that you listen to me. This station is not safe. Nowhere is safe for you. The only place I know of that you have a chance to remain free is with the Ilgorian Federation. Please, let me help you get there.”
She tilted her head as if considering his offer. “Have you ever been inside the borders of the federation? Visited any of their stations or planets?”
He sounded a negative rumble. “No, but they have a decent reputation for protecting their citizens from outside threats.”
“Are you part of this offer?” she asked.
He couldn’t fathom what she meant by that. “What?”
“Are you going to take me to the federation?” she asked.
He desperately wished he could say yes, even if it meant he’d be trapped on ships for solars. “I can’t. I have obligations to fulfill. But I can check on you after everything is done.”
If I survive my time on the next ship and the outpost after that,he said to himself then pushed that dark thought aside.
“You don’t even know me,” she murmured.
“I know you’re human, vulnerable, and put yourself in danger by bargaining with the Hulg on my behalf. Can I walk you to the docks now? The sooner you leave, the faster you’ll be safe.”
“No, I don't need to go to the docks,” she said, then pointed at the top of her head where Ruby was still curled up in her messy bun. “But I really want to buy this sweet girl some yummy bugs!”
Amina navigated the station with a skill he admired. It seemed like she flowed through the crowds around them as if they were simply trees in a forest to move around instead of large Hulgs unwilling to make it easy for a small human.
When he saw a Hulg deliberately change direction to run into her, he reached out to tug her out of the way and put himself in her place. Except there was nothing there to grab. She’d already moved to the side.
He watched with astonishment as the Hulg seemed to trip for no reason.
The thing banged into him, giving Myrum the perfect excuse to shove him to the ground. “How dare you touch me,” he roared, rattling loudly to intimidate the Hulg. It was the least he deserved for trying to hurt Amina.
“Deepest apologies," the Hulg muttered, then got to his feet and scrambled away.
Amina appeared at his side. “Are you okay? I didn’t think I’d trip him into you like that.”
“You tripped him?” Myrum asked, running his gaze up and down Amina looking for any obvious injuries. It was hard to tell with her bulky clothing, but her expression looked concerned, not pained.
“It’s my favorite thing to do when they try to mow me down,” she said with a little grin.
The fact that she dealt with this all the time was enraging. It made him want to hunt down that Hulg and knock him down again and again.
“Please let me take you to the docks,” he begged again.
She wrinkled her nose. “Staaaaahp with the docks and leaving. We’re on a quest for Ruby.”
To his surprise, she grabbed his hand and tugged him to walk with her. There’d been strict rules regarding touching humans on Kalor. Talins weren’t allowed to put a hand on any humanwithout permission unless it was an emergency. During his time there, no one had touched him.
This was the first time he’d been touched for non-medical reasons in a very long time, and he never wanted to let go.
He was so distracted by the feel of her small hand holding his that he didn’t notice anything else as they walked. He didn’t notice he was sounding a comforting rumble until she patted the back of the hand she was holding with her free one.
“You sound like you're purring; it’s nice,” she said as she stopped them in front of another shop. “You also smell good. You remind me of honey.”
Her words made him go perfectly still. It was hard to even pull in a breath for a moment.
“This is the place,” she said, pulling him into the shop as if her words hadn’t just shaken his world. He’d been told it was a strong indicator that a human might be attracted to a Talin if she liked his scent.
She didn’t notice. She was too focused on dragging him to the back of the shop where a Hulg was shifting cages around.
“I need a bag of everything a jeweled lizard can eat,” she demanded.
