Page 35 of Mazorium Buys a Human

“Poor pup,” Mazorium murmured. “So hungry and unable to ask for food.”

I chuckled. “She asked for it very clearly.”

Mazorium sounded a rumble of amusement. “She uses the same method of communication for everything. It’s up to us to figure out which need she is requesting.”

I grinned. “At least she doesn’t suffer in silence.”

We teased each other about Nadia’s fussiness until she finished eating. Wide awake and wide-eyed, she looked out at the small room as we settled her back into the carrier, nestled against my front.

It was strange, but the moment felt so perfectly domestic. Except for the collar around my neck, we could’ve easily been mistaken for a couple. If we were on any other station, no one would be surprised by our pairing.

The odd part was sometimes I forgot the collar was there. The weight had become familiar and, at times, even comforting. Ignoring the implication, I focused on keeping Nadia’s head from being pinched as Mazorium set me on my feet.

The moment I stood again, my back protested. I tried to adjust the straps even though I knew it wouldn’t help.

It was surprising when Mazorium noticed my discomfort. “Is the carrier causing you pain?”

“No,” I answered, resting a protective hand on Nadia. Even though my back hurt, I didn’t want anyone else holding her.

“I saw you wince,” he argued.

“I think I’ve gotten a little lazy on your ship,” I said. “I'm simply not used to moving around so much, that’s all.” I didn’t want to admit that not only did my back hurt, but my feet were aching and my arms were like wet noodles. I’d lost a lot of muscle mass over the last few weeks!

His response was to pick me up and cradle me against his chest. My back and feet sighed with relief the loudest.

“How does this feel?” he asked. “My hold doesn’t aggravate your back, does it?”

“It’s perfect,” I said, adjusting Nadia’s carrier so she could still see out. I loved the way she watched the world.

The moment we stepped out of the room, Ithorum started speaking. “I explained the delay to Station Director Gorum. She wanted to send a medical team to assist, but I assured her it wasn’t outside normal human needs. Correct?”

Mazorium sounded a rumble of agreement. “Perfectly normal.”

“Good. With you carrying her, we can assume a more normal pace,” Ithorum said and set off at a pace that would’ve forced me to jog to keep up.

The station flew past as we moved from the shopping area, back through the hanging gardens, and deep into the administrative area. Everyone must’ve been warned in advance to keep their distance because the Talins we passed stood in doorways to watch us go by but didn’t come out into the corridor.

Finally, we came to a door with an insignia and something written in Talin glyphs. I expected a standard station director's office, large, full of personal decorations, and several stations for staff to work when necessary.

This wasn’t anything like that, well, except for being large.

All the furniture had been pushed against the far wall, and the floor was covered in a thick mat with pillows everywhere! I didn’t think I’d ever seen so many pillows in one place, not even in a store.

Had they collected every pillow in the station?

Then I realized they’d turned the office into a giant nest. It was such a ridiculous sight I almost giggled.

Three Talins sat in chairs in a semicircle at the center of the pillow madness. In front of them was an extra-high mound of pillows. They started purring the moment they saw me.

“Come in; set the human and her pup down here,” one of them said, pointing to a mound of pillows in front of her.

Mazorium stepped in and set me down on the indicated spot. I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of me as I sank into the softness and lost sight of everyone.

I was in a pillow blackhole!

Mazorium quickly reached in and picked me back up. “Perhaps fewer pillows,” he said.

The three of them quickly tossed pillows aside until there were only two layers. When Mazorium set me down again, I didn’t disappear and was able to cross my legs, loosen the straps of the carrier, and pull Nadia free.