Page 73 of Mazorium Buys a Human

Mika

“She’s absolutely perfect,” Iris said, bouncing Nadia on her lap. “Yes, you are! You’re such a perfect little baby. Look at you grab my dress. What a strong grip. Yes, you’re so strong!”

“Was I a strong baby?” Mia asked. She was sitting on Damascus's lap, halfway through a small plate of sweet bread. I recognized the insecurity in her tone and was quick to reassure her.

“I’m sure you were a super strong baby,” I assured her. “But I know you’re even stronger now. Nadia really appreciates that you’re here to help keep her safe. She can’t even walk by herself yet. Not like you. I bet you can even run!”

“Yes, I can run really fast!” Mia said, nodding her head rapidly and sending some flakes of bread flying. She focused on Nadia. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

“Show me,” I demanded. Mia was quick to wiggle off Damascus’s lap and show us all how fast she could run andhow high she could jump. We all made appropriately impressed sounds at every moment.

“You’re good,” Iris said quietly to me as Mia executed a move she called the twirl but was really running in a tight circle.

“I helped my mom raise my youngest brother and sister,” I explained. “Mia reminds me of Brack. He had a good heart, but sometimes his insecurity got in the way.”

“Had?” Iris said.

“He died about five years ago,” I said with a little shrug. “Industrial accident.”

It was a common story, and I’d cried all my tears for Brack. Being human in this universe meant learning to live with loss.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

I shook my head. “My family has been lucky. So far the rest of us are all alive, as far as I know.”

“Hey, should I find a rock to give Nadia?" Mia asked. “If she’s going to be my littler sister, she should have a rock, right?”

“That’s such a wonderful idea,” Iris agreed, then had Mia make a fist. “It should be that size and completely smooth.”

Mia nodded and rushed to dig into the container of rocks we’d brought into the galley from the lab. She began carefully pulling each one out, comparing it to her fist then setting it down.

She’d made a complete circle of rocks around her by the time Maz set steaming mugs of tea in front of us. We were on our second mugs while the guys hadn’t wanted even a first round.

Nadia reached for Iris’s mug with a happy gurgle.

“That’s not for you," I said and moved it out of the way. I leaned over to give her forehead a kiss, and one of her little fingers got hold of my collar.

It came loose and fell to the table with a loud, metallic clink.

Damn it, I’d warned Maz the latching mechanism wasn’t strong enough! He’d made the collar out of some bits and pieces in his lab. After trying it on for the first time, I’d told him to use adifferent kind of latch, but he refused to use anything that could actually lock.

His consideration might’ve just revealed us.

“Huh, that’s weird,” Iris murmured as Damascus picked up the collar before Maz or I could grab it.

“This isn’t standard issue,” he said, examining it closely. “It can’t even lock.”

I tried to laugh it off. “Uh, I, um, it got wet in the rain and keeps doing that.”

Iris looked up, her eyes boring into me. “That’s highly unlikely. It’s much more probable that it was never a real collar and you and Maz are pretending to be owner and pet.”

My mouth dropped open.

“Explain your implication,” Maz said, jumping up and plucking Nadia away from Iris. The baby laughed at the movement, enjoying her flight through the air. I jumped up also and stood next to Maz.

Damascus sounded a warning rattle. “Don’t overreact. We don’t pose a risk to any of you. Listen to Iris before you do something regretful.”

I could tell Maz was as surprised as I was by Damascus deferring to Iris.