Page 2 of Oh No, I Stole An Alien Furball And Kissed A Beastmaster

“I don’t know what species it is,” Rist continues talking, oblivious to my internal turmoil. He gestures towards the crate. I survey the surroundings, hesitant to step through the doorway. The entire room has boxes stacked haphazardly. It’s a wonder none have fallen on anyone. Yet.

He steps aside, and then I see it.

A fluffball. I mean, it’s literally a ball of fuzzy fur in the shape of a sphere. It’s a gorgeous orange color, with darker stripes covering its body. And underneath it are six tiny little white-tipped feet. It’s so improbable, so unrealistic...

“Oh, you’re so adorable I could just eat you up!” I coo, waving my fingers at the little ball of fluff.

Rist backs away from me dramatically, eyes wide. “Humans eat things they find cute?!”

“What? No!” I respond instantly, almost laughing at his cultural misunderstanding. Then I think of all those steaks and lamb chops I used to love, and how those beasts are kind of cute...

“I think it came in with the supplies. I need to deal with it, but I’ve also got to get these supplies back to the kitchen. We both know Laura isn’t comfortable in Nelan’s presence yet,” Rist laments, brushing a hand through his hair and disrupting its appearance even more.

It’s true. Nelan, another Volscian alien like Rist, arrived yesterday to start work. For some reason, Laura panicked upon meeting him and wants nothing to do with him. The guy feels the same way too, apparently.

“I’ll take care of this little beastie,” I hear myself voicing. Why? Because he looks like my cat Ginger. Ginger, the one-brain-celled tabby that I once rescued from the streets. I mean... he’s the same color at least. If the alien creature is even a ‘he’.

And despite the chaos of my life, I could really do with a pet. To be able to come home and have someone greet you, to cuddle you after a bad day and comfort you...

“Great!” Rist claps his hands. He hefts up a few boxes into his arms, carrying them with ease though I know from experience I can barely even budge one of them. He brushes past me as he says, “Taruk will know the beast’s species. Go talk to him so we know what we are dealing with.”

A chill slithers down my spine.

Taruk... the one everyone calls ‘the beast’. I’ve only seen him from a distance as he keeps apart from us all. He perpetually looks furious. It’s a rather intimidating look on someone who looks like the devil, tall and heavily muscled. It also doesn’t help that Rist and Taruk’s species don’t really have eyes like us humans—just these disconcerting black eyeballs.

Yeah, I want nothing to do with this particular guy at all.

Before I can say anything, Rist has left the room, rushing back to the kitchen.

I turn to the creature, reaching out and snatching it up before it has a chance to hide behind something. My hand sinks deep into soft fur.

With a sigh, I get to seeking out the elusive Taruk.

“I think I’ll call you Turmeric,” I tell my new furry pet. “After my old cat, but also because you are so freaking cute. And... with a name like Turmeric, I’m realizing why Rist thinks I might eat you.”

Knowing Taruk’s preference for solitude, I head directly to the closed wing of the hotel. Our grand opening is big, but the building is huge—there’s only so much floor space us girls can cover. Sure enough, I find him in one of the large rooms that open up onto the nearby jungle.

Where Rist is lean strength, Taruk is pure unadulterated muscle. Oh, and also heavily scarred. Old wounds crisscross his arms beneath rolled-up sleeves, and even along one of his high cheekbones. I know that most alien species consider themselves warriors, but Taruk really brings this point home. He’s dangerous.

Of course, my traitorous body responds. I have no idea how long it’s been since I slept with someone, but it’s clearly been way too long. Is it my fault, though? Despite the fearsome scowl he sends my way, the guy’s sex on a stick. Weary, I settle beneath his icy stare, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. My breath catches in my lungs as I stand before him, as if on presentation. His dark eyes trail over my body, metaphorically stripping me bare.

I find myself hoping that he likes what he sees.

Then, his lips curl in derision.

“What do you want, human?” He speaks the word like an insult, as though I am inferior to him. As though I don’t belong here. I understand at that moment that he and I will never get along.

Chapter

Two

TARUK

The human female stands before me, trembling.

Good. If she fears me, then perhaps she’ll leave my presence all the faster. Little does she know that I’d never do anything to hurt her. Despite my species’ predatory nature, my progenitors raised me to be a protector. It still doesn’t mean I want to take responsibility for her—I refuse to walk back down that path in life.

“What do you want, human?” I ask as I scratch at what remains of my once glorious horns, trying to ease the itch that never seems to fade. They are merely stubs now, representative of my long-lost honor.

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