Page 19 of His Human Librarian

It’s also difficult to find a pleasure mate or bound here within my own community. I’m considered the most eligible bachelor in Fire Creek because both of my brothers are mated I now own the Sandstone ranch. My parents have retired, constantly on vacation somewhere exotic or back at home in their small house in town, pampering new grandchildren given to them recently by my other two brothers. I’m ready to find the female who is my bound, but that Hyrrokin has not surfaced. I know all the females in the county and none are my future mate.

My two brothers and my friend, Burl, have mated with human females. I’m still amazed that so many human females have happened into our lives. And here is another? Normally I would only consider taking a Hyrrokin as my future bound. I’ve always loved the curve of a female’s tail and the shine of horns in the sunlight. How could I mate, or even simply pleasure mate with a being without flash flame?

But ever since the transporter station in Fire Creek was installed, the appearance of other species, specifically humans, has increased tenfold.

I glance again at her beautiful features and feel slightly regretful at everything I said to Taylor Dumas, the Librarian, yesterday, concerning the primitive nature of her species. And what I left unsaid last night.

Moments tick away and the water is off and she still stands there, not leaving. I assume staring at my ass and the twitch of my barbed tail.

I can scent her arousal in the breeze.

“Why were you out here like this? Anybody can see you,” she suddenly challenges. “It isn't like you don't have a cleaning unit in your own bedroom.”

I glance over my shoulder. “I do this often after a morning ride. Didn't expect anyone to be out here. No one has ever invaded my privacy at this time. You are the first.”

She huffs and stomps off, back through the trail from when she arrived.

I chuckle and pull on my pants, my buckle, and look towards the ranch and then back the way she left. I shake my head and follow her. Who knows what mischief Taylor could get into. I can't leave her alone because I can't trust this human to do anything correctly.

I arrive at the shed and see that she's already inside rummaging around. I open the door and stomp inside behind her.

She doesn't even look up and continues to work. I find myself missing the laughing, good-natured Taylor I was with last night, in the library.

“There are boxes in here that were sent ahead of time, stamped by the antiquities Council.”

“You haven't opened any of them?”

She's again dressed differently this morning, still in Hyrrokin traditional dress but a new color.

I look away, because I continue to find her appearance pleasing. It's very irritating, because even while part of me wants to take her to my bed and make her mine, another equal part of me still wants her gone. We had a good talk last night, but we were also both drunk. And this morning, all my reasons for being irritated at the arrival of this Librarian are flooding back.

“My friend from college, Hugsen, called me late last night,” I say, knowing this is completely off topic but this problem sits like a stone on my chest, creating a barrier between myself and this human. “My friend thought he was hired for this position. I didn’t realize how much he needed the currency for his family. Ipromised something that he made financial plans for but will not get.”

She pauses. “Who is Hugsen and what does he have to do with this project?”

“Hugsen is a Hyrrokin archeologist I promised this job to, but then you arrived instead.”

“Ah.” Taylor opens a box. “You know, you should be angry at yourself, not at me, that this happened. What did I do? You did all of that.”

I let out a grunt of gray smoke. “I do not like making promises that I do not keep.”

She shrugs. “It’s easily fixable.”

I blink. “How can I fix this error now that you have arrived?”

She takes a few objects out of a box, then pauses. “I can’t do all of this myself. I am only handling a part of this mission. There will still need to be local archeologists, historians and ecologists involved in this project. There will need to be locals who understand all the cultural and ecological ramifications. The artifacts will not stay with me and will be returned. This project could take days or years. It's my job is to restore and make sure it gets cataloged in the giant intergalactic library, and the resource is shared amongst the whole four sectors and archived in our standard format.”

Another box is opened. “We’re on a mission to categorize and update all the reading material of any type, anything that's written down on a wall, a petroglyph on ancient paper, scrolls or crude tablets. However, it is even if it's in print books that are only a hundred years old. If a species has a written language that has survived, we are there to restore it. It's a big job, because there's so many planets and it all must be standardized, which is why it's done from a central facility on Gravian.”

“Again, how do I fix this error I made where I promised this paid job to Hugsen?”

She frowns at an object that appears to be broken and tosses it over her shoulder. “How about we just invite your friend to work with us? I do need someone to work with that's local. You can still hire him. You seem to like him so much, I'm sure I would like him too.”

I stare at her, stunned. I can literally feel the imaginary stone that’s been pressing against my chest, dissipate and float away.

She looks me up and down, then meets my gaze. “This is what has been upsetting you this whole time? This is the real reason why you’ve been irritated with me?”

I don’t respond, but I do bend down to help her open the other boxes.

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