Page 47 of I'm Not Your Pet

Huu-goh’s attention did not remain on the food for long. It was old news. No, his interest was piqued by the space around him. Dark eyes alight with intrigue, he took in his surroundings,gaze flickering from the cooling units that housed the food, to the tall glass cabinets full of snacks and utensils, then to Ushuu.

He wiggled in his seat, feet struggling to tap against the floor as he tested the give of the cushion with obvious delight.

If I asked him what was on his mind, what would he say?

I wished I had the words to do so.

Does he find us as riveting as I find him?

A small smile tugged at his lips. No longer bouncing, he swallowed his food then promptly stabbed a new piece with a happy hum. Sohappy, and I hadn’t even shown him the best parts of the ship yet. I had no doubt if he found this room delightful he was in for the time of his life when I showed him the sparring room, the pool, and the control room.

Huu-goh finished his food in record time, and when he was done, his feettap, tap, tappedagainst the legs of his chair. He looked lovely. He always did. But today especially so. His peachy skin shone radiant, the muscles in his thighs flexing beneath the long hem of his shirt as he shifted in his seat.

His little cock lay hidden, and I tried not to think about it—but that was nearly impossible.

I was learning him, slowly but surely. And I knew that this particular dance of his either meant he was impatient, excited, or he needed to pee.

I tilted my head, eyes narrowed as I chewed my own mouthful, deciding how best to proceed. I hadn’t meant to ignore Ushuu, but was grateful he hadn’t pushed as Huu-goh finished his food. The last thing I wanted was for Huu-goh to get so excited about talking to a new Sahrk that he choked.

“Hi!” Huu-goh chirped, shifting forward in his seat as he stared at Ushuu across the table. Ushuu looked delighted, his spots flickering white as he set his fork down and twisted to greet my little love just as enthusiastically.

“Hi!” Ushuu responded.

“You’re uhld!” Huu-goh told him—words I didn’t understand. His eyes immediately widened, and he smacked a hand over his mouth like he wished he could take the words back.

Before Huu-goh could say something else, Ushuu said, “yesh. I ehm.”

My mentor looked amused and his spots remained a pale pinkish white as he barked out a laugh. It took me a solid ten seconds to realize that he’d replied both times in Huu-goh’s native tongue. Ushuu glanced at my now-yellow spots, cocking his head to the side.

“You can communicate with him?” I asked, more than a little excited. My hearts thrummed wildly enough in my chest I worried the sound was audible.

“Some,” Ushuu nodded, replying in our language, his lavender eyes soft. “I find their planet fascinating.”Of course he did.Ushuu had always been as explorative as he was intelligent. He retained information unlike anyone I’d ever met. As though every sight he’d ever seen was a photograph and he could revisit it anytime he liked.

It was a skill that had come in handy when he’d had a more active role on board. Nowadays, he was retired for the most part. His linguistic strengths were very rarely utilized—as we all agreed he deserved a chance to focus on the work that most inspired him.

The healing pods and the tech that fueled our flight through space.

I realized belatedly how stupid it had been to avoid him.

It had been an error.

A grievous one.

“Speak to him, please,” I commanded, setting my fork down with a quiet clink. “Please,” I added a second time, because while Iwasdesperate, I didn’t want to be rude. “He has beenaboard the ship for over a month now, and I am doing my best—” Admitting weakness was difficult, but I managed for Huu-goh’s sake. “But he is surely under-stimulated. I’m certain he has questions. Things I can’t answer with my limited knowledge of his language.”

“What do you want me to say?” Ushuu asked, his lavender eyes kind, despite the way I’d snapped at him earlier. That was water under the bridge now, and he knew it as well as I did.

I had always been quick to forgive.

What do I want to say?

I racked my brain for answers. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t have any idea what to tell my little huu-man. What plagued me was the fact that I hadmanyquestions I wanted to ask. So many things I was desperate to know. So many things I was dying to tell him.

I’d always been a quiet person. Words were used for a purpose. I had found that observing others silently was the fastest way to learn the truth—and used that to my advantage whenever possible. It was something I had always been content with. To be the person who stood stoic and unyielding, a beacon of strength, while others chatted around. The fact that I was not the best at picking the correct words when it came to the heart, certainly helped me come to that conclusion.

When I was younger I struggled even more with communication.

However, I found no lack of words now. And it was only my own practical nature that kept me from blurting out every question I’d ever had so quickly that even Ushuu could not catch them all.

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