Page 61 of I'm Not Your Pet

“Thank you,” he said. “I am proud of you, Roark,” Ushuu added. “It is one thing to jump into water without knowing the dangers that lie beneath the surface. It is another to be afraid of such things, but to dive in anyway.”

I nodded.

“You cannot stop bad things from happening,” Ushuu murmured, his eyes still meeting mine. “And it is incredibly brave of you to choose to love even after what you’ve seen can happen.”

I pressed into the embrace, tendrils slipping free to melt with Ushuu’s as his words washed warm over my body.

“You’ll be alright,” Ushuu promised before stepping back, his tendrils untangling from mine. “And so will he.”

“I know,” I nodded. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I did my best to control my spots. “I’ll be back tonight?” I offered, eager to learn more. “Maybe you can help me come up with more ideas to please him.”

Sighing in amusement, Ushuu shook his head fondly. “Take a break tonight. Besides, if you want to please him, why not accept one of the invitations? You could speak to him then. Get a reprieve from the stress on board. Hell, you could let it be a ‘date’.”

Human mates went on things called “dates” when they were courting. It was something Huu-goh would understand, and might even appreciate.

It was a lovely idea. I blinked, thoughts whirring.

Every time we stopped at Sha’hPihn to collect our cargo and refuel we received an influx of invitations to galas, balls, and parties. Many had a steep price to attend, and I had no doubt the interest in us Sahrks coming had to do with the exorbitant ticket fees and donations that were expected at the events.

I was not unused to being treated as a giant pink wallet—it was exactly what had happened when I’d bought back Huu-goh’s rights. Many species looked at Sahrk and saw money signs dangling over our heads. I had been invited to hundreds, maybe thousands of events butthiswas the first time I’d ever been tempted to attend, for one simple reason.

There weretranslatorsat those parties.

And for one night…

Forone perfect nightHuu-goh and I would be able to speak to one another.

Excitement bubbled up inside me as I leaned down to give Ushuu another happy nuzzle, giddy now that I had a plan. “You are brilliant as always, old man,” I grinned.

He snorted, slapping me on the back. “That’s why you pay me,” he shrugged, downplaying his own brilliance with a grin of his own. The smack was lighter than it should’ve been, and once again, I was reminded of his age.

I’d have to talk to Naideen when I got home to make sure there was room for Ushuu at the manor. It was the least I could do after all he’d done for me over the years.

“Brilliant!” I repeated as I gathered Huu-goh’s box against my chest, headed toward the door, and tapped the buttons on the access panel with my tentacles. With awooshI was free,striding down the hallway with purpose as Ushuu’s idea settled in the back of my mind.

“Captain,” one of the two subordinates I passed in the hallway greeted. Bahrn. A young recruit.

“Evening, Bahrn,” I replied on autopilot, my head in the clouds. He stiffened, saluted, and beamed at me.

“He knows my name!” he said to Giren, the recruit who stood beside him.

“Of course he knows your name, idiot. He knows everyone’s name.”

I hid my smile, though I was amused as I continued down the winding halls toward our rooms.

There was a reason I’d followed in Captain Strongfoot’s footsteps and hired half my crew young and scrappy. He had taught me, in many ways, that a person’s worth was not determined by their lineage, but by the opportunities they were given, and the people who believed in them.

Plus, the young were endlessly entertaining. Full of life in a way I hadn’t been in years. Until Huu-goh became mine, anyway.

However, even my adorable subordinates could not hold my attention for long. No. As always, my mind flitted back to my mate and the plan I was piecing together. Ideas slipped like puzzle pieces into place.

There were many moving parts to it, of course.

His safety would need to be my number one priority. Sha’hPihn wasn’t like the rural planets we’d visited before. It was full of as many unsavory people as F’ukYuu was. Though they liked to hide their depravity behind gemstones and storefronts—it was dangerous in its own way.

But…Huu-goh would adore it.

I already knew that.

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