Page 63 of Cozy Prisons
Falkilm started purring. “I’d never try to separate a bonded pair. You’re both precious. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”
Damn, Kiran was about ready to be a real dick, but then the healer went and said something like that!
“Then I guess we’re both spending the night,” Kamie said.
“We’re not spending the night on this,” Kiran said, rapping his knuckles on the metal exam table. Why did the Talins make them like this? It reminded him of an autopsy table from an Old Earth show he’d seen when he’d been much too young.
“No, of course you can’t sleep in the medical side of the building,” Falkilm agreed. “I thought both you and Kamie could join me in my private quarters. I have all the bedding necessary to make a big nest for the two of you to share.”
Kiran still wasn’t clear where Talins got the idea that humans slept in nests, but if he was honest, he’d gotten to like it. Kamie was a fan from the start, but then again, his girl loved all things soft and snuggly.
Kamie perked up. “You’re inviting both of us to sleep with you?”
Falkilm jerked a little and sounded a startled rattle. “To, uh, sleep in my quarters. There’s one large communal room and one bedroom. I can build the nest in either room.”
Kiran exchanged a look with Kamie. Yeah, they were thinking the same thing—this was the last chance they were going to give Falkilm.
“Do you want me to get anything from our domicile?” Kamie asked, bouncing a little in place.
Lifting his legs, Kiran spun around on his ass and put his feet back down on the other side of the table next to Kamie. She was quick to step between them and lift her face up. They’d been together for four years, but Kiran couldn’t imagine he’d ever get enough of her.
Leaning over, he cupped her chin. “I love you.”
“I like you lots,” she whispered back, barely holding back a giggle. Kamie was deeply unserious, and he adored that about her.
“That must mean we’re soul mates.” He pressed his lips to hers. She opened her mouth to him, and he lost himself in the kiss.
It was a chaste kiss, for them anyway. They ended it before either of them got naked.
Lifting his face away, he massaged her jaw. “You’re so perfect.”
She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. “I know.”
He chuckled and straightened up. “I’d like my information square. We could start reading that Old Earth novel Nataly gave us.”
She looked eager. “Oh, yeah, that would be fun. I’ll be right back!”
Falkilm sounded a negative rattle. “No, it’s dark outside.”
Kamie stepped back so she could look past him at Falkilm. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t have ultimate authority over us. I bet if I contacted Palathum, she’d agree with me that Kiran and I are perfectly safe going back to our domicile. I’m trying to work with you here, but you’re making it really hard. ”
It was obvious that the healer wasn’t ready for this version of Kamie. She wasn’t serious often, but when she was in this mood, no one dared mess with her. After Kiran got the accidental elbow to the jaw, Kamie was ready to rip Cassius apart. Kiran didn’t even notice the pain in his face because he was too busy holding Kamie back.
“I-I-I’m not trying to be difficult,” Falkilm stuttered. “But you can’t go out in the dark by yourself, and I can’t leave Kiran alone. Something bad could happen to one of you.”
Kamie eyed Falkilm for a full minute without speaking. Kiran remained silent, interested in what she was going to say. Falkilm didn’t say a word, probably scared he’d make Kamie more frustrated with him.
“You let Hale leave, and they don't share a room with anyone. Cassius was way more injured than Kiran, and he got to walk out after you finished with his treatment. That means you want us here because it’s a comfort to you. Say that, and I’ll see if someone would be willing to grab stuff from our domicile and bring it here instead of leaving and taking Kiran with me.”
Kiran’s gaze bounced from Kamie to Falkilm. It looked like this was the moment they found out if Falkilm was willing to give their relationship a chance.
The healer went perfectly still and silent, no words, rattles, or rumbles. Kiran felt bad for him; it was obvious he was dealing with a lot. The Talins said humans were overly open and affectionate. Kiran would argue they were only average, but that Talins were an incredibly closed-off species.
He was about ready to speak up to offer Falkilm an alternative that didn’t require accepting or rejecting them right at that moment, when the healer finally spoke up.
“I’d like to invite you and Kiran to spend the night with me.” His voice was soft, and he dropped his gaze to the floor, almost as if he was scared to see their reaction. “I’m worried that if you leave, something bad will happen. I acknowledge that isn’t logical, and I’ll understand if neither of you wants to interact with me any longer.”
Kiran’s jaw dropped. Falkilm’s little speech was sweet and sad all at the same time. It also demonstrated how difficult it was for Talins to be vulnerable.
