Purring, Presents, and Parties: A Holiday Novella (Human Pets of Talin - Origins) by RK Munin

Author:RK Munin [Munin, RK]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Aubrey

It was official, Aubrey had gone soft. When she’d been young, she’d spend all day hiking asteroids with her mother, which was not only an intense workout but uncomfortable as hell in their ancient space suits. She remembered sweat pooling in her boots because the moisture reclaimer wasn’t very good, and one especially memorable time, the waste collection bladder broke.

Never once did she finish one of those long days and not look forward to tugging on the suit the next day and doing it all again. She had boundless energy and an insatiable need to explore whatever hunk of rock they were prospecting.

Now, many years later, Aubrey had to stop and wheeze after only walking a few hundred yards. Even worse, they were going exceptionally slow.

“Can I carry you now?” Tarrian asked for the fifth time. She wanted to be annoyed, but that would be childish and ungrateful. Then he pointed out something she should’ve realized sooner. “The air isn’t as oxygenated here as it is at ground level. You might be having a difficult time compensating for it.”

“I’m an idiot,” she muttered. Running around on an asteroid or moon in a suit with constant, perfectly balanced air was different from going up a damn mountain!

Tarrian sounded a negative rattle. “You are not an idiot! This path is meant for Talins, not small humans. Struggle is inevitable.”

Leaning against him, Aubrey focused on evening out her breathing. She could see the next lift-carriage pad from here, with a line of Talins already queued up and ready to board. The path there was at a steep incline she could see with her naked eye, but that wasn’t the worst part. The path was narrow, with a sharp drop off on one side and no railing. It was one of the reasons there was a tether going from around her waist to Tarrian’s. When he’d first put it on her at ground level, she’d thought he was being overly cautious.

Turns out he wasn’t because this path was treacherous!

“It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of heights,” she murmured. The stitch in her side was easing and she didn’t feel as dizzy. Straightening up and meeting Tarrian’s gaze, she said, “I’m woman enough to admit I’m not going to make it without help, or at least supplemental oxygen.”

“Please, my perfect human, allow me,” he begged, purring loudly. Bending at the knees and opening his arms, he invited her to hug him.

It was hard to object when she was cold, having trouble breathing, and determined to make it to the top of Ancestors’ Belt.

Collapsing against his warm body, she let him pick her up. He rattled out a cheerful affirmative sound as one arm went under her butt and the other supported her back.

He easily lifted and held her weight. His long strides made rapid progress, and by the time they reached the pad, the next lift-carriage was arriving. She didn’t ask to be put down as they waited for everyone inside the lift-carriage to get out.

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