Page 10 of The Hornet’s Hucow Pet

“I don’t know. Many candidates have noted improvements, but none have had pain quite as bad as yours.”

“Great.” She sighs, running a hand through her hair again. “I love being special.”

“It stands a good chance of at least improving your symptoms. But you’ll require careful monitoring to ensure there aren’t any unexpected side-effects.”

She nods. “Okay, so… kind of standard protocol, then?”

“No. Not at all. Schedules don’t generally permit the closeness of monitoring that will be required. Not to mention the level of possessiveness that’s been observed with the non-standard matches so far. Under most circumstances, your condition would prevent you from being a suitable candidate.”

The most tragic part is how little her disappointment shows. It’s not the first time she’s had her hopes dashed. “Thanks for checking me out, then. It was worth a shot. And worth it for the coffee.” She starts to slide out of her chair.

“I said, under most circumstances.”

Nova pauses, looking up at me.

She’s the most adorable little creature I’ve ever seen. That lingering heat sends my stinger twitching, but I ignore it.

Her voice is quiet, as if she doesn’t dare hope. “What are the… suitable circumstances?”

My heart thuds in my chest. “The only way this works is if you become my pet.”

CHAPTER 4

NOVA

Part of me completely and totally trusts Zyren for some irrational reason, which makes the other half of my brain think I had better get the fuck out of here.

I’m trying to be objective and assess the situation based on the information I have. But every time I run the numbers, the he’s so hot though coefficient spirals out of control.

His cold, intimidating demeanor should put me on guard, but somehow it just makes him hotter.

I was going to get matched with some random Arthropoid, right? So why not a hot doctor wasp? Who has coffee?

I’m so much more of a slut for coffee than I would have thought.

It’s as good as I remember. Better, even. No wonder most of the human species used to be addicted to this stuff.

In the reasons to not impulsively agree to be this guy’s hucow pet column stand only two entries:

One: That’s insane.

Two: Seeing my pain on his face is not an experience I want to repeat.

Complex, distressing emotions swirl in my chest, and I’d rather not untangle them if I don’t have to. I’ll be quite content going back to pretending they don’t exist.

Something warm suddenly rubs across my brow, startling me—Zyren’s thumb. I surprise myself by not recoiling from the touch. While his gentle fingers are there, the ever-present halo of pain around my head eases.

As soon as he lowers his hands, it returns, but my brow stays un-furrowed for the moment.

“It’s a significant decision,” he says. “You can take your time deciding.”

I clear my throat and take a sip of my coffee. “I don’t think I’ll need too long… I just want to know, why do you want a hucow pet?”

Zyren considers this carefully, and his wings vibrate behind him as he thinks. “A steady supply of fresh milk would be very helpful to my work. Many medicines and vitamins are either fat soluble or work best when taken with fat, and hucow milk is highly palatable to the point of overcoming bitter formulations, so I would be able to help my patients in several ways without increasing costs, were I to have my own hucow. That was the totality of my intention when Sylvus pitched me on this little experiment, and I affirmed my interest.”

“It… was the totality of your intention?”

“Yes, I must confess I’m now…” His wings buzz quietly, and the full intensity of his gaze meets mine. “…very invested in helping you with your problem.”