Page 34 of The Hornet’s Hucow Pet

Sleep tempts me, and I can’t tell whether it’s the coffee or a certain question that keeps me awake.

“Zyren, can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Why do you enjoy this?”

“Enjoy what?”

“…Taking care of me?”

Zyren cradles my cheek, gaze meeting mine. “Why wouldn’t I?” His expression is confused, and I feel the presence of his mind against mine. It’s like the contract, only gentler. I relax into it, enjoying the ghostly sensation as he methodically probes my mind.

He touches something tender, and tears well in my eyes. Before I even understand what’s happening, Zyren speaks with simple, complete authority.

“Nova, you are worth taking care of.”

It’s as if a muscle knot deep in my soul releases. Tension I didn’t realize I was holding finally unwinds. Tears stream down my cheeks, and Zyren catches every one, brushing them away. I can’t hide my face, can’t turn away.

“You feel safe when you feel useful,” Zyren explains. “Helping you feel safe is an important part of taking care of you. But even if you never produce another drop of milk, never carry another egg…” His warm palms cup my face. “I will never stop taking care of you.”

Fresh tears spring from my eyes, and Zyren pulls me across his chest. My motivation to move overcomes the venom’s effect, and my arms close around his neck, holding tight.

Gentle hands rub my back and stroke my hair.

“I’m too difficult,” I sob, suddenly in the throes of old anxieties. “Nothing works. It’s not worth it.”

Zyren grips my chin again, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Nova, you are not too difficult for me. You will never be too difficult for me.”

I try, then fail, to hide my face.

Zyren’s grip tightens. “Do you understand, Nova?”

“I understand…”

His palm cups my cheek. “Do you believe me?”

A wave of tears pools between his fingers. I can’t lie to him.

“No,” I breathe.

Zyren just takes a calm breath and presses his forehead against mine. The sensation of his mind returns—then expands. His presence surrounds my consciousness with a gentle, persistent warmth, just like at the hot springs.

I can breathe deeply again.

My anxieties unravel.

It’s so overwhelmingly good, I can’t stand it. I can’t trust it.

Zyren just holds me and breathes. Slowly, my mind and body surrender to the intensity, just as they have every time under his care.

Then, finally… I believe him.

My arms tighten around his neck.

I begin to fully understand what this life with him is going to be.

Not just an end to my pain, but also the beginning of something new. Something intense and frightening, yet… perfect.