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A whole new wave of guilt hit me. I’d reminded myself repeatedly that it had simply been a misunderstanding and they’d kidnapped me, so who cared?

Why were they all being so sweet? They’d panicked over a simple headache. They’d bought enough rugs to cover the floor of every room and hallway except for the storage bays so I could go around barefoot if I wanted to. They’d purchased enough clothes so that I wouldn’t have to do laundry for a month if I didn’t want to.

And all they wanted back was for me to be happy?

Being a human pet might not be such a bad job. The hours were easy, and the benefits were stellar.

I almost snorted at that. What would that kind of job posting look like? Position for human pet, no experience necessary. The only requirement is to be human.

It was so tempting to stay. If I had freedom, I’d probably even let them put a collar on me. Except I couldn’t.

Tolly began purring and moved a little in his sleep. I shifted position until I was almost entirely against his chest with my face next to the strip of bare skin at the base of his neck. He didn’t wake up, but his purring intensified.

Pulling in a deep breath, I told myself I wouldn’t miss this.

I was such a liar.

Chapter 13

Opal

“We’re going to be very busy unloading the fuel rods,” Tolly warned me. “Loading and unloading are the most dangerous parts of hauling fuel. It’s important you stay in your cabin.”

“I understand," I said, not adding that I had no intention of obeying.

“If you need me, you can use this,” he said, holding out an information square. “This is linked to the ship’s comm system.”

Had he forgotten he’d already given me a linked information square? I took the square without saying anything.

“Narmuna had to go onto the station, but he’ll be back before we’re finished unloading,” Tolly continued. “We’ll be leaving as soon as we’re able because this isn’t a very reputable station. That’s the reason we took the contract; there weren’t many who were willing to deliver here.”

I didn’t want to hear that, but it wasn’t as if I had any choice. I needed to get home.

“Your face isn’t displaying any emotions I can interpret,” he said, sounding a worried rumble. “Are you upset at being here? We’ll be leaving within a few marks.”

I forced a smile on my face. “I’m fine.”

He paused, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond to my flat voice. Damn it, I needed to do better.

“No really, I’m good,” I said. He was about to turn around when I spoke up. “Um, before you go, I wanted, I mean, I…”

He purred and opened his arms. “Opal, what’s wrong?”

I pressed myself against him and let out a sigh when his arms tightened around me.

“The last two days have been perfect,” I whispered. “I want you to know that.”

“I feel the same,” he murmured.

After our stop at Twin Star Station, the guys made me feel like a member of the crew instead of a pet. Mieshorum was always asking me if I was free for more lessons on the inner-shell area of the Ever Secure. Narmuna requested I write up an entry for Massoc in the ship’s unibase. After I’d finished, he read it and helped me add details to clarify some things. Lexarit constantly asked for my opinion on everything.

The four Talins always sat down with me at meals, even though they only ate at one of them. They talked with me as if I was their equal.

If I thought it was going to be hard to leave Tolly, now the rest of the crew was making me want to stay. Damn them!

“Opal,” Tolly said with a purr and pushed me back far enough for our eyes to meet. “Narmuna is arranging something very important. I’m hoping that once he’s done, you’ll be very pleased with the results. We plan to celebrate tonight. For now, relax and wait patiently.”

With that he rushed out, leaving me without answers and with a broken heart.