Page 140 of I'm Not Your Pet

He would be blissfully, wonderfully happy.

I love you meant I would rely on him when I could. Because we were equals. Because I trusted him. Because I was grateful that he’d given us another chance to have this. That he’d saved himself—when I could not.

I hadn’t known I could love someone. Hadn’t known I had it in me. But I did, and I could. Loving Huu-goh made me a better person. It made my world bright and my future full of possibility. And Mala had been right when he’d given me advice. Because loving Huu-goh was the easiest thing I’d ever done.

It was as natural as breathing.

“I love you,” Huu-goh confessed, the words choked and wet. He was leaking again, but they were happy tears. At least—I thought they were, based on the smile on his face. “I’m so sorry,” he said, smashing a kiss against my jaw. “This was all my fault.”

“No,” I said, because it hadn’t been. “No.”

“I love you,” Huu-goh said again, and I initiated a deeper kiss. Flicked my tongue along those clever, wonderful lips, seeking entrance to the mouth of the man that had just given me the world.

Behind us, the Sahrks in the room applauded. It was embarrassing, and annoying—and wonderful all the same. Confused at first, I thought they were applauding us, and our kiss—and confessions. Though none of them spoke human-speak so that did not make sense.

But when I twisted a little, tongue still inside Huu-goh’s mouth I realized they were cheering because of something entirely different.

Shaking, I pulled Huu-goh to his feet.

His human friend stood in the back of the room. I spared him a single glance, noting the glassiness of his gaze, before my attention was on Huu-goh once again.

“Come,” I said, slinging him onto my shoulders so that he could see above the bodies that blocked the view.

Huu-goh made a startled sound, like he could not believe his eyes.

“Is that…?”

Which was fair.

The first time I’d seen this sight I, too, had been shocked.

“It ishome,” I told him, my hearts thumping, my tendrils tightly wrapped around his legs. He held my fin in his grip, staring out the giant wall of glass at the front of the helm. Beyond it, the stars glimmered as they always did.

But our planet—our home—stole the show.

Remarkable in its beauty, the pink and green planet swirled between constellations. Far still, a day or so’s journey—but visible.

“Mai god,” Huu-goh said, leaning his cheek on the top of my head and staring out at the world that would be ours in just a few short hours. “It’s beautiful.” The applause continued, cheering echoing through the room—for home, for Huu-goh, for Osheania.

“It is,” I agreed, wishing I could see his face and the view of our planet all at once.

Huu-goh and I stood there for a long time, tucked together like we were one disjointed being, staring as Osheania grew closer and closer and the stars blurred by.

“Home,” Huu-goh echoed, a reverence to his voice that only made me love him even more than I already did.

“Ourhome,” I agreed.

Huu-goh and I decided to return to our rooms early. Normally, I’d spend time preparing the ship for landing. And in light of thebodies on board, I should’ve been up for hours organizing where to store them until we could land.

A primal part of me wanted to see the evidence that my Huu-goh was the little beast I’d always known he was.

But…even more than that, I wanted peace. I wanted to feel him in my arms. I wanted to hold him. Wanted to…be with him—the way I’d feared I never would again.

Mala took over for me, shooing me off as Ushuu wandered into the helm—paler than usual, but chipper. Both of them thanked Huu-goh. Mala in our tongue, Ushuu in his—and Huu-goh’s lovely cheeks turned a vibrant, adorable pink as he waved them off, embarrassed, like what he’d done was no big deal at all.

On our way down the hallway, we passed many Sahrks exiting the recently unlocked doorways. It seemed word of Huu-goh’s victory had spread already, and all bowed their heads to him, saluting—as they would me.

“Why are they doing that?” Huu-goh asked after the tenth Sahrk we passed offered him the highest respect.

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