Page 84 of I'm Not Your Pet

“Thank you,” I croaked, wanting nothing more than to climb into the hologram to be with him. I had only been apart from him for a few hours and already I missed him like crazy. Roark held up a single thick finger and I waited patiently as he thought.

Always helpful, Ushuu leaned over to help him translate. Their back and forth this time was obvious, and I knew what Roark was about to say before he spoke. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t completely floored by his next words.

“Huu-goh limit one million credits.” Roark annunciated thoughtfully, staring at me the entire time. I nearly choked on my own tongue. That washuge. So fucking huge. The equivalent of buying nights with me at the pleasure house for six months straight.

My head spun.

I couldn’t even comprehend that amount of money, and yet here he was—dropping it on me like it was nothing.Again. Just like when he’d bought me.

“Are you sure?” I blurted out, all messy with tears again.

“Yesh,” Roark watched me with affection evident on his handsome face. His teeth flashed as the soothing rumbling started again. “Huu-goh?”

“Yes?”

“Promise?”

“Anything.”

“Huu-goh has fun,” Roark requested. “Please.”

“Okay.” The word was choked but I managed. I fluttered a few dozen kisses against the cheek of his hologram as he brayed out a laugh before shaking his head, spots fuschia. “Ushuu,” he instructed me.

I handed the communicator back over and Roark spoke with his mentor for what felt like another million years. I didn’t mind. I needed the time to wrap my head around what had just happened—and what was about to happen. When he forced Ushuu to return the communicator to me so that he could say goodbye, my belly filled with butterflies.

I hadn’t noticed before, but Roark’s tone wasn’t nearly as soft when he talked to Ushuu, as it was when he talked to me.

My belly squirmed.

“Bye bye, Huu-goh,” Roark purred, as serious as ever.

“Bye,” I said to Roark’s floating head. He barked in amusement again.

“Huu-goh fun,” he reminded me sternly.

“I’ll have fun,” I agreed, my heart pounding.

“Good.” He looked proud of himself, and I couldn’t help but try to kiss him through the hologram again. Roark ended the call as he was laughing, the sound and his spots full of affection. I missed him the moment he was gone, stroking the now silent device forlornly.

When I glanced up, Ushuu and Mala were staring at me like I was a goddamn unicorn. Mala said something to Ushuu, nudgedhim, and the elder shark held out a hand for the communicator with a gentle smile.

“Mala would like me to inform you that you are a ‘miracle worker.’” I snorted, but I didn’t get what he meant. “He would also like me to tell you that he hasneverseen Roark laugh as much as he just did, in all the time he’s known him.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, suddenly heartsick.

“I echo that sentiment,” Ushuu added. “For a long time I worried that he would never be able to let go of what has happened to him. That it would trap him. That he would never know happiness. I am not worried anymore.”

I didn’t know what any of that meant, and before I could ask, Ushuu interrupted me again.

“You are a tiny little miracle, aren’t you?” Ushuu grinned at me, jerked his head toward the shops in front of us. “Lead the way, little one.”

And so I did.

The week we spent on planet Sha’hPihn went by in a busy blur. I performed my duties. I organized our shipments. I made the phone calls back home for our ceremony arrangements. And I visited with the authorities I’d made friends with over the last fifteen years I’d spent as captain. I’d never liked schmoozing, but it was necessary in my line of work. When people valued you they tended to give better deals—and in my case, higher quality cargo.

I’d made a few genuine friends over the years, but no one I’d consider important enough to choose to spend time with over Huu-goh. I counted down the days to the event I’d bought us tickets to attend, desperate for time with my mate where we could speak freely without language barriers.

Ushuu’s lessons were helping, and we’d been communicating more and more as of late, but there was still so much I didn’t know. Things I needed to understand if I was going to make him happy, comfortable, and carefree.

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