Page 91 of I'm Not Your Pet

Roark was Roark.

There was no need to worry when he was involved.

We stepped through the large glass doors that led into the hotel lobby with awhooshof chilly AC. My ears started to roar. Overstimulated and overwhelmed, my senses went haywire as I took it all in.

The air tasted like perfume, thick and cloying. Aliens in slinky dresses flitted across the shiny floor. Silken suits and elbow-length party gloves decorated half the sparkly population. Everyone was mingling and interacting—and nothing was familiar. Nothing at all.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to who wore what, which settled some of my nerves as I clutched the bag full of my party clothes close. Male aliens dressed in chiffon skirts, and their female counterparts donned pants and jackets. Most clothing resembled what one might expect from a high-end party back on Earth, only without the restricting gender norms. It was odd to see aliens with six, seven, even twelve limbs wearing cocktail dresses and flirting with their shorter, more tentacle-laden companions.

This was basically…an alien version of prom.

My gaze caught on one guest in particular, heart racing.Huh. He looked…he looked suspiciously human.His short hair was pale white and slicked back. The dress he wore was too short to be considered a mini skirt and I had no idea how he managed to keep it in place. Long, muscular legs coated in glittering tights peeped from beneath the hem as he was escorted around the room by a massive, almost rhinoceros-looking alien. Said alien kept a possessive taloned grasp on human-looking-guy’s lower back at all times.

He had a collar around his neck, just like the one I was wearing.

He had to be human, right?

Or maybe…maybe not?

From behind, it was impossible to tell for sure, and he disappeared before I could ask Ushuu to help me approach. I could’ve sworn that I’d seen a second set of ears on his head, as well as wings and a tail, though, so I must’ve been imagining things. He wasn’t a human after all.

While I’d been busy ogling the guests, Ushuu had led us through the line to the reception desk. A friendly alien with dark red skin, six eyes, and artfully styled, long, faded hair greeted us with a chirp.

I couldn’t understand what they were saying, so I remained quiet.

All six of the receptionist’s yellow eyes were trained on my large companion as though I wasn’t here at all. Their lips stretched into a broad grin as they dragged their gaze up and down Ushuu’s frame. In response, Ushuu’s spots turned fuschia and I had to muffle my laughter.

It didn’t take a genius to realize the receptionist was flirting with him. His reactions, however, were adorable.

He’s embarrassed.

While I’d spent a lot of time with shark-aliens lately, I hadn’t seen anything like this before. Ushuu, while flattered, did not look interested in flirting back.

Did Ushuu have a mate waiting back home for him?

Were sharks a monogamous species?

The receptionist’s eyes dragged over the older male’s form a second time before their clicks turned business-like again. They asked Ushuu a few more questions, before passing him what looked like a gift baggie.Did that have the translators inside it?Ushuu immediately clutched it close to his chest protectively,tendrils tangling around the handles to keep it shut like it held something precious inside.

“Upstairs,” Ushuu urged me with a serene little grin.

Halfway there, an alien with antlers bumped into Ushuu’s shoulder, jostling the both of us. Distracted, I tried to get a better look at him, my head tilted upward. Alien grunted an apology and moved, but my eyes stayed trained on the ceiling as he passed.

Holy shit.Damn. I hadn’t realized how big the hotelreallywas. The ceiling was impossibly high to accommodate the larger guests. Glittering chandeliers flickered at the apex of it, placed in even rows that spanned the top of the entire monstrous lobby. As my gaze drifted down again, recognition made me pause.

Huh.

Security cameras.

A shit-ton of security cameras.

Lining the walls halfway up, like they were trying to be sneaky but failed spectacularly. We’d had the same sort of technology in some of the rooms on F’ukYuu. They were far beyond the technology Earth possessed, almost capable of predicting the future so that problems could be eradicated before they even arose. A quick glance around the room confirmed that there were as many security guards as there were cameras.

At least if something happens, they’re prepared.

No wonder why Roark picked this place.

I wasn’t surprised. It was obvious based on how the others were dressed, and the large beefy aliens in suits that stood stoic against the walls, watching the party-goers, that this was no small event. This was afancyparty. Like the ones my dad’s work used to host. I’d never been invited to those, but he’d bragged about them enough times it felt like I had.

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