Page 19 of Horn in My Side
“Just tell me how much each one gets.”
“But—”
“This is still my shop, right?”
“Yes.”But he didn’t have to rub it in her face.
“It’ll be faster if I help you.Besides, what if you couldn’t come in and I had to do this by myself?”
Well, he had a point there.“All right, you can help with the feeding.”
Mal trudged to the nearest tank, which contained a four-legged creature with a bulbous head that had two horns protruding out its sides and tusks peeking from its mouth.A long, fish-like tail swished behind it as it approached the front of the aquarium.
“How many cups for this guy?”
“Don’t get too—!”
Before she could stop him, he tapped his foreclaw on the tank.The creature let out an angry grunt before ramming its head against the glass.The tank was shatterproof, but the poor thing was still upset.
Mal jumped back, nearly colliding with the shelf.“What in Vorlak’s name is that thing?”
“It’s a makara.Very territorial, especially at this age.”
“People actually want to buy that thing?”he asked in an incredulous tone.
“Once they imprint on an owner, they make excellent house guardians, and are very good with young children.They’re one of our bestsellers.”Bending down, she peered into the glass to check on the makara.“Don’t worry,” she cooed.“That big guy didn’t mean to scare you.”
He blew out a breath.“He’sscared?”
“She,” she corrected.“Can you give me half a cup, please?”
“Fine.Here you go.”
Being an amphibious creature, the makara’s tank consisted of a floating island surrounded by water.Jasmine poured the contents of the cup Mal handed to her into a chute above the tank, letting the pellets pile on top of the sandy beach area.
“He made that, didn’t he?Vrig, I mean.”
“Yes.”Her gaze remained fixed on the creature as she carefully approached the pile of food.After a few sniffs, she began to chomp down heartily.“I suggested we start stocking makaras since they’re in demand.So he designed and crafted this tank.They come to us as eggs and we take care of them until they’re about eight weeks old.At around ten weeks they start imprinting with their surroundings and their handlers permanently.”
To her surprise, Mal had bent down next to her.“How old is this one?”
“We’ve had her about seven weeks, so her owner will be stopping by in a couple of days to pick her up.”Her focus changed from the makara to Mal’s reflection against the glass, his indigo eyes tracking the creature as it dove into the water after finishing its meal.With his face relaxed and the scowl gone, he looked even more striking.She glanced down at his lips, even the pointy little tusks protruding from between them, wondering if they hurt when he kissed someone.
A hot flush crept up her cheeks, and Jasmine quickly stood up.“Er, let’s keep going, shall we?”
They continued down the next rows of aquatic creatures, with Jasmine explaining to Mal every creature’s dietary needs.He didn’t say much, just small grunts and “hmms” here and there, but for some reason, she couldn’t help but feel he was judging her.
After an hour, they’d finished the entire floor and she hung the last clipboard back onto its hook.
“All done,” she declared.“See, with my system everyone gets what they need, when they need it.”
“What about you?When do you get what you need?”
She spun around to face him.“Excuse me?”
“I mean, you need rest.You don’t work every day, do you?”
“Of course not—we’re closed on Tuesdays.”
