Page 6 of Aliens Snared My Heart (Awakened Womb #3)

6 / Kur’tok

After releasing its pollen, the human curled up and slept without a care in the world. Why wasn’t Paz afraid? I could’ve eaten it before it realized what was happening.

But though my stomach still growled, my urge to eat Paz died down. The human piqued my curiosity. It was too interesting to get rid of. Yet.

How deep was its sleep? Could I touch Paz without waking it?

My claws hovered over the tuft of curly fur on its head. The texture was soft with its long individual strands, but there was no undercoat. Was that why Paz got cold? I was suddenly grateful I’d kept all of Kookee’s shed fur to make that blanket.

The biggest patch of fur was on its head. It was sparse elsewhere. Tiny insignificant hairs trailed over the human’s body, but not enough to keep it warm. The only other patch I noticed was between the legs, where Paz’s dick now lay satisfied and limp.

I snorted in sympathy. What a poorly designed creature. Yet its pathetic nature compelled me. It felt necessary to stay close in case my prey froze to death, or spontaneously combusted. Who knew what humans were capable of?

I didn’t realize I’d nodded off in the den until a commotion outside roused me. I snapped to attention, rising to my feet, feelers bristling as I ran to the mouth of the den. In a random flash, I thought of Paz behind me. An unusual heat sizzled in my guts—like anger, but different.

My vigilance faded when I recognized the two approaching figures. Arr’tow and Haz’rull had finally returned.

But I wasn’t happy to see them. They’d crawled back empty-handed, except for an armful of fruit each. There wasn’t any meat in sight.

“What is that?” I roared, jabbing a finger at their stupid fruits. “That’s not what I ordered you to hunt!”

Arr’tow ducked against my furious words. “Sorry, Kur’tok. We hunted all night, but couldn’t find anything except these.”

“Unacceptable,” I snarled. “Me and Kookee are starving, and this is what you deem appropriate food? I should tear you both apart!”

As my two underlings balked in fear, I heard a small yawn behind me.

“Hey, what’s all the fuss about?” Paz asked. The human padded up to my side, where it looked minuscule. The top of its furry head only reached my biceps.

Arr’tow and Haz’rull yelped, dropping their load of fruits. I didn’t want the stupid fruit, but I was annoyed that their flesh was now bruised from being bungled.

“W-what is that?” Haz’rull asked, staring at Paz.

My lip curled in irritation. We were no longer alone, and so my prey-pet was no longer hidden. I liked keeping Paz to myself, but now the secret was out.

“It is my pet,” I stated.

“Okay, first of all,” Paz interjected, “I’m not an it. I’m a he. ”

That word jogged my memory. I’d heard it before, a long time ago.

Before I could pry deeper into my memories, Paz sighed and launched into an explanation of something called ‘pronouns.’ Apparently, humans and some other sapient creatures had a range of them. I found that I liked the same ‘he’ pronoun that Paz used. It felt familiar on my tongue.

“Fine,” I muttered. “ He is my pet.”

My underlings exchanged a glance.

“Don’t you already have a pet?” Haz’rull asked, tilting their blue head.

“I can have as many pets as I want!” I roared.

“Whoa,” Paz said, surprised. “What’s with the yelling, Kur’tok? Aren’t these guys your friends?”

I barked a cold laugh. “These two? They’re no friends of mine. They are my underlings.”

Paz’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? I’m sorry, am I in an alternate dimension? A Maeleon with underlings? You’re not serious, are you?”

“Why would I not be serious?” I demanded.

Paz gestured frantically with his hands. “Because Maeleons are like—I dunno, nice to each other all the time? Sharing food and loving consent and stuff? I’ve never met a Maeleon that acted like you.”

“Well, I act like this,” I snapped. “And you’re mine now, so you’d better get used to it.”

Paz slowly narrowed his eyes, then crossed his arms. “Nah. I don’t think so.”

The human’s words were as unexpected as a random torrential rainstorm. Nobody ever dared talk back to me—until now.

Shoving my snout into his blunt face, I roared, “What did you say?”

Paz didn’t move as his gaze held mine. “It’s not cute to be so rude. And c’mon, referring to those two as your underlings? That’s childish. You’re better than that, Kur’tok.”

“What do you know, human prey-pet?” I snarled.

He put up the flat palms of his hands. “Listen, I know we just met and we don’t know each other that well, but I can tell you’re a good guy. There’s no need to act so tough.”

I snarled louder, shooting out a hot puff of air through my fangs that brushed Paz’s head-fur aside. Still, he didn’t move. Why wasn’t he afraid? The fragile little human should’ve been cowering at my feet, not talking back.

I noticed the rope collar loosely hanging from his neck. I snatched the end of the leash, nearly crushing it to dust in my fist, but I didn’t yank Paz around. His human flesh was so delicate, I felt like he might disintegrate if I was too rough with him.

“Like I said, you are mine,” I growled. “Do not argue with me.”

“Who’s arguing?” Paz asked with a smile.

His tone shift disarmed me. What kind of magic did this human possess? I still didn’t know the full extent of his abilities. I had to be careful around him.

I grunted, then turned back to my underlings. “Pick up that fruit and put it in the den. My pet will eat it.”

“Right away, Kur’tok,” they said together.

As the two cowering Maeleons scurried into the den with their loads of fruit, Paz caught up with them.

“Hey, let me help,” he offered. “That’s a lot of fruit to carry, even for Maeleons with tentacles.”

I sneered. “Don’t help them. They can do it on their own.”

The real reason was that I wanted him to stay beside me, but I didn’t say that.

“Don’t worry, it’ll only take a second,” Paz insisted. “Can you drop the leash?”

“Hmph. I don’t want to.”

Paz flashed another smile. “I’ll be right back, I promise. Okay?”

He promised? I regarded his face, seeking signs of deception... and saw none. Would his promise be a lie?

“Fine,” I said, dropping the rope.

Paz’s brown eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Kur’tok.”

He scampered into the den to help Arr’tow and Haz’rull. If my underlings were competent, they wouldn’t need a human’s help, but I couldn’t give them that much credit.

I waited outside the den, flicking my tail irritably. Why did Paz care about helping those two when he should’ve been spending time with me? How annoying. If he was going to be my pet, we needed guidelines. He couldn’t go around doing whatever he wanted and getting into trouble. His fleshy human body was too fragile. I didn’t want him to get hurt.

“I’m back!” Paz said.

I was surprised that he’d already returned. “That was fast.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” He bent down to pick up the leash, then handed it back to me. “Here ya go.”

I grunted and closed my hand over the leash. It was odd he bothered returning it. If he was clever, he could’ve used the chance to escape... although he wouldn’t get far. So perhaps sticking around was the smarter choice after all.

“Hey, Kur’tok?” Paz asked. “Why did you get mad at those two? They brought tons of food.”

“Not meat,” I spat.

“So, you only eat meat?”

“Yes.”

“Have you... tried eating fruit?” Paz suggested.

“No,” I snapped. “Stop asking.”

“Okey doke. Then what you’re saying is, you’re still hungry.”

“Yes,” I grumbled. “But I’m more concerned about Kookee.”

Sympathy flashed in Paz’s eyes. “Oh. Are pandar carnivorous?”

“Probably.”

Paz paused, then asked, “You don’t know?”

I glared at him.

He was unaffected. “You’ve never tried feeding Kookee fruit?” he asked.

“No. It will make Kookee weak, like the rest of those fruit-eaters,” I explained. “I want my pets to be strong and healthy. Including you.”

He smiled. “I’m pretty healthy, as far as humans go. Although the strength of my species can never rival a Maeleon.”

“That is fine. I will take care of you,” I asserted.

Paz’s cheeks changed color. “You will?” he asked, his voice rising.

“Is it not obvious?” I growled. “Look how well I treat Kookee. If you are my pet, I will also treat you well. Unless one day I tire of you, and decide to eat you.”

The threat was meaningless. In my private mind, I already knew I liked Paz enough to keep him alive.

In any case, he wasn’t intimidated by my words. “Aw, that’s nice of you, Kur’tok. I’m pretty low maintenance, I think. I just need food, sleep, and...” He coughed, then mumbled, “Sex once in a while.” His voice rose to its usual volume. “Although, I guess I need companionship, too.”

I whirled on him. “Is my companionship not enough?”

He blinked, like my words shocked him. “Well... sure, I like you, Kur’tok. But you can’t be my only friend.”

“Why not?” I demanded.

His smile turned slightly sad. “I’ve got friends back home. I miss them,” he admitted.

An uncomfortable feeling swirled in my chest, like an inescapable pool of sticky sap. I didn’t want Paz to be sad, but I didn’t want him to go back home, wherever that was. The thought of him leaving chilled my blood and filled me with dread.

I clutched the leash tighter. “Your home is with me now. Get used to it.”

He sighed. “Sure, all right.”

“Don’t do that thing with your face.”

“Do what?”

“Your smile is facing the wrong way,” I grumbled.

“That’s called a frown,” Paz said. “And I appreciate the sentiment, but you can’t go around telling people how to feel , Kur’tok.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for one thing, people can’t control their feelings on command,” Paz explained. “Like, if I snapped my fingers and ordered you to be happy, could you?”

I squinted suspiciously at his small, twig-like fingers. “Does snapping your fingers hold some mystical power?”

He snorted in amusement. “No.”

I mulled over his thought experiment. If anybody else on Eukaria ordered me to do anything, I’d rip their head off. But if Paz did it, maybe I wouldn’t mind so much.

I puffed out my chest. “Yes, I could do it,” I declared.

“Really?” Paz asked, then raised his hand and performed a loud, rapid click with his fingers. In an emphatic voice, he said, “Kur’tok, I order you to be happy right now.”

A growl rumbled in my throat. I liked Paz, but no, I did not like being commanded how to feel.

“All right, fine, I see your point,” I conceded. “Then I will... persuade your emotions instead.”

He flashed a bright grin. “Sure, you can try.”

It relieved me that his frown disappeared. I preferred his smile, and he smiled when I admitted defeat. That should’ve been troubling. Kur’tok did not admit defeat—except to small flesh-bag humans, apparently.

And yet, I wasn’t perturbed. For some reason, I didn’t mind bending my iron will for Paz’s sake.

But only a little bit. In the end, he was my pet and I was his master. If he was going to live under my collar, it was time he learned the rules of my domain.