Page 11 of Cozy Prisons (Human Pets of Talin: Origins #4)

Suddenly Nataly was standing alone. The closest people to her were on the other side of the ramp.

Right, this was easy. All she needed to do was walk around the end of the ramp to get to them. When Palathum was done talking to Iris and Damascus, she could walk back to the village with her.

Yes, that would be easy.

Totally easy.

Walk around the ramp , she ordered her legs.

Nothing.

Her chest got tight, and it was harder to breathe. It was happening again. Anxiety gave way to panic, and the darkness started to eat away at the edges of her vision.

She tried digging her nails harder into the skin of her palm. The pain didn’t help. She needed something more.

Vertigo hit her hard, and she lurched forward. She grabbed hold of a ramp support strut. She shut her eyes tight and tried hard to pull in a breath. All she needed was for her lungs to cooperate, then she could figure out the next step.

A warm presence pressed against her back at the same time purring filled her ears and the familiar scent of sweet lemon hit her nose.

“Nataly?” Daxus’s voice was a soft murmur.

She opened her mouth but all that came out was a whimper. God, was she really this pathetic?

He kept purring as he talked. “It was a long walk to get here. Perhaps the journey wore you out?”

Was he giving her an excuse or did he really think that she was that out of shape?

“Is there something wrong with Nataly?” someone shouted. She opened her eyes to see Palathum, Iris, Damascus, and two unfamiliar Talins staring at her. She hated this!

“No.” The one word was spoken so weakly that Daxus was the only one who heard.

“I’ll take care of this,” Daxus whispered, then spoke loudly to the others. “Nataly is fatigued. I’m going to take her back to her domicile to rest.”

“Take her to Healer Falkilm first,” Palathum ordered.

The last thing she wanted to do was go to the medical building. She wanted the familiar surroundings of her own home!

“She wants to rest first,” Daxus called out. His response to Palathum’s order made her sag against him.

“Fine,” Palathum responded. She said something else that Nataly didn’t catch.

She didn’t have to go to the healer, and Daxus was keeping her from looking ridiculous in front of everyone. She would turn around and hug him except she felt too shaky to do anything but keep a death grip on the strut.

“You seem tired,” Daxus said, keeping his voice low and calm. “Can I carry you back to your domicile?”

She didn’t want to be carried, it made her feel like a helpless idiot. But the desire to be home overrode her dislike.

“Please.” The one word broke at the end, and she shut her eyes tight to keep the tears at bay.

Fuck, she was falling apart right in front of everyone!

Strong arms scooped her up and cradled her against a broad, hard chest.

“No one is looking,” Daxus murmured. “They’re all busy and they think you’re simply out of breath. Rest your head against me as if you’re so tired you're falling asleep.”

Thankful for Daxus’s ruse, Nataly let her head rest on his shoulder. His neck brushed her nose. Acting on instinct, she nuzzled her face close and felt the soft area of skin. Talins had a strip of exposed skin where their necks met their shoulders.

He smelled of earth, mover bot lubricant, and sweet lemons. She pulled in a deep breath and the tightness in her chest eased.

“That’s it,” he encouraged. “Relax and breathe. I’ve got you. Nothing is going to hurt you while I’m here.”

Between his words, purring, and scent, the panic receded rapidly, leaving her feeling exhausted and hungover.

Some people called out asking what was wrong with her, and he gave them all the same answer: she’d worn herself out.

The humans mostly laughed and teased Daxus for overreacting. The Talins thought that he was acting completely appropriately. Each time he was told to take her to Falkilm he refused, stating that a visit to the medical building could wait until later.

She kept her eyes closed and head hidden against his neck the entire time. She probably looked silly, but that was better than everyone knowing the truth.

She was irredeemably broken.

Daxus

The moment Nataly and her friends appeared at the edge of the landing area, Daxus made sure to keep an unobtrusive eye on her. He watched her grow more tense as her fellow humans left her side. Then she was alone and holding onto a strut as if it was the only thing solid around her.

It was difficult to keep a sedate pace, but running would draw attention and he knew that was the last thing Nataly wanted. It helped him to think of her as having the same level of pride as he did.

The desire to hide weakness in front of others was something he could completely understand. Sometimes appearances were all you had.

When he wasn’t answering someone’s questions, he kept talking to Nataly. He didn’t know if it helped, but she wasn’t opening her eyes, so he thought she might like to know how close they were to her domicile.

“We’re almost to the edge of the village perimeter,” he said after passing Utharium and the bots he was guiding.

For a moment he thought she might’ve fallen asleep, but when he stopped to let her door open she opened her eyes and looked around. Her body completely relaxed in his arms as she realized she was home.

“I’m going to lay you in the bed,” he said.

“Sure, thanks,” she murmured, closing her eyes again.

Her sleeping area was a mess. Most of the pillows and covers were scattered on the floor around the bed. It gave him the impression that she hadn’t slept well the night before.

He laid her down, then grabbed pillows to tuck around her. Sitting up, she took them from him and used them to prop herself up against the headboard.

“That’s good,” she murmured, sounding a little sigh as she relaxed back. “I don’t know why I'm so tired, but a nap is all I need.”

He sounded a rumble of amusement. “You can’t imagine why you're tired?” he questioned.

When she opened her eyes and arched an eyebrow at him, he pointed to the tangled sheets.

“I don’t think you used this bed to sleep last night.

This looks more like you spent your rest period wrestling with your bedding. ”

One corner of her mouth turned up. “You’re not entirely wrong.” She let out a long sigh. “Thanks for the ride home.”

He sounded a rumble of amusement at her words. “You’re most welcome. I’m going to stay for a little while.”

She waved a hand, “Sure, help yourself to anything in my food cabinet. It’s fully stocked.”

He was surprised she didn’t fuss at him wanting to stay, but then her eyes drifted closed and he understood. Whatever she’d gone through at the ship had truly worn her out.

Hopefully, she also liked the idea of him staying. He wanted his presence to bring her comfort.

He cleared a space on the floor and made himself comfortable leaning against her bed.

She mumbled something and her arm flopped off the edge of the bed.

He thought it was an accident until her hand found his shoulder and gripped briefly before relaxing and resting there.

He started up a soothing rumble and prepared to stay in that exact spot for as long as she slept.