Page 2 of Redeeming Captivity (Human Pets of Talin #7)

Chapter 2

Tarquin

The sight of Lena’s cell struck Tarquin speechless for almost an entire submark. It wasn’t a room or an enclosure, it really was a cage. There was nothing but bare steel walls and floors—no color or a window to the outside. Her bed was a thin mat on the floor with only a single blanket and pillow.

“This is intolerable!” Tarquin raged, turning to face the soldier who’d brought them to the room. “Where is her nest? Humans need plenty of soft bedding to be comfortable. Where are the items to provide her enrichment so she doesn’t suffer loneliness while confined? This is the type of place we’d house a criminal, not a pet!”

The soldier backed up as Tarquin yelled until his back hit the wall. “This was how Standing General Jafinium instructed her cage to be furnished.”

“She’s lived this way for two solars?” Tarquin asked, his voice still loud. He knew he should calm down, but he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “There aren't any environmental controls in here! She could’ve gotten chilled or overheated. This room could’ve killed her. I will not leave her here another night.”

“Standing General Jafinium said she is your responsibility now, so you can do as you see fit,” the soldier reminded him as he edged toward the door.

“Inform the standing general that I’ll be housing her in my quarters for the rest of my visit,” Tarquin said in an even tone, finally getting his anger under control. He’d always been cool-headed, but seeing her cell was the last straw. Not only did they abuse her, they didn’t even give her a sanctuary to live in and recuperate.

“Yes, Envoy Inspector Tarquin,” the soldier said, then bolted out the door.

A soft sound came from Lena, making Tarquin look down at her. She was still gagged, but he thought he saw a spark of humanity in her eyes before she dropped her gaze down to the floor.

“Now that we’re no longer being observed, I think it's safe to take all this off,” he grumbled, dropping to his knees in front of her. He reached behind her to unlatch the gag first. The moment it was loose she spat it out and clamped her mouth shut as if worried he’d try to shove it back in.

“There, that has to be better,” he murmured. He moved to her side so he could see her wrists. Unlatching the binding was easy and they fell away to reveal rubbed-raw skin.

“I’ll take you to the healers,” he murmured. “This needs to be treated.” He wanted to cradle her wrists in his hands and take a closer look but was worried he’d inadvertently hurt her.

Standing up, he looked around the room. There were no clothes or personal care items, only the miserable excuse for a bed.

“Are you attached to anything here?” he asked. She didn’t respond or look up at him, so he took that as a no. “I promise I’ll purchase you anything you might need. If there is anything specific that I don’t provide, all you need to do is ask.”

Still no response, although now she was hugging herself as if cold. Talins could comfortably tolerate a much wider range of temperatures than humans, so he couldn’t judge if it was too cold for her. Bending over, he grabbed the thin blanket and draped it over her shoulders.

“This will have to do until I can get an omni made for you,” he said. She didn’t speak but she did grab the ends of the blanket to draw them tight around her.

“I’ve been assigned a room in the guest bunkhouse,” he explained. “It’s a good-sized room with enough floor space to build you a nice nest. Do you think you’d be comfortable sharing a room with me or should I inquire about getting a second room?”

He wasn’t surprised when she didn’t respond.

“We’ll walk over there now and you can see for yourself if it’s suitable,” he suggested. “The walk isn’t far and we can go at whatever speed is comfortable for you.”

He turned to the door and waited for her. She remained still, her body tensing up again. “I’d like it if you walked at my side,” he explained. “That way I can help you if you stumble.”

She took a hesitant step, putting herself at his right hip. Now she stared at his feet instead of her own. Was that progress?

He held his arm out. “You can grab hold of my hand at any time if you feel unsteady. You can also let go at any time.”

She lifted her gaze to look at his hand. She didn’t speak, but somehow he felt she was considering his offer. Then she dropped her gaze again. Offer rejected, but at least she’d thought about it.

“This planet has an interesting topography,” he said as he started walking. He kept his stride short and slow. As he expected, she was able to keep pace with him at this speed.

“I was reading about it on my way here,” he continued as they made their way down a long corridor. “Almost the entire place is covered in rock rubble from when its moons collided a thousand years ago. When I first looked at satellite images, I thought the surface was mostly covered in mountains, but they aren’t really mountains. They’re giant piles of boulders and rocks. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place like this.”

They had reached the outside door by now and once they moved into the light, Lena stumbled to a stop, looking around with wide eyes. She was trembling a little, and Tarquin wasn’t sure if it was because she was afraid or overwhelmed. Perhaps a combination of both.

“There aren’t any large predators on this planet,” he told her. “In fact, the only native life are lichens and microscopic animals that feed on the lichen. Unless you're a lichen, you’re probably safe from predation.”

His attempt at humor fell flat. Or maybe she was too distracted to process his words. Her eyes were trained on the world in front of them.

She took a step past him and faced the sun. Lifting her face, she closed her eyes and seemed to be bathing in the late afternoon light. A silent tear slid down her cheek even as a small smile curved her lips.

She wasn’t afraid or overwhelmed, she was healing.

“Once we get you settled, we can walk some more,” he offered. He didn’t want to rush her but there was a lot he’d like to get done, including having the healer look at her wrists. “I promise I won’t keep you inside all the time. Well, not when we’re on a planet anyway. We have to stay inside onboard a ship because outside lacks a breathable environment.”

She didn’t respond to the poor joke, but she returned to his side to continue their journey. As they walked the dirt path from Jafinium’s home to the guest barracks he started talking about the immediate future, hoping to paint a pleasing picture.

“I know you’re probably not looking forward to traveling on a ship again, but the one that will pick us up is quite large with a well-appointed observation deck. We’ll be passing by several interesting celestial events that you might wish to observe. It’s a military ship so there isn’t any entertainment, but we’ll have access to many different vids. I’ve heard humans are fond of Ugarian soap operas. We can watch a few and see if you like them.”

She kept a slow pace so it took them some time to reach the guest barracks. Unlike the soldiers' barracks, the guest barracks was a single story building with only four units. At the moment he was the only one housed here. Once he tapped the door display and it slid open, he stepped to the side for her to enter. She hesitated at the threshold, staring at the empty room.

The room was more like the accommodations on a nice ship as opposed to the barracks. It was a large space with a bed, table, chairs, and a dedicated cleansing and elimination room. It was far superior to the cell she’d been housed in, but she might not see that. He worried she feared being locked inside again.

“For now we can keep the door open,” he offered. “Once the sun goes down we’ll need to close it, but I’ll give you access. That way you can open it at any time.”

She looked up and briefly met his gaze before tightening the blanket around herself and stepping into the room.

“You’re free to touch or rearrange anything for your comfort,” he said, following her inside. The door automatically closed behind him and he saw panic on her face. He was quick to turn and open the door then program it to remain open.

He heard her release a soft sigh of relief, but a glance over his shoulder revealed a blank expression and eyes focused on the floor between them.

“I’m going to call the healer,” he explained, tapping the door display to summon the military healer to his room. “And I’ll have some items and food brought also. I’m well versed in what humans can eat, so don’t be concerned that I’ll give you anything harmful.”

After he was done sending messages, he turned to find she hadn’t moved at all. “If you like, you can make use of the cleansing unit before the healer gets here.”

Taking a step closer, he reached out to touch her mane. “I have some special formula that should help—”

Faster than he thought a human could move, she turned her head and bit him.

He went perfectly still. She had the soft flesh between his bottom thumb and third finger between her teeth. She was clamped down hard enough to be causing pain, but only minimal damage.

“I was wrong to try to touch you without asking first,” he acknowledged. “But you need to use your words and say no or stop , not bite me. You could also step away and I’ll stop.”

Her eyes were open wide and she had a wild look, like she was getting ready to fight or run. Still, she didn’t release his hand.

“Please let go, Lena,” he murmured, ignoring the pain radiating from where her flat teeth were still biting down. He started up a soothing rumble, hoping to calm her. “I’m worried about hurting your delicate human teeth.”

Her eyes rolled up to his face. She shuddered before letting her lids fall shut and slowly opening her jaw. Because he didn’t want to startle her, he withdrew his hand slowly. Despite this, she flinched and hunched over into a defensive position.

Stepping away, he kept up the soothing rumble. “You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you, and I won’t let anyone else hurt you. No one’s going to lock you away anywhere, and soon you’ll be far away from here and surrounded by other humans again.”

Her entire body was shaking when she straightened back up. She sniffed and hitched the blanket higher on her shoulders. Then she met his gaze and gave a single nod.

As if that was all the courage she had in her, she sprinted into the cleansing unit. She slammed her hand against the display, making the door slide shut faster than it normally would. He heard the distinct click of the door lock latching.

Was this progress? He could only hope so.

While Lena was in the cleansing unit, most of the things he requested arrived. He released the door so it would default to closed. He didn’t want her to be surprised by a stranger walking right into the room when she decided to come out of the cleansing unit.

Every soldier delivering items stared into the room curiously, probably hoping to catch a glimpse of a rare human. Tarquin didn’t think badly of them. Humans were a precious commodity among Talins and were often spoiled by their owners. This made Standing General Jafinium’s treatment of Lena not only infuriating, but beyond puzzling.

The door was only closed for a few submarks before there was another request for entry. Tarquin stood in front of the door before allowing it to open. He was determined to keep everyone out of Lena’s space without her permission.

The door opened to reveal the healer. “You requested my presence, Envoy Inspector Tarquin. What’s wrong?”

“Wait here,” Tarquin ordered, then made the door shut. He heard an irritated rattle from the healer, but ignored it. Crossing the room, he tapped the cleansing room display so he could speak to Lena.

“The healer is here and I’d like him to examine you,” he explained. “I won’t force you to leave the cleansing unit, but there should be food here soon too. You must be hungry.”

He waited for several micromarks, expecting that she wouldn’t answer or come out yet. Then the door opened. He was startled at how red and swollen her eyes looked, but otherwise she was unchanged. She hadn’t bathed and was still gripping the blanket around her shoulders.

“I’m going to buy you warmer clothes,” he murmured, voicing the one thing he could fix easily.

Although her expression didn’t seem to change, he got the impression she was amused by his words. She sniffed and looked past him into the room, searching for the healer. He made a mental note to have the healer check her nasal passage.

Sounding a soothing rumble, he moved to the side and invited her to leave the cleansing room. “The healer is waiting outside. Will you let him see you?”

She didn’t say anything, but when she sat down on a chair he thought that was a sign of acquiescence. The chair was too big for her and her feet couldn’t even touch the floor. Normally a Talin owner would sit a human on their lap so they could keep the human warm and safe, even during a simple meal.

Once she was sitting, he returned to the door to let in the healer. Hopefully this would be fast because the food should be arriving soon and something deep inside him was desperate to feed Lena.

Or at least watch her eat if she wouldn’t let him feed her by hand.