Sterre nudges against my leg every now and then, begging for petting, and I have to admit, for all that the cat looks like a cross between a tiger and a many-legged Komodo dragon, I'm kinda falling in love with it. It's so damn…sweet. It acts like a needy kitten, constantly demanding attention and flopping down at my feet, belly up, whenever I pause. It yawns up at me, blinking big dark eyes in my direction.
And just knowing that Sterre wants to protect me makes me feel a hell of a lot safer. Not that I'm not safe with Kaspar. I absolutely feel safe with him. It's just that now my protection is doubled.
"So tell me more about Sterre. What are these cats called again?" I glance over at Kaspar. After our kiss, he's been in kind of a weird mood. I expected him to be all flirty and braggy and make me regret kissing him. Instead, he's been really quiet, and I'm not sure what to think of that. Kaspar's not the quiet type. Maybe he's annoyed his boots are muddy and he's itching to shine them. Who knows? He's hard to read.
Up ahead of me, Kaspar flicks at the leaves of an oversized fern, then walks past it. "He's a protector-kin—"
"She," I correct. "I'm pretty sure Sterre's a she."
Kaspar pauses and glances back at me. "How do you figure?"
I glance over at the cat again. It's belly up like a playful kitten. "Because there's no cat dong, if you must know." I gesture at my new friend. "I'd have seen some kitty cock and balls at this point with how often she's showing me her belly."
"You're obsessed with cocks and balls, aren't you?"
"Maybe because a certain someone keeps shoving his in my face?"
Kaspar just grins back at me, like he knows he's been busted and just doesn't care. "Protector-kin are caught in the wild and shipped out into space and sold as exotic pets for mates and mistresses. They are extremely protective of females, which is why I knew you were safe and my ass was in danger."
Oh, interesting. "And it's here because someone dumped it here?"
"No, it's here because this is its home planet." He glances up at the enormous trees. "I was told protector-kin come from a forested moon in V'tarrian space. This fits the bill as well as anything else. The good news is that you have another protector, at least. The bad news is that if we run across pirates, they're going to want both you and that carinoux to sell."
I fight the sudden urge to fling my arms around poor Sterre's neck. "But she belongs here in the wild! This is her home. People can't just snatch her away. She might have family here. Friends. It's wrong. She'll be miserable out in space."
"Are we talking about the carinoux or you?" Kaspar glances back at me over his shoulder again.
"The parallels are uncanny, aren't they?" I snark. "If I didn't want it to happen to me, I sure as shit don't want it to happen to her." I reach out and touch the carinoux's silky, opalescent skin. I can see why they're wanted. I love the adoring looks that Sterre's shooting me, and she's gorgeous to look at, powerful and glittery both. It seems wrong to take her from her home, though, and the thought hurts my heart. "Do I need to send her away?"
"I have a better suggestion."
I look up at him. "What's that?"
"We avoid all pirates." He grabs a leafy frond and examines it closely.
Well, now that sounds sensible. "I think that's a very wise choice. Avoid all pirates."
"Speaking of choices," Kaspar says, glancing around. "I'm not seeing a shelter option here. We might be looking at making a lean-to underneath a tree. You all right with roughing it tonight?"
Considering we slept on a rock last night? That sounds downright cozy. "We're sure there are no bugs around? I don't want to get eaten in the middle of the night."
"You can sleep on top of me," Kaspar says, as if that solves all problems.
I stare at him, waiting for him to crack a smile, but I think he's serious. Well then. I think about what he says and decide to call his bluff. "You're on. You can be my bedding."
"Great. Help me gather these leaves, then? I want to get some sort of roof set up so we can block out the worst of the rain." He indicates the fern he's standing next to. "Gather as many of these as you can without killing the plant, and I'll look for some branches to make up the framework.
"And then what?"
He shrugs, tail flicking as he looks over at me and Sterre. "We look for food? We take a bath? We go to sleep?"
We kiss and make out again? Not that I'm thinking about kissing. It's just that…it was a lot of fun to kiss him. A lot. And I'm a little miffed he hasn't brought it up again.