Page 8 of Horns & Heart
“He says he has no uterus and likes big boobs,” Inkiri said.
Well, wasn’t that just the gift that kept on giving.Why had I said that thing about the boobs again?And why was everything I said to Inkiri coming back to bite me?
“Oh.I’d not have guessed that.”Lissir crossed his arms and looked me over.“He’s very…tender-looking.”
My jaw dropped, and I actually huddled a little closer to Inkiri.It was a reflex I couldn’t quite account for.
The big one crossed his arms in front of a massive chest as well and tilted his head, showing off his massive ibex horns.Should I maybe compliment them on the horns?Was that a thing you did when trying not to get eaten?
“You wish to procreate, little human?”
“He says no,” Inkiri said.“His name is Rory.Rory, this is Fellisse.”
“Hi,” I managed, though I wasn’t sure how I was still able to make words.My heart was beating hamster-fast in my chest, and I wasn’t sure what I needed to be more afraid of—being found tender enough for dinner, or tender enough to procreate with after dinner.
Clearly, these guys were way too fixated on reproduction and reproductive organs.And they were all looking at me way too intensely, as if I were a new toy and they couldn’t quite figure out what I was for.
Yup, I needed to hightail it out of here as soon as I was able, and definitely before they decided they wanted to take this new toy for a ride, but right now I was surrounded.And being stared at.
Fellisse stepped in close and…smelled me.Like, he didn’t go so far as to touch me, but he leaned in and definitely sniffed my neck.And then he made the soothing clicking noises as well.
“Uhm, nice to meet you too,” I said, because my brain had decided manners were the correct response when you were being sniffed and clicked at by a guy whose horns were maybe an inch away from your face.Okay, brain, okay.
“Oh, you found what you were looking for!”said someone else, once more in accented English, although his accent was fainter than Lissir’s and Fellisse’s.
I looked past Lissir and Fellisse to see an azure blue monster approaching.This one had lighter horns, almost sky blue; a sharp contrast to his nearly black hair.Unlike the other three, whose clothing was black or at least a very dark gray, this one wore taupe top to bottom.
“Let me have a look!”The guy in taupe easily maneuvered past Fellisse, who looked like he could make himself a living obstacle if he had an off day.“My name is Nokim, and it’s so lucky that you are here.That Inki found you.Do you want food?I’ve been experimenting with human food, but I don’t know if I’m getting it right.Donna said she likes my food, but another opinion would be so good.”He tilted his head like the others had done, horns almost brushing Fellisse’s cheek.“Should we celebrate?I think we should celebrate.”
“Uhm…” I said.“D-Donna?Is she here?”That would be good.If there was someone else here, someone human, then maybe we could band together and escape.
Nokim sighed.“No.She had somewhere else to go, and we helped her get there.We learned a lot from Donna.”
I bet they had.Not that I needed to find out what they had learned about humans.I exhaled, but it came out as sort of a rattling noise.
“Fellisse has been scaring him,” Lissir said.
Nokim gaped and turned.“Why would you do that?Can you not be happy Inki found his human?”
“Noki, enough,” Inkiri said.
“Hey, while you talk, mind if I use the washroom?”Hopefully this was all of them and the front door wasn’t locked.
“I’ll take you,” Inkiri said, but this time, when I tried pulling my arm free from his hold, he let me.
“That’s cool.”I smiled.“I’ll just go, you know, powder my nose.Can do that by my lonesome.”I had no idea why I was saying that with this stupidly wide smile plastered on my face, but I was beginning to understand why the third-grade teacher had cast me as the second tree from the left.I circled the group.The four of them looked as if they wanted to jump me.“I’ll just be a sec.”I beamed harder, forcing myself not to run.
I made it out of the room, which had clearly been meant to become the living room of the house.I passed a kitchen that looked pretty much finished—and used as well.Something was bubbling away on the stove, and I did not care to find out what that was, oh no.Strange food didn’t interest me at all.
With the house being so big, there were several rooms to navigate, including some that didn’t have doors yet, and the staircase was still the temporary metal kind, not what you’d want in a nice house like this once it was all done.I hurried past that and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the reassuring solidity of the front door with small windows set above it to let in natural light.
I rushed toward it and got it open a crack, but a strong hand appeared next to my head and slammed the door shut again with a final-sounding thud.I squeaked.
“You’re a runner.”
That voice wasn’t like the others.He spoke unaccented English, or at least I couldn’t hear the strange accent the others—apart from Inkiri—had.He didn’t sound British either.He sounded almost like I did.
Shuddering, I turned.“I don’t mean to be a burden.”Surely, what had worked once would work again, and I was feeling some damsel energy.
