That was an understatement. Best not to elaborate, though, lest I lose control.
“Y-you do?” he squeaked.
The loud pitch of his voice made his breath exhale harder, and I nearly shivered at the contact.
“Yes,” I said, quieter than intended. “You are…”
Words escaped me. Another fascinating side-effect of Assistant 23’s presence.
Then, to my shock, he said, “I’m like the Ripgrass. Is that it?”
I stopped walking and stared down at the back of his head. Could he feel the rapid beat of my heart? Could he feel the throbbing aura of my desire looming over him?
“You were not frightened by my tale?” I asked, still softly.
Assistant 23 squirmed. “No.”
“But you ran away.”
“I didn’t run. I…” A frustrated sound slipped out of him. “I had to go. Deal with something. Privately.”
At first, I did not understand. But I was not naive. I found him collapsed on the ground in a prone position. His body was warm, practically steaming when I picked him up.
“Ah,” I said, unable to stop a grin from forming. “Then, the wet spot on your suit—”
“Yousawthat and didn’t say anything?” he squealed. Groaning, he buried his face deeper into my chest as if it would help him disappear. “This is so embarrassing…”
My nostrils flared as I took a deep, calming breath. He was oblivious to the myriad ways in which he affected me.
“You may be ashamed over masturbation, but Maeleons have no such feelings,” I reminded him.
“That’s not it,” he mumbled. “It’s the fact that I touched myself after you confessed to…that.”
I laughed as understanding washed over me. At the same time, my arousal raged harder. If I had not been constricted by laughter, my cock would have sprung free against my will.
“What’s funny?” Assistant 23 demanded, his voice muffled against my scales.
“Ah. You are sweeter than any fruit, little human. Do not be ashamed over what you did.” Since my hands were full of him, I stroked the back of his head with my tentacle. He made a faint sound of pleasure. Then I brought my snout close to his covered ear and purred, “It was not the accidental killing, but my obsession that affected you. Is that true?”
Assistant 23 began to tremble, but I sensed no fear. Then he nodded.
Arousal rolled through me in a wave. I bit down on my tongue. The sharp rush of pain was the only thing stopping me from claiming him where I stood. It would have been so easy to lift him into the air, strip away the fabric scraps, and plunge into him.
I forced myself not to indulge.
“Sorry,” Assistant 23 murmured. “I’m so fucking weird.”
“I am also fucking weird,” I said, borrowing his curse word.
The human laughed softly. For a moment, he paused as though he were going to tilt his head up toward me and expose his smile. But he did not.
Instead, he said, “Thanks, Farr’vye. For being so understanding.”
“Anything for you.”
He let out a muted sound that went straight to my groin, but I managed to control my urges. Assistant 23 had already opened up to me more than I expected. I could wait a bit longer.
Once we reached the village, I led Kookee back into its pen. We were right on time—Paz and Kur’tok, holding Chey’ish, were visibly fretting by the wooden stakes.