Human Rights (7 page)

"Yes." Sir Jiat gave a gentle tug to my leash, and I obediently stepped forward. "As much as I have tried to keep him groomed myself, I am terrible with such things. I thought your touch would do him wonders, Kosi."

Kosi stood a little straighter at the praise. "I am the best in the city." She held out her hand, and Sir Jiat put my leash in her palm. "What is his name?"

"Ewan." Sir Jiat smiled at me. "He's obedient and sweet, the perfect pet."

Now it was my turn to stand a little straighter, and when Kosi led me around the counter, I went without complaint. I wanted to stay close to my master. It made me pause a moment, look over my shoulder.

"Come now, Ewan." Kosi petted my hair. "Jiat will be back for you in... hmm. I'd say two hours?" She looked up. "He needs a good bath. His hair cut. Nails manicured. Skin polished."

"Head to toe," Sir Jiat said with a chuckle. "I will return in two hours, Ewan. Be good for Kosi and I'll take you for lunch at my favorite eatery."

That promise ensured I would do anything Kosi wanted me to just so she'd give him a good report. "Yes, master," I murmured. I watched him leave the shop, and my heart began to race just as it had when Sir Jiat had first left me alone with all the other pets at his meetings. Only I couldn't look at Kosi or ask her questions. She was above me, and I bowed my head, silent and obedient.

Kosi took me behind the separation wall between the front of the shop and the actual grooming rooms. It was clean, and there were three other pets being tended to. Two were females, one male, and I only managed a quick glimpse before Kosi led me into a private room with a deep bath tub. She opened the taps, and steamy water filled the tub quickly. She added salts and oils to the water, and then turned back to me.

"You are a mess," she said, and the smile splitting her muzzle was kind. She removed my collar and leash, and then slipped my simple sandals from my feet. "At least he gives you protection for your feet." She tsked and grabbed a pitcher before shooing me into the tub. The water was so hot, the scent so rich and sweet, that I couldn't help the moan. She chuckled. "The feet of many pets are ugly, calloused and scarred. You're lucky to have such a caring master as Jiat."

I dared to say, "Yes, I am eternally grateful," just before she doused me with a pitcher full of the fragrant water. I was lucky, and I never forgot that luck. If Sir Jiat hadn't claimed me as his at the pound, I would have been long dead, put down and tossed into the lime pits or incinerator like garbage.

I was given the most thorough bath I've ever received. She even inserted a tube into my backside to wash within me as well as my flesh outside. It was an odd and uncomfortable thing that I didn't understand. Once I was clean, I was seated on a bench as Kosi took shears to my hair, and then a blade to the skin of my face, armpits, and groin. When she was done, I only had hair on my chest, arms, lower belly, and legs. She seemed to consider removing it all, but I whimpered at the idea, and she tsked as she set the blade aside.

Oiled, the shaved flesh was sensitive. As she set to trimming and buffing my toenails, I couldn't help but think of Sir Jiat smearing oil on me each day to keep my skin supple. His blade taking the hair from my body. His fingers trailing over slippery, smooth flesh. I knew it was forbidden to think such things, but I couldn't stop myself. My cock twitched shamefully, and I used my hands to cover myself from Kosi's gaze. She also filed the bottoms of my feet, oiling the skin there, and then came for my hands. I flushed brightly as I offered them to her, but she didn't look or comment on the hardness of my body. I decided then that I liked Kosi.

As a treat, while I waited for Sir Jiat, Kosi gave me a mug of cool juice, tart and sweet on my tongue. It was truly an experience, and I couldn't stop myself from hoping that Sir Jiat would allow me this treatment frequently. I felt beautiful, my skin glowing, my hair trimmed and gleaming, and my nails buffed to a glassy shine. Kosi buckled the simple leather collar around my throat once more with a final flourish, and I could have purred with the pleasure of having that mark of ownership returned to me. But my day wasn't over and, two hours on the mark, Sir Jiat stepped through the door, making the little bell ring cheerfully. Kosi latched my leash to my collar and escorted me back to my master.

Sir Jiat's honey eyes widened, the slitted pupils contracting a moment as he took in my appearance. I felt a warmth spread over my cheeks. He was pleased. My master was pleased by my appearance, and I held my head up just a little higher as Kosi passed the leash to Sir Jiat's outstretched hand. I took my place at his side, just a step behind him, as he settled the bill with Kosi.

"You should bring him in once a month, Jiat," Kosi said as she took the thin, small sheets of silver from Sir Jiat. "He's lovely enough once he's pampered."

"Is that so?" Sir Jiat took two thin bars of copper as his change. "All right, then. A standing appointment every third Friday."

Kosi grinned. "Wonderful. I'll mark you into the schedule. Have a bright day, Jiat."

Sir Jiat led me out of the salon and onto the street once more. I walked with my head higher, and every time we were stopped by someone Sir Jiat knew, I heard murmured praise. In those moments, in the warm breeze of late afternoon, I was a prized pet, made beautiful, and my master was happy. And my day wasn't even over! There was lunch to be had, and my stomach ached to have food. I was so full of joy, I wanted to shout with it, but I was good. I was quiet. I was proud, but silent, as Sir Jiat took his seat in the outdoor cafe, and I knelt beside him. The scents around me were enticing, a promise of good food, and then Sir Jiat began to pet me. I could have died then and there, but it kept going. The petting, the pride, the joy. I didn't know how my day could become any better, any more perfect than it was now.

By the time we returned home, I was sleepy and full. All I wanted to do was curl up in the cool shadows of Sir Jiat's bed and nap until supper. Instead, he pulled me into the bedroom and told me—in that quiet, gruff voice of his—to kneel and wait for him. I was slow to go to my knees, and I swayed there, my eyelids heavy as I waited for my master. I must have dozed on my knees because one moment, Master Jiat wasn't in the room, and the next, he was crouching before me. His face with its long whiskers peered at me, an amused smile on his lips.

"Sleepy?"

I blinked slowly, unable to keep back my own smile. "Yes."

"You've had a very busy day, and your belly is full." He lifted his hands, and spread out across them was a stunning metal collar. It wasn't like the one I wore now, the one that was leather and metal, used by so many others before me. "I haven't given any of the other pets I've saved their own collar," he murmured. He reached around me and unfastened the collar at my throat. "I never cared for them beyond wanting to see them safe. Free."

My eyes met his in a bold sign of equality. Without the collar on my throat, it was as if we were on even ground. Within these walls, in the sanctity of Sir Jiat's home, we
could
be equal, if but for a moment. "But not me?" I whispered.

"Not you. You, Ewan, have wormed your way into my life in a way no other has, and I feel you should have something all your own. Something to mark you as special." Sir Jiat slid the cool metal collar around my throat and fastened it.

I closed my eyes as the metal settled against my skin. Special. This was the second time he'd assured me I was special to him, and it made something hot and insistent rise up in my chest. I didn't know how to express the joy inside me except to fall forward and wrap my arms around his thick neck. Sir Jiat's fur was so soft, so fine, and without a thought, I pressed my lips to his. It wasn't like kissing Syra. Kissing Sir Jiat was all contradictions: soft lips and fur, sharp teeth, and a cool, damp nose. I lost myself in that moment, in those lips I'd so often wondered about, and then I came to my senses. I pulled back with a gasp, the blood pounding in my cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry," I rasped, bowing my head.

Sir Jiat lifted my chin, his honey eyes gentle, warm. "Why did you do that?"

"Today has been the best day of my life, and then you gave me your collar." My fingers found their way to the band around my throat. "I'm so happy. I didn't... didn't know how else to show it."

A rich chuckle filled the room. "Then don't be sorry," Sir Jiat said, rising from the floor. "Joy should be expressed." He ran his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes and leaned against the muscled column of Sir Jiat's leg. "Just remember yourself outside the walls of this home."

I nodded against his thigh. "Yes, master," I breathed. I didn't want to be parted from him, and I certainly didn't want him to lose his position in The Guard because I stupidly embraced him in public. I knew I would never jeopardize him in such a way.

"Ready for your nap?"

Again, I nodded, already drifting. The heat of his leg, the rhythmic stroking of his hand through my hair, and my still full belly made it difficult to remain alert.

Another chuckle rumbled from Sir Jiat. "Lazy Human."

Sir Jiat lifted me, and I instantly curled against the broadness of his chest. Safe. Here, I was safe. Beloved. Special. I never wanted to let that go. By the time Sir Jiat had me situated in the large bed, dreams were already clawing at me. Warmth. White fur. Honey eyes. Whiskers that tickled my lips as I opened them to welcome my master's tongue between my lips. In my dreams, I reveled in what I knew could never be.

The next meeting for Sir Jiat was almost a week after my grooming session. Sir Jiat had shaved my skin once more, oiled me, and he had even brushed my hair once I had combed his fur to gleaming. For days, I had thought the meeting at Lady Hyra's couldn't have come faster, but yet, when we arrived and I was sent out into the chilly yard with Jill, I couldn't relax into the games we played. The sunlight on my skin held no comfort with the kiss of winter approaching. The burden of my secret sapped the enjoyment from what would have been a wonderful afternoon with Jill. No matter how hard I tried to play, tried to pretend there was nothing hounding my steps, Jill wasn't a fool. She was the most observant pet I knew, though my experience with other pets was limited. After a third half-hearted attempt at competing with Jill on the metal jungle, she finally flopped down onto the grass and stared up at me.

"Do you not like me anymore?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"I do!" I released the too cold metal bars and collapsed beside her.

Jill pressed close to my side, and her warmth was welcome as another gust of wind bit at us. "You look really nice. Did Sir Jiat take you to the groomer?"

I nodded, my chest puffing up a little. "Yes. And Sir Jiat even shaved me before bringing me over. It was a great honor." I heard the doors open behind us, and we both sat up. Sir Jiat and Lady Hyra were standing there watching us. After a moment, Lady Hyra waved us in.

"The sun is beginning to dip. It's time to come inside. Gerta has run a hot bath for you both, and once you've warmed up, I'll have Tyne feed you both."

Sir Jiat gave me an affectionate pat and ushered me over to Gerta. The tall, broad woman was of the Lion breed, and she smiled down at us as we padded toward the lower floor bathing room. Inside, the massive tub was full, steaming, and I'd never felt colder. The moment I settled in the hot water, my fingers and toes warming slowly, I finally began to relax. I moaned softly as Gerta shut the bathing room door, leaving me alone with Jill in the bath. It was still odd to be left by myself, but I let the feeling seep out of me along with the cold.

"Are you going to tell me why you're so far away today?" Jill asked as she picked up the bar of soap and set to scrubbing the grass and dirt from me.

I blushed, ducking my head shyly. Could I tell her? Or would she tell Lady Hyra, who would then tell The Guard? I didn't want to risk Sir Jiat, but the need to confide in
someone
boiled inside me. Finally, I murmured, "I kissed Sir Jiat." At her puzzled look, I clarified. "I pressed my lips to his. It was wonderful and everything I had thought it might be."

"You've only kissed him?"

"Yes." I nodded, glancing down at the suds in the water. "Though... I ache for more." As much as I liked feeling what I felt for Sir Jiat, it also brought me shame. It was forbidden. Pets were never supposed to lust for their masters, and before now, I never had. But Sir Jiat... his touch... his voice... his gaze...

Jill laughed softly. "I understand."

I frowned. "Do you?"

As she rinsed my body, Jill nodded. "I do. Lady Hyra and I have been more than mistress and pet since my sixteenth year." Jill was now in her twenty-seventh year, so I was shocked to hear that Lady Hyra had been her mate for the last eleven years. Eleven years! "We're careful, but..." Jill smiled. "I love her, and she loves me."

I stared at her with my mouth agape. Jill and Lady Hyra. It explained why Lady Hyra's home wasn't exactly catering to a pet's needs. In these walls, Jill wasn't a possession. Jill was a lover. A mate. The truth rocked me. Here was a pet who was living the fantasy I had created in my own head! It
was
possible. It was dangerous. It was against the law. But it was
possible
. That possibility was all I needed.

"So cheer up." Jill grinned at me and pressed her fingers to my chin, closing my mouth. "If you love Sir Jiat, and if he loves you in return, a life together is real. It takes thought, and it means understanding the difference between your relationship inside his home—and homes like Hyra's—and your relationship in the city, or when those not of the Movement are around." A shadow passed through Jill's gaze. "It can hurt in the beginning, not being able to share your love with the world and be as if we were of their race, too, but the pain is worth it. Her touches to my flesh, her soft words, her
love
for me... it's worth it."

I tilted my head, chewing on the words as Jill washed herself. To love Sir Jiat more than I did, I would have to sacrifice. Didn't I sacrifice already? How much would truly change if I knew his body as I had known Syra's? I chewed at my lip until I winced and tasted blood. The heart of the matter was not whether or not
I
was willing to risk myself, but if Sir Jiat was willing to risk all he had: a home, a position in The Guard, a place in society. He had so much more than I did to lose, and that couldn't make taking me into his bed as a lover very tempting. I deflated a little in the tub, huddling in on myself. I wanted him, and though he had told me I was special, just how special was I? Was I special enough to risk everything for?