21. Terra
TERRA
They passed out of the food section after Taurex had acquired everything he needed for his stew, and Terra began keeping an eye out for things she could take home.
She had already told Lisa and Cody she would bring them “something from space,” and if she came back empty-handed her kids would probably never forgive her.
“What kind of things do children like from here?” she asked. “I mean what would you buy a kid from this market?”
Taurex raised his eyebrows.
“Monstrum younglings?”
She shook her head.
“No–human ones. I need to bring Cody and Lisa some souvenirs.”
“I do not know.” Taurex looked thoughtful. “But perhaps we can find something suitable.”
He led her toward another cluster of stalls beneath a tree with a deep blue trunk and leaves the color of copper. These vendors sold smaller living objects—jewelry, toys and decorative plants—and Terra immediately saw about a hundred things she wanted.
One stall was covered in delicate vine bracelets, each one alive and growing. Tiny blossoms opened and closed along the green stems in shades of pink, blue, violet and yellow.
Terra clasped her hands to her heart.
“Oh, Lisa would love those.”
The vendor, an older human woman standing beside a Monstrum male with the facial features of a large black panther, smiled.
“And how old is Lisa?”
“Seven,” Terra told her.
“Then she’ll definitely love one. These are mood blooms, and they grow right here in the Mother Ship.”
Terra was immediately intrigued.
“Mood blooms?”
The woman picked up one of the bracelets.
“Oh, yes–the flowers change according to the wearer’s emotions. Pink for happiness, blue for calm, purple when she’s feeling affectionate, yellow when she’s excited.”
“What happens when she’s angry?” Taurex wanted to know.
“Bright red,” the woman said, nodding solemnly.
Terra laughed.
“I might be seeing a lot of red.”
“She sounds spirited,” the Panther Monstrum purred, smiling.
“Oh, she is.” Terra smiled fondly. “She’s a little mini-me.”
She chose a bracelet small enough for Lisa’s wrist, but before she could reach for her purse, Taurex had already paid for it.
“Hey!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He smiled.
“Can’t the ‘Bull-man’ buy a bracelet for your daughter?”
His words were joking, but they touched something in Terra.
Jackson barely remembered Lisa’s birthday unless Terra reminded him, and she often had to put his name on Christmas presents she had bought herself in order to make the kids think he had remembered to get them anything.
Every bit of money her ex made went directly to himself–he didn’t give a damn about his kids’ happiness or comfort.
Taurex had met her daughter once and he wanted to buy her something because he thought she would like it.
“Well…” Terra said, swallowing around the sudden lump in her throat. “Okay. Thank you.”
He smiled.
“You are welcome but let’s keep shopping–you have more souvenirs to buy, I’m sure.”
At the next stall they found something for Cody—a small silver seed the size of Terra’s thumbnail that expanded into a floating geometric puzzle when squeezed. The pieces rearranged themselves every time it was solved, forming increasingly complicated shapes.
“He’ll go crazy for this,” Terra said.
Taurex nodded.
“He asked many questions when we met. I thought he might enjoy something that challenges his mind.”
And again, before Terra could pay, he did.
She gave him a look.
“You’re spoiling my kids.”
“I bought each of them one object,” Taurex protested.
Terra put a hand on her hip.
“That's how it starts.”
Taurex frowned.
“How what starts?”
“Spoiling.”
He considered this for a moment and then nodded.
“I believe I am willing to risk it.”
Terra laughed, but that same warmth filled her chest again. They kept shopping and soon she found something for her mother.
It was a small potted plant with curling silver leaves and dozens of tiny lavender flowers that glowed softly around the edges.
“Oh, Mom would love that,” Terra breathed. “But she has the world’s blackest thumb. She kills every plant she gets.”
The vendor, who looked like a fox with pointed ears and green eyes, shook his head.
“This one is nearly impossible to kill. It absorbs moisture from the air and purifies the atmosphere around it. It requires only occasional light.”
“That actually might be good for her,” Terra murmured, thinking of her mother’s heart condition and the stuffy little bungalow. “How much?”
Again Taurex paid before she could stop him.
“Taurex!” she exclaimed.
He looked innocent.
“What?”
“I have money. You told me they take ‘Earth dollars’ here.”
“I know.” He nodded.
“Then let me buy something.”
“You bought the skarra pod experience,” he pointed out.
“That was not a purchase,” Terra said.
“It cost me a blue cooling fruit,” he reminded her. “So it was a purchase–in a way”
Terra laughed despite herself.
“Which you paid for. I give up–you’re impossible.”
He smiled.
“So I have been told.”
They continued walking, now carrying several living baskets between them as well as the children’s gifts and Lucy’s glowing plant.
Terra was beginning to feel as though she had stepped into some elaborate fantasy version of a Saturday date—wandering through a beautiful market, tasting strange foods, teasing each other and buying gifts for her family.
Except this wasn’t a date–was it?
She glanced sideways at Taurex.
He was carrying nearly everything despite her repeated attempts to take some of the living vine baskets from him.
The big Monstrum looked perfectly comfortable, his horns catching the glow of the flowers overhead and his dark blue shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.
Every so often another Monstrum greeted him and Taurex responded politely, but his attention always came back to Terra.
It certainly felt like a date, but neither of them had called it one. And he was still technically her boss.
Don’t complicate things, she warned herself. Just enjoy this time with him. There’s no need to put a label on it.
Then they passed a stall that made her stop dead and forget her speculation.
Long flowering vines hung from the branches overhead, woven with jewels and tiny glowing blossoms. Several horned Monstrum males were standing nearby while their mates selected vines and draped them decoratively around their horns.
Terra’s eyes widened.
“Oh my God–look at that!” she exclaimed.
Taurex followed her gaze, and his expression immediately darkened.
“No,” was all he said.
Terra turned to him with an innocent expression.
“I didn’t say anything,” she protested.
He raised an eyebrow.
“You were about to.”
“I was just looking,” Terra said.
The big Monstrum crossed his arms over his broad chest.
“I said, no.”
She burst out laughing.
“But don’t people decorate their horns?”
“Some do,” he allowed grudgingly.
“But you don’t?” Terra asked.
“No.” Taurex shook his head firmly.
“Why not? It looks like fun!”
“Because I am not a festival display,” he rumbled.
Terra laughed harder.
“But just think how cute you’d look with flowers on your horns!”
One of the vendors heard her and held up a vine covered in tiny golden flowers that glowed and tinkled with soft, bell-like chimes.
“This would look magnificent against his horns,” she told Terra.
“I agree,” Terra said, nodding.
Taurex stared at both of them.
“No.”
Terra took the vine from the vendor and held it up near his face–though she had to stand on tiptoes to do so.
“Come on. Just let me see,” she coaxed.
He shook his head again.
“No.”
“Please? It would look pretty,” she wheedled, still laughing.
The corners of Taurex’s mouth twitched but he still refused.
“I do not wish to look pretty.”
“You could look handsome and pretty,” she pointed out.
“Terra.”
There was a warning growl in his voice, but she could see the amusement in his golden eyes.
“Just one little flower?” Terra asked.
“Not even one.”
Taurex backed away and she followed him. It was fun to tease her huge Monstrum boss, she decided.
“You are enjoying this far too much,” Taurex rumbled, still retreating.
“I really am,” she admitted.
“You will not decorate my horns.”
“What if I ask nicely and make puppy dog eyes?” Terra gave him sad, pleading eyes.
“I do not understand how you could turn your human eyes to canine eyes, but the answer is still no,” he said.
Terra was laughing so hard she could barely hold the flowering vine when the vendor said cheerfully,
“Your mate is very patient with you.”
The laughter died in Terra’s throat. Again someone had mistaken her for Taurex’s mate. She glanced at the big Monstrum to see his reaction.
For the briefest instant something passed over his face—something warm and intense that made her heart flutter. Then he inclined his head to the vendor.
“She is worth being patient for.”
Terra’s cheeks got hot with a blush as she handed back the vine. She wasn’t sure how to feel. For the second time someone had mistaken them for a couple and Taurex hadn’t bothered to correct them. In fact, he had leaned into it. What exactly did that mean? Or did it mean anything at all?
“Er…maybe we should keep moving,” she said.
“An excellent idea,” Taurex said, though his mouth was still twitching.
They walked away from the stall and Terra became acutely conscious of the fact that somehow, they were holding hands again. She couldn’t even remember when it had happened–somewhere between the glowing plant and the horn decorations, her hand had simply found his, and he had taken it.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke. Terra looked around at the strange, beautiful forest Market instead, trying to get her suddenly fluttering emotions under control.