Human Pets of Talin
Series Overview
With Old Earth nothing more than a barren rock, humans survive at the mercy of other civilizations in small, scattered communities. Without a government or political power behind them, humans are often forced to work substandard jobs under dangerous conditions, eking out a living doing tasks no one else wants.
Hundreds of years ago, the first humans were introduced to Talin as pets.
The trend spread fast and now there is a thriving human population on the Talin homeworld and colonies.
Among the Talins, who have created a society devoid of love and affection, human pets are considered an acceptable outlet for the softer emotions they can’t risk displaying anywhere else.
But often the line between pet and romantic partner can become blurred. As love wins one couple over at a time, many Talins question their rigid social norms and strict laws.
If there is a Talin cultural revolution coming, humans may well be at the center of it.
Quick links the books in this series
Loving Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 1
Sold into slavery at the age of sixteen, Sora serves an abusive master for ten years. Then, to deal with his debts, she finds herself at auction again. Without her youth or any sought-after skills to increase her value, her future looks bleak. Slaves like her rarely survive long, and she expects to suffer and die soon after she’s bought, either as a mine slave or in a meat bordello. Searin, Prime Son of Talin and one of two potential next monarchs, is suffering the early effects of the Fading—losing his appetite. The next step will be to lose interest in working before lying down and waiting to die. Those afflicted with the Fading are treated as if suffering from a shameful, self-inflicted disease. They’re considered weak among the Talin, where love and bonding are strictly prohibited for “the good of the species.” Searin is desperate enough to borrow his good friend’s pet human for quick cuddles to stave off the Fading. Humans are popular pets among the Talin. Perceived as weak, needy, and fragile, they’re rarely sold, even when they become old and infirm. They’re prized possessions among his species. Because humans need so much affection—according to Talin doctrine—to stay healthy and happy, there’s no shame in cuddling or comforting a human pet. Finally, Searin decides he needs one of his own and considers himself fortunate when he finds Sora at the auction house. With the human home world Earth long ago destroyed, humans are rare and scattered across the galaxy in small communities. This little female is a prize, and he hopes she’ll come to trust him despite her previous experiences. Sora isn’t sure about her new master. He’s kind and gentle and wants to hold and carry her. It doesn’t take long for her to come to trust him and realize that her new role is that of a pet, not a slave. She’s never lived in such comfort and finds herself feeling genuine affection for her new master. Everything changes while Searin’s away and his sister manipulates the situation. Soon, secrets are revealed and consequences must be faced. Can Searin figure out a way to be a good Prime Son but keep Sora and himself safe? This is a standalone novel with an HEA. There will be a hot alien man, much cuddling, and a heroine ready to face down the odds to keep the most important secret of her life safe. This novel is intended for audiences eighteen and older. Use Amazon’s “See Inside” option to view the trigger warnings.
Escaping Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 2
Lakin left the small human colony on Develia station with big dreams of making a difference in the universe. The ships she works on often run on the edge of legality by smuggling supplies. Sometimes they even operate totally beyond the law by transporting refugees or runaway slaves. On one such illegal job, she gives herself up so everyone else can get away, which puts her in the hands of a powerful species called the Talin. First she’s tortured and abused, but later she’s coddled and cared for. She’s not sure what to make of this species, yet all the humans she meets all seem to adore their Talin owners. Distrustful and constantly looking for a route to escape, she becomes acquainted with a Talin named Dalt, an ex-soldier with demons of his own. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a civil conflict among the Talin. Picking sides is easy; proving she can be an asset is a little tougher. However, the hardest part of all is deciding whether she can live under Talin law as a pet… or should she escape and leave Dalt behind? This novel part of a series but can be read as a standalone and is meant for mature audiences—readers eighteen and over only. Please use Amazon’s “See Inside” option for trigger warnings.
Negotiating Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 3
Freeborn human Nalia Gaborn never expected that she’d have to choose between her liberty and her best friend’s life. But when their ship comes under attack and they’re rescued by a Talin named Derani, she isn’t given much room to negotiate. Either she agrees to become Derani’s pet or she and Hax will be turned over to the Hamlershin and face possible execution for smuggling. She agrees to Derani’s demands, resigned to slavery for however long it takes before she can escape. She expects to be abused and worked half to death, but to her shock, that doesn’t happen. She finds herself being spoiled by Derani and coddled by his crew. It’s not long before she realizes that this life isn’t about servitude and labor but about affection and adoration. As she learns more about the Talins, she starts to understand why they keep humans as pets. She also comes to care for this species in general and Derani specifically. It’s not long before she contemplates settling into this life and not trying to escape. But soon she and Derani are embroiled in more than simply transporting goods along trade routes. Derani is contacted in secret to help transport a courier carrying sensitive information. It’s supposed to be a simple task; give passage to this Talin courier from one place to another. But it’s not long until things go wrong and everyone ends up in danger. This novel will have alien cuddling, some fight scenes, and an HEA. For trigger warnings please use Amazon’s “Look Inside” option. This book is meant for mature audiences, 18+ readers only.
Fighting Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 4
Zia might be a small, deaf human, but she’s no one to mess with. When she falls in with the Talins, everyone is in for a surprise. Born deaf, Zia Higgs never let that stop her from going after what she wanted. After growing up poverty stricken, she found a good-paying job with a scrap trawler that allowed her to send money home and also save for new implants. When a confused and hurt Talin named Palforma was brought on board the trawler by accident, her first thought was the same as all her crewmates: Give this giant plenty of space. But when he attached himself to her and refused to let go, she realized things might get more complicated than she previously suspected. Under threat from her captain, she left her job as a scrapper when Palforma persuaded her to come with him to a Talin station. She thought they were forging a partnership, so she didn’t expect to find herself wearing a collar and embroiled in some kind of Talin political conspiracy and insurrection. Never one to give up, Zia fought like hell against this new captivity. The problem was part of her wanted Palforma, even though his entire civilization had decided her only value was as a pet. If they survived, could they be together as equals instead of human pet and Talin owner? Although it’s part of a larger series arc, this novel can be read as a standalone and has an HEA. Please note that when single italics ( ‘ ) are used it means Zia or someone else is using the silent tapping language of the Norka. Some action scenes contain descriptions of violence and fighting. This book is meant for mature audiences of eighteen or older only.
Craving Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 5
Sick and dying, Lasha is suddenly plucked from her horrific circumstances by Tamerin, a badly scared Talin male. Under his gentle care she recovers, but there’s a secret he’s keeping from her. She want’s to demand he tell her, but she’s rapidly falling in love with him. What if it’s something she can’t live with, could she bring herself to leave him? Lasha Chandra has always struggled. Unlike most, learning to read and write proved impossible for her. Math wasn’t any easier because the numbers liked to jumble around and refuse to keep any type of order. More often than not, she’d been reduced to tears as first she tried to learn to read and then later looked for work. Being human was already a strike against her. Because they had no homeworld, humans had a reputation for being emotional, destructive, and stupid. That made it hard for a human to find employment anywhere. With her added issues, she found it nearly impossible. That led her to sign a contract that put her in a position barely better than a slave. Working for nothing more than room and board, she had toiled for her merciless employer. She missed her family and small human community on Wimol, but at least she wasn’t a burden to them any longer. Then she got sick. Employees who didn’t work weren’t fed. She couldn’t keep up the pace and eventually succumbed to her illness. Unwilling to waste any resources on her, they tossed her into an unused storage room so someone more productive could have her bunk. She lay there in the gloom, dazed from fever and expecting to die. Badly wounded during a battle, Tamerin was used to other Talins sounding rumbles of pity when they saw him. When he randomly met his cousin, Palforma, he was overjoyed to both make the connection again and also meet his cousin’s human, Zia. When he helped them escape a nasty situation, he was rewarded when Zia asked him to rescue a friend she hadn’t heard from in a long time. Determined, Tamerin set off to find Zia’s friend, Lasha. It didn’t take him long to track down the poor girl and buy her contract from the company. She recovered slowly and suffered from fearful anxiety as she got better. He worked hard to gain her trust as she recovered. She might have even been developing feelings for him. He has one problem though. Zia made him promise one thing. He would explain all about Talin law, culture, and how they perceive humans. He would never go back on his word, but did that mean he’d lose his songbird?
Stealing Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 6
Ignatias thinks he’s rescuing a human pet from abuse. It’s up to Kasi to convince Ignatias to keep Sorana Colony’s secrets, and hopefully see her as more than a pet. Admiral Ignatias Unable to find a human pet of his own, disheartened and lonely, Admiral Ignatias agrees to inspect a Talin colonial planet on the fringes of the Empire for the Committee of Pet Welfare. If he can’t have a pet of his own, then he wants to make sure his fellow Talins are taking good care of their pets. Arriving early and sneaking down to the planet, he witnesses many shocking sights. Not only are there far more humans on the colony than registered with the Committee, but the humans are running loose all over the place without proper guidance or even collars. Then he sees something so much worse—humans laboring! The Talins of Sorana colony are perpetrating acts of reprehensible abuse. Humans need to be sheltered and coddled. They’re far too delicate to be doing many of the things he observes. When he finds a woman in ragged clothes, sweating, and wrestling with an auto-planter by herself, he snaps. With no real plan he grabs her, intending to make his way off the planet with this one poor soul and to come back with reinforcements to save the rest of the humans. But getting off the planet proves harder than he expected, especially when his instincts are to soothe and pamper the little female human instead of focusing on escaping. Kasi Kasi couldn’t have known sneaking out to check on her experimental crops one last time would get her kidnapped. Human-napped? Whatever, she’s now somewhere deep in the vast forests of Sorana with a Talin that doesn’t realize humans can be so much more than pets. Admiral Ignatias might be trying to save her, but if he reports what's going on, the colony will be in big trouble. The kind of trouble that could get Talins executed and humans “reallocated” to different Talin owners. Can she convince him to listen to her? And more importantly, can she get him to trust her? The consequences are dire. If she fails, she’ll have to choose between saving Sorana and saving him.
The 12 nights of Halloheen
Human Pets of Talin Holiday Novella
*The 12 Night of Halloheen was originally written for Supra Velum, a charity anthology. I have the rights back now and will re-release it with a bonus short story.* Isla grew up in the impoverished human colony of Wimol with limited knowledge about Old Earth. One thing she did learn about was Halloheen. The ancient human holiday fell during the few times of year when they didn’t have to work every day, all day, so her colony made it the yearly celebration. No detail was missed. They made cookies in the shape of hearts and gave them to the people they loved. They spun a top in a game no one knew the rules to, so rules changed from year to year. They dressed in costumes and judged each other’s efforts. They hung green leafy plants from doorways and every time two people passed under them, they had to rub cheeks. Each night for twelve days they celebrated in different ways, and on the last night, they stayed up to watch the sunrise while remembering deceased loved ones. Wimol’s Halloheen celebrations were Isla’s most treasured memories. She now lives on Sorana along with Zia and a bunch of other humans, protected and cared for by Talins. Life is better here, but it’s not the same. This small colony of humans and Talins isn’t cohesive. The colony is new, and everyone is focused on completing tasks, which leaves no time for eating together or visiting. Isla longs for the tight-knit community she grew up in. Tisuran has lived in close contact with humans for many solars, but Isla is the first human who’s caught his attention. He can tell she isn’t content, so he decides the best way to lift her spirits is to celebrate a Halloheen. None of the traditions make sense to him, but he hopes his efforts will make Isla happy, and perhaps even help her notice him. After all, Isla told him Halloheen was a time for wishes to come true, and having her attention is his only wish. (This novella is set on Sorana and falls between books 4 and 5 of the Human Pets of Talin series.)
Redeeming Captivity
Human Pets of Talin, Book 7
After suffering under an abusive owner for years, Lena has become angry and defiant. Tarquin wants to show her that he's different, but can she stop trying to bite him long enough to give him a chance? Tarquin Sent to a remote Talin outpost under the pretext of an emergency readiness inspection, Tarquin finds the only human there in poor condition. Unlike the images of Lena given to him before setting off, the woman he encounters is unkempt and volatile. Getting her away from an abusive owner turns out to be the easy part. Teaching her to trust him will be the true challenge. This will be the most important task of Tarquin’s life, and he's determined to succeed. What he doesn’t expect is to lose his heart to this human pet and all the danger that implies. Lena Lena spent her childhood and young adulthood as a cherished pet. Growing up with loving parents and adoring Talin owners, she’d never experienced deprivation or hardship. But when financial trouble strikes the Talin family, they’re forced to sell her. She’s sent to live with a new owner at a remote outpost and her life turns into a nightmare. By the time rescue comes in the form of a Talin named Tarquin, it’s too late. Nothing is left of the carefree young woman she once was. Bitterness and anger rule her life. No matter what she does, Tarquin’s patience and kindness don’t change. It doesn’t take long until she thinks it’s might be possible to trust again. In the midst of getting to know each other, Tarquin and Lena find themselves embroiled in a complex plot to overthrow the Talin government. Does she help Tarquin or does she stand back and let the whole empire burn?