Page 102 of Bride of Choice

“Don’t hurt him.” Reaching up, I cupped his cheeks, smoothing my hands up and down those furry mutton chops for facial fur he had sticking out along the sides of his face. “Look at me. Stay with me.” Smiling, I would have leaned in to place a kiss to his lips, my eyes saying all the things my mouth had yet to, but another growl rent the air and he jerked away, shooting up to glare in Gopher and Rek’s direction.

Pinning them down, Booger glanced worriedly from me to my big guy, his hands clamped over Gopher and Rek’s mouths tightly as several Lo denaii pinned them down.

Tugging on my mate’s hand, I smiled up at him expectantly.

Shaking his head, grimacing as if something pained him, he dropped my hand to growl and clasp at his head. Stumbling back a few steps, he snarled, sounding like he was arguing with himself, and grabbed at his hair, claws digging in.

Was it the lavashava thing? Was it threatening to take control or however that works? Taking a few steps back, I straightened my jacket and purse and waited.

Berkr, finished puking off to the side behind me, regained his feet.

My hand reached inside my purse for a weapon but it wasn’t necessary. He got one look between me and my beast and decided keeping his distance was the best option.

A garbled snarl and a pained hiss had my gaze jerking in my mate’s direction.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked. As I reached towards him and attempted to take a step closer, he snarled, warning me off, and hunched down as he fought some battle within himself that was invisible to the outside world. He stumbled for a minute, flopping to his ass.

He was going to bolt. I knew this, something in my gut told me. Edging closer, eyeing everyone around us, wondering how far I could get before anyone could stop me, the second my supersized mate attempted to take off, I came out the gate swinging.

My cuddly behemoth snapped something that had the others gathered looking to each other, then me, in surprise.

Berkr, who stupidly thought to grab my arm to stop me, got my purse to the puss. “The fuck you think you’re doing?” I snarled.

Stumbling back, he tripped, a snarl in his throat, and yelped as he flew backwards.

“Nobody fucking touch me!” I shrieked, and took off after my skittish mate as he tried to hightail it elsewhere.

Run from me, will he? Like fuck!

???

“FUCK!” I shouted, finding myself smack dab in the middle of the forest in fuck knows where, my mate too fast for my shorter legs to keep up, even running full tilt after him.

His stumbling, stomping steps, snarling at me whenever he chanced a glance over his shoulder and caught sight of me, were no more than a distant memory at this point.

I’d been walking through snowcapped brush for the better part of what I’d guesstimate was an hour or more since I’d lost sight of him. Longer than that, I amended, noting the sun was looking less good morning and closer to goodnight. Shit! This was bad. So fucking bad.

Thinking of all the things Rek had taunted me with earlier today, scaring me spitless about Krampus and whatnot, a shiver kissed its way up my spine.

What the fuck do I do now?

I’m a dumb ass, the stupid idiot that does all the dumb bimbo things in the scary movie to get herself killed.

Did I keep going the way I’d been going? Turn back?

Spinning around, I reversed direction, picking my way back towards the village.

Wrapping my arms around middle, I hunched in on myself. He’d left me, again.

I’d chased after a man yet again like an idiot.

I had no one to blame but my stupid self.

I’ll never learn. This was my fate— fall for the impossible reach and then wonder why it doesn’t work.

Every little noise had me on edge. I knew there was danger out here, Krampus and their hunts and shit, and I’d gone and chased a man who wasn’t keen to make me his and keep me all the way out here in the middle of fucking nowhere.

A noise to my right had me freezing, gaze darting wildly in that direction.

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