Page 228 of Bride of Choice

It was a weirdly boring start to the beginning of the rest of our forever, but after the chaos I’d found chucked at me left and right, I couldn’t say I’d have had it any other way.

Chapter 28

“What are you growling at?” I muttered.

“They no know you mine.” He bared his teeth. “You mine. Tell. You tell them. Rek no want keep mouth shut. Rek want snarl and tell them you Rek’s, leave my Joanie ‘lone.”

“Who is it that has offended you simply for breathing?” I muttered, working on my sewing, not bothering to look up.

“Stupid Odix. Him stupid face,” he grumbled.

“Careful, sourpuss, your mug might get stuck like that,” I singsonged sarcastically, even as I stole a peek in the direction he was glaring to spy Odix staring at me with a hangdog look.

He’d yet to say a word to me since that night. None of them had. Gopher avoided me like the plague and Odix stalked me at a distance.

Kooky, or should I say Celuk, was also notably absent. Doogie and the rest of Celuk’s kin had taken a cue from him and kept a respectable distance from me as well.

At this point, going on well over three months later, it was all starting to pinch.

The urge to make the first move was non-existent for me. They’d lost their fucking minds, tearing each other apart over me! What the hell were they thinking?! I got so mad whenever I thought about it, I still shook.

“I’m hungry. You want to go home and make lunch?” I asked Rek.

My not so very patient but he was trying, betrothed, as I referred to him and he allowed it, jerked his gaze from where he was glaring at Odix.

I knew his best behavior wasn’t going to last forever, but he was doing his best, all things considered. The fact he was simply glaring and baring his teeth, nothing more, said it all.

Stowing my sewing away, I went to stand but Rek was right there. He’d been dropping not so subtle hints he really wanted to get started on those millions of babies he’d like to impregnate me with, but things all still felt so frayed.

I was still on the no-baby tea, and in fact needed to go collect some more soon.

Turning at the last possible moment, I caught Rek sticking his tongue out at Odix and Odix sticking his out awkwardly back.

“Hey, stop that,” I muttered to Rek, swatting at him.

“He watch my Joanie,” he grumbled. “Can’t have you. You mine.”

Technically that wasn’t entirely true, and he knew it. I let him live in this weird limbo that was my life currently and say what he liked, because he was talking out his ass with that shit more often than not and it was his way of venting his frustration. Perhaps he was feeling this odd sense of limbo our life has become too.

Old habits died hard, and I found myself talking around things with Rosa and Mal even more so of late than ever. I’d gotten into this weird pattern of avoidance and it was hard to break. Top it off with the fact I was depressed, if I was being honest with myself, walking around in this weird fog of a middle ground. I was mated to Rek but I wasn’t, Odix was not so stealthily stalking me but nothing more. Gopher and Kooky disappearing from the scene entirely stung, but I wasn’t about to cave and start things back up to spend my days watching my mates maul each other for dominance, then get stitched back up again, until one of them died or something. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about this, any of it, with anyone.

What was this wildman warrior, fight club bullshit? I didn’t have the time or patience for that bull crap.

“What are you going to do if they start coming around again and want to work things out?” I pointed out. I thought it, I said it. It was usually how most of our arguments started.

“Jojomine no wants them. Oddits no good. He tell Rek, you bad male. No good my Jo. Pfft. Him stink beast. Smells bad. Him bad male.” Waving his hand in front of his nose, he made a face.

“He does not. I never said I didn’t want him, and you know how to say his name. You literally did like two seconds ago. Don’t put words in my mouth. Hush your face. Your whole entire pie hole,” I shot back, even as I grabbed his arm, entwining our hands, and leaned into him. I wanted to press him about his beef with Odix, if he was just rehashing their old and tired bologna or if they’d had a recent run-in.

“No need want them. Have Rek. Rek good male. Rek not be good male for Joanie?” he muttered, jerking his arm so I’d look up at him. “Rek not good male to my Joanie?”

Patting his arm, I informed him, “I’m with you, okay, so quit freaking out about Odix staring at me.” Frowning, I pointed out, “Once upon a time, I’d appointed him first mate and you were the angry stalky one.”

“Jojoknee not mated to Odix. Odix not give Jojomine him’s pelt. No’ take Jojo him’s hut, claim Jojoknee like she ‘serve.” His words were punctuated by grunts. “He punk, like Jojo say Rek was.”

“Are you saying you’re a reformed punk?” I teased. There was no use arguing anything to do with my former beaux with him. He had his opinions and I had mine. We could agree to disagree if it saved my sanity and he kept his cool.

“Rek say him get head from butt, be good male to Jojoknee. Not stupid like Goober, mate Joanie and then no’ mate Joanie. Too chicken be with Joanie. Rek not ‘tend be ‘nother male and not tell Jo, make up stories… Let Jojo think him ‘nother male, long time. Rek not crazy.”

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