Page 229 of Bride of Choice

“You’re not crazy?” I interjected, hoping a dose of sarcasm would distract him from the incoming rant ahead. I didn’t want to touch any of that shit with a ten foot pole.

As if I hadn’t spoken, he went on, “Not fat head, ugly breath, too scared tell Jo him’s loves her. Scared say Jo him’s mate.” And on and on he went, a frisson of something close to unease mixed with alarm slithering through me.

Even after we’d made it back home and started on lunch, I couldn’t shake it.

Flipping bread at the stove as Rek finished slicing up a big roast, I found myself scowling.

Thick fingers fell to my hips, pressing me against him as he snuck up on me. “What wrong my Joanie?” Warm lips brushed my shoulder as he came up behind me.

“How did you know all that, the stuff you were talking about back there?”

Rek paused from where he was nibbling playful kisses up and down my throat. “Know what?”

But there it was, in his voice.

Turning in his arms, I pressed my hands to his chest when he would have swooped in to steal a kiss or three and try to distract me.

“All those things you said before…” My eyes narrowed thoughtfully as that spot near his eye began to twitch and I’d swear he was struggling not to fidget. “How long did you know all of that stuff? Where did you hear it? Some of that stuff most certainly wasn’t from me, so… where?”

Scowling down at me, he threw his hands up, looking just shy of fit to be tied as he walked over to the door and began to pace in front of it. “What it matter when Rek know? How know? Where know? Rek see Jojoknee males not good ‘nough for my Jojomine. Rek know. Rek see. Rek haves eyes.” Pausing to cross his arms over his chest, he bit out, “Why it matter? Jojo no want her males no more and they not want her. ‘Side stupid Oddits, where others? Where they go? They come? Joanie Rek’s now, and Rek Joanie’s. No need nother males. Rek ‘nough. Rek be good male. Rek no tell Jojoknee she bad or need do Rek say no mores. Rek stop being stupid. Joanie no pout for other males. Rek good male. Joanie try, she be happy Rek.”

So he’d picked up on my case of the blues and interpreted it as it being about him. I knew Rek had a lot going on behind the scenes, but I didn’t know he was hyper aware to the point he was projecting my unhappiness with the others as unhappiness with him.

But that was a side, thought. The main contender?

“Knowing all this at some point before hand,” I theorized, “you bide your time and kept your distance, waiting, because, knowing me and knowing the Lo denaii wildman bullshit and the unfinished bullshit with my pile of furries, it was only a matter of time before they fucked up and my bullshit tolerance exploded and I sent them packing,” I muttered, eyeing him warily.

“No give Rek that look,” he snapped, starting to slip back into his harsh, old ways. “Rek no say that. No say those things Jojo says.”

“Don’t.” My voice was low but firm.

“Rek don’t what? Rek don’t get loud? Rek don’t get mad Jojomine’s bad males Jo no want no more stare at MY Joanie? They not here. Rek here.” His hands slapped to his chest repeatedly.

“It’s not a competition. Look! Look around you! Do you see anybody else here but us? You literally have me all to yourself! Isn’t this what you wanted?” I cried out as he kept going on and on about Odix, Gopher, and Celuk’s crimes against me, to hear him rant about it.

“Nobody is perfect here,” I pointed out.

“Joanie not perfect neither!” he accused, missing my point about none of us being angels, myself included. “Jojo not think funny she at Celuk’s with Kooky and Celuk never show? Jojo never ask? Yes? Odix and Gopher do what Jojo say, when Jojo say, like good dummy heads, like Joanie want Rek do but Rek ‘fuse! Joanie no think they wait for Jojomine make first moves, like Joanie ask Rek be ‘trothed? Rek push-push-push. Joanie no like it. See Rek get nowheres. No want push Joanie and Jojo push Rek ‘way like Rek do. Joanie so far up own butt, not see things in front of stinky-maked up-ed face!”

“Ya done, sock monkey?!” I snapped at him, glaring at him even as my hands trembled and I felt like I might puke.

He wasn’t exactly wrong. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Throwing the door open, he gestured. “Jojomine leave now, like she do, things too much? Joanie leaves this time, Rek not take Joanie back. Not say Rek Joanie ‘trothed. Jojo leave, Rek go brides hunt, find ‘nother female, not want Rek be perfect mate. Want Rek be Rek.”

“What? A gaslighting, lovebombing piece of shit? Go right ahead! Be my guest! Threaten me you’re going to go find some fucking one else! Go right ahead, Casanova! Let me know how that works out for ya!”

“Fine!” he snarled.

“FINE!” I screamed, grabbing up all of my shit haphazardly to storm past him.

“FINE!” he roared, scooping up everything I couldn’t to storm out along with me, following me all the way back to my old hut to chuck my shit inside the moment I opened the door. “Joanie haves no males no more. No come cry to Rek, Jojo all ‘lone!”

Walking in to dump my things to the floor, I slammed the door on him without a word.

Muttering about Bum-bum breaking his head and Rosa’s mates bashing in his face, he took off.

About an hour later, there was a knock at my door.

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