Page 321 of Bride of Choice

Mal and I grinned at that.

“I’ve got to head back in about two hours. I bought some cups for my guys,” I told them.

We walked into utter chaos as Zhuii glanced up, covered from head to toe in mud as much as the boys, Kehko a safe distance away, out of mud firing range as she played with her dollies and little wooden soldiers and Gopher’s sisters helped her swap the doll’s dresses.

“She wasn’t kidding,” Rosa muttered as she threw her hands up and joined her mud monsters. “I’d offer to come back with you but we’ll be scrubbing mud from funny places, I’m afraid.”

“Their fur will be nice and soft after that full body mud bath,” I joked.

Rosa laughed but shook her head. I wasn’t sure if the head shaking was at me or the mud madness.

As if on cue, Binc began to kick up a fuss.

Rejoining us, looking pooped, Booger grumbled, “Babies need naps, Booger nap too!”

“Go get your nap on.” I gave Mal a gentle nudge. “I can manage my way home from here.”

“Are you sure?” Mal looked loath to ditch me.

“It’s fine,” I assured her. Motioning to the girls hanging with Kehko, I nodded. “I’ll escort these four back home for Rosa. They can keep me company.”

The girls glanced up, nodding and said their good-byes to Kehko.

I found both of my hands trapped by smaller hands as I led them back to their place.

They prattled on the entire way, my responses to the new dresses they were making, the shoes one grew out of, a funny thing another did, who was getting along or arguing with whom about what, a soft noise in my throat that conveyed an equivalent of an oh, wow or oh my were commentary enough for them.

Despite Mamma’s warnings, I smiled at the idea of having a stubborn little girl to call my own. The idea of a little boy of my own to one day break my heart was already pre-breaking it. I’d get over that prickle poking at me, though, because, boy, girl, pre-breaking my heart silliness aside, it didn’t really matter. I just wanted a little one to call my own.

Hell, if I ended up with four at a time, even all crazy little wildmen for boys, I’d accept that fate with a crazy grin to match theirs. Four at once… Gah. I had no idea how the other brides did it. It would be chaos and I’d never pee alone again, or sneeze without peeing, but I’d be a mama.

BapaFuz was feeling as chatty as the girls when I got there, demanding I stay for tea.

By the time I left my stomach was pleasantly full of tea and tiny cakes, my head swimming with convos to later mull over, and it was time to head back to market.

The market was all but empty for a few vendors closing up shop. I smiled, noting that they were still there.

True to his word, Tikti had my mugs ready. The clay they used was like some magical rapid-fire stuff, he’d shortly explained. After heating it to a specific temp, it resembled blown glass. Ready to use in hours. Eyeing my new pretties, I couldn’t thank him enough. Tipping was a foreign custom to them and might be misconstrued, so I just nodded my thanks and made a mental note to meet his mate at the next big event. I could maybe bring her some treats and sneak in my thanks covertly. I was getting pretty good at baking shit other than sweet treats now. I’d burned enough bread I was developing that baker’s sixth sense with my oven.

Cradling the cloth wrapped bundles in my arms, there was a bounce in my step as I walked home. I couldn’t help the stupid smile tugging at my lips as I imagined Odix and Gopher coming back and the looks on their faces as they unwrapped their gifts.

As I was opening my front door, I turned and there it was, an odd shadow in the distance across the water. What the hell? Again? Was this going to be a regular thing now, hanging over my head? God, I was so sick of this!

“You don’t scare me, you know!” I called out. “I’ve figured you out!”

The bushes moved, rustling loudly enough for me to make it out.

My grip on my cloth bundles tightened. Fuck. That so was not my flippin’ imagination.

Like I’d just been dropped into a horror movie, a hand fell on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I had no idea what the person grabbing at me said as the figure in the shadows emerged, looking very much not like a Krampus as whoever was grabbing my shoulder spoke, but a Lo denaii, a very about to be dead one, holding up smoothed branches made up to look just like animal horns popped free.

My mind just froze. It was fixated on the Krampus thing and being touched. Nothing else was quite registering. The scream that tore from my throat, it just started and wouldn’t stop. Even long after the Lo denaii faking a very convincing shadow Krampus had given up his act, I was just… stuck.

Not until Not-Krampus began fanning the branch antlers around, did I finally snap into action.

Spinning around, I dropped one mug, the crash of glass not quite registering as I lifted the other one and beat my assailant about his body with it.

Hands trembling, entire body shaking with heavy tremors, I stopped long enough to catch my breath, and then I was blindly swinging and screaming in a panicked haze once more.

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