Page 115 of Bride of Choice

“Face wet,” Bum-bum offered in answer.

A hand clapping to my forehead had me jolting, a small yelp popping out of me as I jumped in place.

“Hot,” Berkr observed. The fool didn’t even try to be discreet about wiping his hand off on his furry leg. Dick.

“You mean, like a fever?” I blurted, swallowing thickly. Shit. That’s not good.

Honing in, slapping Berkr’s hand away to press into my side, Rek gestured towards my leg, jerking his chin at the scarf shreds covering it. “Smell,” he suggested, darting a look towards Berkr and Bum-bum, who were the closest.

Ignoring Rek, Bum-bum got to work untying the scarf pieces, barking orders at Gopher and Odix, who quickly scurried off to do as he ordered.

“You say you no make good lead,” Berkr muttered with a snort as he got started on collecting snow to boil over the fire Kirch was building.

“Hope someone saved the skull bowl,” I joked. My nerves peaked, body starting to tremble anew at the remembered torture of before.

Rek wrapped an arm around me, cuddling me close. “Be ‘kay,” he grunted out softly as I soaked up his warmth.

Resting my head on his shoulder, I closed my eyes and focused on the rise and fall of his chest, his deep, even breaths.

The cool kiss of air on my skin as the last scarf lifted had a chill washing over me. It doubled when Bum-bum hissed and Rek sucked in a sharp breath.

My eyes popped open and my gaze unerringly went to my leg.

A garbled noise gurgled in my throat as I got a good look at that hot mess.

“Is it- Is it supposed to look like that?” I mumbled faintly.

“‘Fected,” Berkr offered as he wandered over for his own look-see. Speaking to Bum-bum in Lo denaii, he gestured at my leg.

Bum-bum gave me a short glance before quickly shaking his head.

Berkr bared his teeth at him and hissed but I was lost from the get go.

“Be ‘kay,” Rek repeated, his grip on me tightening as he joined their conversation, leaving me in the dark.

My heart started to pound as their vague gestures towards my leg grew and my imagination ran wild.

“How infected are we talkin’ here?” I cut in above the rising din.

“Need heat?” Kirch asked as he stoked the fire.

“Do we need heat?” I repeatedly stupid. “For what?!”

“Bad leg,” he grunted out.

“No! We most certainly do not!” I burst out.

Bum-bum and Berkr paused at my outburst, Rek snarling at them warningly not to continue. “She scared,” Rek growled out gutturally.

“No she not,” Berkr argued without a single whiff of me to judge if that were true. “Jojoknee tough. Strong. Not scared ‘fection.”

I didn’t need to hedge bets that I stunk of fear, it was coursing through me.

“Rek no say Jojo not. Rek say she scared. Jo be scared and tough,” he growled out warningly. My sock monkey begged to differ.

Berkr scowled at Rek for a long moment. Slowly, his gaze slid between us, pausing on my head on Rek’s shoulder and Rek’s arm wrapped so tightly around me. “Rek stupid,” he grunted out, but left it at that.

“Berkr stupid,” Rek mock huffed under his breath but didn’t deign to say it any louder than that.

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