Page 118 of Bride of Choice

The noise Rek made said fuck no.

“Where’s Booger? I missed when he left,” I mumbled, which drew worried frowns from the quad crowding around me.

Picking me up to curl me into him, pinning me just like the other night as Gopher and Bum-bum all took their respective places, talking amongst themselves about their plan of action, Odix distracted me as he lifted the cup in his hand to my lips and instructed, “Drink.”

One sip and I wanted to vomit. “You know, I heard you shouldn’t mix drinks.” I tried to argue with him but he held firm and in the end I caved. It was either drink it or wear it, from the stubborn look he plastered onto his grumpy mug.

“You’re awfully snuggly,” I pointed out.

When he began to hum and purr and I felt hands bracing my legs, I took a deep breath. “This is going to hurt,” I whispered.

“Yes.” He didn’t bother lying.

“Stay with me? Promise you won’t leave me?” I mumbled, fear starting to override every other tumultuous emotion writhing through me.

“Swaur with pinkies,” Gopher called out over his shoulder.

“Pinkies square?” Odix repeated questioningly, right before a series of guttural grunts issued and I saw the tips of Bum-bum’s horns sprout.

I had no idea if I had Odix’s agreement to my fear driven proposal. Bum-bum’s shifted fangs sank into my leg, burying deep, and a strange grumbling, gurgling sound filled the air. I got out a single, guttural scream before pain enveloped me and I blacked out.

Afterward, I woke up briefly sometime later, whimpering and lolling about in Rek’s arms.

The growl in his chest was oddly comforting. I noted beasts close by but keeping their distance.

The next time I could lucidly recall, I woke feeling hyper and weirdly happy. After forcing Rek to carry me piggyback style for a while, I played with his fur, singing some silly, made up song about the bow clips still in Doogie’s hair, while the male in question desperately tried in vain to get each and every hair pin and cute little plastic bow I kept on hand in my purse just in case out of his head fur.

After Doogie demanded a new song, I switched to awkwardly warbling out Tiffany’s I Think We’re Alone Now.

When Kirch started barking out requests and I happily complied, we were so close to the village I could see chimney smoke.

Odix thought it would be a good time to ask me what the big butts song was.

After finishing my own spin on Dorothy’s Gun In My Hand, which even had Mr. Grumblypants Rek and a thoroughly entertained Kirch humming along, I launched into that Sir Mix-a-Lot great.

When we stopped to meet up with the others at their predesignated meet up spot, Rek put me down but hovered close. “I can pee on my own… I think,” I muttered as I stared down at my mangled boot, cut down the side to accommodate my hot mess of a leg, a moment too long.

“I go,” Gopher offered, but this was not a dinner and a movie kind of deal.

“I go,” I muttered, attempted to take a single step, and stumbled backwards into Rek. “We go,” I laughingly corrected, not entirely certain why I was laughing but unconcerned with stopping.

“Sloshed,” Rek grumbled down at me, scooping me back up to trek deeper into the woods.

“You’re skloshed- Smoshed?” Feeling my mouth, trying to figure out why it wasn’t working, then forgetting why I cared, I looked up at the beast frowning down at me, pretty green eyes glowing in the waning light. “You’re so pretty,” I told him.

Gopher made a funny noise behind me but I saw nothing funny about just how fucking pretty I thought Rek was. When I proceeded to tell them both just how pretty I thought Rek was, I quickly found a warm hand clamping down over my loose lips. “No talk Rek penis,” Rek leaned in to whisper, but all I could think about was how sexy he was leaning in and rumbling down at me.

“Merawr.” My mock purr was met with shocked laughter. Gopher was having himself a grand old time.

Trying to wriggle free of Rek’s hand over my mouth, I gave up and licked across his palm. Rek let out an eep that allowed me freedom. Turning to Gopher, I smiled. “Rek is pretty, but you’re adorable.”

It was Rek’s turn to laugh as Gopher scowled. “Go pee,” he grumbled.

The big, dopey smile on my face, accompanying my mood, fell.

Shuffling to a spot close by, I did my business but found myself struggling to stand, then fighting with my pants to close them.

Odix came to investigate the loud sniffles I was letting loose as Gopher and Rek taunted each other about my compliments, quickly devolving from teasing to slap fighting, then wrestling.

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