Page 128 of Bride of Choice

Kooky said something to Odix in Lo denaii that had the burly beast sitting up a little straighter, chest puffing a bit more as he grumbled back.

Doogie frowned at the byplay, like he wasn’t getting the reaction he’d hoped for.

Of course, no one let me in on the beastly speak convo.

“To Odix, and Joanie returning safe and sound,” Dorothy chimed in, holding up her mug of tea.

It wasn’t until Kooky lifted his mug and I saw his hand tremble slightly that I realized anything was up with him.

Knowing I couldn’t just outright ask him if everything was okay without drawing attention to him, I thought a change of conversation might be the thing. Lifting my mug, I saluted Odix, who was looking rather bashful over the praise.

Turning to Kooky, I leaned towards him to murmur softly, “So… did you all find what you were looking for? Did you slay that tushy thing?” Unashamedly, I drank in the sight of Kooky. He smelled like freshly fallen snow and that familiar musk, like he’d been rolling around in clean snow piles and sunshine in lieu of a bath.

“Jes, Kooky,” Doogie cooed in a mock simper of my voice, using a high falsetto that had me rolling my eyes. “Kooky find what Kooky looks for?”

Nabbing one of the pod peas from the bowl, I chucked it at his stupid face. “Get all them bows out cha hair, pretty boy?” I cooed right back. “Who finally told you about the eyelash brow, hmm? Or did you eventually figure that out all on your own?”

“Doogie look stupid, fake lashes, Jojo’s clipsies,” Odix chimed in with a chuckle.

“Who friend you?” Doogie sniped at Odix.

Odix just snorted. “Rothy food goot,” he said simply, ignoring Doogie’s offended huff as he dug in.

“I heard Celuk joined you,” I said to Kooky conversationally.

Griever, Lukar, and Mosoau paused for a moment as they began to pass around dishes, but regrouped quickly. Was it taboo to bring up Celuk? Surely he wasn’t THAT crazy?

Was I staying at a crazy person’s house? It was a little weird he was never around…

“What a tushy?” Odix asked, glancing around curiously for an answer.

“Tuksi” Doogie snickeringly corrected.

His maturity was showing. “Manchild,” I muttered under my breath, looking anywhere but at him.

“Dum dum,” Doogie shot back.

“Children,” Dorothy tsked, aiming her fork at us warningly, even if her lips twitched.

Odix’s brow puckered like we were speaking a whole other language.

“Puny human,” Doogie loudly huffed, narrowly ducking the thick hand lifting towards the back of his head as one of his fathers got up to refill the water pitcher.

“Rude. Doogie be nice,” Lukar grumbled at him.

I stuck my tongue out at Doogie when no one was looking.

Kooky chuckled under his breath at me and Odix flat out grinned.

Okay, when almost no one was looking.

We were deep into the meal, my plate picked clean and my hangover a soreness I could feel in my brain, I swear, when Doogie decided to tit for tat from my food tossing earlier.

I managed to slap away the first ten or so, sprinkled in between conversation in the hopes I’d be too busy to block, yet he found himself thwarted. All that table tennis in middle school was really paying off.

It was when Kooky rumbled something at him and I turned my head to agree in kind, he not only got me but he got me good, right in my fucking ear.

Slapping my hand over my ear protectively, I quietly excused myself from the table, scurried down the hall, holding in the noises I wanted to make, and made my way outside. Unfucking believable!

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