Page 163 of Bride of Choice

A round of chuckles and nudges at Gubarr had the male glowering at his fellow husbands in training but he didn’t argue my advice.

Getting serious, I tapped a claw along my jaw. “What exactly is going on when she gets upset like that and you notice and ask what’s wrong but she won’t tell you?”

Gubarr started to fidget awkwardly.

Giving him an out, I tossed out, “See? I think you already know. Maybe work on that.”

Another beast barked out a question.

“You fellas know I’m not the kind of person you should probably be asking about personal relationship advice, right?” I pointed out, but they didn’t seem to care.

“I’m not responsible for what happens after seeking advice from me!” I murmured as my hand shot up. “Are we clear on that?”

Question after question was fired at me, until my brain felt fried.

Thinking of one of my all-time favorite movies on my tablet, I lifted it up. “If anyone has the time, I brought a visual teaching aid? And snacks?”

Before I knew it movie night was well underway.

Standing next to the tablet, I stopped it every so often to explain, “See what he’s doing there?”

“Hooman rude,” one grumbled.

“Not nice say things to Libsbeth,” another grumbled.

“It’s so much easier to watch it secondhand like this and comment, it’s the doing of all the things and not being a douchenozzle that gets ya,” I murmured as I watched.

“Lisbits not want bad male be mate,” added someone else.

“Yes, see? And Elizabeth is about to tell Mr. D with her fancy way of talking to stuff his stuffiness up his butt. Keep this in mind when you get all oonga boonga, me male, you mine, grr-grr business. Don’t be a dirtbag,” I reminded, to hit play so they could watch it for themselves.

By the time the movie had finished, I felt like at least a couple of them had a decent handle on things.

Listen. Don’t be a controlling dick. This is a relationship, it takes two people.

As I walked home, refusing a couple of their offers to make sure I made it to my hut okay, I smiled to myself. I honestly hoped I’d helped some of them out. The others? Hopefully their ladies didn’t make them go bye-bye. If so, some home gardens were about to look super well fed.

On a hunch, I detoured and popped by Booger’s. On a much larger hunch after finding him MIA, I mosied on by Khri’s place.

Boog sat hunched, crouching on the side of Khri’s hut, straining to hear something these human ears could never pick up.

“I’d ask what you’re doing, barking it at you to startle some sense into you, but that’s akin to kicking a dog when it’s down,” I murmured, holding out a hand as Boog’s face filled with chagrin.

“Boog no help it,” he grumbled, taking my hand but lifting himself up.

“Forget something?” Waggling my basket, then unzipping my purse to show my tablet, I gave him a look.

Boog’s lips parted, eyes widening. Something that passed for a Lo denaii curse words burst from his lips. “Forgot!” he burst out as we strolled along.

It was nice, late at night like this, all quiet and calm, everyone snug inside their homes. Well, mostly everyone. There were always stragglers hanging around but they seemed as keen to keep to themselves as I was.

The village was starting to feel like that safe space it had been for me, long before the Krampus marking, hunting bologna.

“It’s okay.” My shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It was entertaining,” I tossed out cryptically.

“Gofur go? Goot.” A sharp grunt left him.

“You sound like you didn’t think he was going to show up.” My gut had told me not to count on Gopher showing up but a part of me had still held out hope.

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