Page 21 of Bride of Choice

Nope. Not going that route again.

As far as everyone knew I was Joanie, Glamazon, Queen of Fabulousness. I didn’t waste my nonsense on what ifs and worries. I was infallible. I gave zero shits. Hear me roar.

As if fears and worries were on the list today, I’d swear I caught a peek of something in the woods on my peripherals, there and then not. My hackles rose as the feeling of being watched, the paranoia of what if, pervaded.

When before I’d have trailed along the river’s edge all the way back to my place, I chose to detour and weave through huts. It took twice as long and I risked getting stopped and dragged into some such silliness or another I didn’t wanna be a part of, but I didn’t feel like there was a creeper in the wings, watching, waiting, going the long way.

???

As if fate was set to have a laugh at me, true to my concerns with taking the longer way, I bumped into none other than Cottontail herself.

“Oh, hey!” the resident chipper chirper called out.

Lifting my hand in a wave, I’d have kept going if her little munchkins hadn’t caught sight of me and started calling out for me to come play with them.

“MOJO!” her gang of crotch goblins squeaked out to me.

Grinning, I had to mentally shrug as I made my way over. “Oh my gosh! I haven’t seen you in forever! It’s like you’ve all grown an inch each!” I insisted as I was smothered with furry Lo denaii baby hybrid hugs.

“You sawed us de udder day!” Homer chortlingly argued.

“I did?” I gasped out, playing dumb, pretending I had to think about it. The kiddos laughed at my overdone silliness, tugging me towards their hut to come see this thing or that.

Daisy clapped her hands as she trailed after us, babbling about how I had perfect timing and I should just stay for lunch.

“I could eat lunch,” I agreed with a shrug, then winced as a screech of “YAY!”s threatened to make my ears bleed.

Now, what I could not agree with, I amended as I scooted my chair a little farther away from the Lo denaii scooting his chair a little closer to me, so close now our butts were practically touching, was THIS. Whatever the hell this shit was supposed to be.

“You did this on purpose,” I baldly accused, glaring daggers at our flustered hostess.

Traitor, I mouthed at Righty. Righty made himself busy cutting up one of his little one’s meat. Traitor McTraitor Pants!

“Eat,” Odix urged me, nudging my plate. Someone was looking pleased as punch to be having lunch butt cheek to butt cheek pressed up against Poop girl. Kill me now.

“Mind your business,” I told the overbearing lug thinking he had some kind of authority over me.

Odix gave me what I assumed he must think was a thunderous look. Lifting the knife I was using to cut up the meat on my plate, my grip on this wonderfully multi use tool tightened.

“I made cake!” Daisy chirped, gaze darting between us worriedly. “Who doesn’t love cake?”

“We like cake,” Odix was quick to chime in.

For the love of all that is- “He, himself, and his delusions love it, apparently,” I chirped in an overdone imitation of our hostess.

“No want cake? Who no’ wants cakes?” The biggun of a male looked appalled at the thought that I might not.

“Feel free to eat mine, Oti. Have at it.” Going to stand, I gave his shoulder a there-there pat and would have pushed my chair out but it appeared to be stuck. Lovely. Just… lovely.

Cake was served while I tried to figure out what the hell was clamping my chair in place. A soft round of poorly muffled giggles from Daisy’s kiddies’ table had me look up sharply to find where Odix had been swapping his foot hooking on my chair for his hand.

Pretending I hadn’t yet noticed, I seethed on the inside. It occurred to me belatedly, how hypocritical it was of me to be pissed in situations like this and yet when it’s a literal, Grr-me-male-you-mine, in a literal sense, like with Mr Mystery Yeti —but most definitely not like scary demon that needs a cheeseburger who may or may not wanna kill me, because NO— I found myself taken in.

Rek… was the exception to any and all rules. I wanted to be one hundred percent equals, soul mates kinda shit. I also wanted to strangle him, give him the kiss of life to bring him back, smooch him to death, then strangle him to death to bring him back and do it all over again.

Was I subconsciously looking for the next best thing?

Not this thing, I thought to myself as Odix grabbed up a piece of cake that was basically half of it, with his bare hands while Daisy eeped and gaped, to tear it in half and slap one chunk into my hand.

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