Page 221 of Bride of Choice

“Rek butt bony?” Doogie called back.

Rek let out a chuff of a noise. I stared at him, waiting for it, the inevitable explosion because Doogie had just pricked his pride. It never came.

“You bring?” Rek barked back.

“For Rek’s bony buns? Jes,” Doogie snarked back.

When Rek turned to me to find me staring at him, he shrugged at my raised-browed stare. “What?” Rek barked defensively. “He brings the things to sit on for my Jo, yes?” Under his breath, lower, he huffed and puffed, “After him say the stupid things…”

Giving his arm a squeeze, I couldn’t help but smile.

Catching the look on my face, a soft purr, small but growing, rattled Rek’s chest.

“Doogie hears that!” my bratty brother from another mother called out.

“Plug your ears, then, ya big baby!” I shot back caustically before Rek could even think to.

The purr rattling his chest kicked up so loud I could barely hear Doogie’s heartfelt groan and muttered complaints as he rejoined us. I only had eyes for a wildly purring fuzzball with smiling green eyes.

???

In no time I was cranking out masculine bracelets under Doogie’s tutelage.

Rek eyed each one, sitting there as docile as a lamb, and just watched.

When I at last had one basic bracelet done for each male that had somehow wormed their way into my heart, I began to sort through the pretties I’d brought along.

“Spose add those making bracelet,” Rek pointed out, making me wonder if he was more interested in all of this than he let on.

“Yeah, but now that I look at them, they almost look too plain, don’t they?”

Doogie shrugged but then shook his head. “Pretties for males give females. Males no need pretties.” Jerking a finger at my pouch, he grunted. “Why not trade at markets, things Jo wants?”

Eyeing the sparkling pretties, I had a duh moment. “I forget you guys sometimes use these as currency.” Frowning, I muttered, “Do you know anyone who’d be willing to trade me, though? A lot of market males won’t. After the last few times, it’s kind of soured me on the whole thing. I’ve resigned myself to window shopping.”

“What Jojo want from markets?” Doogie asked, exchanging a quick look with Rek that had my eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Nothing at the moment,” I responded lightly, like I didn’t give a fig if people at market wanted to trade with me or not, because I so did not.

“I have a blurry idea of Odix’s dwelling. Can either of you take me there?” I murmured absently into the silence that followed.

“Rek take,” Rek grunted out, right as Doogie stood and stretched and announced, “I take.”

“Field trip!” I chirped, popping up to stuff my bracelets in my pocket and slip my arms through theirs.

“Joansie right. Like annoying, smelly baby,” Rek told Doogie, smiling over at him as if it was a compliment.

“Not what Jo say.” Doogie snorted at Rek’s attempted insult.

Rek’s insta-scowl made me laugh. Someone was feeling thwarted.

Reaching Odix’s abode, I glanced around to make sure this was the right place. This couldn’t be it. “What the hell happened?”

“Chimbly break,” Rek muttered, eyeing that mess.

“He can’t live in that,” I murmured, aghast. How did he heat his place with a big old hole like that in the side of it?!

“Odix Lo denaii,” Doogie reminded.

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