Page 230 of Bride of Choice

Staring into the fire across the room, laying on my side facing it on my bed, I didn’t bother responding. What was the point?

“Jojomine?” Rek knocked a little louder. “Rek… Jojoknee hear Rek? Rek sorry. No mean it. Rek wrong. Not ‘kay say things Rek say. Opens, please? Let Rek in? Rek no want say sorry to wood.”

Curling my comforter up over my ears, forming a plushy cocoon around me, I closed my eyes and pretended there was no one here and nothing but me and the fire crackling. Slipping the ring he’d given me off of my finger, I set it on my nightstand.

It was a while before he finally gave up, leaving me be with a short snarl and one last hard slam to my door. “Fine! Be ‘lone! All ‘lone!”

Beating myself up about falling into yet another ridiculous situation, I pretended his words didn’t hurt me, that he didn’t have that kind of power over me.

Eyeing the door as it shook on its hinges, I realized pretty quickly I needed a better door.

That was why, after expertly avoiding everyone and anyone that actively wanted something from me I currently felt too broken to even try to give, I found myself trying to bargain all of my gems, if that’s what it took, with a smith named Ybor at market who was staring at me like I was crazy for wanting to purchase, as I’d put it, a big damn, Lo denaii proof metal door.

Ybor held up his hands, refusing to take my damn money and make my freaking door already.

With a growl of frustration, I was all set to stomp off. A furry arm pressed into my side as Gopher walked up to Ybor and started rapid-fire talking to him in Lo denaii. His brow furrowed as Ybor started gesturing at me and the gems in my hand.

Slipping from his arm, I would have walked away but Gopher snagged the sleeve of my coat, calmly yanking me back into his side as he finished gabbing at Ybor.

Throwing his hands up, Ybor grumbled, “Fine! You not get in, she locks you out, no come cry to Ybor!”

“Wait.” My scowl lightened in surprise. “You mean you wouldn’t do business with me because-”

“Ybor hear of the Joanie. Celuk female.” Ybor shook his head vigorously. “Celuk crazier than him’s woman! He come for heads to roll, Ybor point the fingers at you,” he snapped, jerking a finger at Gopher accusingly.

Gopher lifted his chin up higher, exposing a rather nasty looking scar on his throat, and rumbled menacingly at Ybor.

“Bah!” Lifting a hand, Ybor waved him off. “You go! Out my sight! My mate scarier than you! Ten youngling, she wrestles all the days. You puny ‘pared my Mona! Ybor come when no mates ‘llowed door ready!”

Shrugging out of Gopher’s hold, I mouthed Mona, wondering if he meant the quiet, small, mousey woman named Ramona I’d met in passing. She had her own very well behaved baseball team in the making. A small chuckle left me at the idea that she was scarier than Gopher.

When Gopher once more jerked at my sleeve as I turned and called out to Ybor, “Wait! You didn’t take my money!”

“No goot here!” Ybor shot back.

“Then what the hell is it good for?” I muttered, glaring down at the glittering pretties in my hand.

Gopher reached out and curled my fingers closed, ignoring the look I gave him as he just acted like everything was fucking hunky-dory and touched me with open familiarity.

“Can I help you?” I snapped.

“No,” he said simply, then continued to keep pace alongside me as I speedwalked my ass away from him.

“I don’t deal with hooligans,” I huffed and puffed with a sniff.

“‘Trothed to Rek,” he pointed out, smirking when I glared harder.

“Maybe you should be ‘trothed to him. You’re both big dummies. You’d be perfect together!” I caught it then, the leather bracelet he was wearing on his left wrist, the very one I’d left in his hut for him not so very long ago.

Didn’t matter. What did I care if he liked the pattern or not or if he’d needed to adjust it to fit his wrist? I didn’t!

I had no idea if Odix had liked his surprise, either, if he’d been able to see out of both eyes properly as he stopped by his hut to find it looking better than he’d left it, stupid sweater pillows, bracelet for him waiting too, and all.

“Gopher has mate,” he purred.

“Oh, did you and Odix make it official?” I cooed sweetly. A scandalous gasp left me as I slapped my hand to my chest. “And you didn’t invite me to the ceremony? How could you?! You bitch!”

Gopher grinned at my fit of pique beneath all that sarcasm. “Jo cute when growly like angry tebbimenk.”

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