Page 236 of Bride of Choice

“That’s probably the weirdest thing you’ve ever done yet, and that’s saying something with all the weird ass dancing you’ve been doing,” I told him.

Perking up, he rumbled out happily, “Jo see Odix’s dances, then, yes?”

Mutteringly pulling the statues out, wondering if he’d object to me melting my face off of the statues at the very least, to set them on the bed, I tried not to cringe as I mumbled, “And just about everyone else within butt shaking visibility.”

Odix grabbed up each and every statue as I offered them to him, holding them to his chest protectively.

“Why do you want them? Why are they so important to you?” I had to ask. Taking pity on him, I grabbed a small basket and held it out in offering. Odix took it and carefully put the figurines inside it, where he then clutched it to his person.

“Important to Jo. Important to Odix,” he rumbled out softly.

“It’s important to me that no one else sees those. Ever.” My hand lifted and I waggled a finger at his preciouses.

After a thorough eyeballing of him, I moved on to Gopher. My eyebrows shot up questioningly but he didn’t appear to have much to say. “What? Nothing to add to this circus, or are you just here for the food?”

“Go’ could eat,” Gopher rumbled out lightly. Smoothing a finger along the table, he glanced over at me from beneath a thick fringe of dark lashes. I’d never realized his eyelashes were so much darker than Odix’s. Perhaps that was the human in him peeking or I didn’t pay enough attention to that sort of thing.

“Help yourself,” I said grandly, “but then you leave,” I warned.

Odix’s stomach let out an ungodly rumble and the guy actually looked embarrassed about it.

Gopher smirked at Odix, then walked over to the food and did up three big plates full.

“Jo busy,” Odix commented idly as we ate. They sat at the table but I preferred to sit on my bed, put some distance between us. It was a statement. I had nothing to say to that.

Eyeing Gopher, I muttered, “Where do you go? When you up and disappear?”

Gopher hesitated for a second before clearing his throat and sharing, “Mama home.”

“Every single time? You’re just running home to your Mommy?” I blurted.

“Go’ papas home with mama, too,” Odix pointed out.

When I looked to the much thicker beast askance, he glanced between me and Gopher before quietly rumbling out, “Go’ take Odix him’s Mama, bapas, Papa. Go’ mama talks funny but nice. Bapas, Papa nice, too. Odix no know what like have mama, papa, bapas. Go’s nice. Loves him lots.”

We lapsed into silence after that, Gopher staring down at his food uncomfortably. Was he embarrassed he had loving parents? Or the fact he disappeared to visit them so frequently, especially when shit went wrong, it was kinda hard not to notice.

He took Odix to meet his folks, but I’m not good enough?

“Go’ Papa, Bapas say he not paidshent. Rush-rush-rush-” Odix said into the silence threatening to suffocate us.

Gopher hissed something at Odix that had the bigger male clamping his trap shut tight.

“Well… it’s been a long day. This has been… interesting, to say the least, but I’m tired,” I announced, hoping they took the hint.

When neither made a move to leave, I cleared my throat, waiting for them to once more take notice. They were suddenly studying their food so hard you’d think it was talking to them.

“Door broke. Can’t leave Jo ‘lone, broke door.” Gopher, the unofficial spokesman for the two of them, lifted his head to meet my gaze evenly.

“What smell funny?” Odix lifted his nose and gave a sniff.

“My boots, maybe? One of them has sprung a leak and nothing I’ve tried seems to work yet.” Standing, I grabbed the small pouch on my nightstand and walked over to my boots to dump a loadfull into them both. “Don’t change the subject,” I warned Odix, wagging a glittery claw at him with a stern look.

“Odix no change subflex. It stink. Odix want make sure Jo hut ‘kay more than already broken from Jojo Bum-bum. Now smells like bad cheese and hunting powder.”

“I’ll allow one of you to stay,” I agreed with a shrug. “Which one of you, I don’t care. You can sleep on the floor near the door if you’re so dead set on watching over me, but that’s it, you understand? No funny business and absolutely, under no circumstance, will there be any fighting. You feel me, fluff nuggets?”

“Odix feels Jo.” Odix looked like he was about to swallow his tongue at the double meaning to his response.

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