Page 247 of Bride of Choice

Odix reacted reflexively, jerking and tossing about with a snarl.

Gopher ran at Odix from the front, Rek coming up behind me to try and jerk me off of Odix.

“A little help here!” I shouted as Bum-bum spun around to stare at us. No, not stare- he was definitely gaping at this point.

“Before he kills Rek or Gopher!” I squawked, gesturing wildly, one-handed. Rek finally jerked me free of Odix’s back and we went tumbling backwards.

Odix took a swipe at Gopher that my slim Yeti almost didn’t dodge in time. I would have run to break them up but Rek wrapped his arms and legs around me, pinning me down in the snow with him.

“Don’t you- Let me go! I have to stop them before they kill each other! Then I’m gonna kill ‘im myself!” My legs kicked wildly to no avail.

A weird, sharp, shrill noise sounded that had Bum-bum, who’d stepped in between the pair, one hand on Gopher’s head holding him off, his other hand slapping down over the back of Odix’s neck to grip it and lift him off of his feet by what I assumed was a sort of natural scruff, saw Odix’s legs pinwheeling in a weird run as his arms punched uselessly at the open air.

Bum-bum froze at the second, louder, sharper shrill whistle. Rek stiffened but stubbornly retained his hold on me. Gopher and Odix’s teeth remained bared, snarling at each other, but eventually stopped struggling to get their hands around each other’s throats.

Like Dad walking in on the kids misbehaving, Celuk marched onto the scene. I’d never seen him look so damn mad.

He got one look at all of us and started snapping at everyone in Lo denaii.

Not knowing what was going on, my gaze kept darting from him to everyone else. I was starting to get a crick in my neck from all the pingponging back and forth I was doing as everything all happened at once.

Barking something at Rek that had my personal pain in the patootie releasing his hold on me, Celuk stormed over and held his hand out to me, then grabbed my wrist gently when I didn’t immediately comply, to help me to my feet.

“Clothes on wrong. Cold. Dress,” he ordered, like he had any right to.

“Who the hell made you team captain?” I snapped, not liking this Mr. Bossy Pants on the scene after avoiding me at all costs.

Celuk drew closer, until he’d bent close and his chest was brushing mine. Was that a fucking challenge?

“I’m not afraid of you,” I growled at him..

“Jojomine,” Rek grumbled tersely, wrapping his fingers around my arm, urging me towards him.

Celuk bent his tall frame, baring his teeth at Rek’s hand until Rek removed it from my person. When we were nose to nose, the supposed village crazy rumbled out gruffly, “I know.”

Frowning, waiting him out, I had to close one of my eyes so I didn’t go cross-eyed trying to keep up with our pissing match. This shit was giving me a headache.

“Then get out of my fucking face,” I ordered haughtily.

“Joanie!” Rek snapped, sounding pissier than me, and full of a heap-ton of concern.

“What?” I barked, turning to him with a dirty look.

Rek glanced from me to Celuk worriedly. “No make him mad,” he grunted out softly through the side of his mouth.

“He won’t hurt me,” I muttered with a shrug, sounding as confident as I felt.

When I turned back to Celuk, he wasn’t even there.

I found myself staring at his back as he stalked over to Odix.

Bum-bum did this half nod, dip thing, a respectful gesture, and released Gopher and Odix to take several steps back. His gaze drifted over to me briefly and I thought I saw pity in his eyes before they scanned back to Odix.

Grabbing up Odix and shaking him like a ragdoll, Celuk snarled softly into his face.

Odix gulped audibly, limp in Celuk’s hold.

Snapping something at him, he tossed him away when Odix nodded.

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