Page 297 of Bride of Choice

Grimacing at the ache in my shoulder, I switched my bag to my other shoulder and hurried off. He’d taken my Baby’s horn and he was going to sell her to some Unicorn loving horn-head? Was that it? I had a great imagination and it was tormenting me in the worst way imaginable right now. Where was my Baby?!!

Those are exactly the words that popped out of my mouth when I marched right up to this Sorak’s place, right over to where I thought I heard voices, right up to Celuk as he spoke with Sorak like they were familiar acquaintances, and waved the horn he’d left for me around wildly.

“Where is my Baby?!” I demanded to know, pointing the horn at Celuk menacingly.

At this point they were both gaping at me. Celuk, possibly more so because I looked beat to hell, and Sorak because, plain and simple, I looked and sounded plumb crazy and he had no clue who I was.

“My Jo- You face,” Celuk rumbled in alarm. Easily clasping the horn in my hand, cupping it with his to lower it, he grabbed my chin and turned my head this way and that to lean in for a sniff. “Rek,” he snarled, looking ready to fight.

“His idiot girlfriend tackled me,” I admitted, “but that’s beside the point.” Relifting the horn, I poked him in the chest with it. “Baby. Where is she?!”

Undeterred, he continued to examine my nose. “She hit Jo face?” he muttered, frowning thoughtfully.

“My purse did the hitting.” I gave my good shoulder with my purse on it a wiggle. “Whacked me in the face as I fell.”

This Sorak, let out a startled laugh. Jerking my chin from Celuk’s hold, I gave the Unicorn man a look that said my next purse-face-whack had his name on it, just keep that up.

“I’m sorry, but it’s funny,” he rumbled, his voice deep, melodic.

Celuk bared his teeth at him, letting him know that it in fact was not funny. Grumbling something at him in Lo denaii, the male sobered, then turned to me to dip his head and apologized.

My glare turned into a frown. “You can understand them?”

“Can you not?” he asked, a taunting note in his voice.

Ah… a smarmy one. I bet he’s a smarty pants that thinks he knows everything.

“I think that’s best reserved for the loner know-it-alls,” I huffed and chuffed at him.

Celuk grinned at that and said something to Sorak that had the male letting out a whinny of an annoyed snort to walk off into the big building they were standing next to. Bossy, I thought I heard him mutter.

“Jo.” Celuk cupped my face, pressing his forehead to mine, like we weren’t broken up.

“Did you get my letter?”

“Jes,” he said simply.

“You read it?”

“Jes.”

“Then… what are you doing?”

Celuk let out a grunt that said, uh, isn’t it obvious? “Nose hurt?” he asked suddenly, right as I asked, “Where is my Baby?”

Celuk cracked an eyelid open, to stare down at me.

“She’s not at home. I was just there and I-”

I got a smack on the lips that knocked my socks off at that one.

“Baby safe,” he rumbled out softly.

“We- I- That’s- That’s good.” I couldn’t help but stare at his mouth as I licked my lips. “Her horn-”

“Fall off when Baby not baby no mores. Celuk give to Baby’s mama.”

Baby wasn’t a baby anymore? When I repeated myself out loud, he informed me, “Ready for mate now. Make babies. Baby go in heat.”

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