Page 298 of Bride of Choice

“And I’m- I’m Baby’s mama?”

Celuk smooched the befuddled look right off my face.

By the time Sorak came across us I was trying to climb Celuk like a tree and he was happily, growling and purring simultaneously against my lips, helping me in my endeavor.

At a rough throat clearing, Celuk paused to snarl, then dove right back in.

I didn’t fully snap out of it until I heard that first soft, familiar low.

Breaking free of the magic that is Celuk’s kissable lips, I turned my head and sighed in relief, in his arms, as Baby came charging at the pen Sorak had put her in so I could see she was alright.

“Baby!” I cried, extricating myself from Celuk to rush over to the pen.

She called longer and louder at my approach.

“Spoiled,” Sorak muttered under his breath, looking even more perpetually frowny faced than Celuk.

“Of course she’s not, nutsack,” I shot his way. Then, to my sweet lil tato baby, “Are you, Baby?”

“Not- Sorak’s not meaning the furkepkie,” he grunted out. “Or kep-kep, like the furballs say.”

“Excuse you?” I was whirling around to give him a piece of my mind when I realized he was insinuating that Celuk was spoiled and not me.

“Have boxes of furkepkien horns,” he grunted out with his oddly accented voice. “Give one to a stubborn, reluctant mate, she comes running, showering with the kisses. Bah. You balls of snow fur have it all easy.”

“Reluctant, stubborn mate,” I echoed, giving Celuk a look that had him glaring at Sorak to shut the hell up. Turning back around, I had a few lovely moments with Baby before a male unitato in an adjoining pen across from her let out a mournful low and she gave me one last slobbering kiss to my hand before rushing off to her chosen male. Her little ass wiggled as he began nuzzling her face through the opening between pens, until they both had happy, wiggly asses.

“Thanks, nutsack. Fuzzsticles,” I muttered as I made my way past them and headed back to the village. “I’m glad she’s alright.”

“Where you go?” Celuk called after me.

“Gopher popped in and several Yeti women followed him. He looked rather displeased to see them. I’ve been contemplating cutting his balls off, then setting Rek’s hut on fire. I dunno… it’s a splurge day… maybe I’ll make cookies and eat all the cookie dough at the last minute! Try out that axe from Snow Patrol! The world is my oyster!”

“She is… serious?” Sorak blurted, sounding alarmed.

“Gopher no smell like other females!” Celuk called after me.

“Of course you’d defend a fellow reluctant, stubborn female conqueror!” I shot back.

“I go,” I thought I heard Celuk mumble hastily.

Sorak let out a whinny of a noise I realized as I walked on was probably laughter.

Whatever. I don’t know what he was laughing at. I wasn’t really kidding. Mostly.

Chapter 38

“Let me go! Have I done a single thing I’d mentioned since I got here?” I snarled at my jailer as he stood sentry at my door. Waving at the little oven area someone had installed for me while I was out picnicking, I gave him a menacing look. “I haven’t even made the fucking cookie dough!”

“Goot. Do that,” Celuk grunted out.

“You can’t keep me in here! I will find a way out!” I threatened.

“Not to do things Jo will hate self for later,” he grumbled churlishly.

“I said I wouldn’t do it!” I bellowed.

“Say not want axe to use on Rek after grab axe from Tor,” he pointed out. “Want Rek dead, Celuk do it. Jo not hurt no one.”

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