Page 334 of Bride of Choice

As the rush of it all slowly ebbed, reality came crashing down on me like a hammer.

I’d just taken a male who was not my mate, circumstances be damned.

Bile rose in my throat and nausea threatened.

I’d gone nuts on Rek for bringing a human to the village, one he claims he was actually saving if I’d just given him the chance to explain. I’d thought he’d cheated and I’d lost it.

Now… I’m actually stepping out on my mates… I’m the cheater. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to say my piece with Tor or Celuk, and I’m bed hopping with my rescuer?

Before I’d even realized it, my chest was hitching and tears were streaming down my face.

How could I ever expect them to take me back when I couldn’t even be faithful to them? One Krampus bite and I was willing to do anyone, anything, to make it stop.

Thick fingers smoothed up my back. Feeling him pull back as I started to lose it, I could make out two bright purple splotches studying me.

Thick thumbs brushed the emotions leaking from my eyes away.

Something between a clicking, churring purr rumbled out of him and he gathered me to him.

Leaning into the comfort he offered, I just opened my mouth and all of my sins came spilling out. Pouring my heart out to him, my fears, worries, my faults, I focused on the wild thundering of the double beats in his chest.

Soft hum-rumbles left him as I laid it all out there.

Talking until there was nothing left to tell, I fell asleep like that, clinging to him for comfort as he soothingly rubbed my back and comfortingly rumbled at me.

When I next opened my eyes, I was alone, in the furs I’d woken up to before, but there was an empty pile of furs close by, near a warm springs pool giving off enough heat to keep the cave room cozy comfortable, in a different room than the last one I’d conked out in.

A groan left me as I sat up. I was so sore I could barely move but beyond grateful to be alive.

Buu came into the room then, a torn up, worn backpack he must have gotten from this Dace he knows in his hands, walking it over to the abandoned furs nearby to sit on them and start unpacking his pack.

Without a word or a single look my way, he made quick work of grinding some odd looking grains, cracking open several different fruit and or veggies, I had no idea what they were or where they’d come from, and using leaves to tightly wrap the odd, thick paste in fat leaves, he used a woven basket with string attached to place the leaves wrapped paste in them and lower them into the bubbling pool.

Glancing from him to the leaves, I swallowed thickly. “How- How long was I out?”

Sparing a short glance my way, he grunted. It was another minute before he answered by lifting up two fingers.

It clicked then, that not only was my vision much improved, but that he had two clawed thumbs on each hand, like a koala.

“Two what? Two hours? That’s it?” I mumbled quietly to myself.

“Two sleeps,” he frowningly corrected. Gaze narrowing, he stared at the bubbling water like it owed him money.

Feeling like I’d fucked up but not knowing how to go about correcting it, or necessarily what it was I’d done, I took a deep breath and focused on my hands clenched in my lap.

Two days? Two whole damn days?!

“Did I… hurt you while I was sleeping?” Had I slapped him or something while snug away in snoozeville? Said something nasty? He was almost angry. Or maybe hurt? It was hard to tell.

Buu, as he called himself, wasn’t giving me much to go on but for the silent treatment and keeping far the hell away from me like I had cooties.

His frown turned into a scowl as he lifted his darkening gaze to meet mine.

At the confusion swimming in my expression, he rumbled, “Just sleep. Sleep long time. Bring you Buu’s cave. Buu hope make warm wake- wake up.”

“Joanie,” I mumbled, the first to break eye contact. “My- That’s my name. Uh…my mates, most of them just call me Jo or Jojo,” I admitted with a shrug. “It’s easier.”

He gave a grunt of acknowledgement but left it at that.

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