Page 351 of Bride of Choice

Mal and Rosa were holding up much better than I’d been expecting, but they were holding each other up, and their mates as well.

Males came in and out of the village at all hours. They had search teams scouring endlessly.

I tried to be on hand, whenever, wherever needed, if my mates weren’t forcing me to catch a few winks.

Kirch stood over Rek like a sentry. He’d dragged him out close to the fire. Rek looked abnormally pale, not a healthy hue but sickly and sallow.

The large yellow purse hugged to his chest as he rocked back and forth and absently mumbled to himself made that odd pallor stand out all the more. He’d lost a lot of weight. He wasn’t doing good at all.

Sniffing, Rek blinked the moisture from his eyes as he vacillated between snarling and mumbling. If any tears escaped, he let them fall.

“Leave Baby at Rothy’s.” Celuk stopped next to me, waiting for me to confirm I was alright with it before thanking me. He looked as tired as he sounded.

His gaze drifted over the bonfire we kept going constantly. Grey-blue eyes so much like my mate’s blue-grey eyes unerringly fell on Rek. His brow tugged low as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Odix and Gopher, who’d just come back from a fruitless search, joined Celuk.

Wondering if anyone else had taken note of their sudden interest in Rek, I spied another interested party.

Packed up and ready to head out again, Tor paused as Rek slapped Kirch’s hand away when he would have comforted him.

Tor snapped something at Rek and lumbered closer.

Stiffening, Celuk broke from the small group he’d formed with Odix and Gopher and strode over to Rek.

Before Tor could utter a word, Celuk had walked right over, coming up behind Rek before Tor could, and put his hand on Rek’s shoulder.

Rek jumped like he’d just been goosed and Tor froze in place.

It was like time stood still for a solid minute as the world struggled to right itself.

Celuk rumbled something at Rek that had him stiffening where he sat. Celuk’s grip tightened. Rek’s soft grumbles dissolved into barely audible grunts.

I watched in stunned fascination as Tor paused to see this, cocked his head in wonder at that, and glanced from Rek to Celuk.

Rek frowned, his gaze darting between the two in confusion. His wide shoulders twitched as he fidgeted in place.

Celuk rumbled something out at Tor that had Tor’s eyebrows shooting up and Rek’s eyes widening in surprise.

Kirch, watching as the whole entire scene unfolded, hovering protectively, let out the deep breath he appeared to have been holding.

Rek’s throat worked for a minute before he could clear it roughly. “Celuk… Celuk believe Rek?”

Celuk nodded while holding Tor’s gaze.

Odix and Gopher, unabashedly eavesdropping on the whole thing, glanced to one another and scowled. Their scowls only deepened as they listened in.

“And Rek can go with Tor to- to look for my Jojomine?” Rek’s voice quavered, exhaustion thick in it.

“After eat,” Kirch stressed.

Rek glanced between all of them frantically. “Rek eat. Rek eat now. Rek eat,” he said quickly.

Celuk glanced up, meeting Odix and Gopher’s gazes evenly. He snapped something at them that had them answering in kind.

With a grumble, Odix muttered under his breath, “Still no like him’s stupid head… For my Joanie…” and made his way over.

Celuk released Rek and made his way over to the table we kept filled with fresh, hot dishes ready to eat for searchers coming in and out. Making up two plates, he brought one over to Odix, the other for Gopher, then went back for one for Tor before making up two more. Seating himself directly beside Rek, he placed a plate carefully in his hands.

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