Page 355 of Bride of Choice

“And you’re my clan. So are my mates back home and the rest of my family.” Staring up at him, I gave him a squeeze. “I’m telling you, you’re going to love it there.” Pressing my head over his heart, I whispered, “I’ll be there, Bump, we’ll be together. The rest of my mates, they’ll be your clan too.”

Buu’s ears kept popping up to flatten to his head, then pop back up again as his throat began to work. “What… what if Joalee mates no want Buu be in clan? Make Buu go?”

“They won’t. I won’t let them,” I muttered into his fur. My fingers tightened.

Brushing his claws through my hair, he started to purr. “Say like Joalee say, that how it be.”

“Because that’s how it’ll be if they like breathin’,” I mumbled into his fur.

Buu’s soft laugh made me smile. “No more sad mad with Buu still?”

“Oh, I’m plenty sad mad, mad-mad, bad mad, all the not nice kinds of mad, mister, but you aren’t the first furball to try and pull one over on me in the name of their love for me.” I had a horrible feeling he may not even be the damned last. Ugh. “I hate to admit it, but I think I’m getting accustomed to this world’s particular brand of furry bullshit. That’s not that great for the furballs out here. I mean, that bullshit? Zero stars, do not recommend. Avoid at all costs. But I’m still fucking here. Take it for what it is. A chance to make it up to me, kiss my god damn ass.”

“Buu make things,” he said lightly. He looked like he was still processing the whole kiss my ass thing.

“Things? What kinda things?” I shivered a little as the heat from the fire fought with the cold of this room.

Rubbing his arms up and down my shoulders, over my back, he purred, “Warm things. Things my Joalee like to have. Want when Joalee leave caves… ‘fore Buu kisses ass.”

“Huh?” Craning my neck, I stared up at him. “Come again, my demon-angel with fur? Not about the ass stuff, but the other stuff.”

Buu grinned at that. “My Joalee want see pretties Buu make?”

“Does a Krampus crap in the woods?” Just in case he didn’t get it, I nodded and informed him emphatically, “Yes, definitely.”

Letting me go, he hurried out of the room. Sitting near the fire, adjusting the pelt I walked around in with it cuddled around me at all times, I listened to him scrambling around elsewhere.

Buu came rushing back in, his arms full with odd shaped, fur covered objects.

“Too warm for caves,” he cautioned as he handed me each piece.

Eyeing him, then each item, a thick pair of warm boots, a pair of pieced together pants, a dress looking long top, and a shawl piece that looked more like a hooded cape than anything.

“You’ve been working on this for a while.” My eyebrows shot up. He was working on outside clothes while he tried to keep me inside?

Buu glanced away from my intense stare and the look on my face. “Buu… Buu Joalee smart.”

“Not that smart if it took me this long to figure it out,” I muttered as my hand waved off towards the ice door.

Buu glanced up at me with a frown. “Buu only push the snowies down the purpose the once, to cover the ice hole. Storm keep Buu in with Joalee, long time.”

“Oh, thank god,” I mumbled. The stiffness in my spine, making it ache worse than it already did, left me. It made me feel a little better about it all knowing he wasn’t keeping up his ruse this entire time.

Glancing down at my swollen feet and my burgeoning belly, I sighed. “Truth time. As much as it pains me to admit it and my ass wants to go home, I don’t know if that’s going to be possible, the longer we’re stuck in here. My feet are killing me, I have to pee every ten seconds. I might just end up having Bump in this cave.” Frowning, I admitted, “I’m scared.”

“No smell scared.” Buu gave a loud sniff.

“Because I can’t afford to actually be,” I said simply. If I did, he might be dealing with a blubbering mess, a whole broken dam kinda deal. He wasn’t ready for that.

Scrubbing at my face, I groaned and then started muttering my pick-me-up chant. “It’ll be fine. It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”

“Ice melts,” Buu offered.

Glancing up at him, I forced a smile I wasn’t feeling and looked towards the very slowly melting ice door. “It is,” I agreed, and left it at that. He was trying to make me feel better, and possibly his guilt ridden booty as well, and I appreciated the attempt at a pick me up but that door had a long fucking way to go before I could fit my ass through that thing.

“I could eat,” I said into the silence that followed.

Buu, ever the Suzy Cavemaker of the two of us, was quick to oblige.

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