Page 363 of Bride of Choice

The corners of Buu’s lips quirked up into a grin but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Come. See.”

Helping me with the process of becoming human this early because I was still in half-feral pregnant lady trying to catch up on her much needed beauty sleep mode and absolutely not in the mood for this shit, I had to admit he had a bigger hand in dressing me than my half-awake ass did.

Fussing with my hood with one set of hands, he placed a clay mug of hot tea he’d steeped while I was sleeping into my hand with another set of hands as he led me down the hall.

When we reached the entryway, I finally realized he had a strip of hide, like a belt, strapped across his shoulder, a sheath for a rather large looking knife in it, and a large axe strapped to his back.

Realizing I was dressed for the cold, I glanced up at him questioningly. “Have you invented a contraption to hoist me up into the holes in the ceiling so we can go adventuring?”

“Come. See,” he murmured. Cupping my elbow with one of his hands, another slid along my back and a third curled over my shoulder.

A sputtering noise left me the second we entered the cave entrance. Sunshine spilled out where ice had once completely blocked it, keeping me trapped inside.

“Is it- Can we- Are we going to go out exploring?” I asked.

Buu nodded, frowning as he stared off at the sunshine peeking in. His gaze drifted over my swollen fingers repeatedly.

Something was kind of off about this whole thing but I couldn’t put my finger on what, exactly.

“Come. Eat. We go.” Buu wasn’t necessarily rushing me but he certainly wasn’t wasting any time. The beast meant business. Were we that low on supplies? I mean, I knew it was starting to dwindle but…

“My Joalee eat. Feed bebeh. Make strong,” he rumbled out softly as he guided me along.

The fire was going, food plated nearby and ready to go. He used the clay from the back caves to make his cups, plates, eating utensils, you name it. Much like the dark clay found in the village, it didn’t take much, rapid-fire baking in his forge.

“Somebody’s been busy,” I noted.

“Want make nice. Be perfect.” Buu’s clicking purr started up as he joined me. This time, however, he insisted I sit in his lap.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked, offering him a bite of the soft pumpkin pancake tasting pan bread thing he had waiting for me. It was mildly sweet and smelled as good as it tasted.

Buu shook his head. “Buu eat ‘ready,” he rumbled softly into my hair as he buried his face in it and sniffed it.

“Suit yourself,” I singsonged before shoveling another bite.

By the time we were ready to go, I had to squint at just how bright the sun was, reflecting off of all that snow surrounding us. I’ve been in this damn cave too long.

Today, he’d proclaimed, he was going to teach me foraging. It was a sort of get our feet wet trek out into the great unknown. Baby steps. I was puffy as hell and tired easily but I knew this would be good. I needed this. Ugh, I was a huffin’ puffin’ mess.

“Wow,” I whispered, as Buu helped me climb out of the mountain of snow his cave had been buried under. Again and again, his gaze kept darting towards me. He’d stared at me for so long as we finally emerged, I’d had to ask what he was staring at. I knew I looked pale but c’mon, I wasn’t that pasty in the sunlight, was I? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if I glittered but he wouldn’t understand the reference or the joke. It also risked him deciding vampires were real. I’d learned that lesson telling him about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. My poor Buu-buu bear was going to be forever keeping an eye out for egg crapping flop-ears and Sandied Claws trying to sneak into our place.

“Is it- Can we get back in there?” I fretted. I was so excited to finally be out I’d barely thought of much else. Overwhelmed—I was definitely feeling it, mixed in with relieved excitement. “What if it caves in while we’re out foraging and we’re stuck outside?”

Buu blinked down at me for a full minute before a soft grunt left him. “Be fine.”

“Uh, okay.” Someone woke up on the wonky side of the pelt this morning and it wasn’t just me. Did he get hot with all that fur and the sunshine beating down? Is that where his sudden snuffle-grump-a-gus ass-ness came from?

Perhaps he was feeling as overwhelmed as I was? He needed a minute, to acclimate. I could give him that. It was a lot, going from shut in to free to roam about the country.

Buu was quiet as he helped me through the snow and we tromped along. Again and again, he glanced my way questioningly.

Okay, I get it, you’re mated to a sausage toes and fingers puff monster. Work with me here, I’ve got a passenger on board!

“We should’ve made snow gloves,” I mumbled absently, just starting to understand the depth of snowy white stuff we’d been up to our eyeballs in. Puffy and cold made for more aches than I was ready for.

This part of the forest was insanely thick with snow and heavy brush.

As we traveled, getting further and further away from the cave, too many pee breaks to count under my belt, all that thick white stuff caking around us finally started to thin. Finally, a bit more and we could start this foraging business.

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