Page 366 of Bride of Choice

“Smell funny,” Tor rumbled out finally.

“So do you, don’t see me bitchin’ about it,” I snapped at him.

Celuk glanced up sharply and his gaze darted between us.

“I’m sorry. I’m tired,” I mumbled as I deflated immediately. Could I really be mad at him? I mean, fuck, he was out here looking for me. His reaction wasn’t unrealistic, even if it did hurt.

With another mumbled apology, I stood and excused myself to the ladies room. I was a bit surprised they’d allowed me this but maybe they sensed I needed a moment alone, even if it was just around the corner, squatting behind a tree.

When I returned, I took a seat opposite them both, my back to the fire.

Tor stood and walked right over to me. Taking a seat on the side of my face with all the scars, he cocked his head as he watched me. I scowled over at him before thinking better of it and smoothing out my expression, and pulled my hood over my head more to hide it from his view,

“He’s coming,” I muttered, shifting a little away from him. “It’s just taking a minute. You’ll see. He’s a good male.”

“Jo boob mate smell funny. Different. Ketire. Yowie.”

“Buu, not boob.” Fidgeting for a minute longer, I let the scowl I was holding in free. “Yowie,” I echoed. “That’s just another name for Bigfoot.”

“Jojo Eardth have Krampus stories, too, yes?” Tor tried to lean forward to meet my gaze but I shifted, turning my whole body to face away from him.

“So? What’s your point?” Jerking my hood up a little, I turned to him and gave him a look. It didn’t seem to faze him.

“Face,” he dragged his hand down his own, “it hurt?”

“No.” All the annoyance and pain I was trying to hold onto and aim in his direction left me. Trying to add some levity to the conversation, I joked, “Does yours?”

Tor frowned as he met my gaze. “Tor face not-”

As if realizing too late I’d been trying to crack a joke, he glanced down at his thick legs and began tearing up the grass near him.

“Your face isn’t shredded up to hell like the side of mine, you mean?” Shaking my head, I shrugged. “No, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It happened a while ago. A Krampus. It’s all healed up now. Until someone’s flat out staring at me like I’m a freak or I smile too wide and the skin starts to pull, I can’t say I really think too much about it. Buu doesn’t pay it any mind.” Pausing for a moment, I then added, “Buu is kinda like you but not. He has a fancy bite and stuff. His bite, it- It's like the antivenom to a nasty Krampus bite. I’m pretty sure I was dying from the Krampus attack. It- It attacked me when I tried to escape, bit me all over… my leg, side, clawed up my face. This- This inky black stuff was starting to fill my veins.” Dropping my hood, I moved my cape and jerked my furs to the side enough for him to see the bright blue color now replacing the black inky ichor that had been trying to kill me. Might as well let him get his gape on and get it all out there. Lifting my arm, I turned it this way and that so he could get a good eye full. Might as well get it all over with here and now and wash our hands of this gaping nonsense.

Tor leaned in, his scowl so deep I almost reached out to smooth out the heavy lines forming on his brow.

So close I could feel his breath fanning over the side of my face, he rumbled, “Jojo brave. Strong. Jo Buu goot male, save Jojo. Goot Yowie.”

Putting my shirt back and readjusting my cape, I nodded. “You can tell him that yourself when he finds me. He’ll be happy to hear it.” My gaze darted between them. “He was worried no one would accept him. He didn’t want to be parted from me and the b- uuuuuh, erm, big old thing that is our life.”

Tor cocked his head as he studied me. “Jojo ‘kay?”

“I will be.” My smile was small but genuine. “How, uh, how’ve you been?”

Tor glanced at Celuk, who gave a subtle shake of his head. My gaze darted between them when Tor growled but settled back down beside me, keeping himself at a respectable distance.

“What?” My gaze pingponged between them. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?” My hand went to my throat as I worked to swallow past the lump starting to form in it, threatening to block my windpipe. Oh my god, what the hell happened since I’ve been gone?! My heart started to thunder wildly. “What is it? What happened? What’s wrong?”

Celuk gave Tor a dirty look before moving in closer to me, until he’d taken up the empty space beside me.

My hands flapped at my sides wildly. “Don’t give him that look! What are you telling him not to tell me?!”

Celuk went to take my hand in his and lower it, possibly so I didn’t jab his eye out. I went to jerk my hand out of his and this pushed his hand right onto my bump. Celuk froze right as I did. Eyeing the deer in the headlights look on my face, a soft noise left him.

It sounded like all the air in his lungs had vacated the premises. Throat working, he moved his hand closer.

“Jo,” he burst out in a rush of air, then pressed his hand more firmly over my stomach. It splayed across my belly over the furs I was wearing possessively.

Tor leaned over me, trying to get a good gander at what had Celuk making that face.

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