Page 392 of Bride of Choice

Jeh-kal looked like he didn’t believe him. Reaching out, he patted Rek on the back. “Still have to share,” he grumbled to Rek. “Jeh-kal no care who make. Still Jeh-kal baby, too.” After a minute, he added, “No have share with Kirch.”

Rek grunted in agreement.

I couldn’t help but laugh listening to them. Glancing up, I met Celuk’s gaze and smiled.

He closed the distance between us, leaning over the beasts at our feet to kiss me senseless.

“Heeello nurse,” I breathed.

“What nurse?” Jeh-kal asked Rek quietly.

“See in my Jojo movies. Mean, like dog-tors. Jab-jabs. Pokes, hurt with needles. Not nice. Say can’t do things. Make take bad medicine and lock in rooms,” Rek softly replied. “Rek watch, have bad dreams.”

Breaking Celuk’s kiss, I stared down between us at the softly talking pair. “What the hell movies have you been watching on my tablet? Horror? I warned you about those!” I burst out. If you’ve hit my scif fi horror section and you’re a too literal furball, you’ve officially gone too far. Had I not warned Rek about those multiple times?! Too many times to count, in fact. He acted like I had some kind of secret I was unwilling to share when it came to those but dropped it every time he said he wanted to watch them and I insisted he really wouldn’t like them.

“Bad one,” Rek grunted out. Shaking his head at Jeh-kal, he warned him, “Rek show Jeh-kal movie pictures square. No watch ho-rawrs. Jojomine say no watch them, Rek no like, but Rek want see, want feel close my Jojojmine she no’ here, Rek no’ listen. No feel close. Feel scared, sad, worried big head beasts take my Jojo. Sneak sleep in ‘Luk room.”

Jeh-kal frowned but nodded. “Jeh-kal no want watch hello nurses and bad dog-tors. Not sound goot. No want need sneak sleep in Celuk room.”

“Seriously, how many did you watch?” I spluttered.

A short grunt left Rek. “One all way...” His nose wrinkled in distaste. “Rek no need see more. Bad. Not nice. Not good movie. Why my Jojomine has the bad movies like that?”

“What freakin’ movie?!” I spluttered.

“One with bad beasts like this,” Rek paused to mime the shape of the creatures he was talking about, “in bad hut in sky. Humans mean, each other, mean to beasts. Beasts get out, kill all the humans, even good ones.” Rek shuddered. “No want those here. Bad, like Krampus. No want long head beasts hurt my Jojomine. Like big head cuked-clumbers. Rek happy we not have sky huts and bad hello-nurse dog-tors and cluked-clumber heads. Humans need empty sky huts and stay empty.”

“Did you watch the whole thing? How far down that rabbit hole did you go? I told you, if I call it horror, it’s not for you.” What other odds and ends would crop up from this?! “None of that is real. It’s just make believe. It’s supposed to scare you.”

“How know not real?” Rek argued. “Humans think Lo denaii not real.”

He had a point but… “It’s not the same,” I insisted.

Celuk chuckled softly at the vehemence in my voice.

“They aren’t!” I sputtered belligerently.

The look Rek and Jeh-kal exchanged said they’d let me believe what I wished. UGH! “They are people in those suits!” I burst out.

“That what Rosa say, Celuk tell Noyel ask Rosa when Rek have bad night scares from it. Rek tell Kirch, Kirch say him Mina says also not real. Made up for mates to cuddle and kiss when they watch.” Blue-grey eyes fanned over me appreciatively. “Celuk watch big head beast movie, hold my Jo she gets scared,” my blue-grey eyed admirer purred.

“NO!” Rek burst out, scrambling to get between us. He moved too fast, wobbling in place as he shook like a leaf. “Jojomine no watch bad movie, have night scares like Rek!”

“I- Uhm, I don’t have nightmares from those movies. They’re fun for me, nostalgic, too old school really for me to be scared from it. The biggest thing for me is forgetting and jumping from the pop-outs, but that’s about it. I’ve watched them so many times that rarely happens.” Snuggling up behind Rek as he stood between me and Celuk, ignoring Jeh-kal’s grumbles about Rek shoving his junk in his face as he rolled to his feet to stand with us and Celuk’s warning growl that Rek had pushed in between us, I pressed a kiss to Rek’s back, right between his trembling shoulder blades, and wrapped my arms around him tight. “We don’t have to watch those together, okay? I’ll save that for a movie night with just me and Celuk. Like the ones we used to have, just me and you, remember? Only happy movies.”

“No have bad dreams?” Rek mumbled worriedly.

“I won’t,” I swore. I’d lived my own nightmare. Kinda hard to top that. Those movies would probably be laughable to me now.

Rek nodded, actually taking my word for it this time, the tremors racking him easing slightly. His hands slid over mine, tightening on them briefly as the growl in his chest subsided.

Celuk placed his hand on Rek’s shoulder and leaned in, meeting him nearly nose to nose. “We have our Jo back. No one takes our Jo from us, yes? Never again, yes? We take care. Strong together. Our Jo has lots of mates. No beast take, no Krampus, no ‘tend big heads, yes? Jojo Rek’s, Celuk’s, Jeh-kal’s, Odix’s, Gopher’s family. Family stay together. All. No one hurts, takes our Jo ‘gain, yes? Like Rothy and her mates. Mina and her males. All protect. Babies and mates safe.”

Rek let out a deep breath and nodded. “My Jo- Our Jo safe. ‘Tected. We protect.”

Celuk gently bussed Rek’s temple with the side of his head and then let him go. “Sit. Rest.”

“Only if my Jojo go,” Rek grumbled, fidgeting in place under Celuk’s unwavering stare despite his belligerent tone.

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