Page 5 of Bigfoot's Bride

I shoot him a glare and raise the corner of my lip in a snarl.

Taredd roars in laughter.

"Fuck off, you two," I growl before taking another long swig of Giir, relishing the burn. Maybe if I drink enough, I can drown out the memory of her scream. The look of pure terror on her face.

Taredd leans in, his eyes glinting with mirth. "Fright? I don’t know. Maybe she took one look at your ugly mug and ran screaming for the hills."

They both burst out laughing. I feel my cheeks heat under my fur.

I know they mean no harm. I’m aware they’re only trying to lighten the situation and my mood by teasing and making me laugh. But I’m not laughing.

Olwydd wipes a tear from his eye. "Oh, that's rich. The mighty Gruffydd, brought low by a little human female."

I scowl into my stein. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

Huw ambles over. "Another round, boys?"

"Keep 'em coming," I say, pushing my empty stein towards him.

As Huw refills our drinks, Taredd leans back, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "You know, maybe you came on too strong, thrusting flowers at her."

I bristle.

Olwydd snorts. "Maybe she doesn’t like lilies."

I open my mouth to retort, but the words die on my tongue. I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. "I don't know what I'm doing. I thought...I thought when my soulstone started singing, that was it. That she'd feel it too."

Taredd pats my arm sympathetically. "Don't beat yourself up, buddy. This whole human-Sasquatch thing, it's new territory for all of us. We're bound to hit a few bumps along the way."

I nod, but my heart isn't soothed. All I can think about is her. My mate. The way her dark curls framed her face, the sparkle in her eyes behind those glasses. And her scent, like spring blossoms.

I close my eyes, letting the memory wash over me. For a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to hold her, to bury my nose in her hair and just breathe her in.

Then I remember her scream. Her mouth so wide I could see her tonsils, and my eyes snap open. I signal for another drink.

As Huw sets a fresh stein in front of me, Olwydd leans in conspiratorially. "You know, I heard a rumor about these human women."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He nods, lowering his voice. "Apparently, they're not just here for mate-matching. Word is, each one of them is running from something. Hiding out here in Grotto."

I frown. "Running from what?"

He shrugs. "No idea. But think about it, it must be something serious, for them to agree to shack up with a bunch of Squatches."

I turn this over in my pickled mind. I suppose it would make sense. Afterall, the mate matching algorithm that we acquired from the dragons in a trade was specifically altered to find single human women who would potentially be open not only to mating with our species, but to forsaking their human society entirely and remaining in Grotto indefinitely.

“I could research it for you,” Olwydd offers. “Do some digging on the dark web.”

“Huh?” I stare at him in confusion. “Research what?”

“Why she’s hiding. What her story is.”

“No,” I growl.

But what could my mate be running from? What secrets is she hiding behind those big, beautiful brown eyes?

“Well…maybe,” I reconsider.

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