Page 17 of Night's Bride

“In baking, yes,” she agreed as her blush worked higher up her face.Please just hurry up and accept, or decline and put me out of my misery.

The set of his ears relaxed and he smiled, bringing warmth into his eyes so that they brightened like luminous pools that stole her breath. “I would be delighted.”

Chapter

Fifteen

CHAPTER 15

Nash glanced around the space she called the kitchen. He was familiar with its location because Vikt and Vrel frequently disappeared within there, but he had not felt bold enough to explore the den in its entirety uninvited. He understood, in general, that it was the small food storage and preparation room. He recalled something far simpler in the den he grew up in, but the concept was not lost on him. Although food was prepared in the main chamber of the den, food storage was carried out in a series of small chambers interconnected by its own tunnel. The human-fashioned dens were designed a little differently, not only possessing a larger structure despite their diminutive size but also having numerous heat sources.

To his surprise, Vrel was already present in the kitchen. The male stood over a large gray boxy structure that radiated heat as he stirred something in a large vessel sitting on top of it. Emily went over to the male and drew his head down, and she went up onto her toes to rub her cheek against his and press her soft human lips to the side of his muzzle. Vrel’s gaze turned towardher immediately, his tail flagging with pleasure. Nash shrank back slightly, uncertain if his presence was intrusive.

“Rya, did you need something from the kitchen?” Vrel inquired as he cast a curious glance in Nash’s direction.

To Nash’s relief, there was no hostility within the male’s eyes or even a faint trace of annoyance. Just warmth and curiosity. His muscles relaxed as a feeling of peace and happiness flooded through him. He was not a stranger intruding someplace he did not belong. Vrel was treating him as a member of his family who just happened to unexpectedly enter the place where he was working.

She shook her head, and Nash felt immediately included within the circle of intimacy when she turned toward him with a smile. “Not at all. Just keep doing what you are doing. We won’t be in your way. Nash and I are just going to be putting together an apple cobbler. I can sneak it into the oven once we are done.”

Vrel’s eyes left Nash and lit up with obvious delight as he glanced back toward his mate. “You are? Is there anything I can do to assist? This will keep well enough on its own for a while.”

Nash glanced back and forth between the pair, wondering if now he would be dismissed in favor of the male who was her mate, but to his surprise she reached over and grabbed his lower left hand, tugging him over to her side.

“Nash is going to help me put together the spices, and we will get started on the topping while you fill a basket with apples.” She directed the other male to the back of the room with a tip of her head.

Would Vrel object now to being sent away while he remained by her side? He eyed the male uncertainly, but he was surprised again when Vrel’s ears pricked and he nodded quickly in agreement as he headed toward the wall and picked up a basket stacked among others there.

Straightening with the basket tucked under his arm, he gave Nash a sly look. “Have fun and try not to breathe too deeply,” he advised with a quiet chuff.

“Not breathe?” he queried, his brow dipping in confusion.

“Ignore him,” Emily laughed as she wagged a finger at Vrel, who chuffed with laughter in response and fled through a small door at the rear of the room. Tipping her head back, she gave Nash an adorable lopsided smile. “He likes to tease me because I tend to be a little heavy handed when baking and there are a lot of spices. Apparently it makes Ragoru sneeze even more than it does humans.”

“I see,” Nash rumbled with amusement as he followed Emily to the shelves that spanned one wall.

He did not know exactly what was meant by “heavy handed” but he understood the result well enough to prepare himself. It still did not spare him when the small female sent up a dust cloud of a sweet spice that burned the inside of his nose like fire. He immediately whirled away from the table as his entire body convulsed with a sneeze that made all four of his eyes tear up. His fur shook with every successive sneeze, certain that his nose and eyes were about to separate from his body at any moment. It was sheer torture, all except for Emily’s little hand patting his arm sympathetically. He blinked down at her blearily once he got himself under control again, and she grimaced apologetically.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to send up that big of a cloud.” Her flat teeth pressed into her bottom lip in an expression of worry. “Do you want to sit it out? I can make them easily if you just want to waAAAtch!” she shrieked out the last word in surprise as he lifted her up and set her back in front the of the table.

“I wish to assist,” he replied calmly as he took his place at her side again.

She squinted up at him, doubt on her face. “Are you certain? I wouldn’t be offended if you decided to preserve your health.”

“I want to,” he reiterated. “My nose and eyes will survive—I hope. But even if they do not, this is a moment to treasure for me. I have no interest in giving it up.”

Her lips twitched and she huffed a tiny laugh that made his fur puff with an electric sensation of pleasure. “All right. I will try to be less enthusiastic so that we can do as little damage to your nose and eyes as possible,” she said as she reached for another container.

In the end they had a bowl filled with some sort of crumbling, sweet mixture and splotches of his pale gray fur were now an orange-red color for the mixture of flour and spices dusting him. He did not even notice it until Vrel returned with the apples only to stare wide-eyed at him as he deposited the basket onto the table.

“You… are very colorful,” Vrel chuffed loudly. “Even Vikt knew to stand back when she was throwing things into the bowl.”

Nash did not find anything amiss with his appearance—and in fact rather loved it for what it meant to him—but did not hesitate to share the love either. He pounced. Snatching the smaller male into his arms, he lowered his spice-splattered face against Vrel’s head and rubbed briskly, spreading the powder everywhere between them. Vrel howled with laughter as Emily giggled behind her hand as she backed a safe distance away from their antics, taking the bowl with her—perhaps to keep it well out of range of their play. The sound the male made was nearly hair raising but it made Nash chuff with his own deep chuckle as he rubbed more enthusiastically.

“Vrel! What…” Vikt shouted as he burst into the kitchen, small game dangling from his lower hands.

The male jerked to an immediate halt, his eyes widening as he stared at them and their mess. Nash lifted his head curiously, giving Vrel room to wheeze as the smaller male in his arms caught his breath. Vikt’s gaze darted between them before turning to Emily who stood at the far side of the table, biting her lip as she attempted to control her snorts of merriment. His gaze turned to them again, his eyes roving over them and his shoulders began to shake and vibrate even harder as his quiet chuffs growing louder until he was forced to support himself against the door.

Emily’s eyes narrowed on him, and Nash snickered to himself when she sat the bowl on the table and grabbed two big handfuls of the topping. Vikt’s eyes were closed in the midst of his laughter, so he failed to see what was coming until she gripped the sides of his face and began to liberally massage the mess into his fur. His eyes snapped open in surprise but he only laughed harder as he pinned her to him and rubbed his messy face against hers.

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