CHAPTER 10

 

OKay… alright… so he’d said Tokre was this way. Or was it that way…? I felt so upside down and plum turned around I didn’t know anymore! Right looked like left, and left looked like right.

More snow had started to fall, I couldn’t feel my hands or feet, my aches were aching, my ass hurt something fierce, the one I was positive now had giant, beast handprints welting up on it—which stung, darn it!—and I was completely and utterly lost.

And really, really naked.

Really cold and freaking naked.

Teeth chattering wildly, I had the beginnings of a migraine from trying not to freak out and break down and cry, and I’d been screaming Tokre’s name for the past however long—too long to be running around in the buff, bare foot.

Tears slowly slipped down my cheeks and I sniffled, growling under my breath angrily, pissed for feeling so gosh darned helpless and weak, pissed I didn’t have a nifty set of fur to keep me warm and some thick claws to defend myself. Is nothing ever fair?

Nope, my asshole inner self added helpfully.

Vision blurry, I swiped at my eyes furiously, swallowing convulsively. “Be a tiger! Be a tiger! You are a tiger, Rosa- Ahhh!” Missing a step, I tromped right into a muddy hole in the ground, just big enough for my foot to catch and send me flying.

With a yelp I was skidding like Frosty in a Christmas special, belly boarding face first towards a muddy slope.

Squealing my ass off, multicolored reed-like plants and weeds, wheat tall grass in funky, psychedelic pinks and greens slapping at me, an unidentifiable, sticky leaved plant hitched a ride on my shocked mug, obstructing my vision. I was slipping and sliding, and then there was nothing, and then I was sailing through the open air.

Briefly, I had a glimpse of something purplish-blue and glistening, shimmering bits between the vegetation that’d hitched a ride trying to blind me; and as I tugged the sticky bugger free to chuck it, I was tumbling right into that water I’d been looking for.

No!

Chest expanding pre-bellow, I sucked in a deep breath automatically, right as I took my unplanned plunge, dumping into a decently sized pool of warm water.

That rush of water always gets me, crashing over me, deafening but for the sound of water filling my ears, surrounding me, that rushing liquid temporarily blinding me. I always had this strange feeling of a liquid bag being shoved over my head to shut me up, a gag for my senses, blocking everything and anything else out. Everything but for the water, and in that respect I felt surrounded.

It would help if I knew what the frick I was doing, I thought offhandedly, borderline hysterically, my eyes adjusting enough to spot the surface glimmering above me.

Arms flailing like broken wannabe flippers, legs pumping, I was uncoordinated as shit but moving.

Head popping up, I broke the surface and gasped, choking, then screamed. Splashing wildly, gagging on the lungful of water I’d just inhaled, I was desperate to stay afloat. I’d found my way to the top once and could probably do so again, were I willing and wily enough—and I was—but I’d rather stay with my head above the water, thank you very much.

It’s too bad I can’t swim for crap, I’m rather short, and this pond is just too freakin’ deep.

“Hel-p! H-ah-elp! Can’t! Swim!” Dipping back down, flailing desperately, the pond swayed as I dipped and bobbed, sending me drifting closer to the bank. There was a noise, drowned out as the waves I was making splashed back, slapping against me, then noises, movement along the edge of the pond. A snarl? A barked shout? I couldn’t make anything out but for a flash of white blurring past.

It wasn’t until the water rocked, suddenly churning, taking me along, swept up in the mini tidal wave, that I finally heard it clearly—snarls. Those snarls moved closer.

Help, I hoped, and screeched louder. I was panicking, paddling harder and harder, until my legs began to cramp and my arms ached. I was tiring myself out faster with my efforts.

I knew I wasn’t doing myself any favors, and someone was obviously on their way, but I’d yet to sink back down towards the bottom.

Now, what the snarl on the way chose to do with me once they reached me, praying it wasn’t Rek, I’d just have to find out.

God, don’t let it be Rek, I pleaded.

And just in case it was him and another may be about nearby, my cries for help grew.

A big paw clasped my arm right as my leg cramped. I barked out a garbled shout, about to dunk under, another thick mitt gripping a fistful of my hair, tugging me back towards the surface.

The second my head was fully above water I sucked in a huge gulp of air, gasping and choking frantically, coughing my partially drowned brains out.

Sharp, claw-tipped fingers released me and I panicked, turning towards my rescuer, crying out hysterically. Gripping the beast’s forearm, I latched on, a thick arm securing itself under my backside to tug me towards a massive chest.

My rescuer, who had jumped in the water and scooped me up, was now holding me—or, I should say, trying to, I was flailing about so wildly.

Facilitating between coughing up a lung and sobbing openly, I wrapped my arms around his thick, furry neck tight, choking him as he lifted me up. He let out a short, shocked grunt, a gentle plea to allow him to breathe, too.

“You saved me,” I gasped out, hiccupping, burying my face in thick, wet fur. I kept saying it over and over, too shocked to comprehend much else. I had yet another beast to feel indebted to besides my mate… Wonderful. Just wonderful. And yet I’d be dead without him, no doubt.

At a familiar purr rattling my rescuer’s chest, I pulled back enough to peer blurrily into Tokre’s dark, jet black eyes. My lips trembled even harder than before and I let out a shocked cry of relief. That made two recues by my hairy captor.

One kidnap, two rescues, I mentally corrected, but who was fucking counting?

Making that weird cooing sound in his throat, adjusting me on his hip as he easily held onto me and kept us afloat, he lifted a hand to my cheek.

Mine, he mouthed, an unreadable expression on his face, though his heart thundered harder than I’d ever felt. Bending closer, closing his eyes, he leaned in to nuzzle my forehead.

Holding perfectly still as he sucked in lungfuls of my scent, I let him, studying him as he took his fill. Mine, he mouthed over and over, caressing my cheek, nuzzling my hair, as if I were made of glass, and that’s when I realized I wasn’t the only one shaking.

Bellows shot off in the distance, startling me hard enough to make me jump, but Tokre didn’t react. Nope, Tokre didn’t move a damned muscle. Eyes widening as the puzzle pieces slowly started to fall into place, I tapped my mate on the shoulder.

Blinking his eyes open slowly, Tokre pulled back to stare down at me.

Covering my mouth, I shouted, “MINE!” and waited.

Tokre frowned, grunting, watching my chest move, and tugged my hand away.

Reaching up to smooth my hand along his throat, Tokre allowed it, eyeing me curiously, shivering as my fingers slowly trailed over his oddly shaped ears. Pulling my hand back, I softly snapped my fingers a few times on either side of his head, and waited.

Nothing. Nothing at all. Not even a flinch or hint of anything. And I had my answer.

“Tokre,” I called, staring him directly in the eye. Tapping my lips, I waited until he was watching them, and said his name.

Mouthing his own name as I spoke it, following along as his fingers caressed my lips, he made a happy noise in his throat.

Tokre mine, I mouthed and paused, watching as he stilled.

Mine, he mouthed back, swallowing thickly, his eyes widening, his pale, furry throat working. The big beastie started blinking rapidly, gazing down at me as if I’d just given him the greatest gift.

His reaction made me feel a little overcome myself, my insides going wobbly. I said it again, then smiled. Tokre mashed me to his chest, a deep, crazy growl tumbling from his thick lips. It was his crazy happy growl, the sound breaking every time he swallowed.

I hugged him back, resting my head gently against him, and was rewarded with his entire chest vibrating wildly.

My face starting to go numb, my cheek smooshed against him, I couldn’t help it, I giggled like a loon. “Oh! Oh boy. Some beastie liked, eep, that.”

His, uh, joy, was further evidenced, put in an entirely different perspective, when another part of his robust anatomy made itself known. Squeaking, my mouth went dry at the thick, furry erection cocking up, pressing into my stomach.

“Oh, but we just did, uhm, that. Twice,” I blurted, then began to wiggle for a bit of space. “We should wait a bit, huh? To boink again. You know, let the road rash thrashing my vagina heal itself up a bit first. Heh. Heh.” Not that he had any clue what I was saying or anything.

Grasping my wrist, a heavy purr rumbling his rib cage, he smoothed my hand over his chest, releasing it and placing his palm between my breasts to do the same to me. Leaning in to nuzzle my neck, his thick tongue peeking out, it rasped across the column of my throat and he mouthed the word into my skin—Mine. Mine. Mine—as if he was chanting it. To me? Himself? For both our benefit? I didn’t know.

Guessing at what he wanted, I started to hum as loud as I could, grinning like a stunned fool when he let out a shy little beastly whoop at my mock purr. Those arms banding around me grew just shy of crushing me to death.

“Rosie-linda! Rosie-lindy?”

“Female!”

Snarls and shouts, beasts bellowing out across the lush, overgrown, unearthly plants surrounding the marshy, swampy looking spot, fat, electric green and yellow leaves rustled off by a thick clump of sticky bushes.

“Rosie-lindy!” Zhuii’s voice boomed out above the rest, followed by Rek’s, others calling out the blue-haired snowbeast’s silly version of my name.

Rosie-lindy/Rosie-linda, indeed, I thought, Tokre’s grip shifting as I gasped out a breath, his furry arm chafing the undoubtedly fire engine red welts and scrapes throbbing across my bum.

Wincing, I hissed, and wriggled.

Catching the action, Tokre’s arm shifted more, his head shooting up, the thick fingers of one hand unerringly going for the purple handprints he’d made. As if he’d memorized exactly where they were, he made a pained noise in his throat, smoothing over one spot, then the other, until he’d caressed and cooed over each and every one in way of apology.

Black eyes solemn, he made a noise in his throat, that haunted look from this morning on his face, leaning in until we were face to face to brush his nose along mine. The claw-tipped fingers at my cheek trailed down my nape, careful of his razor sharp claws on my delicate skin, to slide down the column of my spine. Goose flesh popping up everywhere, I shivered, his touch leaving curious tingles in their wake.

“What are you doing to me?” I whispered, staring into those smoothed chips of obsidian.

Nostrils flaring, his head canting ever so slightly in a very animalistic way, the deep rumble bubbling in his throat was anything but angry as he pressed a hand into my back, forcing our chests to brush. That thick slab of solid muscle rippling beneath all that fur, I was slapping against a warm, heavy, living, breathing, growling wall of beast.

“Oh, I don’t know about, uhm, that, erm, right now, big, eep, fella.”

Thick fingers smoothing over my ass to cup a rounded globe, he gave it a squeeze, much gentler than his rough handling of yesterday. Definitely learning, I noted, but he wasn’t aware of the blows Rek had belted across my ass. Crying out, face twisting in pain, my nails dug in and I tried to wriggle loose.

Grumbling, disconcerted, Tokre’s hand froze, his body tensing when the thick pads of his fingers caught on the raised flesh. With a shocked grunt, he shifted me higher until my breasts rested on the top of his head, oblivious to my howled shrieks as I flew up, grunting but otherwise ignoring my palms flattening to the top of his skull, my much tinier hands pounding the top of his head.

“Tokre! What are you- No!”

Twisting me in his arms, a steely grip on my hip anchoring me in place, the other hand slipping up between my breasts, pressing my side along the front of him, my butt embarrassingly close to his fuzz-lined face, he easily maneuvered me where and how he wished. My side squashed to his chest, my arms curled around an impressive bicep, nails biting at his skin, I could feel his hot breath fanning over my derriere.

My sex clenched reflexively, along with the rest of me, and I bit my lip, as if that might stifle the sick squelch my cooch may or may not have just let off.

“Kill me now,” I ground out harshly, spotting a mob of furry heads darting our way from my vantage point, hoisted up on Tokre’s large frame as I was.

Chest rumbling so hard it made my side tingle, Tokre’s deep, menacing growl was anything but happy as his fingers smoothed over Rek’s handiwork. His breathing grew harsh, his unhappy noises kicking up.

Clenching up tight, ass cheeks and all, I tried to scoot away from his touch. Lord, don’t accidently claw that ass, boy, I wanted to shout but refrained. Nope, instead one hand was petting the thick muscle my other hand was digging at for dear life, in some strange, absent-minded attempt to calm the creature.

Alright, so I was spanked, and maybe I’m a weenie, okay, I tried to tell myself, like maybe if I downplayed it we could all just move along, no matter how much that shit freaking hurt.

It felt like I’d been full on belted across the ass, paddled, not swatted! Snowbeasts didn’t play around with ass whoopin’s, apparently.

Glancing at my mate, thinking of taking any kind of punishment like that from him, contemplating the bruises he’d unintentionally put on my much smaller frame to begin with, I shuddered at the idea.

Captain Picard preserve me, this mutiny stuff was starting to look more and more complicated. My freshly spanked ass was in serious need of a detailed, well-thought-out plan, the deeper I found myself easily entrenched in this mess. Not much of a planner, this crap-storm stunk to high heaven.

Been here how long? And already up to my eyeballs in more than I could handle. It was overwhelming. The fact that I’d held my sanity thus far, to my way of thinking, was a feat in and of itself.

A warm, furry cheek leaning in to nuzzle my perceived injury had me squawking and squalling, the tongue that slithered out to rasp out and skim across a flaming cheek sending me into orbit.

“Ack! Hey, there! Whoa! Boundaries! Boundaries! It’s better! It’s better!” I cried out, squealing, the sound petering out as my pink face pinched and a giggle slipped free.

Another popped free, then another, the longer his tongue rasped, until I was snort-laughing, kicking and flailing, a hot, giggling mess as he made sure to soothe every stinkin’ inch of my bum, tickling the hell out of me in the process.

By the time he was finished I couldn’t breathe and his chest was rumbling so loud at the sounds I was making, my chest rattling with them as I squealed with laughter, it was making the water ripple around us, tiny waves splashing along the pond’s edge.

Turning me slowly to let me slide down his chest, Tokre nuzzled along my face, sighing happily, his thick arms wrapping around my waist tight as he hugged me close. Mine, he mouthed, making sure I felt it against my forehead.

“I know, honey. Heard you the first twenty times or so,” I told him, reaching out to pat his massive chest. “Well, I felt it,” I corrected, pulling back to look him in the eye as I spoke.

His gaze automatically went to my eyes and then my lips, and something in his face changed, a lightness entering it that gave me pause. Murmuring a mish mash of incoherent gibberish, Tokre mouthed along as I repeated myself, pushing against my lips and waiting once I’d finished, as if I hadn’t said the right thing.

“Mmmmnnnn,” he told me.

Knowing exactly what that was, I cocked my head, clucking my tongue, eyes narrowing, and tapped his chest. “Let me guess. Hmm. Is it... mine, perhaps?”

The second the words left my lips Tokre mashed our chests together, forgetting he had to be careful. Our faces slammed into each other, noses mashing, teeth clashing. Clumsy but eager, he took my lips in a harsh, possessive, untrained kiss.

Gasping, my lips parted in shock just as he went for it, his tongue forcing its way inside my gaping maw the second it saw the chance. Groaning into my mouth, tilting his head for better access, he cupped my nape, eating at my mouth enthusiastically.

I felt swallowed up whole, my hands fluttering about his head as I made little startled, “Oop. Eep,” sounds, at a loss.

“Tokre,” I gasped out, when he finally let me up for air. Lips kiss swollen, lightheaded, chest heaving, I couldn’t remember which way was up or down.

“Rosie-lindy?” Zhuii breathed out my name, the grassy ground off to the side of us rustling as he shifted from foot to foot, his heavy brow beetling as his gaze ping-ponged between my mate and me.

My head shot up and I spluttered, spotting our rather large audience, all gathered around to gawk openly.

Standing off to the side of Zhuii and a tall but slimmer male, was another furry snowbeast, glaring, his lips curled back to expose an impressive set of long, sharp teeth. Naturally, it was none other than Rek.

Turning to Tokre, I curled my body into his, petting along his fur. “Mine, my mate,” I said aloud, making sure he felt the words against his skin.

A happy hum rumbling his chest, that wild purr kicking up like a lawnmower, Tokre was pleased as punch.

“Rek claim!” Rek shouted, curling his hand into a fist and smacking his chest in challenge, puffing up and jerking his chin.

Tokre, still purring like a maniac, didn’t even flinch. His heartbeat nice and steady, I pulled back, glancing up to find him playing with my hair, oblivious to anyone and anything but me.

It was a bit flattering, beside the fact he simply didn’t give one single shit about any of those assholes who didn’t care to bother with him in the first place—okay, beyond flattering, and though I’d have preferred it from a human man instead of a beast, it probably never would have happened—but we had a bit of an issue to deal with first. A big old pain in the assed issue named Rek.

“Rek claim Tokre female!” Rek bellowed in challenge. Stepping closer, eyeing the water critically, he crept towards the edge, a slip of fear slithering over his typically confident features.

Was he afraid of the water? Could Rek not swim too, I wondered. In fact, I’d swear the other males were giving the pond the stink eye, eyeballing it warily.

Looking to Tokre appraisingly, I had to wonder who’d taught him to swim.

“Rek claim! What Tokre say?!”

When the warrior’s shout once more went unchallenged, I felt the need to speak up. “On behalf of my mate and myself, I’m afraid we will have to respectfully, ah, decline.”

A murmur rumbled through the gathered crowd, but I held my chin high, sniffing haughtily with all the false bravado I could muster. With Tokre clutching me, it came more easily. He bolstered me.

Trying not to think about the fact that I was butt naked in a clear pond with a group of hairy beasts crowding around, having a free peek if they so wished, pressed up against Tokre the way I was—who was rumbling his horny rumble, nuzzling the shit out of me while I tried to think here—I took a deep breath. Focus, Rosie. Focus. You can do this.

“Female no talk for mate! Tokre speak!” Rek demanded.

“And why the heck not?” I demanded just as hotly, stiffening. Tokre picked up on my body language, pausing to glance up.

Tokre’s eyes narrowed on the interlopers and his top lip curled up at one corner warningly. I didn’t doubt he’d known they were there the entire time, but had chosen to ignore them, as it appeared they were wont to with him.

Warrior, male dominated society. Eat or be eaten. I could see how it would have gone down for Tokre, and my guts clenched in sympathy. This was his big fuck you to his fellow beast men.

With the exception of Zhuii, I had a funny feeling they didn’t bother with Tokre much at all, if actually ever, unless they possibly wanted something from him. Like those nifty baskets of his, perhaps? I’d bet he spent a great deal of time making those, as well.

Whether I wanted to feel for Tokre or not, thinking of how Rek described him, how indifferent the others were with him by the wall in the forest while we’d awaited our turn—broken—not a warrior—bad mate—a part of me hurt for him.

“What kind of ass backwards crap is that? Who says he didn’t say I could, hmm?” Yeah, that was me, and my inner bitch was doing the Cha-cha.

“Tokre not say anything,” Rek grumbled condescendingly, his lip curling up in disgust.

I felt my own lip curling, aimed at the fool who was too stupid to take a closer look. “So? You’re not my mama, and you certainly aren’t the boss of us, sir. What right have you, hmm?”

The slimmer beast next to Zhuii stepped forward, blue eyes bright in his long face, his towering height almost comical compared to Zhuii. Stretch Beast Armstrong meet The Beast Wall.

He was big enough, tall enough, and yet somehow, as I couldn’t help but compare this one to the others, a little less beastly, maybe even a little, dare I say it, human looking. It was strange in the strangest sense of the word.

“If Tokre contests, Tokre has to speak up,” the blue-eyed beast retorted. “Rek says Rosie-lindy accepted Rek’s claim. Rek challenges Rosie-lindy’s mate. It’s up to Tokre to have a say. Rek and Tokre go from there.”

“But that’s... that’s crap!” I burst out.

“It’s the Lo denaii way.” His voice was soothing, this taller yet less beastly beast, the low timbre of his voice, the way he spoke, it was calm and reassuring.

The look on his face was slightly apologetic—his eyes, however, as they traveled back and forth between us, dipping down below the depths of the pond, not so much.

Tokre caught the action, growling softly in warning.

“Well, the Lo denaii way is shit!” I shot back at him, scowling at every beast present.

I was so full of my own bologna I was surprised it wasn’t coming out of my ears, I was bluffing so hard. But I was nervous, quickly panicking, and had long ago grown desperate. Would I ever catch a god damned break?

Adjusting Tokre’s hand so it covered my ass, my breasts covered by his chest, I told the male, “I haven’t accepted that asshole’s anything. He’s lying! And what if one of the males is deaf? Then what? What then?”

“Deaf?” White, fluffy brows shooting up, the male glanced between us in mute surprise.

“You heard me. I said what if he can’t hear the challenge? Then what? How can he contest it if he can’t hear it in the first place, genius?”

“Ah… well...

“You don’t know,” I finished waspishly. Tigerlady was on a roll! Rawr.

The first snow beast I’d come across that speaks full sentences, appears to have a brain in his thick skull, and he’s speechless. Hah! Oh, the irony.

“Yep. Well, you guys go think on that,” my hand waved at them and I sniffed, “and we’re going to go-”

“Rek claim Tokre female! Rek-”

“Is a jerk and I can’t stand him! He stole my fur! Tried to kidnap me! Broke into my home! Dragging me from my hut! And I want nothing to do with his stupid... stupid… argh! His stupid, stupid ass! And no matter how much I begged or pleaded, he didn’t care, and he blistered my damned butt black and blue!” I screamed, in a rage, then slapped a hand over my mouth at my shocked outburst. “And he- he- He. Made. Me. Freaking. Pee!” I just had to go and blurt through my fingers.

Tokre’s hand began stroking along my back soothingly, but the tension riding him didn’t let up. Neither did his warning growl.

Chest heaving, panting heavily, I felt lightheaded, sure, but I felt good. Really good. It was like all the shit I’d been holding in for so long had finally bubbled up, boiling over, and burst out. It was sort of… freeing.

“Rek stole Rosie-lindy’s mating fur? Rek hurt Tokre’s mate?” At the scandal in Zhuii’s voice, then the slow thread of anger, a quiet, burning rage building in the serious yet jovial beastie, a murmur of discontent rose up in the crowd.

Rek started rambling in his language, whatever that was, as if to defend his actions.

“But Rosie’s not your mate. Rosie denies you. Lo denaii don’t harm females. We don’t beat them, ever,” I heard the slim male bark sharply. His silky smooth voice was at odds with the anger tingeing his words, and I had to tell my inner tigerlady to calm her shit as her stomach fluttered at his words. Cool it, vixen, I warned myself. Not going to happen.

Tokre’s chest rumbled and I felt like he was doing it for me, the tiger-beast in his heart answering the one roaring to life inside of mine.

Turning to my mate, pride shone in his eyes as I stared up at him. Did he understand? I felt, to an extent, as if he did. Was that pride for me?

“Tokre?” At my question he kissed my lips gently, a quick, sweet press of his mouth to mine, cuddling me close. Dipping down lower, tucking me under his arm, maneuvering his bundle easily with one arm, legs kicking, he swam for shore.

Once there he lifted me up, setting me back in towards the shallows when he would have lifted me up and out, but I’d gasped at the cold chill in the air. Pressing my hands tight onto the ledge, checking to make sure my toes touched the bottom and my fingers held tight, he hopped out.

Shaking himself out like a wet dog, water droplets splashing everywhere, I watched, fascinated, as he marched straight for Rek.

The warrior didn’t see him coming as Tokre charged, lunging, his lips pulled back in a menacing display. Latching onto Rek’s back, Tokre locked an arm around the warrior’s thick neck, shocking the shit out of everyone, beasts and this lowly human alike, wrestling him into a choke hold and throwing them to the side with all of his weight.

Rek roared, the sound tapering to a strangled snarl as Tokre took him down.

All the other beasties just stood there, staring, watching, curious, various expressions of surprise streaking across their animalistic mugs. Most appeared to be impressed.

Rek bucked, trying to shuck Tokre off his back, but my beast-mate was pissed and determined. Tokre had rage on his side, that was for sure, but it would only stand up for so long to Rek’s warrior skills.

I was scared, frightened for Tokre. What if he lost? What if Rek won? What would it mean for him, either of them, or for me? Would that make Rek my mate? Would that make Tokre suddenly not mine? I couldn’t afford to find out, honestly.

There was snarling and jaw snapping, Rek managing to swing Tokre to his side, his claws slashing perilously close to my deflowerer’s washboard tummy. No, I thought, in a panic.

“Help him!” I shouted, my hands clutching the muddy lip of the pond, my legs kicking about like that would somehow prove helpful. “Don’t just stand there, you fuzzy brained, kidnapping idiots! Help him!”

Zhuii glanced down at me, along with the blue-eyed jolly-white-furred-bean-pole for a beast, and the orange-eyed beast moved closer. “Rosie-lindy want Tokre lose?”

Thin, beastie lips dragged down, his bright eyes pinching into a confused, displeased squint. He liked that idea about as much as I did.

“What? No! Not help Rek! Rek is poo! Rek is… Rek is blech! I hate Rek! Boo, Rek!” Shaking my head, I set the male straight. “Tokre! I mean help Tokre! So, you know, go help him!” The you fool was tacked on silently, though I wondered if it would have affected him, had I elaborated. Zhuii was a little slow on the uptake, but in no way did I think it was indicative of diminished noggin juice.

Grunting, Zhuii glanced from the snarling pair duking it out a few feet away from us, Rek having thrown Tokre and, surprisingly, allowing my beastie to gain his feet, the two circling each other, waiting for the other to make their move.

“Noyel interfere,” the blue-eyed beastie offered, his sapphires for eyes glowing as his lips quirked up ever so slightly, “but Noyel want favor from Rosie for it...”

The beast let his words trail off tellingly, going from mostly full sentences to that broken beast speak English Zhuii and a lot of the others used. I was already grimacing at that remark.

“Zhuii do it,” Zhuii interrupted curtly, tossing the smaller male a disgusted look over his shoulder. “Zhuii good male, good beastie,” his eyes slid to meet mine and he gazed down at me earnestly, “show Rosie-lindy Zhuii good mate, good to Rosie-lindy and her Tokre.”

I didn’t buy that Swamp Thing dung for a millisecond. The giant boner he was sporting as he spoke, contradicted the squat male.

The blue-eyed male was no better, and in some ways possibly worse, demanding favors and such and who knew what the heck else, but still!

“Gah, no!” I shouted above the din, startling both males with my barked out response. “Uh... I mean no, erm, thank you?” My words came out soft, in a rush, though no less vehement.

Staring down at my pinched features, my face scrunched up like I’d just sucked a mega sour gummy worm, Zhuii bent low, shoving the other male away from me with a rather well-aimed butt bump as he knelt.

While the other male, surprised, flailed back, flopping ungracefully to his ass in the tall grass off to the side of them, cursing quite vividly, Zhuii frowned down at me. “Rosie-lindy no want help for her Tokre? Rose-lindy want Tokre lose? Be Rek’s mate?”

We’re at this mind-fuck bull now? Oh… not even on a good day, buddy.

“He could win,” I huffed out, though I didn’t sound quite so certain, even to my own ears.

A deep, stuttering rumble started up within Zhuii as he gazed down at me. Shaking himself out, his fur ruffling in the breeze, he inhaled deeply before speaking.

“Zhuii be good second mate to Rosie-lindy,” the beastie rumbled out reverently, his voice gone deep and gravelly, heavy with his purr. “Zhuii save Rosie-lindy mate.” Head tilting curiously as he eyed me, his bottom lip jutted in a strange, unintended beastly pout. “Rose-lindy do worse than big Zhuii.” Big Zhuii puffed his chest out, full of masculine pride.

If I had a pin I’d freaking pop him, I thought with an inner snicker. On the outside, I was squawking unintelligibly. That cheeky, mutant, fur beastie of a git!

“W-w-what?!” I spluttered, but he’d already stood as if to make his way into the crowd. “I said no,” I called after him, but it looked like the bulky male wasn’t listening.

“Oh... no-no-no-no-no,” I began mumbling under my breath. One balls to the wall quirky male was enough to deal with on a good day. I did not want nor need to add the horny one!

There was a pained snarl, and while I couldn’t see what was going on clearly, I had a feeling my male wasn’t the one everyone’d be betting on. The male Zhuii’d tumbled to the grass rolled to his feet with a grunt, shaking his shorter but still shaggy head of beast fluff, to glance over at me.

“What are you looking at? Never seen a lady panicking before?! What?!”

The blue-eyed gawker almost lost his footing, blinking down at me, jerking at my outburst.

Tiger, not the fly. Tiger, not the fly, I chanted, the mantra growing louder and louder in my head until I was shouting it out loud. “Tiger, not the fly. Tiger, not the fly!”

By the time I’d hopped out of the pond and started running, I was screaming, bellowing my mumbled war song aloud.

Males jerked up at my squealed out roar, watching as I descended upon them like a mighty mouse on steroids. Hairy beasties cleared a path as my stark naked, water speckled, glistening ass came scrambling up the way.

My teeth chattered like crazy, limbs half frozen—my nipples so hard and beaded they could cut freaking glass—but I was on a mission. I had to deal with one male on the regular now, a snow beastie with a snarling disposition and a monster of a wang, no way was I adding more to that! And I’d picked him, damn it, whether he’d picked me first or not. I’d picked him, and I was keeping him!

Marching right into the thick of it, the fighting males circling each other once more, my fighter for the win worse for the wear, his lip swollen and bloodied, one eye swelled shut, gashes marring his once white fur, skin exposed, rivulets of red dribbling down his abdomen, and still he stood, in all his snarling glory, fighting for me and what felt like my honor. Tough as he was, he wouldn’t last much longer against Rek, I just knew.

I had to think fast, hard as it was with my good bits frozen over, icicles in my hair, my butt cheeks clenched so tight there was a distinct possibility they’d frozen clean together, forming a uni-butt. Launching myself between the pair, right when Rek would have lunged for Tokre, I stunned the lot of them, plastering my back to Tokre’s bloodied chest, a growl in my throat, his name on my lips.

“NO! MINE!” I screeched, throwing my arms out protectively, as menacing a snarl as my lacking human voice could produce rumbling my chest to tumble from my lips. “He’s mine!” I punctuated my words by lunging at Rek, my hands lifting, fingers curling, like I thought I was some kind of bad assed beastie myself.

Rek jerked back like I’d just kicked him in the balls with all my might and flicked his dick, almost tripping on his oversized feet as he scrambled to backpedal. Rek, for all his macho warrior bull, suddenly looked poleaxed, wobbling on his feet.

“Ooga-booga! Boo! Woo-woo! Ar! Ar! Grrrr! Rawwwwr! Grrr! Mine! Mine! Mine! Shoo! Go ‘way!” I shouted, growled, and bellowed, dancing around in front of Tokre like a lunatic, as if my nutty dance, which was really more of a hop and a jig, a wiggle and a skip, a wild half frozen nudist’s cry for help, my arms flailing wildly about me.

My skin was turning a purplish blue in spots, it was so freaking cold, and my toes had long ago lost their feeling, but this would end now.

Tokre reached for me on my last lunge, when I made to advance on Rek, his arms wrapping around me to jerk me to his chest. I mighta gotten a little carried away, but Rek was still slowly backing up, still tripping over his feet in his haste, his wild green eyes, wide in his fur-lined face, bulging. With a garbled, shocked noise, he threw his hands out, as if to ward me off.

I wanted to shout, “Boo!” but Tokre was shaking, breathing heavily into my hair, shaking as badly as I was, and my first instinct was to comfort him. Reaching out, I petted my beast wherever I could, trying to coo to him softly between shivers, hoping he could feel the vibrations.

It had been terrifying standing up to Rek—he could’ve ripped me to shreds if he’d so wished, but I’d done it. I’d done it, and it had been frightening, wild, and exhilarating, all at once. I wanted to shock Rek again, relish watching the momentary panic I felt on an almost daily basis wash over him, but I’d be pushing my luck.

Some other time, perhaps, I told myself, turning when Tokre went to shift me.

Twisting, my arms held out, he scooped me up. Curling in close, my knees sat on either side of his hips, my legs folded under me so my feet could curl under my bum. I was long past frozen through. If they put me on the shelf at the grocery store they coulda sold my ass as a meat-sicle.

Teeth chattering, I shivered when Tokre’s hand reached up to cup one of my beat up butt cheeks in his paw of a hand. Reaching for him automatically, I wrapped an arm around his back, snuggling close. He was warm, furnace burning hot, my skin stinging viciously from the contact.

Tokre stared down at me, the strangest look on his face. “Mine!” I told him, pressing my hand to his chest, making sure everyone around heard. His free hand came to press to my chest and his face lit up when I did my best to garble out a purr for him.

Mine, he mouthed, his lips pulling at his face until a mouth full of sharp, pointy looking teeth smiled down on me. His busted lip pulled, causing it to bleed anew, but I’d never seen a more blindingly bright, happy smile on anyone or anything in my life.

Mine, I mouthed back. “I’ve claimed you, mate-y boy. This is the part where you kiss me,” I leaned in to whisper to him, touching my fingers to his lips. Pulling back, I pressed my fingers to mine. Kiss, I mouthed, and waited.

Tokre made a funny chirrup noise, as if doubly pleased, and, swiping at his split lip, he pressed his mouth oh so softly to mine. There was nothing wild or wanton about it, just a simple press of our mouths, and yet I felt it all the way down to my frozen toes.

Tokre inhaled as the kiss lingered, chuffing noisily as he breathed against my skin. As if scenting something he liked, he let out a contented rumble, his mate-purr vibrating his chest.

Several large beasties must’ve walked up on the madness at some point, a scary looking one with white, frostbitten looking, arctic, white-blue eyes watching it all from a short distance away. An equally as scary looking beastie with dark patches of fur streaking his coat, his thick arms crossed over his chest, a long weapon sheathed at his belt but still visible, was talking quietly with the larger one.

Tokre was still shaking, even as the kiss ended, he was still so riled up. His wide chest heaved, his heart thumping wildly, thudding against my breasts like it was determined to slam free of its ribbed prison.

I’d like to think it could’ve been a fair fight between them, but Rek, while equally as winded as Tokre, had far less blood smearing his fluffy thickness. My stomach twisted at the thought of what could have transpired.

Zhuii, walking over and patting Tokre on the back gently, clasped Tokre’s wrist in his huge paw of a hand and, holding it, glanced to me sharply. “Rosie-lindy change mind? Want Zhuii for mate, protect Rosie-lindy and her Tokre? Zhuii be Rosie-lindy’s Zoobie?” he grumbled out gruffly, a sudden furrowing to his brow that hinted he was offended, quite deeply, at my rebuff after he’d offered to save my male, but not about to comment on it. Tough alien potatoes, or whatever tubers passed for them here.

Rek was now looking pretty Rek-less, as he stood off to the side of the impromptu fighting pit, grumbling and snarling under his breath fiercely. I’d have laughed at that if I wasn’t beginning to feel so utterly gobsmacked.

“Uh, no?” I squeaked out, to which the dark clouds hanging over Zhuii’s expression lifted and he smiled wickedly. “Good,” was all he said, which made no damned sense—just, none at all.

Then, glancing to the frosty-eyed giant and darker furred comrade watching with keen eyes from the back of the crowd, Zhuii lifted Tokre’s arm up high at the beings’—who I assumed were some type of beastie higher ups, like a leader and co-captain or something—short nods.

Zhuii shouted something in their beastly language, to which the other males gathered about all roared their agreement, slamming their chests with closed fists, and cheers rang out.

The words Rosie-lindy and Tokre were shouted, Rek starting to move forward, a hitch in his gait, growling as he rocked from foot to foot in agitation.

As if I thought it would somehow help, my hand shot up to slap to Tokre’s forearm and I shouted our names out, too. I probably looked as utterly ridiculous as I felt doing it, but I didn’t care.

Rek froze when a low but disturbingly deep, rusty rumble rent the air and beastly words were growled out.

Shoulders bunching to hunch, Rek let off a chuffing huff. Another growl from the giant beast looming had Sir Rek-less staring down at his giant, fluff covered feet. It was a warning from the big bad frost daddy, and he meant business.

Starting to grumble and rumble under his breath again, subdued but not happy about it, his hunched shoulders twitching like they itched to lift, Rek looked like he might almost ignore the command and advance anyway.

Spotting his indecision, I tensed in Tokre’s arms, my hand dropping to curl to my chest, leaning in closer to him. Tokre, watching Zhuii, took note of my reaction and glanced up, snarling warningly at the sight of Rek shuffling so close now.

“Enough!” the darker furred beastie called out, and then I’m assuming he repeated it in their language as growling words followed. Entering the area, he stepped forward while frosty-eyes stood back and watched. The dark furred beastie spoke English for me, I guessed, offering a short, curt nod in my direction as he strode towards the center of the impromptu fighting ring.

Tokre slid back towards the crowd and away from the fight ring when Zhuii tapped him and discreetly did something with his hands that Tokre seemed to comprehend, though he wasn’t happy about it, and together they stood back.

The darker furred beast walked up to Rek then, barking something at him in their language, to which Rek, choking on a snarl at this point, his teeth visibly gnashing, nodded at the myriad of questions the darker beast seemed to be rapid firing at him.

Zhuii led Tokre over towards the path that led to the village huts, a tiny smirk on the squat beast’s face as the males gathered around slowly dispersed, anyone in their way quickly clearing a path. Any beastie who thought to stare at Zhuii or Tokre too long got a warning snarl from Zhuii, then promptly looked away.

Zhuii was a little slow on the uptake, sure, I thought to myself, yet formidable all the same in his own right, and pretty darned quick to play catchup.

“Rosie’s Tokre needs to see a medic,” the tall beanpole of a beastie told Zhuii, running up to us.

Jumpy, I startled, relaxing when I realized it was just the blue-eyed snarky one. The size of these men and their ability for stealth didn’t make a lick of sense to me.

Zhuii ignored the male with a disdainful sniff and a chuff.

“No tricks, No-yell,” Zhuii told the thinner yet no less bulked up male gruffly, letting Tokre set the pace as he followed. “Rosie-lindy no like No-yell, Zhuii no like No-yell, Tokre not gonna like No-yell. So,” he turned to curl his lip at the male, waving him off like a bad smell, “No-yell shoo.”

“For the- Grrrr! For the last time, Zoobie,” the male shouted after us, “it’s Noyel! Noil, like boil.” More growling followed, but then he stopped. “Your Tokre is hurt, human! Does Rosie hear Noyel? Hurt!”

“Does the hoo-hah salve stop bleeding?” I thought out loud curiously, already starting to feel woozy at just the thought of all those cuts and the blood and- Ack!

I’d deal with my own personal problems of the frost bitten limb variety in a bit here, if I survived handling Tokre’s current, more pressing issues. This isn’t about me and my squeamishness. This is much bigger than that. Tokre’s injured!

“You stole me, you’re stuck with me, big guy. Ain’t no gettin’ around that... Stuck, I say, until further notice.” I was mumbling, ranting under my breath, half mad with worry, for Tokre, for me, the possibility of being even more at the mercy of these strange beasts than I already was.

I’m too freshly captured, taken, and mated to be a widow, I thought hysterically.

Daring a peek as a sticky thickness made its presence well-known, bathing my chest with swiftly cooling, congealed goop, I was one hundred percent certain I’d begun to pale visibly.

It’s just blood. It’s fine. It’s just- Ah- A-a-a-

I had a good old fashioned, grand looksee for my unreasonably overly curious self, glancing down, and completely forgot how to breathe. “L-l-l-l-lots of blood...” Oh god, lots of blood. So much damn- “B-b-b-b-but it’s fine. It’s totally fine.”

Zhuii scowled up at me as I clutched at Tokre, my head shaking vehemently as I glanced away, looking anywhere but straight down, muttering to myself.

Determined to get us home, cuddling me as close as I’d allow, my mate toted me along stoically. Noyel trotted along after us, but at a distance, growling at us in his language as Zhuii snorted in retort.

“Hoo-ha... salve?” The orange-eyed beast looked to me questioningly.

“You know, the tingly stuff?” I muttered absently, between sniffles, trying to remind my body now was not the time to puke or suddenly burst into tears. It’s just blood. It’s just blood. It was just blood that he’d shed for me.

Zhuii blinked, lifted his wide hand and scratched at his furry chin, then blinked again. “Zhuii no know what...”

I didn’t hear anything after that, startling when Tokre stumbled a little, his hold on me loosening fractionally. When I would have tumbled he caught me, but not before I slid down his chest, slicking through oozing wetness, his gaping cuts brushing my bare flesh.

A shocked whimper croaked from my throat, and I wanted to leap away but knew I couldn’t—I’d end up injuring him further as he tried to hold onto me and I squirmed to get free. Tokre let out a short, plaintive groan at the motion and my subsequent movement, but nothing more.

My reaction, gaping between us when he lifted me up, putting me back in place against him, like it was freaking nothing, was not nearly as calm or collected.

Luckily, right as my stomach started to attempt some serious acrobatic feats and my cheeks filled, bile rising in my throat along with it, choking out the screaming squeal I wanted to let loose, we’d just reached the hut.

“Down. Down. Down,” I practically screeched, tapping an uninjured portion of his shoulder to motion that he should drop my rump NOW.

Tokre complied, though he looked confused by my demand, and more than a little hesitant. He was too weak to even snarl at me in argument. The second my feet touched the ground he began to wobble, like the adrenaline and everything riding him from the fight had finally dwindled down.

“Gonna puke, gonna puke.” Everything was a fucking song with me lately, but shit if there were a couple of talking animals to take care of bs for me. Or gold diggin’ dwarves to watch over me, damn it.

Picking up my mate’s hand, I slapped it to the side of the hut, more than a bit wobbly myself as I stumbled around him.

“Zoobles, don’t leave him!” Motioning at the orange-eyed beast to stay with him for a moment, figuring the back of the house as good a place as any for this to go down, I ran ‘round the back, stumbling my way towards the backyard-esque section behind the hut to let my gag reflex do its thing.

I was kneeling on the ground, groaning, heaving desperately, spittle hanging from my mouth in a long string of saliva and various goop, the contents of my stomach laid out before me, when footsteps approaching pricked my consciousness.

A soft snarl rent the air and the heavy, stomping, stumbling footfalls quickly coming upon me let me know Tokre had stubbornly followed. The heavier grunts and pounding stomps following his alerted me Zhuii had, too.

“Just fucking great. Nothing like an audience for yet another fucking embarrassing moment,” I muttered under my breath, wiping my lips on the back of my hand.

Vomit now graced the back of my hand in a long, equally puke-inducing, line of slime. Grimacing down at myself and yet another mess I’d made, I began piling snow on top of further proof of my weak constitution and squishy nature. Shuffling back once the worst of it was done, I grabbed more fresh snow up, intent on cleaning my ice blocks for hands with it, then my mouth.

Pink tinted the snow but I was numb to it, though I understood it meant I’d probably just swiped blood across my face moments ago. On my knees in mounds of white stuff, staring around sightlessly, more than a little numb and yet somehow ridiculously emotional, my eyes watered and my vision began to grow blurry.

A small hiccup left me and my lips started to tremble. “I just want to go home,” I cried out softly. “I didn’t- I didn’t ask for this. Any... any of this-”

“Why Zhuii smell piss?” the orange-eyed beast grumbled aloud, glancing towards me, then the spot I’d relieved myself the other night, suddenly alarmed when I began to cry harder.

Tokre’s gaze snapped to Zhuii’s and he lifted his hand, gesturing something at the male. Zhuii, spotting me watching, shifted uncomfortably and glanced away, as if he didn’t see it or me, or didn’t want me to see, but not before giving a quick jerk of his chin in my direction.

Tokre, following where he’d just motioned, stared down at me, his brow furrowing when I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I just want to go home,” I repeated, not that anyone honestly cared.

Another dry heave overtook me and I groaned, hunching, dropping forward, my hands fisting the ground. My fingernails dug into soggy, wet earth, and I sobbed between empty retching.

A tall form loomed over me, casting a shadow, then dropped right behind me, a wall of heat that barely took the edge off my incessant shivering pressing into my back in a weak hug. Large hands with ridiculous claws began stroking my hair, his strange coo working its way up his throat.

Tokre.

I said his name out loud, allowing him to pull me back to him when the worst of my stomach cramps finally eased.

Tokre gladly slumped down right there in the middle of the ground with me, careful as he pulled me into his lap, his big, strong arms wrapping around me.

“I don’t understand you. Don’t understand any of you,” I wailed, yet rested my head on his shoulder when he nudged me towards it, snuggling my body into his.

Mine, he mouthed, growling something out that possibly meant the same in his language.

“You got all beat up for me,” I said on a sniffle, resting my cheek on his hand, where I absently began caressing it. “You beat that asshole up for slapping my ass... That’s- that’s gotta be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. But you kidnapped me. And you fought that bear. And you scared the- the- the wee outta me! And you keep scaring me. But then you cried when you thought I’d left you. But you let me leave in the first place, and after all the trouble you took to get me here in the first place! And I- and you- And we- I-I-I-I don’t even fucking know!”

I couldn’t explain why I was crying, screaming, yelling, then wailing uncontrollably like a broken siren- No, yes, I could, but I didn’t want to think about it, much less analyze anything. I was too wild with everything to think straight. I felt unhinged and reckless, out of my head.

So, I’d take this one crazy rollercoaster at a time, and feel I would, and I felt like fucking crying, damn it.

“Rosie cold. Needs dry things,” I heard No-yell tell Zhuii quietly, to which Zhuii grunted something at the beastie that had him snorting a chuff. “Tokre needs medical.”

“Noyel just want to get to Rosie-lindy,” Zhuii chuffed on a huff.

Walking over to us, the strangest beastie of them all, with his crazy cotton candy blue hair, wild eyes, and shorter stature, went to grab me from Tokre. But with a snarl rumbling his chest and his arms tightening around me, my mate refused.

“Zhuii explain to Tokre,” Noyel said on a sigh. The beast motioned between our little backyard vomit watch group, gesturing between us. “Tokre scared. Help him. Tell Tokre. Explain.”

Zhuii gave the thinner beast a long look over his shoulder, still growling at Tokre’s stubbornness, but shook his head. Grunting, he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his lips a grim line, and raised a fuzzy eyebrow at Tokre.

“Up,” Zhuii commanded, pointing at us with a casual flick of his hand. When Tokre gave no indication he understood, Zhuii grumbled something under his breath.

Zhuii knew hand things Tokre understood. Why wasn’t he using one of those? Surely something they both knew would get the job done? An up, in, house sign of some kind?

Pointing to me, his hand waving up and down, a snarl left Zhuii’s throat. “Noyel stupid, but right.” Lifting his shaggy head, his eyes met mine evenly. “Rosie-lindy need to warm up, but Rosie-lindy’s mate a-” the growling words came into play here, to which Noyel gave one short but emphatic nod in agreement to the back of Zhuii’s head.

“No nod, No-yell,” Zhuii snapped, like he had eyes in the back of his head.

A growl left Noyel. “Zhuii just said Noyel’s name right!” he burst out, tossing his furry arms up in the air in a flair of dramatics. “Twice.”

“Zhuii no say no thing, No-yell. Zhuii no know what No-yell mean.” As if to prove his point, his eyes widened comically as he turned to stare at the other male over his shoulder in pure, feigned puzzlement, and I could make out his long white lashes blinking in put-on innocence. “Zhuii stupid like No-yell likes to tell. Zhuii no know anything. No-yell should just leave. Not wanted. Broken Tokre and stupid Zhuii waste of space. Not worth No-yell time or smayshuns.”

“It’s patience, not smayshuns, you blue-haired cretin, and I only said that because-” Noyel paused, as if just then remembering my presence and the reason for the rush inside.

The blue-eyed beastie suddenly turned sheepish, his eyes meeting mine briefly, his skin flushing a funny color. With a grumble rumbling his chest, the taller beast said something else, not bothering to speak English—which meant it was obviously not meant for my poor little human ears. I didn’t care, I was in my own little world, on my own little orbit.

“I’m c-c-c-c-cold,” I chattered out between my clacking teeth, curling my toes into Tokre’s warmth. I felt frozen clean through.

Tokre made an unhappy noise at my ice cubes for tootsies wiggling their way between the crease in his bent leg, but he got the picture. Staggering to his feet, stubbornly refusing to put me down, he fumbled and stumbled his way back around towards the front of his hut.

Zhuii and Noyel, too busy arguing to see beyond each other’s fat, furry faces, didn’t move when we came upon them.

“M-m-m-move,” I instructed the still bickering pair.

Noyel jumped like he’d just been goosed, and Zhuii hopped back, hugging the wall.

“Sooooo cold,” I felt the need to chatter aloud.

As we rounded the side of the hut, the door just beyond, I found myself staring at a jumble of flying fur, the perpetually squabbling pair we’d passed just moments before having come ‘round the other side to beat us to the door. Tokre was moving slower and slower by the minute—something I took as a very bad sign—a very bad sign that had me shaking for an entirely different reason—which afforded them the advantage over us to the door.

Zhuii, with a shove to Noyel’s fluffy head, mashing it into a growing snowdrift to our left, made it to the door first, ignoring Noyel’s angry snarls, and shoved it open.

Tokre gave a short nod and stepped inside. He wasn’t two steps in before a deep breath left him in a whoosh and we started to fall. I squeaked and clutched at him, feeling more than a bit weak myself, then screeched as he began to take huge, swerving, drunken steps. Soon we were spinning, the world swirling around me, then falling.

We crashed to the floor in a heap, Tokre’s arms wrapped around me protectively, his hand at the back of my head, the other along my spine, breaking the worst of my fall.

Zhuii came rushing in, slamming the door behind him. At my stunned scream, his head jerked. He took one look at us and scrambled to Tokre. Zhuii murmured softly in their beastly language, a beastly curse under his breath, his eyes wide in his large face.

“Be careful,” I squawked out, “he’s hurt!”

The blue top tinted beast gave me the strangest look as he approached. He stood right over us, pausing to stare down at me, Tokre’s weight attempting to crush me as he mumbled intelligibly. At the look on my face, an overwhelming, fierce sense of protectiveness washing over me, he gave a short nod.

Something slammed the door, a banging thud crashing into the heavy wood, followed by what could only constitute a beastly curse and a muffled groan. What I assumed was more of that beastly version of cursing followed, a few ‘Zhuii’s thrown in there for good measure.

Neither of us even flinched.

“You locked the door,” I croaked out unnecessarily.

Zhuii, not seeing fit to answer that, though his lips quirked just the slightest bit, murmured softly, “Zhuii careful with Rosie-lindy’s Tokre.”

Bending down, crouching to carefully, as gently as possible, roll Tokre’s hefty frame off of me, he turned my injured mate onto his back.

“Ggrrrrrrr! Zhuii!” Noyel shouted. “Tokre and Zhuii and Rosie need Noyel! Need Noyel’s help!”

At my first true, unhindered view of Tokre’s chest as Zhuii stood back, Zhuii’s hands already soaked in red, I cringed, my fingers clenching, and began wringing them. I will not be losing my anything again. I won’t.

“Need to wash. Clean up,” Zhuii grunted out. The wild looking beastie grumbled something under his breath, shaking his shaggy head. With a soft curse his head lifted, his odd gaze shifting from his friend’s injuries to meet mine. “Cloths, water, Fix It paste.”

“Fix It... paste?” I mumbled stupidly, blinking up at him.

“Mm.” The male gave a curt nod, grimacing when his attention was drawn to the door and the jarring thuds rattling it. “Dorothy and mates know how to make.”

“Dorothy?” Like in the Wizard of Oz, my addled brain wondered. I was just shy of voicing my thoughts before common sense permeated the thick fog muddling my mind.

“Dorothy. Healer. Mate healer, too. Erm,” he grunted in the door’s direction, “Dorothy’s whelps, some healers.” He admitted this so grudgingly, a churlish look on his face as he gave the barrier between us and the taller beast a dirty look.

“Only one worth mentioning,” I heard muttered from beyond the door in perfect English.

Zhuii’s lip curled and he snickered, a snarl of a chortle leaving his lips.

Another growl from beyond the door before it stopped altogether. “Noyel’ll be back, Zhuii-ass!” Noyel snarled out most vehemently, back to his broken speak. “Bring the things for Rosie’s mate. Zhuii will open,” his fist pounded for emphasis, “this,” another wall rattling slam, “door! Or else!”

While all this was going on and I gaped at the door, sidled up next to Tokre as he lay incapacitated on the floor, my hand clutching his desperately, Zhuii had already begun collecting things, cloths, a pot to boil water in.

This can’t be happening. This isn’t happening, I told myself. I did not just get kidnapped by a humanoid man beast in some kind of bridal hunt, toted off to an unknown place, plane, dimension, whatever it was, for him to take my virginity, mate himself to me, get in some crazy mate battle fight, and then promptly kick the bucket on me, all in less than a week.

“You’re not allowed to die, you furry asshole. This is far from over yet!” I didn’t realized I’d started to rant aloud, or that I’d begun crying again.

My skin was already prickling most painfully from the warmth of the small hut seeping into my bones, grappling to unthaw my half frozen ass, my nose and tips of my ears included.

My mate roused enough to crack his eyes open, grunt, spot me staring down at him—wobbling chin, dripping eyes and all—and lifted his hand up to me clumsily, trying to pat my head. He missed, horribly, his fingers and wide palm mashing my face, mushing in, smashing, smothering, until my cries came out garbled into his skin, the force of his clumsy efforts sending me toppling to my side.

Giving up attempting to soothe me after his third try almost sent a claw in my eye, he let his hand fall away heavily, plopping to his side. I took his hand, picking it back up, bringing it to my chest as his fingers curled around mine automatically, and hugged it to me.

Making a noise in his throat that drew Zhuii’s attention, Tokre lifted his free hand to make gestures with it at the orange-eyed beast.

Zhuii, glancing between us, his brow beetling, gave an almost imperceptible nod. Tokre’s eyes closed then, and with a couple of pain-filled grunts he was soon out again.

With a hiss and a sigh as Zhuii prodded a particularly nasty looking gash, and possibly cracked rib, Tokre sucked in a sharp breath before passing out completely.

“Stay awake,” I whispered, giving his hand a little shake, “please.”

“Need sleep.”

A fur draped over my shoulders and I glanced up, hiccupping. God, those furry bastards moved too fucking fast.

“Tokre no die, Rosie-lindy. Tokre just... resting. No bad. ‘Sokay. Rosie see.”

Why didn’t I believe him? Why did I want to scream at him to fix Tokre NOW! Or suffer my wrath!?

“Tokre be fine. He sleeps,” Zhuii stressed, while I stared down at my mate uncomprehendingly. “No raff from Rosie-lindy needed,” he tacked on with short quirk of his lips when my head whipped towards him. Crap, I’d been talking aloud. He’d heard me.

You know what, who fucking cares?! I railed.

Tokre was passed the fuck out, was what he was, and I’d never cussed so much aloud or in my god damned head ever in my life. Taking a deep breath, I forced an ounce of calm to wash over me, enough to state aloud, for no particular reason than I desperately needed it to be said, “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

Zhuii, without completely invading my personal space, gave my shoulders a quick squeeze before letting go and getting back to work. “Tokre strong, like Zhuii. Tokre be okay. This fine. Zhuii see worse.”

“And... and if he isn’t?” Huddling beneath the fur, I sniffled, forcing back more tears.

Zhuii didn’t look up as he answered. “Tokre ask Zhuii look after Rosie-lindy for Tokre. Zhuii good watcher. Zhuii...” Zhuii’s voice caught on what I took as a mighty possessive sounding growl, but he cleared his throat. “Zhuii make good mate.” Smoothing out his expression, he grumbled gruffly, focusing on his hands as he worked. “But Tokre no die, and Rosie-lindy see Zhuii good mate, protect Rosie-lindy for Tokre, and Rosie-lindy keep Zhuii anyway.” Zhuii’s lips curved up. “Zhuii good second mate.”

My eyes were trained on Zhuii as he spoke, one hand clutching the pelt draped over me, the other gripping Tokre’s hand like a lifeline. I almost choked on my own spit at the end there, as he prattled on, then again as swirling orange eyes turned to me and the cheekiest smile I’d never thought imaginable in such an insanely wild looking beastly face flashed my way. I forgot how to breathe.

The slow, weird wink that followed had my lungs working again, my stomach giving a short flip and a flop before a squeak finally escaped my throat.

“Cute,” Zhuii felt the need to inform me, shooting me a lopsided grin. “Sound like a forgshrath.”

“Forgshrath?” And there I was squeaking again.

“Forgshrath.” Zhuii’s face scrunched up in thought and he shrugged. “Dorothy say like humans’... sqwa-er-els.”

“A squirrel.” My face visibly drooped, lips turning down, eyelids lowering, and I muttered sardonically, “Just... awesome. Not with beast men two seconds and they’ve already likened me to a squirrel. Thank god none of you all have met a dog or I’d be pigeonholed on two planets. Dimensions… whatever and wherever the fuck this is.”

Zhuii chuckled at my deadened tone. “Zhuii likes forgshraths.”

“Yeah,” I responded cautiously, squinting, “but not, like, to eat, or anything, right?”

Zhuii’s hands stilled and his eyebrows shot up as he looked to me. “Does Zhuii eat forgshraths?”

It was my turn to look away. “Yeah, you know, and, like, other things... like,” my hand slid over my mouth and I mumbled into it, “shmeefle.”

“Like what?” the large beast asked, his head cocking questioningly.

“Squirrelly, erm, people?”

Zhuii’s eyes widened in wonder. “Rosie-lindy’s people has those?” But then his face scrunched distastefully. “Rosie-lindy eats them? The squawrells peoples?”

“What? Me?! No! I meant you.”

“Meant me what?” Back to the beetling of the brow and utter confusion.

“You.”

“You what?”

“No, you.”

“No you what?” The beast was starting to look exasperated.

“I mean you.”

“You mean you what?”

“Cheesy Crisps and peanut butter, forget it!”

“Forget what? What cheesy wisp and feetnut blubber?” He leaned in closer, curious. “To feed forgshraths? Or the squawrells peoples?”

“Gah! Ugh. Forget it.” I shook my head, glad of the personal space when he sat back on his haunches. “Forget it all. Forget I said anything! Forget I even asked!”

Zhuii harrumphed. “Zhuii not know what Rosie-lindy try to ask Zhuii in first place.”

“Yes.” My lips pressed together to form a hard, thin line. “I gathered as much.”

“Gathered what?”

“Zhuii!”

The beast blinked. “Yes, Rosie-lindy?”

“Stop. Talking.”

He blinked again, then again. “But Rosie-lindy just say-”

“Grrrrrrr.”

Zhuii snorted but shut up and went back to whatever it was he was doing.

Stealing a glance at me as he brought several bowls and ripped up cloths over, his eyes crinkled at the corners and he mumbled under his breath, “Cute.”

“I am not,” I huffed with a sniff, “cute.”

“Cute,” he rumbled louder, getting to work on methodically cleaning up Tokre. “Cuter than forgsharths cute.” He was grinning wide as I growled, infuriated but thoroughly—if only momentarily—distracted. His eyes were dancing at this point.

My lips pursed and my jaw clenched until my back molars ground. There was no point in responding, he’d just twist whatever plopped out of my mouth around somehow, and I was feeling wound up enough as it was.

“Very... cute.”

Nope. Not responding, not one bit.

His mouth opened, as if to comment yet again, but I snarled. His eyes crinkled up at the corners until his strangely colored eyes looked downright beady.

I waited until he rose to get clean water before grumbling quietly, “I’m beginning to see why No-yell calls you Zhuii-ass.”

The deep gashes along Tokre’s chest, cleaned but no less worrisome, drawing my attention, had me gulping hard.

How was this fine? This was bad, so bad.

My hands clenched reflexively and I forgot to breathe for a moment.

Tokre’s hand twitched at the vicelike grip I had on his thick, furry digits, so I let up.

My hands shook anew and my stomach roiled. He might die. This place was no joke—do or die, and you might just die trying and doing anyway. That is, until a low rumbled noise drew me from my musings.

“Zhuii heard that,” he repeated.

“Well, maybe Zhuii was supposed to!” I shot back at him.

The beast’s deep, rumbling laugh, echoing around me, shook the window and the pots on the walls.

Glancing down at Tokre, I reached out and brushed a blood stained lock from his face. “Do you see this jerk, Tokre? You’re not allowed to die on me, do you hear me? You croak on me and what will I do, then? Take up with him? Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Hey!”

“Oh, quit your bitchin’ and make with the bandages, Nurse Molly!” Facing my mate, careful to keep my expression well-hidden from Zhuii, my eyes widened at my audacity, my jaw dropping slightly, but then I giggled, the sound low and bordering on hysterical.

It kept up, my giggling idiocy, but I wasn’t afraid to let it out, my tigerlady poking her head out to let the males present hear her roar.

Rawr, I thought, then giggled again. Rawr. Rawr.

I was giggling so hard I toppled to my side, Tokre’s hand falling limply from mine.

A bowl thunked down heavily beside me and I jumped, jerking, my gaze darting off to my left.

Grunting while he got back to work, I found an affronted beast frowning down at me.

This Zhuii-beast’s lips pulled down at the corners, though he in no way looked put out, and he huffed out under his breath so quietly I almost didn’t hear, “Tokre’s Rosie-lindy a... a meanie.”

A meanie? It was so... juvenile, so silly. And there I was giggling even harder. My ribs ached, another soreness to add to my ever growing list, but I didn’t care. I was grinning like a fool while Tokre’s nursemaid tended him, which seemed to confuse Zhuii, but I didn’t care. “And don’t you forget it.”

“Hmph.”

A few moments passed and the beast just couldn’t help himself.

“Rosie?”

“Yes?”

“What’s a dog? And why my Rosie-lindy piggen felt one?”

Peals of laughter rent the air as I cackled until I choked, and Zhuii, proud of himself, a small, self-satisfied smile on his face, patched up my mate.

That male definitely knew what he was playing at. I couldn’t have been more thankful for the small reprieve from this ish I desperately needed, a bit of silly to drown out the insanity.