CHAPTER 19

 

“You sure they’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“I mean-”

Zhuii let out a long sigh. “Zhuii sure.”

Even the warm water bubbling around me wasn’t enough to put me in a better mood.

“Hey, hush you,” I muttered, sending a splash of water towards his face. It fell short, slapping his chest, and he chuckled. “Not funny.”

“Lindy-mine.” His voice gentled as he slid across the small space, thick hands going to my knees to rub. “No-yell and Tokre be fine. Lots of snow. Take time. Find Zhuii and Lindy-mine and dig for door. Zhuii and Lindy be fine, Tokre and No-yell be fine.”

My shoulders slumped and I cleared my throat, staring down into the frothy, tinted water as it sloshed with his movements. “No, you’re right. You’re right.” I kept repeating myself, saying it differently each time, every utterance more vehement that the last.

Zhuii remained where he was, hovering. A couple days trapped together, the big guy was used to my moods by now.

“See, it’s just,” I glanced up at him, “it’s been three days, almost four. Don’t you think they’d have found us by now?”

Zhuii waited, knowing there would be more.

“You don’t think something happened to them, do you?”

One thick, white, fluffy, non-hulked out Zhubeast form looking hand lifted from the water to brush across my cheek, cupping my chin so I couldn’t look away. Burnished orange flecked eyes, still darker than their usual, glowing orange since he’d changed and slowly started to change back, met mine. “Lindy-mine trust Zhuii?”

“Yeah.” And I did.

“They be fine,” he said with a chuff, releasing my chin to sit down right beside me. Our hands went for each other’s and he clasped his over mine, our thighs brushing, arms touching. His foot automatically tucked under mine, until there wasn’t a bit of space between us. I didn’t mind, leaning into him to rest my head on his bicep.

“This is pretty cool,” I complimented absently. “More than cool.”

“Zhuii make. Look at pictures in books. No read good, but some. Little. Zhuii try, learn, trade other Lo denaii Zhuii’s soaps and pretty things for females for what Zhuii need.”

“That how you do that?” I pointed to the tap spout and pump he’d somehow set up, using it to fill the big pit we were currently relaxing in.

“Yes.”

“The Zhubeasting out thing, how come you’re not, like, one of their beast warriors? I mean, your sense of smell alone is crazy, but you literally bulk up. You could be one of those Lo denaii warrior beast guys’ best assets.” I shook my head at the potential wasted, not that I wasn’t happy my Zhubeast wasn’t in their beastly front lines, or being used in any negative kind of way, but it was just stupid to not allow him to participate at all. He could be a great warrior hunter.

“Zhuii get mad, be Zhubeast, bad mad, can’t always… Zhuii not always Zhuii.”

“You were Zhuii with me.” Lifting my head, I stared up at him.

Zhuii gazed over the water, lost to his thoughts. I kinda missed his horns and all that wild blue fur, not that I didn’t like him like this, his typical Abominable self. But there was just something exotic about him all Zhubeasted out.

“Different,” he muttered, staring down at his wide hand as it skimmed across the top of the water.

“Do you think it could be different now?” I ventured.

He shrugged. “No know. Zhuii not want to be warrior beast anymore.”

It was a lie, but I let it go. We’d talked, a lot, these past few days. He wanted to hunt with the other males, dreamed of going on their annual big hunt, but gave up hope as the years passed, coming up with other ways to provide and even more. Weaving and making soaps, reverse engineering things, working on his inventions, he was smart and resourceful, even if he didn’t yet believe it.

Zhuii loved human things—the beast’s curiosity knew no bounds. While his replicas were crude, most were functional, if not always in the exact way originally been intended.

Towards the back of his winding, cavernous caves, he’d modeled a toilet, making it out of clay. It had a bowl and a pit it emptied into with a receptacle to catch everything that he could dig up to empty or move.

They had their own type of blacksmithing, and he’d explained the pretty price he’d had to pay to acquire such a thing. I’d never look at woven blankets, toilets, and towels and pretty smelling soap the same way ever again.

“The anger thing, is that why they wouldn’t let you go look for a female?”

“Zhubeast blue,” he said evasively, which meant, yes, because they probably didn’t know if they could trust him in that kind of hunt, either. As he grew uncomfortable, I thought a subject change was in order.

“Your sauna-cuzzi room is pretty fucking awesome.” My head tipped back, gaze drifting upward, until I was staring at the ceiling. I examined the newly replastered wall, some mix of sand and dirt and sap, little bits of something that sparkled and glowed mixed in—and I didn’t even know what else—he kept in buckets in a storage room, redone as I’d sleep that first night.

I’d awoken in a big bed full of furs to the smell of drying beastly plaster and a newly swept floor. But it was the thick blanket draped over me that had really given me pause. Woven, with beautiful, rich colors that gave it the look of the stained glass mural picture in his fairytale book, Zhuii had painstakingly recreated his version of his Beauty and the Beast mural.

Of course, he’d made it long before he’d met me, but the dark haired beauty the Zhubeast held in the dreamscape on his blanket sure did hold a certain likeness to me, in thickness if not anything else. My Zhubeast liked his women thick. I smiled at the thought.

“What make my Lindy-mine smile?”

“You?” My soft browns swiveled to meet his swirling oranges. “This. Us. My mating blanket.” My smile widened, my fingers wiggling beneath his, turning, palm up, to give his over mine a squeeze. “Everything.” Even now, the blanket hung on a small wooden hook on the wall, right next to a few towels and Tokre’s mating pelt.

“Not fur of big hunt, but Zhuii sew in chirpee pelts, make warm.”

Chirpees, the tiny, furball looking things he’d trap, keeping a few to raise, plumping up the creepy looking balls of chirping fluff with tiny yet menacing teeth until they were big enough to eat. They were yard dinosaurs meets Cousin It weird, with long, shaggy brown hair covering their bodies, wide mouths full of razor sharp teeth, well hidden by all that mop on top, waiting to take a chunk out of you when you weren’t looking.

I shuddered, dismissing the hairballs from Hell. I felt very Cruella Deville wearing the little bastards, but in my defense they’d eat me the first chance they got. Bitey little bastards. I had the bite marks and nicks on my fingers to prove it from our one and only encounter. Or I had. My big, bad blue beastie had taken care of them for me, kissing every demon fluff incurred injury until it was but a memory

“Pretty and warm,” I replied sweetly. That’s right, I wear the fur of my enemies now. Bad ass, I totally am.

Turning, reaching over, I wrapped my arms around his neck in a loose hug. “It’s perfect.” Brushing his hair back, examining the tiny nubs left, hidden by his thick fur, remnants of his great, curling horns, I pecked his forehead, then his lips. “I love it. Thank you.”

“Welcome,” he purred, snatching me up to kiss me back.

Things were just starting to get interesting when he paused.

“Whert?” I mumbled against his mouth, his hands kneading my ass freezing.

Closing his eyes, the great beast beneath me groaned.

“Werse wong?” I didn’t dare move an inch.

Eyes popping open, Zhuii took my lips, offering up one last long, lingering kiss before he pulled back. Pressing our foreheads together, he groaned out mournfully, “They come.”

My eyebrows shot up and I gasped excitedly. “Who comes? Who comes, Zhuii? The fellas?”

Zhuii let out a grunt of distress. “Yes.”

“Hey,” I hopped up, climbing from the tapped, hidden hot spring, tub-pit-cuzzi to towel off hurriedly, “that’s great news! Means everyone is okay!”

Watching me dry off and dress, leisurely hefting himself from the water to shake himself out like a wet dog, making me laugh, his head cocked and his chest rumbled. “Family,” he said after a long moment.

“What?” I turned, toweling off my hair, the strings of the dress he’d presented me with this morning dangling off my shoulders, yet to be tightened, to find him smiling widely. This dress was similar to the one from Dorothy but roomier, with pretty designs hand sewn into the wide hem, part of the wardrobe he’d made for his bride to be, apparently. I got husbands and a new wardrobe. A very warm wardrobe I’d only glimpsed a section of. Busy, busy, beastie, my Zhuii was.

Zhuii was still smiling, still staring. God, I’d still swear sometimes he could read minds.

“Hmm?” I inquired politely.

“Nothing.” And yet he kept staring, smiling, rocking back on his heels as the sounds from the main room grew louder.

“Uhm, okay.”

“Zhuii like having family.”

My insides properly warm and squishy with the feels, I paused again and blinked, then teased, “Even if you have to share me?”

“Tokre no like to share, but he learn. Zhuii no mind.” he looked to the main room down the hall, an insta-scowl popping up on his fierce mug. “Sometimes.”

“Ah, well, were you fond of those kick ass front doors of yours? Because I have a funny feeling if you don’t hurry up they won’t be there for much longer.”

“Lindy-mine like them?” Zhuii asked curiously.

“I do,” I answered with a nod, walking to his drying rack to hang my towel.

“Okay. Zhuii go save them.” He was gone before I could turn to laugh as he took off.

“NO RUIN MY LINDY-MINE DOORS!” he roared, and I burst out laughing, chortling my butt off.

 

˜˙˜*˜˙˜

 

I’d just popped out of the cuzzi room, making my way down the hall towards the sound of other voices, my beast harem complete once more, when a room caught my eye. Hell, he had like fifty rooms in this joint, one for everything. I’d only gone through a handful but I was impressed. A soap making room, one with looms, a supply room, storage room, weapons room I shouldn’t have been all that surprised to find. But this room…

Or I should say, a wall of shelves I spotted as I whizzed by. Stopping dead in my tracks despite the happy feeling that washed over me at everyone being together again, strange as that felt, for me, I backtracked to the small, wall to wall shelved room.

Stepping inside, I gasped, rushing to the middle to dance around.

“Oh, wow!” Running to the first shelf, I ran my hand along a colorful spine. I knew that one. “And this one!” And that one, that one over there.

By the time the guys found me I had a pile of books in my arms. Babbling to myself, my eyes were tearing up something awful, but I was smiling happily. Squeezing the paperbacks to my chest, I sniffled as I turned to them. “Can I borrow these?” I asked hopefully, gesturing towards the romance novels with my chin.

“Lindy-mine?” Zhuii asked softly, surprised to find me in a different state than he’d left me. “No cry.” He rushed in, Noyel and Tokre vying to squeeze in next. Taking the books from my arms, he shoved the volumes at Noyel, who caught them with a yelp, stumbling back, his annoyed look welcome to my hungry eyes. “Zhuii save the doors,” my Zhubeast-husband assured me.

“Thank you.” I laughed as he enfolded me in his arms, scooping me up to hug me tight.

The beast’s gaze slid to the books and back to me. “Those make my Lindy-mine sad?”

“They remind me of Joanie. She- We buddy read those ones. We used to read books like that together a lot, kinda like a book club, but only cool kids allowed,” I said on a laugh, repeating Joanie’s favorite quote. That and, first rule of book club, fuck all the rules.

Glancing at Tokre and Noyel, smiling tremulously, I told them, “I really miss her. And I, ah, missed you two, too.”

Noyel stood there in dumbfounded shock, surprised to hear something like that from me, but Tokre, seeing my smile, came over to join in, wrapping an arm around me, the other around Zhuii. Turning my gaze to my main mate, I lifted up to plant a long smooch on his lips that had Zhuii teasing us with a mock, annoyed grumble he knew would make me laugh.

Setting down the books gently as he watched us, Noyel approached. “Me, too?” he said simply, standing back to wait. I could see it, the fear of rejection behind those smiling eyes.

“Bring it in, Not-Neal,” I teased, wiggling an arm free to motion him over.

“It’s not No-yell,” he said on a snort, his eyes crinkling, he smiled so wide. Closing the distance, he brought his arms around me, ignoring Tokre’s disgruntled grumbles, real ones, as Noyel squeezed in for a decent hug.

Noyel swiped his index finger along my eyes discreetly, purring when I grabbed his hand, turning his palm, and planted a tiny buss of a kiss to it. “Thank you,” I murmured, going for broke on this mate harem business.

When in Rome! Apparently, this Rome was full of beasts and you nabbed up the good ones and hoped for the best—why choose?!

“Lindy-mine?” Zhuii said after a long moment.

“Yeah?”

“Lindy-mine have any book in Zhuii’s room. Zhuii’s room Lindy’s room.”

“Are you serious?” I whispered, my eyes widening as I peeked around the room.

“Like Zhuii room?” he asked with amusement.

“It’s your own personal library. You weren’t kidding when you said you had a lot of books.”

“But Lindy mine like it?”

“Zhubaby, I love it. It’s my new favorite.”

“More than cuzzi tub?”

“Uhm…” Spotting my reads with Joanie, I nodded. Those memories were priceless. To actually be able to read those books again and feel close to her, if only briefly? It meant the world to me. I gave a nod. “Definitely.”

“It Lindy-mine’s, then,” he said with finality.

My jaw dropped and I squirmed from their embrace. Dropping to my feet, I gave each shelf a long look and squealed, spinning around and dancing in place. Throwing my arms out as Tokre watched me with a perplexed look on his face and Noyel smiled but shook his head, Zhuii grinned from ear to ear.

“My Lindy-mine happy?” Zhuii chuckled.

“Happy?” I squee-ed, doing another deranged little happy dance. “You just gave this bitch a library!! I am beyond happy!” Zhuii’s arms opened, contemplating my next move before I’d made it. He’d guessed right, a happy hum rumbling his chest as I flew at him, still squealing and squee-ing. He let out a deep belly laugh as he caught me, scooping me up.

Noyel picked up one of the books, holding it up to Tokre to shake it at him. Gesturing with his other hand, he told Tokre, “We’re getting showed up by a male whose head barely comes to our shoulders.” He flicked the book in his hand, flapping it at Zhuii, then Tokre with a Can you believe this guy? look on his face. “You and I, friend, we need to step up our game.”

Tokre nodded, and I gasped.

“Hey! You can do the hand-speaking with Tokre!”

Noyel shrugged, modest. “I got bored and he’s not so bad, once I know what he’s saying.” At the answering grin spreading across my face, he glanced down at his toes, suddenly shy. Clearing his throat, my beast healer gave another shrug. “It was pretty easy, actually, and we had a lot of free time.”

“Noyel?”

“Yeah?” His gaze darted up to meet mine.

“I missed you, too.”

Noyel’s smile was sweet, blindingly so. “Good,” was all he said, proving himself the more Han Solo, I know, type of my mates.

Giving Zhuii a long, measured look, a flash of envy rushing those pretty blues as he watched us, he gestured as he spoke, for Tokre, telling Zhuii. “Eh, what the heck. You keep her in libraries, and I’ll just take all the leftover happies that come my way.”

“And here I thought you’d missed me.”

In a teasing mood, Noyel shrugged, though everyone knew he was full of shit. “Tokre kept me busy.”

Tokre snorted, gesturing back at Noyel, then Zhuii, pulling a face.

Noyel’s jaw dropped and he snickered. “Look who’s talking. I snore? You hog the blankets.”

Watching the pair spar like an old married couple, until Tokre threw his hands up and marched up to Zhuii, who easily handed me over, to collect me. Holding me to him securely with one arm, not a single sign of his previous injuries, no limp or pained grimace, not even a healing wound visible, the hair already grown back, signing as he stomped to the doorway.

“He say Noyel whiny baby, and now him got only thing he needs,” Zhuii translated with a grin, happily following Tokre out as he headed down the hall and towards the main room.

“I do not snore!” Noyel insisted, sounding very much like his mother.

“He say you do, loud, like Noyel face broken!” Zhuii laughed harder. He was enjoying this way too much.

“I- Hey, wait up!”

“Don’t forget my books, Not-Neal!” I called after him, grinning when he cursed soundly, in English and then beast-speak.

“Should’ve just told her how much I missed her,” I heard him snarling, the sound of books dropping as he tried to carry them all but kept dropping one here or there in his haste, music to my ears.