Chapter 49
Waking up the morning after a night of wild and crazy, I gave a big, slow, lazy stretch, not only finding myself absent of a single ache or pain, but completely alone in the bed.
Blinking my eyes open, I sat up, got one look at the night dress I was wearing, the fat rock on my right ring finger, joining the ring Rek had given me previously, and frowned.
Calling this… exquisiteness a night dress was an insult. It wasn’t revealing but didn’t exactly hide anything. Celuk, I assumed, from the trademark shade of dark blue. I felt like I’d slept in a low cut princess gown. The material was breathable, warm, and soft as silk. I’d never seen anything quite like this before.
“She wake!”
Rek called out down the hall. He sounded like he was speaking with something in his mouth.
My gaze kept going to the comfortably snug bodice of my nightgown and that insane rock on my finger. I lifted my hand and turned that sparkly motherfucker this way and that. Holy shit wow.
“Think she see? Find?”
someone whispered.
“Shhh. Let see!”
“Dig in boobs!”
Rek called out louder.
Jeh-kal made a noise that to me said he wanted Rek to shut it.
“Bossy,”
Rek growled right back.
Celuk’s soft laughter had them both knocking it off.
“Dig in my boobs?”
I mumbled, glancing down as my fingertips ran along the small, delicate chain necklace I felt encircling my neck. Digging in my boobs, as he’d so crudely but aptly suggested, my mouth dropped open and my eyeballs nearly popped out of my head as I pulled out an even bigger jewel dangling from the end of that chain. Bright green, bordering on a shocking lime, that rock was hella huge. Rek’s eyes.
Lifting my hand, I noted the veins of grey in the blue rock shimmering on my hand.
“One more!”
Rek garbled out, his voice sounding muffled. “Stupid Patrol has- Argh!”
“Jeh-kal say it!”
Jeh-kal grumbled.
Shaking my head, I stood and glanced around. My clothes from last night were notably absent.
My feet curled in the thick rug beneath my feet. “One of you wouldn’t happen to have my slippers or a pair of my socks lying around, would you? Or a robe?”
Jeh-kal growled, then Rek burst in with, “Rek get!”
A series of loud thuds issued, and a growled out warning from Celuk. “No run!”
“Rek no run!”
Rek barked back, yet sounded like that’s exactly what he was doing.
“There’s no hurry,”
I pointed out, glancing around for something to cover up with. A small, secretly pleased smile tipped my lips as I noted all of my mating pelts on the bed. Even the fugly burnt up mess that was left of Rek’s mating pelt. Of course that asshole had unearthed it, cleaned it, and from the looks of it even patched it up.
Knowing I couldn’t wear all of them but if I wore one and not the others I risked upsetting one of them, I grabbed Jeh-kal and Rek’s pelts to slip on over my shoulders, and carried Celuk’s out to place in my lap when I sat down.
I felt like crazy, half feral, primitive Yeti bride royalty walking out dripping in sparklies, dressed like a queen, Jeh-kal’s supersized pelt trailing behind me like a cape.
It was even stranger trying to use the bathroom dressed like this. One peek in the mirror and I laughed. I looked ridiculous and gave zero shits about it. Joanie the Glamazon was back and looking fab-u-lous.
Twin purrs rumbled to life the second I entered the room.
Celuk sat in a wide, overstuffed chair, examining one of my books. Jeh-kal was sprawled out along one of the enormous couch-loungers, that’s how I thought of that monstrous piece of furniture fit for a beast his size. They looked quite cozy.
A half-eaten meal sat on the table, the eating utensil for it half way across the other side of the table in its discarder’s haste.
The first thing that hit me was the smell of fresh bread. My mouth fairly watered.
“Rek find!”
Rek bellowed, rushing in with his arms full of my slippers and what looked like every single pair of socks I owned.
“Easy,”
Celuk rumbled out softly to Rek without taking his eyes off of me. Closing the book he was reading, he placed it on the shelf and stood to make his way over to me.
Jeh-kal sat up and did the same.
Before I knew it I was surrounded by them, Rek in the lead.
“Sit,”
Rek insisted, waiting until I complied to dump my socks and slippers at my feet and kneel right there in front of me to start going through them.
“Any pair is fine,”
I started to say, but Rek grumbled under his breath, “Need be perfect.”
Allowing him a moment to that insanity, Jeh-kal leaned over him to offer me a forehead nuzzle, a kiss that had Rek grumbling at him it was too long, to which Celuk reached out and tapped Rek once on the shoulder.
Like fucking magic, Rek grunted and got back to his sock sorting.
Jeh-kal straightened to his towering height when he was done, rumbled something at Rek that had him shaking his head, then batting Jeh-kal’s hands away when Jeh-kal reached out to ruffle Rek’s hair.
“Rek not baby,”
Rek grumbled.
“No, Rek not baby. Rek prinnedcess,”
Celuk teased, right before coming up to my side to take Rek’s spot along the long bench table, and cuddle right up against me. Peppering small kisses along my neck, he rubbed my belly.
“Warm?”
he purred.
“Yes, thank you.”
Turning, I offered him my lips, smiling as he took them with a soft growl.
“Feet be warm, too… Jo’ bride stops ‘stracting Rek saying silly things,”
Rek muttered under his breath as he studied the pile of socks critically.
Celuk broke our kiss so he wasn’t flat out laughing in my face, at Rek.
Holding a hand out, I waited for Rek to take it, urging him to get up off the floor and join me. He looked a lot better today. There was color to his cheeks and they looked more filled out than last night.
Glancing from his bowed head to his half eaten plate of food curiously, I gave a quick sniff and then immediately regretted it.
My hand clapped over my mouth as bile rose. Squeezing my eyes shut tight, focusing on breathing, nice deep, even breaths, the urge to puke slowly dissipated. It wasn’t even like anything was wrong with his food. In fact, it all looked really good. I just happened to get a nose full of cooked eggs and my body said HELL NO.
When I opened my eyes again, the plate had magically disappeared.
Jeh-kal stood at the kitchen counter with his back to me, placing another plate, upside down, over Rek’s food, then placing it in one of those fancy warming bins I’d seen at Dorothy’s place before.
Jeh-kal glanced towards me from over his shoulder. “Goot?” he asked.
Nodding, I realized I had three sets of eyes laser focused on me and blushed. Why was puking or almost puking so damn embarrassing to me? Whatever. Fake it ‘til you make it, honey. Isn’t that what I’m always telling myself?
“Jo wants tea?”
Jeh-kal asked.
“Tummy tea and toast, no butters,”
Rek muttered under his breath as he held up a blue pair of socks with funky cats all over them and a black pair covered in chili peppers that read, “Spicy”.
“What if I wanted butter on my toast?”
I asked lightly.
Rek snorted and glanced up. Why did it amuse me so much that he chose the spicy socks? His lips slowly curved upward as if this too amused him greatly. “Jojomine wants butter on toast?”
Blech. Not really. Swallowing the bile rising in my throat at the thought, I shook my head.
Lifting the skirt of my pretty-pretty princess nightgown, Rek leaned in and playfully raked his fangs down my knee.
A sharp burst of raucous giggles pealed out of me as I slapped him away, but it was too late.
Jeh-kal and Celuk froze in place. Celuk paused in filling a cup with the pitcher of water on the table for me and leaned over me, curious as to what Rek had done to produce such results. Jeh-kal too completely abandoned what he was doing in favor of this new discovery.
“You bastard!”
I gasped out, gaping down at Rek as he quickly stuffed my foot into a spicy sock. “You swore you’d never tell anyone!”
Putting on my last sock, Rek rolled away from me with a grin. “Rek no say nothing!”
His grin was boyish, unrepentant, and I wanted to slap it right off of him and then kiss it back on. This. This was what I’d missed— the fun, playful side of him he’d only ever shown me before— the side of him I’d wished he’d let others see.
“Snitches get stitches!”
I barked at him. Grabbing one of the abandoned socks at my feet, I chucked it at him.
Rek laughed and dipped behind the coffee table in front of Jeh-kal’s L-shaped, supersized couch lounger.
“What the hell are you two feeding him?”
I huffed and puffed as Celuk set my mug of water in front of me and wrapped his arms around me.
I had a sneaking suspicion Celuk was trying to make sure I didn’t pop up and chase after Rek to brain him with a sock. I hadn’t planned on it but, taking it easy notwithstanding, the idea held merit.
A deep rumble issued from Jeh-kal, who had turned back towards the toast he was working on.
Celuk’s purr cut off, almost as if he’d suddenly choked on his own saliva.
Rek’s face turned a funny shade and his mouth turned into a funny little o just shy of a pucker.
What the hell was I missing?
“Jeh-kal and Celuk not,”
Jeh-kal started to rumble.
Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the single courtesy bang on Rek’s front door before Rosa started demanding to be let in and see me or she was going to stand out there screaming at the top of her lungs until she found a way in.
“Weird way to say she missed me but okay,”
I muttered, ignoring Celuk stating he’d answer the door as I popped up and rushed the door before he realized what I was doing and snapped out of the funny stupor he was in, to think to try and stop me.
Throwing the door open, I practically threw myself at my cousin.
She was still mid rant. My ear rang from the shouting it got as I clutched her to me. “Oh my god!”
I babbled. “I missed you so much! I was so scared I was never going to see you again!”
I was already blubbering, squeezing the fuck out of her.
“Careful!”
Rek snapped. “My Jojomine frag-jee-lay!”
Pulling back, swiping at her eyes as she fought to stave off a mad case of the weepies, she glanced from me to him pointedly. “Frag-jee-lay?”
“Baby. Girl,”
Celuk rumbled out.
Jeh-kal’s lips were shut tight, muffling the warning rumble that matched the narrow-eyed stare he was giving Rosa.
Noyel stood behind her, his hand on her back comfortingly but the look on his face and the way his fur was all puffed up said he didn’t care how big Jeh-kal was, if he touched his mate there’d be hell to pay.
Rosa’s mouth dropped open and she sputtered for a moment. “I- You’re- A baby?! OH- Oh, Joanie- Oh- Oh my god- I-”
Grinning, I reeled her back in. It felt so fucking good to see this bitch again. “Just hug me, woman.”
Rosa trembled in my arms. I felt myself tearing up the moment the first soft sob shook her body.
I knew part of that shock was my new appearance— my fucked up face was kinda hard to miss— but the more it happened, the easier it was getting for me to dismiss. Or that was the shock, I supposed? Either way, I couldn’t do anything to fix it. This was the new me.
“Are- Are you okay?”
she whispered.
“I’m home.”
Pulling back to hold her at arm’s length, get a good look at her, I gave her a little squeeze. She had dark circles under her eyes. I’d wager this wasn’t the first time she’d cried today. If our reunion was any way to gauge things, it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
“Do you- Do you know who the father is?”
Rosa blurted.
As if she’d just realized what she’d said, how I could have taken it, versus what she’d actually intended— meaning, she meant which one of my guys before it had occurred to her that it might actually not be any of theirs at all, Celuk answered before anyone else could, “Mine. Jeh-kal’s. Odix’, Gopher’s, Rek’s, our Jo’s Buu’s.”
“Buu?”
Rosa blurted, looking both relieved and confused.
“Buu Jo’ Yowie,”
Jeh-kal supplied.
Noyel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “A Yowie? You’re certain? Mama left that part out.”
Rosa glanced up at Noyel sharply. “You mean you knew she was pregnant? And you didn’t tell me?”
“Mama informed me, quite convincingly, in my defense, that it wasn’t my place to say anything.”
Noyel cleared his throat repeatedly. Were he wearing a shirt with a collar, he’d be tugging at it right now nervously.
Rosa shook her head at him but let it go. Immediately, her focus was back on me. “I came by last night,”
another pointed look at Noyel, “as soon as I heard, but Celuk said you were, uh- erm,”
Rosa blushed as she hurriedly finished, “that it had been a long journey and that you all were, uh, getting ready for bed.”
Eyeing me, she smiled in relief. “You look good.” Hugging me to her yet again, she whispered, “I’m so glad you’re okay, and now you’re home.”
“Me, too.”
Hugging her to me, I rested my chin on her shoulder for a moment.
A tiny kick had us breaking apart to stare down at my belly.
“I felt that!”
Rosa exclaimed excitedly. “Has she been very active?”
“That’s a first like that,”
I whispered, staring down at my stomach.
Rek dropped the pair of socks in his hand, the very pair I’d thrown at him, and scrambled to beat Celuk and Jeh-kal to me.
Rek was doing better, for sure, but he wasn’t even close to one hundred percent.
Celuk beat the others out. Noyel quickly picked Rosa up and set her behind him as Celuk dropped down to place his hands below mine.
Rek squeezed his hand in beside ours, and Jeh-kal brought up the rear, content to let them outrun him as long as he got to join in. His hand landed on the other side of mine and Celuk’s.
A grin stole over my face as they all leaned in, eyeing my belly hopefully.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but you’ve got an audience,”
I joked to my stomach.
“Kirch is going to be so jealous when he hears,”
Rosa chuckled out as she peered at us from around Noyel.
“Kirch know,”
Celuk grunted out.
“My Jojomine’s baby,”
Rek grumbled. “Kirch have to give baby back to my Jojomine. No’ keep.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean- Of course he has to give the baby back. I- Am I the last to know?”
Rosa spluttered.
“No,”
Jeh-kal grunted out, his gaze never leaving my belly.
“How are the kids doing?”
I asked Rosa, as if I didn’t have my belly covered with hands ready to feel a kick and she wasn’t looking a wee bit put out to be so far down on the baby news list.
“We tried to keep what happened from them as long as possible,”
Rosa kept starting and stopping. “We- We were hoping to hear good news first, you know, before we said anything, but news travels fast, people talk, sometimes within earshot of little inhuman hearing ears. After it hit a month, we had to tell them. The boys didn’t quite understand what was going on. Kehko took it the hardest.”
Rosa was tearing up again. Noyel wrapped an arm around her, tucked her into his side, and placed a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’d like to see them soon,”
I croaked out, fighting not to get all emotional on her ass as she tried to do the same for me.
“They’ll love that.”
Rosa nodded, her throat working convulsively.
A small kick tapped Celuk’s hand. Celuk let out a surprised little, “Hoh,”
and moved his hand for someone else to have a turn.
Rek greedily placed his hand over the spot, shooting Jeh-kal a warning look.
Jeh-kal bared his teeth at him, a silent snarl, but let him have his way.
“Rek turn,”
Rek grumbled, though he glanced away. His free hand fiddled with the hem of my nightgown. Muffling a grumble in his throat, he slid his hand over a little to make room for Jeh-kal.
“Jeh-kal no make, but Jeh-kal baby, too,”
he grumbled.
Rek wriggled his nose, his face scrunching up as he gave Jeh-kal a funny look. “Rek no make neither. Why say silly things? Rek no care who make. Baby Rek’s, all same.”
Jeh-kal stared at him unblinkingly. “Hit face too hard, last sleep-fall?”
he grunted out.
“Sleep fall?”
What in the world were they talking about.
“Rek better,”
Rek grumbled, cupping his free hand over his nose protectively.