Chapter 14
Asleep. Awake. It didn’t matter. I was a grumpy, growling mess twenty-four-seven. It was only getting worse.
Guilt hit me, realizing Dace had given up trying to get me out of bed today and left for chores without me.
I’d get to them, eventually. That’s what I kept telling myself.
I was being an ungrateful beast and I knew it, but I couldn’t find the oomph to get out of bed and face yet another day.
Curling up in my bed facing the wall and shutting everything else out in favor of fighting off strange dreams was preferable than facing reality.
“She’s sleeping.”
A whisper soft voice dragged me from a thankfully peaceful sleep. No dreams, no nightmares, no anxiety inducing drama in my head playing out, just sweet, blissful nothing.
“All the day?” a deep voice inquired.
Dace hesitated.
“How long?”
“Since yesterday,” Dace blurted.
Since yesterday? No, that was impossible, I- Sitting up, I realized one thing very fast— I needed to go to the bathroom, like, now.
Forcing my aching joints to get going, I slithered from my bed with a groan.
“Pru?” Dace called out. The door creaked open and her head popped in.
“Was I really out for two days?” I mumbled groggily as I made my way over to the privacy screen to take care of business.
“She’s awake!” Dace squeaked out, before adding, “Oh, but she needs a moment!”
When I was presentable, I seated myself at the table.
Dace opened the door and Joanie’s Celuk and one of Dorothy’s mates stepped in, the healer one.
Pushing past them all, Joanie marched right in.
Taking a seat across from me, motioning for Dace to join her, the woman eyed me for the longest moment as I frowned at her mightily.
“So I’m not sure how this all works but you’re part Lo denaii, right, like a quarter or something.
” The woman with the wild scars and wilder mates wasn’t asking.
“Dace is worried about you. She has my Buu berry muffin worried about you.” Her nails were short but painted a vibrant blue with purple polka dots that matched Buu.
“Daisy’s mates, in their concern, have gotten folks involved, and No-yell, apparently you’ve met his crusty buns, is wondering if the grumpy growls creeping up on you is mate sickness to some degree. ”
“I don’t have mate sickness.” My denial, as always, was instant. But… there was a possibility there could be something to that.
“Right. Okay.” Those neon bright nails rat-a-tat-tapped along the heavy wood table top.
The woman stared at me as if I should somehow find that, I don’t know, intimidating?
When I gave her a look and stared right back, she was the first to blink.
“You’re kinda unnerving, wildwoman, has anyone ever told you that? ”
“Not to my face.” My mouth tugged up at the corner in a smirk that would have made Cy proud.
Joanie dipped her head in a nod and stood.
Lifting her hands up, she shook her head as she turned.
“Sorry, fellas, nothin’ doin’. She said she’s fine.
She’s fine.” Turning at the very last moment, Joanie tossed out, “Where are we standing with the nab you another male exploration thingy I heard those lunk heads wondering about?”
The snarl I let loose, hopping up from my seat to glare at any and all males present, was answer enough.
“Say no more.” Spinning on her heel, she gave the males gathered a dirty look.
“I don’t know what all you thought to accomplish by bringing me here.
If she doesn’t want another mate, don’t think I’m about to talk her into it.
She knows her mind.” Lips pursing, she huffed, “And if anyone tries to push her into one, I’ll be first in line right after her to tear a piece from each and every being involved, you feel me, fluffy wuffies? ”
“Me, too,” Dace added, though she looked like the last thing she’d be doing is trying to tear anything out of anyone, she was fidgeting in place so nervously.
Shooing everyone out along with her, Joanie turned at the door. “I’m sorry about getting separated from your mates. Vurhg is a peanuts for brains asshole. You want him taken care of, Celuk has already offered to bury him alive again for me.”
When I frowned at her offer, she waved me off.
“I know. I just can’t bring myself to put a hit out on a beast. Maim him, sure, bury him alive, sounds like a plan, but outright murder him?
” With a grimace, she sighed. “The punishment has to fit the crime.” Tapping her lip in thought, she muttered, “I wonder if there’s an unexplored portal lying around we could chuck him into… ”
The muttering continued as she left in a flounce of fluffy coat and wild colored fur trim boots.
“She likes you.” Dace smiled, pleased with the idea. “I can tell.”
Good to know, I guess.
Rushing to the door, she hurried and locked it. Pressing her back against it, she gave me a pleading look. “I’m sorry. I was just scared. That’s a long time to sleep. I didn’t know what to do. You wouldn’t wake up.”
“It’s fine.” I didn’t feel fine. I felt like I could go back to bed and sleep for two more days. I should feel hungry, shouldn’t I? Lifting my hand to scrub it down my face, I realized my hands were shaking horribly.
The look on Dace’s face told me there was more.
“What? What is it?”
“Don’t be mad at me, okay?” She bit at her lip so hard as she waited for me to answer she was practically gnawing on it when I finally nodded and motioned for her to continue.
Thinking perhaps she wanted an actual response, I muttered, “Okay.”
“Uhm, I maybe, went to find Kehlor when you wouldn’t wake up and, uh, got really mad and started yelling at him when I told him you needed him, that he was hurting you and you’re my friend and he’s an awful boyfriend-husband-mate for hurting you like that, and, uhm, sorta, maybe, mighta…
thrown a muddy snowball at his face when he just stood there blinking at me like I was an alien, and, uh, maybe called him a jerk, then ran. ”
“You… You what?” A splutter of a laugh left me.
“I know! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to meddle!” Dace rushed over to the table and slipped into the seat Joanie had vacated. “I won’t ever do it again!”
“I’m not mad.” Realizing that’s what she thought, I wanted to fix that straight off.
I was surprised, definitely, but not mad.
The more I thought on it, the funnier it was.
Trying to imagine Dace doing just that, for me, I stood, came around to her side of the table, and gave her stunned butt a hug.
“Thank you.”
“You’re not mad?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at this point. “You did exactly what I’ve wanted to do since Kehl sent that Ufful guy over to me.”
Dace went from eyeing me worriedly, then her eyebrows shooting up in shock, and finally to smiling bashfully. “I just thought, after all you’ve done for me, you need me now, why couldn’t I do this for you, you know?”
“I didn’t do anything.” Not really.
Dace shook her head. “But you did, you just don’t know it.
” Wrapping her arms around her middle, she looked like she was squeezing herself as she confided, “Lolly said hello when I walked past, and I got a wave yesterday when I waved at Louisa as I passed. They never would have acknowledged me at all before.”
“Maybe it has nothing to do with me. Maybe they’re just coming around,” I challenged.
Dace just shook her head. “It was you.”
Standing, Dace walked over to the counter and began cutting bread and getting it ready to serve. The last thing I felt was hungry, despite the gnawing feeling in my gut.
“Want to work on translations some more?” I asked.
“Sure,” Dace chirped, then ran to her pillow to retrieve her book.
We got pretty far before Dace realized I hadn’t eaten any of the bread she’d been munching on. “Aren’t you hungry?” she asked.
“Not really,” I muttered as I studied the options for this next part of the book.
“I’m going to be busy the next few days,” Dace told me as she doodled little pictures next to the symbols she’d learned, to help her remember, she said. It could come in handy for future use, should someone else wish to learn as well.
A dizzy spell hit me as I worked on the next string of words.
Helping myself to a piece of bread, I took one bite and bile rose in my throat.
Setting down my writing utensil, I set my elbows on the table and rested my head in my hands.
“They weren’t wrong. Something is wrong with me,” I admitted.
“I don’t feel right. I can’t sleep, then when I can I don’t want to wake up. I feel so… lost.”
Wetness dribbled down my hand and I realized I’d started crying.
A knock sounded at the door then and Dace stood. Grabbing a cloth for me to wipe my face on, I shook myself out, trying to get a damn grip already. When I was ready, I nodded and she cracked the door open.
Turning to me, Dace announced, “So I have something to do that I forgot about. I’ll be back tomorrow, though. See you bright and early in the morning, friend!”
Tomorrow? What was she even talking about, and why was she being so loud?
Racing around the room, Dace grabbed a pillow, blanket, stuffed her feet in her boots, had her coat half on and half off, and was running out the door before I could ask her what, for the love of all that is fuzzy, she was talking about.
Realizing she’d left the door cracked open upon her exit, I sighed and stood to walk over and close it. Before I could reach the door it began to creak open.
Tensing, a scowl pulled at my lips and I was ready to snarl and lob a chair at any would-be intruder when a familiar mop head popped through.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I bit out.
Kehl slipped inside the hut and closed the door behind him. My ears pricked as it snicked shut and he engaged the lock. Eyes narrowing on him, I gave a disinterested sniff and turned to face away from him. Folding my arms over my chest, I hoped it hid the way I was trembling at his nearness.
“My Purr-roo ‘kay?” he rumbled out softly.