Chapter 18
“Mean like assed hole. Not goot male,” Doogie explained around a mouth full of his mama’s stew.
“Know you Carrie feed you, why you eat all Mama food too?” Mosoau grumbled at his son.
“Why you care? You need lose gut,” Doogie shot back. “Mama roll you from house, you eat all the times.”
“Both of you, stop it,” Dorothy muttered between bites of buttered bread. “You’re both being ridiculous.” Giving Mossau a look, she primly informed him, “My babies can come home and eat any time they like.”
“Who say so?” Mossau was taunting her, smothering a grin.
“Me,” Dorothy sassed, then chucked a roll at his head when he snickered.
Mossau caught it and growled in a rather sexual way as he bit into his roll, eye fudging her the entire time.
Quickly glancing away, I tried to hide my expression but Doogie caught it. “Hah. Now Purr-roo know howed gross Doogie daddies are, too,” Doogie taunted.
“Like you don’t do the very same thing to Carrie,” I chortling shot back at him.
Doogie shrugged and grinned, completely unbothered. “My Carrie loves Doogie’s make the sex looks.”
Dorothy made a sputtering noise. “No sex anything at the table, please.”
Doogie pointed his dinner roll at his father. “Tell goggle eyes at my mama there that.”
Mossau shot him a dirty look, before quickly returning to giving Dorothy fudge me now bebeh looks.
Dorothy’s face reddened and she lifted her napkin to drop it over Mossau’s smirking face. “Keep that up, mister, and you’re sleeping on the floor!” she spluttered.
Mossau let out a rumble that rattled his whole chest and set the utensil on his plate clinking loudly, one of those hello ma’am rumbles that announced quite proudly that he’d happily sleep on the floor to never stop openly, wildly flirting with her.
It was a little demented obsessive fuzzball over the top but so damn sweet.
Doogie finished up his food fast and left with the promise to tell Carrie I was doing good and wanted to make plans with her soon.
Orrie had six teeth come in. Harsh for such a little thing, but it explained why the poor thing was beside herself.
Ouch. Doogie assured me she was good now and sleeping much better.
Doogie and Elle were practicing their singing skills for future tooth emergencies.
It made me smile to hear it. Dace would also be relieved to hear little Orrie was on the mend.
Kehl refused to let me try and help with cleanup after dinner, despite the fact I could now walk across the room unassisted at this point.
Things were just winding down when the noises from outside grew so insistent, so loud, it was getting impossible to ignore.
Had a hunting party returned? A full hunting party returned to their loved ones instead of planning a funeral was cause for celebration. It was dangerous out there.
I was eager for some alone time with Kehl but a little nervous for his reception from the village now that his Krampus was out.
Glad of Dorothy and her mates’ support, we still didn’t know if there were going to be pitch forks and angry furries waiting for us when we walked out that door.
A knock sounded on the door as I was mulling the potential possibilities over, lost in my own thoughts— I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Lukar went to the door. Moments later the door opened wider and Daisy and her mirror-copy, constant shadows for mates stepped in to stand behind her.
Daisy’s eyes were red and puffy and her hands shook.
“Please… let me start off by saying that I am so sorry.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears and her hands shook even harder.
“I feel just awful. So awful.” Her gaze darted between us, drifting over Kehl’s horns briefly, like she knew better than to stare at him too long, but then her gaze got stuck as it landed on me.
Squirming on the inside uncomfortably, my only outward reaction was to tense where I was snuggled up beside Kehl.
Yes, she was apologizing. My human side understood this. The feral part of me still wanted to rip her face off.
Daisy grunted as the male to her left nudged her gently. “Right.” She blinked. “Sorry.” Shaking her head, she licked her lips. “You just, your eyes… they’re so bright now it’s like they’re glowing.”
When my hand shot up and I brushed it along the side of my eyelid, she quickly added, “It’s pretty. I mean, with the fur and the claws and the teeth- Uh, you’re, you know- Pretty, dangerous, kinda scary, that ethereal thing, otherworldly, like Gopher’s sisters.”
I looked like one of Gopher’s sisters now? I’d met two of them aside from Elle, bumping into them with Dace, and they were strangely beautiful. Not in a traditional sense but more of an if you do me wrong I’ll tear your liver out— that kind of dangerous aura Kehl has about him in his Krampus form.
Turning to Kehl, I asked, “Do you like me better like this? Is it weird? Am I more attractive to you?”
Kehl looked my way sharply, then turned his body to face me. “My Purr-roo always bootiful to Kehl. This way, other way, all the ways. Khel has the luffs, my Purr-roo.”
Grinning, I grabbed his hand and entwined our fingers to then settle our hands in my lap as he snuggled me back up against him.
Daisy, watching the byplay, admitted, “We know he’s not like the others.
Like the other Krampus, I mean. He only shifted because he was scared and he wanted to protect you.
All he cared about was getting you to a healer and helping you.
” Swallowing audibly, she went on, “I don’t want to fight.
I’m not a fighter. This whole thing got wildly out of control.
I’m sorry I insulted you, both of you. I understand if you don’t want to sell fabric to me anymore, or have anything to do with me.
I have no excuse. Please… please don’t shun my family. The fault is entirely mine. ”
“Kehl will sell to you,” I called out as she turned to leave, “but I have stipulations.”
Kehl glanced down at me in surprise.
“Oh, anything,” Daisy chirped. She was squeezing her hands together so tightly her knuckles were turning a purplish blue.
“You have to wave at Dace when she greets you,” I said simply.
“No more ‘sult my Purr-roo,” Kehl grumblingly added.
“No more gossiping about us, me and mine. You don’t like me? Fine with me, just keep it behind closed doors and shut lips. I can’t stand you but you don’t see me running around running my mouth off about you to God and everyone.”
Daisy didn’t hesitate, that’s how much Kehl’s fabrics meant to her, nodding her head so vigorously she looked like a bobble head gone wild.
She didn’t even seem bothered by my admitted open dislike of her but that really wasn’t a surprise to anyone, least of all her.
“I can do that. I swear. Not another word!”
“Kehl sell to Daidzee,” Kehl rumbled out quietly.
“Thank you! Thank you so much! You won’t regret it,” Daisy chirped.
“Goot?” her male asked her, to more vigorous nodding.
Wrapping an arm around her, he gave her a squeeze, then released her to approach us.
Kehl tensed beside me.
In their growl-speak, the male held his arm out, hand up. “Begging your forgiveness and acceptance. Despite what our female says, the fault is ours.”
My response was automatic. “Go after my mate again and you’ll be dealing with the both of us,” I growled out.
Kehl and the male jerked their gazes my way.
“What?” I muttered, still giving Mirror-Copy Mate One a dark look.
Kehl’s rumble kicked up, so loud it made me smile. “My Purr-roo, you say the words in our words,” Kehl growled out in his native tongue.
“No, I didn’t,” I muttered in English.
“Do,” Mirror-Copy One grunted out with that surprised look still plastered on his face.
“Did I?” I wondered aloud.
“My Purr-roo speak very goot,” Kehl rumbled out.
“I don’t know how I did that,” I admitted.
“Come natural, ‘fend mate,” Mirror-Copy Two offered from his position beside Daisy. He grinned like this was a good thing I should be proud of.
Growl speak when in a moment doesn’t help me speak it when I want to. Maybe this was more of that stuff that happened to me with the Grays still needing to shake loose. That I had the ability to understand their language at all again was a miracle all its own.
“I wish I could learn the growling talk,” Daisy remarked quietly.
“I wonder what shook things loose in there?” I muttered as I gave my head a little shake.
“Wild Krampus mates like Krampus,” Mirror-Copy One rumbled out quietly.
My eyes widened at the news. Turning to Kehl, I studied him. “You mean I could get cool horn-antler things and a built in shoulder shawl of fur?”
“Male Krampus only have the big pokies from head,” Mirror-Copy Two offered as he mimed a huge rack.
Disappointment filled me. “But that’s the best part,” I grumbled under my breath. My gaze darted from the set Kehl was sporting to my male’s shocked, wide eyes, and I smiled sheepishly. “You’ve got a nice rack, hot stuff, don’t judge me,” I told my mate.
Kehl laughed, the sound sharp, shocked, joyous. That sound was giving ten kinds of Yep, this one is all mine as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “My Purr-roo,” he got out softly. His voice was low, choked.
His tall frame trembled as he bent to bury his face in my neck and smiled against my skin.
“You don’t have to tell me I won at life with mates,” I whispered as I hugged him tight right back.
Pulling back, Kehl grinned down at me and then leaned right back in and nuzzled my temple.
Mirror-Copy One held his arm out to me specifically this time.
Not knowing what that means or how I’m supposed to respond, Kehl leaned in to rumble softly and show me on his arm, placing my hand were it would go. “Means want forgivedness. Him ask Purr-roo ‘cept his sorries.”
Daisy made a noise that said she didn’t want anyone taking blame for her actions but was quickly quieted by Mirror-Copy Two.