Chapter 22 #3
“Beast called Berkr, say him wait for portal open,” Birch rumbled out. Scratching at a spot near a tall, floppy grey ear, his expression sobered. “Birch wait for Dace, Birch think, too.”
“I want to wait for her,” I blurted.
Kehl and Birch shook their heads. “Not safe,” Kehl grumbled. “Birch take care Dace, she come through,” he tried to assure me. To Birch, he rumbled, “Eat. Sleep. Fix wounds first.”
Turning in his arms, I studied my mate-husband. “How badly are you hurt?”
“Kehl needs Purr-roo kiss all the booedboos,” Birch teased.
“Hush up, you,” I warned him.
Kehl gave Birch a long look before meeting my gaze and responding, “Kisses make all the owies better. That what Kehl hear Rek tell him Jojoknee, him need her kiss all his owies better. Think it stupid Kehl hear it…”
A grin tugged at my lips and I leaned in to press a kiss to an unbloodied patch on his cheek. “But you’re interested in seeing if it works?” I purred into his ear.
Kehl let out a happy rumble and Birch made a blech sound.
Hugging Kehl tight, I stuck my tongue out at Birch.
Kehl bared his teeth at him. He didn’t like when Birch did it back. “No,” he said simply, which just made Birch and me burst out laughing.
Elm and Cy returned with Sunny and Forest and a caravan of crap Forest was pulling along on a wooden cart.
A female bunny person, a Lepyr, as Sunny called them, with sandy brown fur and white fur on her chest and cheeks, a tiny little pink button nose, and those familiar blue eyes, hopped off where she was sitting on the back of the cart and rushed up to me.
Kehl set me down just in time to be tackle-hugged by the woman. “Oh, Prudence! We were so worried about you!” Pulling back, she smiled happily, tears in her eyes. “Just look at you, hun! You’re all fuzzy wuzzy and ready for winter weather, looking cute as a button!”
“She have babies, Mama,” Birch chimed in oh so helpfully.
“OH! Forest! Forest, baby, did you hear that?! We’re going to be grandparents!!” she squealed out in delight.
“Not kill all Krampus yet, mama voice do it,” Cy muttered as he sidled up beside Kehl and wrapped an arm around me. “Cy first mate,” Cy told Kehl.
Kehl nodded, acknowledging their perceived pecking order.
“Elm first mate,” Elm grumbled.
“Elm chicken shits, first time our Pru. Elm run. Cy first mate. Cy no run. Cy claim. No care who after that,” Cy argued. Pointing at Kehl, he nominated him as second. “Him no run neither. ‘Tect our Pru.”
Elm glared at him but couldn’t argue his logic.
“Kehl no need be first, second,” my secret sweetheart of a male rumbled out.
Elm stared at him for a long moment before blurting, “Why?”
Kehl shrugged. “My Purr-roo- OUR Purr-roo no pick fav’rites. Love all her males. Kehl know how much she miss Cy and Elm. No want fight now all ‘gether.”
Elm nodded and dropped the race for mate order. “All same,” Elm said finally.
Cy snorted. “Cy first. Cy know Cy special favorite my Pru- Ow! Ma!”
“Mr Kehl just saved your life! And on top of that, he’s been taking excellent care of our sweet Pru, from the sounds of it. Show that male some respect!” she barked at her middle son in only the way an incensed mama could.
Cy frowned and grabbed at his tugged ear. Eyes narrowing on her, causing Forest to rumble at him warningly, Cy finally grumbled, “Fine, no need be first mate.” He waited a beat. I was expecting it. “Cy fine be secret favorite.”
Kehl snorted and bent to rumble in my ear, “My Purr-roo has a Rek-Kirch?”
A god awful guffaw escaped me.
Cy glanced between us sharply.
“What a Rek-Kirch?” Elm asked in an overdone stage whisper.
Patting his arm, I assured him, “I’ll show you later.”
“Birch not want know,” the youngest of their brood grumbled with a shudder.
“Cy not that thing. That Red Skirt thing Kehl say,” Cy grumbled.
Sliding an arm through Cy’s, I gave his arm a squeeze. “Of course not.”
Cy huffed and puffed and then finally rumbled, “Why Cy not ‘lieve my Pru?”
Kehl laughed his ass off at that. “My Purr-roo other mates going to keep Kehl ‘tained.”
“Boy, will they ever,” I muttered as Cy and Elm started to quietly bicker.
Kehl ended that real quick, stepping between the pair with a stern look each.
Huh. There was something really hot about watching him be all take charge like that. I’d have to show him just how much later.
As we headed for the village and Lo denaii who’d joined the fight started popping from the foliage, some with Krampus-y souvenirs, a la head trophies, I couldn’t help but wonder and worry about Dace.
“Dace be ‘kay,” Kehl rumbled out comfortingly.
“Dace smart,” Birch rumbled out. “Dace help Maroumak.”
That would be the first time anyone but me has shared that sentiment. Very few could look past the too literal moments, the ditzy faux pas to see the person behind it all. It didn’t help that she used the ditzy village idiot stereotype from time to time to her advantage.
“Oh, she was a ditzy little thing but sweet as sugar,” Sunny was saying, blunt as always.
“Be nice ‘bout Pru friend, Mama,” Elm rumbled out quietly.
Sunny looked surprised he’d step up like that.
Dipping her head, she corrected, “My apologies. I meant nothing by it. She did us the greatest favor and I’m thankful to her for it.
She was like our own personal Polly Pocket guide back here.
” Looking to Birch, she fussed, “She’s too skinny, though.
We’ll throw a lot of barbecues, plump her right up, won’t we, Birchy. ”
“Mama,” Birch rumbled, his voice not quite a whine but enough so to amuse me.
“Yeah, Birchy,” I teased, “let’s barbecue you and fatten her up.”
Birch laughed at that. “Mama mean like that,” he tossed back.
“Da overcook. Be burnt Birch,” Cy snickered.
“Too much fat on burnt Birchy, smell awful,” Elm piled on.
“Birchy- Birch fat now?” Grabbing at a patch of grass, Birch yanked it up and tossed it Elm and Cy’s way.
Kehl scooped me up and leapt out of the way, leaving Cy and Elm to stare after us as Birch’s dirt and grass globs aimed at them hit their marks.
Birch laughed as Elm and Cy glared at him.
“No fighting now!” Sunny barked. “It’s been a long journey and we’re all tuckered out!” Lower, she grumbled, “At least give us a chance to scoot from these demons we call ours first.”
“Enough,” Forest rumbled out in Lo denaii.
“You heard them, children,” I growled out in growl-speak, making Kehl laugh. Meeting his gaze, I grinned. “I’m getting better at it.”
Kehl rumbled his approval.
When silence greeted us, I turned to find Sunny, Forest, Elm, Cy, and even Birch, all watching me, speechless.
“So, funny thing. I’m remembering how to speak and understand the grumpy-growls,” I mumbled nervously. “Yay me.”
Walking up to Kehl, Elm held his hands out. “Please.”
Kehl nodded, kissed me, then handed me over.
Elm’s lips immediately found mine. He kissed me roughly, deeply, without a smidge of hesitation.
“Not bad for a beginner, eh?” I was talking about my pronunciation but the way Elm rumbled spoke of sexy things to come.
“Elm likes hear Pru growl,” he rumbled out softly.
Nuzzling the side of his face, I whispered, “I like the way you growl too, big guy.”
The noise Elm made said he planned to show me more fun growls at our earliest convenience.
“There are some things a mother just doesn’t need to hear,” Sunny stage whispered to Forest.
“No listen then,” Cy shot back. He missed Sunny grabbing for him, ducking behind Kehl for protection.
When Kehl blocked Sunny, Kehl had no idea he’d just met his new best friend as Cy smirk-smiled his way, dipped his head, and then he was off, running from Sunny as she threatened to beat his buns if he didn’t knock it off, she didn’t care how old they all were.
“I keep forgetting you’re all triplets and technically all the same age,” I muttered
“Elm still oldest,” Elm rumbled.
“Cy second,” Cy rumbled.
“Only because Cy’s fat butt shove Birch out of way,” Birch called out, and on the taunting and teasing and love mixed in there went on.
Kehl, luckily, was thoroughly amused by the Trees and their goofy family dynamic.
By the time we’d reached the village, Cy had all but claimed Kehl as his own personal beastly shield/friend, chatting him up about what to expect when we reached the village.
Elm was forced to give me over to Cy, who was a rumbling, stumbling, needy mess, stealing kisses at every turn. He nearly walked us into a tree, he was that happy to see me.
We were traveling at a slower pace for the cart, so all those who had raced to help with the Krampus battle were now back at the village.
By the time we made it back to the village, it was almost completely dark.
Dorothy and Red were waiting for us with two of their mates each, a makeshift triage center setup where the market place had been.
Kehl allowed Dorothy to manhandle him over to Lukar, but Cy and Elm refused, choosing to stay glued to my sides.
“It’s okay, I’ll just-” That sentence was met with swift growls of Like hell.
I figured I could try and doctor them up myself seeing as the cuts on their arms didn’t look too deep.
One of Red’s mates was pretty beat up. He was missing part of his ear, an arm, and was, I hoped, having himself a very healing nap. Red fussed over him, her eyes red rimmed and puffy.
Assuring Cy and Elm they were in good hands, I left them hovering over Kehl, frowning as he gamely allowed them to study him getting his wounds tended to, I walked over to Red. “May I sit with you?”
Red barely glanced up. “Daisy needed to go back home. Her youngest isn’t even one yet. They needed their mama.” Sniffling, she went on. “He wanted another one but I swore I was done having babies, you know? I’ve already got my hands full.”
With a growl in her voice, she muttered, “Come back to me, you stubborn old coot, and I’ll give you one more chance to knock me up, you hear me?”
The male’s chest began to rumble softly.
Red cried out as his eye slowly opened, leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth.