Chapter 29

T he day of the Festival was here and I couldn't feel any less prepared. Odix and Gopher were doing their best to worm their way back in good with me.

God damnit, it was working.

My new door was due to be installed today. Gopher was insistent that he handle it and I was stressing so hard over it I let him.

Bum-bum's antics were not a one-off in retaliation of mine. Waking up to a life size blue statue of myself, smack dab in the middle of my garden, was not my idea of a good time. I mean, it mighta been, if the statue wasn't being railed by an enormous, horned beast. Odix had been almost too eager to take it off of my hands. I honestly didn't want to know and was struggling not to dwell too hard on that. He gave me his word he had no intention of putting it out on display or embarrassing the fuck out of me with it. I decided he better not or I was going to skin him alive and told him as much.

Trying to forget there was a very realistic sex statue of myself in existence, I dug into helping with food prep.

It was cold, and I was sweaty, baking and freezing my ass off simultaneously.

The Festival was a pretty big deal. It was their holiday custom type deal. Beasts from other villages traveled here. It was seen as a sort of hub, the original "Unwanteds" mecca.

I was a little anxious, I'd admit, to see Celuk again.

I had no clue if he'd be there or not but a very big part of me was hoping.

"Thanks for all your help," Daisy and Red said at once, glanced at each other, then laughed.

"With the costumes for the kids, I meant, but this, too," Red explained. "My guys looked at me like I was crazy when I told them what I wanted to make."

"She helped me with the costumes for me and mine, too," Daisy squeaked.

"I've been busy," I murmured absently, with a shrug. Halloween was a foreign concept to many beastly dudes. Which made me wonder what they thought of the Earth custom after Mal coming to town all green faced and witchy looking.

We'd gone with food as a theme this year, oddly enough. A costume party of foodie proportions. Scary stuff was out of the question and we respected that.

It was actually kind of funny, the whole costume thing. Some of these fellas could put me to shame making boots, a dress, but ask them to make a fruit, veggie, or creature getup for their little one and they're butter fingers.

I was happy to help. Auntie Jojo to the rescue.

My feet wriggled in my boots. My brand new boots. I'd woken up to them sitting in a wrapped bundle outside my door. Odix hadn't seemed happy about it but he said they were from Rek.

"I think someone wants to talk to you." Daisy nudged me and jerked her chin at a spot somewhere behind me.

Glancing over my shoulder as I kneaded sweet bread, I paused as I spied Rek leaning against a tree, watching, waiting.

Daisy hip bumped me out of the way and took over my bread lump. "Go on. You've been running yourself ragged, from the sounds of it. Take a break. We'll see you at the festival."

"You telling me to ditch you, Cottontail?" I sassed.

Reaching out, the bunnylike blonde smacked me one across my ass. "Yes, ma'am, I am. Now go on! Git!"

Red looked as shocked as I did. Sputtering out a laugh, I stared at the tiny woman.

She was resolute. "I mean it. Go." Lifting her hand, she pointed towards the spot Rek had been moments before, banishing me from further help.

"Fine. Whatever." Clacking my claws, I flicked them at her, chuckling when she instinctively flinched. "Don't come crying to me when you're short a loaf or three or a casserole thingy or four!"

"We won't," Red quipped, blowing me a kiss when I flipped her off.

Smart asses.

"You glared, milord," I drawled. Stopping a few feet away from him, I crossed my arms over my chest.

With a grunt, Rek pushed off the tree and stalked away. Wondering if he was expecting me to follow, I stood there and watched, waited.

Rek came marching right back, grabbed my hand, and shoved it into the crook of his arm. Still holding my fingers captive in his, he grumbled, "Shout, Rek kiss Joanie on mouth, front everyone. Jo say Rek not Jojomine mate then." A harrumph left him.

"Sometimes you're a really big dick." A snort left me.

"Jojomine loves Rek dick. When Joanie not try shoots it off," he grumbled.

"Who pissed in your gruel today?" I barked back.

His fingers smoothed over mine as we walked. He was taking the back way to his place. Less witnesses. "Boots look beautiful on my Joanie." He let out a harsh grunt and glanced down at me curiously. "My Jojomine likes?"

There was a hint of a purr there, peeking as his rumble deepened.

"I do," I said slowly, trying to figure him out. He was crazier than me. I had to admit it might drag me over the edge with him if I ever tried to keep up.

"Odix, Gopher try win my Joanie back." A grunt of a chuff left him. "No smells like them. They no smell like my Joanie or nasty smellies stuff." A short, hard grunt left him. "You mine."

"Does the woman you're going to replace me with know this? Or are you striking out trying to find someone willing to put up with your never ending shit?" I cooed, slipping my hand from his to fold my arms over my chest.

Rek bared his teeth at me and growled.

No, sir, we can't just forget you're a giant douche nozzle. Try again.

This went on for a bit, his growling and teeth baring, while I stared down the length of my nose at him, eyes narrowed, lips pursed, unimpressed.

Fuck. Why was I so turned on right now? Grrr- ARGH.

Rek was the first to break. We'd just reached his door. After realizing his attempts to drag me inside by my arm with my feet dug in as they were without hurting me was futile, he opened the door and gave me a pleading look. When I didn't budge, I'd swear he muffled a groan under his breath before he blurted softly, "Please."

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever." My claws clacked as I flicked them at him.

He flinched, offering me a dirty look as I swept in past him.

I made sure my hair smacked him across his furry face as I passed. Dick.

When he would have closed the door, I stopped him. "It stays cracked open or I'm out," I warned him.

With a growl louder than the last, he left the door cracked and stomped towards me.

I chose a spot between the fireplace and bed, what I considered the center of his main room pre-renovations.

"You wanted to talk," I reminded him.

He gave me a look that said if I rushed him he was going to toss me over his thighs and paddle me.

Yeah right. I mean, I might like it, but it wasn't something he'd do. A fantasy for another time. Ahem.

Arms folding over my chest once more, my scowl slipped into a frown, the longer he hesitated. My stomach did that weird somersaulting thing it did as worry started to settle in. "Just say it. Whatever it is," I snapped, bristling. I could handle it, whatever it was, I kept telling myself, but my gut burned with trepidation.

Dropping the growling asshole thing after one short sniff in my direction that probably gave me away, damn him, his shoulders dropped, then his head, and he gave a few loud grunts in quick succession that were sort of like a sheepish stutter or laugh of the hairy folk. "Rek no mean it." His toes' claws scuffing the floor grew louder. "Rek want hurt Jojomine like Joansie hurt Rek," he mumblingly admitted.

Frowning at his admission as he stared at his foot scuffing the floor so loud it started to make a weird clicking sound, making me think he'd clawed bits of it right up, I blurted, "What the hell did I do to you that you think the answer is threatening me with rushing out and finding someone else?! How is that- I don't- That's so not okay!"

"Kirch say Rek not good male. Good males no' say that." Several loud grunts, coughs, and throat clearings later, he lifted his head, meeting my gaze briefly before it dropped once more. "Kirch say him bad male once ‘pon time but want be good for him's Meanie. No want hurt her. Kirch say- Kirch say Meanie teach him use big boy-ed words," he gruntingly mumbled.

"It's not okay," I agreed, not sure what the hell else to say from there. "It's not okay for me to hurt you either, but you have to tell me what I said or did that hurt you, not just start barking at me like an asshole. I don't understand. How can you expect me to?!"

"Rek no' mean it," he grunted out.

"But you still said horrible things to someone you say you love, all the same," I quipped.

Rek met my gaze unflinchingly then. "Joanie still has the loves for Rek? Even- Even after Rek big assed hole, say mean things to hurt Joanie's heart? Make Jo want have sleeps overs with sticks-skinny Goober and Stupid Face Fat Head?"

"First of all, Goober- I mean Gopher," I quickly corrected, gaping slightly in horror at my boo-boo, "is athletically built, he's not stick thin, ahem, and Odix's head is quite properly… erm, proportionate to the rest of him, if… if slightly shaped like a kumquat, but if you tell him I said that," my finger shot up and I jerked it at him menacingly, "I'll murder you."

A smirk of a smile tugged at Rek's lips at my slip up.

"It's not funny!" I warned him, even as my lips started to twitch.

Clearing his throat, he tried to look serious. He was failing horribly. I probably wasn't faring that much better but thank god I didn't have a mirror handy to shame myself with.

"My Jojomine forgive Rek? Put Rek ring back on Jo's finger?" he rumbled out softly, lifting his hands to hold them palms out to me.

When I didn't protest him moving in closer, he came right up to me, holding his arms out, waiting for me to slip into them and cuddle into him.

I didn't.

"God knows why but I love you, and I- I love them, too. Can you handle that?" Biting at the inside of my cheek, I focused on his left pectoral for some odd reason, like staring at his man-boob gave me somewhere to focus that was close enough to his face, if not quite that close. I couldn't handle him blowing up at me for that after just admitting he was wrong. The last blow up of his, it was ingrained in my mind. That shit's kind of hard to get past. He hasn't been the kindest seekret, kinda seekret, boyfriend, fiancé, whatever, to be with, and I was sugarcoating the fuck out of that right now. "You've pulled a lot of shit," I told his shoulder, inching my gaze closer towards his collarbone. "A lot," I quietly stressed. "I forgave you last time- I mean, you swore to me you were going to try, and you did for a while, until you didn't-"

"Odix say Rek no keep Joanie to self. My Jojomine him's mate too," he chuffed out.

"And that was the thing that triggered you? How the fuck is that my fault, fuzz nugget?!" I demanded to know. "I'm not responsible for what comes out of Odix's mouth!"

"Him big, fat, breath stinky mouth. Gopher say Odix first mate, him second. He not. Joanie no say him second. Celuk beats them both up. Celuk oldest, strongest, want flap the gums at Rek," Rek muttered. He buttoned up that line of shit talking quick at the look I gave him. We weren't going to go there.

"What did I do to you? How did I deserve your bullshit?! Show me where on the doll I hurt you, that made you lose your everlovin'!"

"Kirch say love not always make sense. Makes crazy," Rek rumbled out, lifting his hand to tug at the end of his ear until he was flat out jerking on it.

"YOU drive me crazy, and Kirch sounds like a rambly old woman. Are you just going to stand around and quote him all day or tell me what I did that hurt you?" My voice trembled. I was just that keyed up.

I didn't know how much more of this I was willing to take. This yo-yo-ing back and forth, something was going to fucking snap.

"Rek think- My Jojomine not want- My Joanie pick other males over Rek for first mate. My Jojo not make Rek first mate when Rek Joanie's seemkret boyfriend first," he blurted in a rush. "Make Stink Breath first- No want Rek babies. Goober and Stink Breath say Jojomine no want give Rek babies because Rek bad male, bad mate, no make Jojomine feel safe and want to have babies with Rek. Rek push, push, push, push to Celuk, push to Stink Breath, push to Goober."

I opened my mouth to argue the pushing thing, but quite literally, I found myself crossing paths with Gopher because of Rek's actions, and to an extent, Odix only heard about me because of Rek's Poop girl rumors. The Celuk thing was more of a combination of things… I didn't want to open that can of worms.

"Do you listen to me when I talk?" I demanded to know. "Because I swear, you can't act like you're hearing me, I can tell there's a light on, but sometimes my words either don't sink in or you take them and turn them around into something I most certainly did NOT say!"

"Rek listening," he grunted out.

"Then you'd know, and if not, fucking hear me now, I don't want to have children at all right now. Not with you, or Odix, or Gopher, or even Celuk! I grew up in a dysfunctional household. I know that trauma, thank you very much. I'm not going to foist that on my kid and do them dirty in the same fashion, or worse, as the case may be with your quirky, temperamental ass!" I was winded and out of breath from growling all that out to him, half seething from feeling repeatedly unheard.

Odix and Gopher instigating shit was just making my life worse. They knew how to press Rek's buttons and they were pushing fucking all of them, like a tween on a twenty floor elevator.

"Jojomine wants to have Rek's babies?" he mumbled hopefully.

"What did I just say?" I hissed at him.

"Jojomine… Jojomine still loves Rek?"

"Stop asking stupid questions. You know I love you, you ridiculous bastard. I'm here, still dealing with your bullshit, and you're not fertilizing my flowers!"

Scooping me up in a hug that found me squished into that pectoral I'd been staring at so hard just a bit ago, his chest revved to life in a wild purr.

"Maybe not make babies for Celuk." Rek let out a loud grunt. "Him crazy." An honest to god shudder left him.

"And you're what, an angel?" My snort was loud, full of what the fuck do you think you're even tryna say, and Rek knew it.

"Rek babies not be crazy. Rek's babies be beautiful, smart, mouthy, loud, mean, like my Jojomine," he rumble-purred happily, like that last bit there was a compliment.

"God save me," I mumbled into his chest. Did I really just sign up to my own personal headache yet again with this psycho? I was nutsy cuckoo. There was absolutely no other explanation.

"My Jojo," he whispered, sounding choked up.

"This isn't a done deal, you boob. I have stipulations." Wiggling my hand free, I jabbed it into his side.

Rek grunted and set me down. "Rek listening," he grunted down at me.

"If we're seriously going to make this work, I want to do it the right way. All in or all out, no in between. That goes for the others getting their shit together and worming their idiocy back into my good graces, too. It's not a one way street with you three, you all fuck with each other, and their beef with you lies heavily in the bullshit you threw at me. Can you handle that? If you have a problem, come to ME with it before it really is one. You're going to have some work ahead of you if you really mean to do this, because I'm not going to put up with brawling and shit. Work it out. Make it work. Someone's going to have to swallow some crow and be the bigger man."

Rek grimaced at the idea of having to apologize to Odix or Gopher for anything, least of all for legit reasons of assholery, but he nodded all the same. "Rek have the sorries for my Jojo," he rumbled out softly.

Studying him, I felt my face puckering. "I want to believe you," I told him.

"Rek want Joanie. All of my Jojoknee. Rek be good. Rek mean it," he swore. Looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating, he pulled me close, squishing me to him, and grumbled out, "Rek want Joanie know Rek. Kirch say tell Jo. Help Jo understand Rek better." Hesitating, he swallowed thickly. "When Rek at old village… little and get older, Rek mama say her no want. Mama say Rek bad male. No want bad male. Make Rek go into cold with other babies mamas no want. Lo denaii find Rek and babies. Kirch and others there. Take Rek and babies to village. Babies picked first. Rek last. No want go ‘way. Want mama that no want Rek. Rek angry. Rek mean. Kirch say Rek strong, big spirit. Rek fight. Rek fight Kirch all the times. Kirch try to teach Rek, but Rek no like it. Kirch not Rek daddy. Not Rek brother. Nothing to Rek. Rek leave Kirch when Rek old ‘nough. Kirch still come to Rek, teach Rek things, help Rek. No matter Rek do, Kirch always come see Rek, make sure Rek has food, tools. Make sure Rek know how to take care Rek self." Taking a deep breath as garbled noises left his chest, he sounded like he was forcing the words through gritted teeth. "Rek see Tokre with Jojomine' Rosie. He not good male to Rosie. She scared, quiet, soft. Rek want help. Think she what Rek want. She no want Rek help. No want Rek. Rek do bad things, think Rek helping. Rek no help. Rek think help but Rek being bad. Then Rek get Jojoanie. Rosielindy want her Joanie. Rek find her Joanie. Rek not meet female like Joanie before. She loud, not ‘fraid to beats Rek up. She bite. Growls. Tricksy. Joanie bad. Rek no s'posed to want. Rek s'posed to want good female that listen to Rek. Rek no want Rosie-lindy no mores. Rek say Rek no want bad Joanie but Rek want bad Joanie bad," his words tapered off into a growl as he held me to him tighter. "Rek know Rek not always good. Rek try to be good but Rek get mad. Push Joanie away when Rek think Joanie pushes Rek away. Rek scared, Rek push and push, ‘til Joanie no come back no more."

In a way, it was like listening to myself and pulling my bullshit to test others willingness to deal with my ass, if to a much more extreme extent with him.

"I'll never not want you, you furry headed fool. You're stuck with me for life. Even when I told myself I hated you, I still wanted you," I mumbled into his chest. I felt sick admitting that, because baring that part of myself like that wasn't exactly easy.

"Joanie Rosie-lindy know Jojoknee loves Rek now," he muttered, forcing the words past a garbled rumble. "Wear Rek ring for time. Rek ‘trothed."

"I hesitated to go public with you after the fact because I was scared. I trusted you and you broke that trust, several times over, then got angry at me for getting upset at you for it. Should I have just rolled over and taken it? Like a good little doormat? You tell me, Rek, what would you do if the person you love and trust stabbed you in the back? The person that's your person, your everything, betrays you, what would you do?"

Rek swallowed thickly, taking a long time to answer. "Rek no want say," he muttered under his breath. "Rek want Jojomine say she be Rek's, not tell Rek to make babies by Rek self."

A snort left me. "Exactly."

"Joanie still wants Rek?" he grunted out, pulling back to set me on my feet and hold me at arm's length. "Jojomine forgive Rek for Rek's badness? Rek swear on both Rek's balls Rek never hurt Jojomine again?"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, buddy. That's just as bad," I cautioned him.

"Rek try very hard, Rek work on being best mate to Jojomine, Rek try not to be mean, Jojomine's other males get sticks out of butts, Rek not take stupid mates things out on Joanie. Rek ask first, then be mad," he replied, sounding like he was reciting a speech he'd been practicing in his head.

"You've got your work cut out for you, dude, but it's a start." Holding out my hand for him to shake, he grumbled down at it like I'd offered him a dead fish.

"No want that. What that?" he muttered, batting my hand away. "Want this." Jerking me to him, he had me in his arms and his lips on mine, claiming them in a heated kiss before I could blink.

My hands had found their way to his chest and fisted thick handfuls of fur. He purred as I absently kneaded his chest.

"I- I want a real proposal, no skimping," I muttered between heated, searching kisses.

Rek growled at the idea, like he liked it, the sound rumbling his throat.

I thought it wise to elaborate. "Not right this minute. I mean, when we're ready."

"Rek ready," he muttered against my lips.

His mouth quirked up into a smile as he walked us over to his bed, purring all the while, and the thickness between his legs, trapped between us, jerked. "Rek always ready," he rumbled gutturally.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." The look I gave him had his eyes narrowing, that guttural rumble going from a mangled purr to a hasty growl in seconds flat.

"Rek ready to say Joanie Rek's for forever. Moment Rek stop being stupid and see Joanie Rek's."

My eyebrows quirked and my lips pursed. "And when, exactly, would that have been?"

Dropping me onto the bed, grinning with smug satisfaction when I bounced and a soft "eep" left me, he moved in to tower over me. "For the evers," he rumbled down at me. "All the times."

"Mm… I don't quite recall you being all warm and fuzzy wuzzy with me from the get go," I murmured skeptically. My face scrunched up as I replayed our initial encounters. The longer I dwelled on any of it, the harder it was not to cringe.

"Rek stupid," he grunted out. The look on his face said, C'mon, man, gimme a break.

"So… nothing's changed then?" My smirky smile was unrepentant as my eyes glittered up at him.

With a loud chuff, he dropped down atop me, his arms on either side of my head, holding his upper body weight, caging me in. "Rek stupid for my Jojomine. Trip over own big feet, stupid words not right, want pretty, mouthy female so bad Rek take like bad male. Rek bad male for naughty Joanie," he said slowly, like he was warming up to the idea of being the morally grey character of this story that got the girl in the end despite his rampant stupidity.

"Took me like a bad male?" My voice was almost a purr as I smoothed my hands up his chest, then lightly raked my nails down his abdomen. "Now, why do I like that so much?"

Rek snorted and rumbled without missing a beat, "Cause my Jojomine's a naughty female."

I shivered at the way he purred naughty , then gasped softly as he took my hands in his, capturing them, and then nuzzled my left wrist to playfully lave and then bite down gently at the spot, then lick it, before offering my right wrist the same affection.

When he would have leaned in to kiss me, I cupped his face, mushing it in my hands to stave him off. My lips quirked at his unhappy, mushed fishy lipped face, the soft rumble of being denied rattling his chest.

"I mean it. I've got one more ounce of forgiveness in me but that's it. My heart can't take any more of this merry go round with you. We do this or we don't, understand? We try and make this work or we give up now. I'm serious, Rek. I need to know you're in this with me. No childish tantrums, not sulking for days or hours on end. Fucking talk to me. Not shouting at me or accusing me of things you refuse to explain, because they're probably ridiculous and you don't even understand the crazy yourself. I need to know you're going to give this your all. Come what may."

"Rek give all," he swore. I wanted so badly to believe him. Sincerity dripped from those three little words but I'd been duped before. So many damn times before. Looking away, dropping his gaze, he muttered softly, "Jojomine give all? No matters what? Even- Even if Celuk want Joanie be him's mate again? No leave Rek all ‘lone in hut while Jojo goes to Celuk's big, fancy hut."

"If you're my mate, and we're all in this together, all of us, why wouldn't you go with us?" Did he think I'd leave him for Celuk? That's what it sounded like.

"Rek know Kooky Jojomine's fav'rite," he mumbled, looking loath to admit it.

"I don't recall picking a favorite," I sassed, searching out his gaze until he met mine.

"Rek know," he muttered.

"This bothers you."

Face scrunching up, fighting a teeth baring snarl, he reluctantly nodded.

"Odix and Gopher think you're the favorite," I pointed out. "Maybe it's a matter of perspective." For someone who was supposed to be my favorite, if this were true, Celuk got the short end of the stick in the sex department. Rek was coming up aces with that shit.

"Stink Breath and Goober think Rek the favorite?" The furry idiot perked up at the idea, though he frowned. "Why?" he grunted out into the silence that followed.

"Probably because you pull the most shit and yet here I am," I murmured dryly.

Rek's engine revved purr made me snort. "You're horrible," I told him.

"Rek a bad, bad male," he rumbled out softly, leaning in to nuzzle my cheek.

A squeak of a laugh left me when he mock growled into my neck, moving too fast for me to block him.

"I'm going to have the mother of all hickeys if you keep that up," I gasped out, my claws digging into his biceps as I grabbed onto them and clutched them for dear life.

"Jojomine's bad male making proposal to Joanie," he paused mauling my neck seductively to growl into my overly sensitive flesh.

"A proposal?" A short, sharp bark of laughter left me. "What kind of proposal is that?"

"Bad male kind," Rek rumbled against my throat, then dragged his tongue over the pulsing vein in my neck.

"Not exactly what I- I mean by p-p-proposal," I burst out, feeling my eyes cross as he did that thing with his tongue that nearly sent me into orbit.

My nails were digging into him so hard I felt one of them break off.

"Rek propose… my Joanie-mine be Rek's for the evers," he whispered as he peppered kisses down my shoulder, jerking at my clothes to get them out of his way.

"The Festival," I squawked, before this went any further.

Rek paused, giving up on working his way around my clothes to nibble his way down my chest, over them. His hands slip up beneath my shirt, thick fingers smoothing up my lower belly, headed for my breasts. Lifting up, hands halfway to the girls, I laughed at the incredulous look on his face.

"We're going to do this right. This time, I want to do this right." Face reddening, I admitted, feeling a little silly about it but wanting it too much not to say anything, "I want you to be mine. Truly. Out in the open, I'm with stupid, yes, I claim this ass, he's my ass, kinda deal."

Rek's hands began to fidget where they were stuffed up my shirt. "Rek like that." He liked it a lot from the way he was purring like a madman. Jerking his hands free, he slapped them to his hips. He'd look super serious if he wasn't sporting a massive woody. "How Jojomine want Rek make proposal?"

Thinking about that for a minute, I knew I wanted it to be his idea as well, to some extent, otherwise it wouldn't feel genuine. When I told him as much, he grunted, and began scratching at his temple.

With a series of loud grunts preceding it, he admitted, "Lo denaii proposal, want female, take female. Bring to village. Male give pelt. Female take. Male take female to claim. Bite. They mate and make babies. Lo denaii only mate one."

My hand lifted, going to the bite marks scarring my shoulder and neck. My fingers smoothed over them as he watched.

"Rek? Am I already your mate to you, for real, completely?" I asked, feeling stupid as it occurred to me.

Meeting my gaze evenly, possession glittering in those brilliant green depths, he gave a short nod. "Rek fight it, first. Think naughty female that make Rek want be bad not good." His purr kicked up again, a guttural sound joining in. "Rek see, Jojomine good naughty, want Rek be good bad male. Rek bad for Jojomine. Time Rek see, Rek know Rek make big mess. Rek have to fix. Rek not smart but Rek try. Do anything for my Jojomine. Always want."

"That's probably the sweetest fucking thing you've ever said, you big idiot." Reaching for him, I jerked him down to me. Wrapping my arms around him, I planted one on him that had him groaning against my lips. "Fuck a proposal. Claim me," I mumbled as we broke for air, right before diving in once more.

"Mine," Rek muttered, grabbing for my pants to undo them and yank them down my hips.

Realizing my boots were in the way, he growled at them but jerked back to kneel at my feet as they dangled over the side of the bed to remove them.

"The door," I remembered, sitting up to slide out of my jacket and shirt.

Rek popped up and ran over to slap the door shut, then ran right back over to me, stumbling over his own feet in the process.

I laughed at his exuberance.

"Rek hurry. Case Jojo change mind," he muttered as he worked to get me naked.

When I was in nothing but socks and panties, his hungry rumble as he admired me was everything.

"I don't think that'll be a problem," I muttered, my hand going to the waistband of my panties that have definitely seen better days as he dropped down, kneeling between my legs, and rolled one of my socks off. "You're stuck with me, I'm afraid, I've realized. You've been an outright asshole, a pain in my ass, the thorn in my side, and everything in between and still… can't fucking quit you."

Rek's head shot up at my words and a sound between a snarl and a guttural growl left him. Gripping my knees, holding them open to him, balled up sock still in hand, he leaned in, hot breath fanning over my sex as those noises kept up, and just when I thought he might snap and rip my panties off to have his wicked way with me, he buried his face between my legs, lips pulled back in a snarl, and growled so loud and hard into my panty covered clit a loud moan escaped me.

Who needed Bob ? Fuck Bob. God, that felt so good.

My panties grew damp as he kept it up, working that throbbing nub through the material until I was right there on the edge, ready to tip over.

Pulling back, he glanced down towards the floor as he settled on his haunches.

"Why did you stop?!" I burst out, to pause as a loud crinkling sounded. What the-

"Is this a joke?" I spluttered as he lifted up, tossed the roll of plastic wrap down next to me, and proceeded to carefully drag my panties down over my hips, his fingers trailing after.

"Rek proposal," he purred, grinning too widely, mischief dancing in those bright green peepers.

"Why am I alarmed and oddly turned on at the same time?" I wondered aloud.

"Jojomine naughty. That why." His voice had deepened, a gravelly rumble that danced along my nerve endings and sent gooseflesh pebbling along my skin. Tingles of anticipation filled me, a quiver in my belly that had no quit in it starting up.

"What- What, uhm, are you going to do to me?" I was going for sex kitten ready to be pounded, but sounded more like a squeaky mouse with a frog in my throat.

"No move. No talk," Rek rumbled ominously.

"Or what?" I quipped, unable to help myself.

Rek grinned even wider and lifted up the plastic wrap. I felt my eyes widening as he unraveled a decent sized length of it.

When he ripped off a piece and flattened it over me, then another, and another, I had no idea what the hell he was up to but like fuck could I have kept a straight face even if I tried.

"Shhh. Rek proposal," he grumbled down at me with a thunderous look.

I was flat out giggling my ass off at this point. He was starting to layer it over his groin, and had made a hole for his not so little friend to poke through. We looked absolutely ridiculous. "No talk," he warned as he pulled a condom out of his bedside drawer, tore it open with his teeth, but paused when he was about to put it on. "No move," he ordered, then buried his face in my pussy, plastic covering and all. Using the plastic wrap like a makeshift dental dam, he took long laps at my clit, my sex, like he was enjoying the tease of our weird play.

"How- How is THIS a proposal?" I questioned, to get silenced with a god damn sock.

I drew the line there, but he was too fucking fast for me when he tried. He rolled the condom on, captured my hands, and had at some point made a nice little hole in the plastic wrap covering me to allow his monster peen entry.

Before I could suck in a sharp breath, he had me pinned beneath him, impaling me on that fucking sword of his, his mouth on my neck, a layer of plastic there too, the crazy jerk, and was pistoning into me in short, hard thrusts, just the way I liked it.

The sock jammed in my maw still had fire in my eyes flashing and a sound between a growl at the annoyance of it, and a moan at just how fucking good we were together, tearing from me.

Entwining his right hand with my left, muttering my name over and over, he took my other hand and slapped it to his ass, encouraging me to dig in and hold on for the ride.

The bed creaked loudly, our moans, the sounds of our bodies slapping together, we weren't exactly being quiet. I didn't want to be. I wanted him just like this, wild with want, making a human sized dent in the bed as he pounded me into it. I wanted every time with him to feel like it might be our last.

Rek was readying to come. His cock started to jerk, his movements growing erratic.

Finally managing to spit that nasty sock out, I slapped my hand down hard on his ass, the loud crack of my hand across his furry flesh sending him snarling. Even with his pummeling thrusts sending me deeper and deeper into his creaky bed as he hit just the right spot, my body twitching as it readied to join him in mutual climax, I panted out "I want- Rek-"

"What my Jojomine want?" He gave up any pretense of being a gentle lover, all beast and a helluva bite. His guttural growl was the cherry on top. Tearing the plastic from my neck and chest, his free hand cupped my breast, tweaking my nipple hard enough pleasure-plain spiraled through me. "My Joanie want this?" He tweaked it again.

"Yes!" My voice came out higher than I'd intended, sounding like I was shouting my answer at him as he tweaked my nipple, then bent his well muscled frame, pretzeling it, to suck my nipple into his hot, wet mouth. How he managed to keep humping me into my next life while he suckled my nipple hard enough to make me cry out, I'd never figure that shit out— Lo denaii were super bendy and I fucking loved it, ‘nough said.

"My naughty female want more? What my Jojo want? Want Rek, like this?" His hips started to slow.

Crying out, my fingers dug into his hair, tugging at him until I had a few handfuls and he got the picture.

His dark chuckle at my response was just this side of evil. "My Jojo want know what Rek want?" Before I could even so much as bob my head affirmatively, he purred, "Want feel my naughty Jojomine heat, wrapped around Rek's-"

"For fuck's sake, you're killing me! PLEASE!" I snapped, slapping at his arm to get this shit movin'.

Slipping his cock free, he rolled the condom off, then removed the plastic wrap remaining from both of us. Notching his cock at my entrance, he stared down at my sopping pussy and his pulsing cock. "Rek want Joanie claim Rek. Take. Bite. Make Rek Jojomine's."

Jerking me into his arms, he held me to him loosely and switched our places.

Once beneath me, he stretched his arms up over his head, staring up at me steadily, and waited.

"No takebacksies," I muttered, right before lifting up to slowly sink down on him.

Rek's moan was more of a growl as I started to move.

"Oh, god. I love you like this. You're almost too fucking huge." A whimper of a sound left me as I rocked hard on that monster cock. The bite of pain as I took all of him, every damn inch, and rode him harder, faster, totally worth it.

Rek thrashed beneath me, fighting the urge to take over. He didn't break until my channel started to rhythmically pulse around his shaft.

"MINE," he snarled, jerking up to yank me to him and shove my face into his shoulder.

Hoping I didn't end up picking fur out of my teeth for months, I bit down on his shoulder hard enough he was muffling a howl through clenched teeth and the taste of iron tipped my tongue.

He came then, clutching me to him so hard I was going to have bruises. So totally worth it.

Hot heat bathed my sheath. His cock jerking deep inside of me as I rode him through his orgasm sent me over along with him.

As the heat of the moment ebbed, I slumped against him, panting, replete.

Rek lifted me up and rolled us, taking over as I sprawled out limply beneath him.

"You can't possibly," I started to say, to shut the hell up as Rek gripped my hips, rolled me to my stomach, helped me curl my legs up beneath me, then draped himself over me, his length, hot and hard and raring to go again, entering me in one short, smooth thrust.

"Oh- God- You can," I gasped out, gripping the bedding as he proceeded to show me the true meaning of a quickie.

We both came again, my body so sensitive from those first mind blowing orgasms I was still in the throes of, it wasn't all that hard to accomplish. Rek knew my body well. A nice little bite to add to my collection once he had me revved up, ramming just that right spot, some sexy growls to punctuate it all, I was a goner.

Rolling us to our sides, his cock still buried deep, Rek curled himself around me.

There was definitely something different about this time. I couldn't say exactly how or why, it just felt very… right.

Snuggling into him, I sighed.

Rek made a startled noise, my eyes popping open just as I'd closed them, to follow his gaze to the door.

Sitting ajar, anyone who walked by could have themselves a little peek.

"Well, shit," I mumbled, but made no move to fix it.

Rek let out a fairly loud grunt, slipped free of me, and dragged his pelt over my naked body. "Have comp'ny," he rumbled out with a frown.

"We do?" Sitting up, I dragged his pelt along with.

Before he could answer me, a thick hand shot through the door, slapping it open. Odix stood just outside of it, glaring at Rek, motioning for someone to come in before him.

Frowning, expecting Gopher, my expression pulled tighter when Bum-bum came lumbering in. He was so tall he had to duck to dip inside.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded to know of Odix.

Bum-bum glanced from Odix to Rek, then me. The hybrid Lo denaii's deep rumble-purr started up the moment he spied my bare shoulders.

Odix scowled at Bum-bum's reaction.

"Rek no watch this time," Rek grumble-muttered under his breath at Bum-bum, to a short, amused glance from the behemoth eyeing him curiously.

Bum-bum grumbled something at Rek that had my green-eyed male rolling his eyes and then crossing his arms over his chest. Bum-bum eyed him for a moment longer, cocking his head, before dismissing him entirely in favor of eye-fucking my shoulders.

"Hello? What the fuck?!" I called out louder, my ire directed at the interlopers.

"Odix!" Gopher's exasperated voice joined the chaos. "What you do?!" Gopher demanded of him.

"Rek not good male!" Odix growled at the smaller male. "No' good ‘nough my Jojo!"

"That's not fucking for you to say!" I shot back.

Rek had a low growl building in his throat but stayed standing sentry beside the bed next to me. Reaching out for him, I took his hand in mine and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Rek gently squeezed mine back, his expression giving nothing away.

Bum-bum rumbled something at Rek that had him stiffening but answering.

With something close to a disgusted huff, Bum-bum quit the room. Rek seemed to relax at that, whatever the fuck that all was.

"Ey! Where you go?!" Odix barked after him. "He take you female!"

Bum-bum barked something back at him that had Odix's hair standing up on end.

A deep, rocks tumbling grumble-growl built in Odix's throat. Dropping so he was on all fours, looking like he was about to start a race, I knew that look in his eyes, the noises he was making, that stance.

"Shit!" I burst out, hopping from the bed and nabbing clothes as Odix grizzed out and took off after Bum-bum.

Rek shouted after me as I ran out in unbuttoned pants and a shirt I was pretty sure was on backwards and inside out, and nothing else.

"No! Odix! Don't you dare! He'll kill you!" I snapped as I ran full tilt for the nut job, and hopped right onto his back.

Odix reacted reflexively, jerking and tossing about with a snarl.

Gopher ran at Odix from the front, Rek coming up behind me to try and jerk me off of Odix.

"A little help here!" I shouted as Bum-bum spun around to stare at us. No, not stare- he was definitely gaping at this point.

"Before he kills Rek or Gopher!" I squawked, gesturing wildly, one-handed. Rek finally jerked me free of Odix's back and we went tumbling backwards.

Odix took a swipe at Gopher that my slim Yeti almost didn't dodge in time. I would have run to break them up but Rek wrapped his arms and legs around me, pinning me down in the snow with him.

"Don't you- Let me go! I have to stop them before they kill each other! Then I'm gonna kill ‘im myself!" My legs kicked wildly to no avail.

A weird, sharp, shrill noise sounded that had Bum-bum, who'd stepped in between the pair, one hand on Gopher's head holding him off, his other hand slapping down over the back of Odix's neck to grip it and lift him off of his feet by what I assumed was a sort of natural scruff, saw Odix's legs pinwheeling in a weird run as his arms punched uselessly at the open air.

Bum-bum froze at the second, louder, sharper shrill whistle. Rek stiffened but stubbornly retained his hold on me. Gopher and Odix's teeth remained bared, snarling at each other, but eventually stopped struggling to get their hands around each other's throats.

Like Dad walking in on the kids misbehaving, Celuk marched onto the scene. I'd never seen him look so damn mad.

He got one look at all of us and started snapping at everyone in Lo denaii.

Not knowing what was going on, my gaze kept darting from him to everyone else. I was starting to get a crick in my neck from all the pingponging back and forth I was doing as everything all happened at once.

Barking something at Rek that had my personal pain in the patootie releasing his hold on me, Celuk stormed over and held his hand out to me, then grabbed my wrist gently when I didn't immediately comply, to help me to my feet.

"Clothes on wrong. Cold. Dress," he ordered, like he had any right to.

"Who the hell made you team captain?" I snapped, not liking this Mr. Bossy Pants on the scene after avoiding me at all costs.

Celuk drew closer, until he'd bent close and his chest was brushing mine. Was that a fucking challenge?

"I'm not afraid of you," I growled at him..

"Jojomine," Rek grumbled tersely, wrapping his fingers around my arm, urging me towards him.

Celuk bent his tall frame, baring his teeth at Rek's hand until Rek removed it from my person. When we were nose to nose, the supposed village crazy rumbled out gruffly, "I know."

Frowning, waiting him out, I had to close one of my eyes so I didn't go cross-eyed trying to keep up with our pissing match. This shit was giving me a headache.

"Then get out of my fucking face," I ordered haughtily.

"Joanie!" Rek snapped, sounding pissier than me, and full of a heap-ton of concern.

"What?" I barked, turning to him with a dirty look.

Rek glanced from me to Celuk worriedly. "No make him mad," he grunted out softly through the side of his mouth.

"He won't hurt me," I muttered with a shrug, sounding as confident as I felt.

When I turned back to Celuk, he wasn't even there.

I found myself staring at his back as he stalked over to Odix.

Bum-bum did this half nod, dip thing, a respectful gesture, and released Gopher and Odix to take several steps back. His gaze drifted over to me briefly and I thought I saw pity in his eyes before they scanned back to Odix.

Grabbing up Odix and shaking him like a ragdoll, Celuk snarled softly into his face.

Odix gulped audibly, limp in Celuk's hold.

Snapping something at him, he tossed him away when Odix nodded.

Rek's hand tugging at my arm was urging me to go with him, but I couldn't walk away even if I'd wanted to.

Gopher was next, looking like he wanted to retreat as Celuk advanced on him.

"Don't hurt him," I found myself blurting as the sounds of Odix splashing in the river Celuk had just chucked him a fair distance away from us and right into pricked my ears.

I was beginning to understand a little bit of Celuk's "crazy" reputation, but it wasn't quite what they'd claimed.

When Celuk turned to me, he cocked his head. He was waiting for more from me.

"Gopher was trying to stop Odix from attacking Bum-bum, and Rek was trying to save me from myself," I explained.

Celuk turned back to Gopher and snapped something at him, then made a shooing motion. Gopher couldn't hightail it out of there fast enough.

Rek's arm wound around my waist and he lifted me up to rush off with me.

"Now just wait a damn minute here," I started to protest.

"No," Rek barked. "Rek no wait, see if Celuk let Rek live. Joanie stops talking and goes with Rek!"

"Now… that is just ridiculous! He wasn't going to kill any of you!"

Rek meant business, scrambling for his hut to rush inside. He slammed and locked the door, then leaned back against it.

"He crazy!" he burst out the moment the door was closed.

"He's not crazy," I muttered. "He's not really a nonsense kinda guy. With all you crazy assholes, can you blame him? Odix and Gopher picking fights with him, Bum-bum being, well, Bum-bum- It's all a hot mess!"

"Joanie not listen to Rek," he stressed as I dressed properly, everything in order and right side out. "Celuk crazy. Joanie want Celuk for mate, Joanie need to think very long, hard, she wants Kookypants be hers. He. Crazy."

"He's not, though," I blurted.

"Him is!" Rek insisted.

"Rek… I lived with him for months," I pointed it. "He's pretty harmless, actually."

"No." Rek shook his head. "Him not harmless. Him smart. You say the coyote wily. Him worse. Him big smarts. Him roaded runner with all the haha meep meeps. Him knows all the things." Rek tapped at his temple. "Joanie listen to what Rek says. Rek no make this up. Celuk crazy. Crazy smart."

Glancing up from where I was tying my boot laces, I gave him a funny look. "Is that why you don't want me to mate with him, because you honest to god think he's crazy?" It sounded like Celuk was calculating, smart, militant kinda deal more so than crazy…

"Him's is crazy!"

Jerking the top of my shirt down, exposing Celuk's bite, I tapped it. "He already claimed me a while back. We just haven't, uh, sealed the deal yet."

"See?! Him crazy!" Throwing his hands up, he jerked his hands at what he saw as proof.

I tried not to but he was just being so damn silly about it I had to laugh. "That's not why!" This was the "wish"/witch thing all over again.

"Why then? Why him not claim my Jojomine, hmm?" he demanded to know, his dander clearly up.

"Uhm. We're taking our time?" I wasn't about to point out Celuk had the mate lust stuff. It would just be one more thing Rek thought was crazy.

Standing, I gathered my things. To dust or not to dust. I was leaning away from doing so but Rek got one look at the powder I was reaching for and his nostrils flared.

I'd reached for it mostly out of habit, and partially because he was starting to act just like before, if a much milder version at the moment. Speaking of crazy, ahem.

Marching up to me, he grabbed the dust out of my hand and doused me with it.

"Rek! What the hell?!" I sputtered, fanning that shit away.

"No want anyones to know, yes?" he grunted out, looking hurt by the idea.

"I grabbed for it out of habit but I paused. Did you not denote the pause, motherfucker?!" Slapping the empty bag at him, I marched to the door. "You promised you'd try! You said you were going to give this your all!" I ranted as I threw the door open and marched out, shaking myself free of excess dust. I was covered in it.

I got four steps out the door, cursing under my breath, Rek hot on my heels, and then I heard a loud crack, followed by a groan.

Whipping around, I caught the tail end of Celuk slamming his fist into Rek's face as Celuk stood flush against the side of the door, listening, lying in wait.

Rek made a garbled noise and flopped to his ass clutching his face. Celuk snarled down at him as Rek floundered on the ground.

"Celuk!" I snapped, rushing to Rek's side. "What the hell did you do that for?!" I cried.

Glowering down at Rek, he snarled in English, "Treats my Jo right." Baring his teeth, he snarled softly, "Or else."

"What the fuck?!" I protested, but Celuk had said his piece.

Turning to me, cupping my face, he boldly took my lips with his in a hot but all too brief kiss, to let me go, leaving me wobbling on my feet from that whopper, to then stalk off.

Rek growled from the ground, slapping away my attempts to help him to his feet or peel his hand away and get a good look at his face.

"He crazy!" Rek snapped at me. "Joanie want him wet, loud, gross kisses too much to SEE!"

"That's not fair," I protested, though I cringed even as I said it.

"This fair?" Rek growled, jerking a finger towards his swollen cheek as he rolled to his feet to glare down the length of his pale nose at me.

"You were being an unreasonable asshole," I muttered petulantly, folding my arms across my chest. Lower, I mumbled softly under my breath, "It's about time somebody did it… butthole."

With a growl, he started to stomp off.

Not about to go running after his ass, I threw my hands up in silent resignation. Fuck him. Fuck all of this shit. Just… fuck it all.

Stomping right back, he snarled down at me, shocking me senseless, "Rek loves you. Rek mad. Rek want be Jojomine's mate. Rek knows Rek being unreasonedable. Rek no care right now. Rek want to be mad."

Fighting back the stupid urge to cry for some godforsaken reason, I jerked my chin in the direction he'd been about to head off. "Then go be mad," I croaked out hoarsely.

"Rek loves you," he grunted out, looking pissed but mollified.

"I love you, too, dickwad," I muttered softly with a sniff, hoping to hide the tremor in my voice.

With a grunt, he leaned in, touched my forehead with his briefly, brushed his fingers along my cheek, then took off.

Left standing here wondering what the fuck had just happened, I wiped at my eyes and took a moment for myself. I had a hard time recalling when I'd just taken a moment that was truly for me.

"I wish everyone would just leave me the fuck alone, fuck off with their bullshit," I muttered, before taking another moment, then heading off for the festivities.

Gah. I was a jumble of emotions. Relief, worry, anger, hurt, it was a mixed bag. Too much shit going on at once to properly deal with it all. The universe needed to quit throwing shit at me to see what the hell would stick!

After a mini snow facial to help get rid of some of the puffiness around my red rimmed eyes, I thought myself presentable enough to make an appearance. Joining Mal and the gang, I felt silly standing here pretending all was well when it was totally upside fucking down, but hell if I was going to show my hand. I knew my eyes were still red rimmed, blood shot, and a little puffy. It couldn't be helped. Every time something started to go right it all suddenly went horribly wrong. It's like I can't ever win.

Glancing out over the crowd, Odix and Gopher were notably absent. Celuk was missing, too. Even Rek.

When a grumble-muttering furball stormed past me, I didn't miss the way he intentionally brushed his fingers with mine as he passed, pissed as he looked and sounded. Nor could I help the way I stared after his retreating form as he disappeared into the crowd. It was taking everything in me not to rush after him, but I wanted to respect his space. He was upset and needed to be mad. We were at least talking about all of this. He was actually trying. It was- For Rek, this was huge, and yet for me, everything was overshadowing this momentous for him, and in a way us , thing.

I felt anything but in a festive or celebratory mood.

Odix was being Rektal, Gopher was smart enough to stay out of it, Bum-bum was surprisingly tame in all of this but I wasn't about to put my guard down with that one, and Celuk was starting to show the many sides of him I'd yet to see— like his touch her and die crazy side I wasn't entirely upset about, though I'd rather he didn't pulverize Rek into his next life. Not right now, at any rate.

Playing it up, though I felt like I was barely hanging on by a thread, I teased and goofed, did the whole merry sarcasm life of the party deal, and hung around despite my mood. It wasn't until the food was handed out that I'd decided I'd had enough for the night.

Though everyone urged me to stay, I just wanted to go home, wash the stink of shame dust off of me, and call it a day.

Walking back to my place, the further out I went, the more I got this weird feeling like there were eyes on me. Glancing around, I didn't see anything right off. It was as I walked along the path by the river that I spotted a shadowy figure across the way. Frowning, I called out, "I'm not in the mood for games."

The trees overhead above the creature rustled. A sharp hiss pricked my ears. This gave me pause.

A peek of what looked like a horn poked free from the rustling trees to disappear once more. As if it was taunting me to draw closer for a better look, it slipped out of view completely yet remained rustling foliage. Fat fucking chance.

Taking a few steps back, a chill shivered up my spine as a snarl sounded in the distance.

The horn, that sound, the shadow, the whole don't you wanna come see what's up shit-. Before I knew what I was about, I was hot footing it to Bum-bum's.

Rushing right up to his door, I began pounding on it. "Hey! Hey! Open up!"

Bum-bum cracked the door open, peering down at me through it.

"Who with?" he rumbled out tersely.

"What do you mean, who am I with? What does it fucking matter?! Look, did you get all of those Krampus guys after me, or are there more? I thought- I mean, I assumed-"

Bum-bum shoved his door open wide at that. The grunt he let out as he scowled down at me, to me said show me so I spun around and jerked a finger in the direction of the creature taunting me.

"Stay," he grumbled, and would have taken off. Two steps out and he froze. Whipping around, the look on his face said, Who the fuck am I kidding, I know who I'm dealing with here. About to protest, I had my hands out, waving, backpedaling, shouting at him not to. Didn't matter. Bum-bum plucked me up, set me inside his place, growled out, "Stay," sternly, then slammed the door on my face.

I didn't lose my shit until I heard the door lock behind him.

"Hey, asshole! What the hell?! You can't just lock me up in here!" My fists pounding on the door punctuated my words. Who the hell did he think he was?!

It was no use. His new door was reinforced. This monstrosity was thick as hell. Glancing around the room, spying a well formed, orangey pink stone, phallic shape, I nabbed it up and swung it at the door like a bat. Going at it until my arms were tired and I was breathless, throat sore from cussing and putting up a fuss, I had to call it.

With a growl, I tossed the stupid thing onto his furs and shuffled my way over to his enormous, hunter on steroids, horn-adorned chair.

The fire was nice, I had to admit. Making myself right at him, I scooted a stool closer to prop my feet up on it.

Picking at the fur covered arm of his chair, I had a good look around. He hadn't really done much with the place since I'd last laid eyes on it. Same borderline hoarder, crate looking hand-made box thingies covering nearly every corner kinda deal. Where did he find the space to construct his crazy sex statue? Assuming he'd made it here…

Speaking of weird sexual things, I wandered over to his bed to pick up that ridiculous peach monster. Examining it, wondering why he chose to make this one in a pinkish orange, I noted the difference in this one as opposed to the blue one he'd foisted upon me.

Fingers smoothing over the flanged head, I took note then. One mega stone peen was Cuddle Monster's johnson, the other Bum-bum's, seeing as their shapes were different, depending on which of him was inhabiting, Jekyll, Hyde, or Hydyll, their mixed middle ground.

Thinking it probably best to put that thing back where it came from, I frowned as I spun around, trying to recall where that was, exactly.

Couldn't say I was keen on the idea of him popping back in to find me playing with a statue of his junk. Or, erm, the other side of his being's junk statue.

Whatever.

I've been stuck in here for the better part of an hour or longer, I'd wager. He wasn't going to leave me in here all fucking night, right?

The sound of the door unlocking registered before Bum-bum's voice.

With an odd panicked feeling overtaking me, I shoved the Cuddle Monster peen behind my back.

Bum-bum threw the door open, grumbling at someone just outside. He took one step in, his gaze immediately zoning in on me. Whatever had happened, he didn't look happy about it. Those simmering, dark eyes bore into me for a long moment before he grumbled something and Gopher briefly popped into view behind him.

"No find," Bum-bum grunted out, his gaze freezing at a spot just over my head as he took two big steps towards me.

"Wait, what do you mean no find?" My scowl matched his as he stared at a spot just over my head.

My god, I sat in your stupid chair and moved your stool, so sue me! Maybe don't lock me up inside your house when you're well aware I require proper supervision! Pfft!

Clearing my throat, resisting the urge to roll my eyes, or punch him in his stupid face, because, yeah, I was still salty over that whole lying his ass off, double lives, multiple hims, playing both sides, loves me, loves me not, shit he'd done to me, I don't care what.

"No find," he repeated with a grunt, his gaze glued and staying on a spot behind me.

Whatever. If he had a problem with me touching his shit, he could just get the fuck over it. I don't have cooties. Furry, anal freak.

"I didn't do anything," I huffed and puffed haughtily. My grip on the monster peen statue behind me shifted. My palms were so sweaty my hold was slipping.

Why was I sweating it? I didn't do anything wrong!

Dragging his gaze from that spot he found so interesting behind me, his head cocked and I'd swear his lips quirked.

"What?" My eyebrows shot up. I gave him a challenging look. Try me, mudda fricker. Let's see what we're both made of, huh?!

"What Jo find?" he grunted out between what sounded like weird coughing noises.

One peek over my shoulder told me I was holding that peachy peen a wee bit too high. It poked over my shoulder like a happy little friend.

Glaring at him, daring him to say a fucking word, I whipped that damned thing around from behind my back and tossed it onto his bedding carelessly. "Nothing that wasn't left out in plain sight for my curious ass to see," I quipped.

"Jo… Jo like?" He sounded so hesitant, unsure.

It was on the tip of my tongue to spout off some silly smart assed quip, that weird flirting he and I had done before, but this wasn't before. He'd played a stupid game and his prize? It wasn't fucking me.

"I was going to use it as a weapon if need be." Wasn't exactly a lie.

As if to call me out, he picked an axe up off the wall and, holding it in both hands, gave it a slow, meaningful twirl as if to say, and you chose a stone penis while surrounded by an armory?

Debating on how to answer that, I blurted, "It looked the least harmless to me!"

When he blinked at me at that, I felt the need to explain, "Sure, I could maybe get a few whacks in at a bad guy but might cut off my own damn finger in the process!" Waving my noodle arms, I spat, "Do I look like a Lo denaii warrior to you, huh?" My hand flicked at the axe held loosely in oversized mitts. "I don't know how to use that damned thing!"

Bum-bum looked like he wanted to comment but refrained.

Deciding to change the subject for so many reasons it wasn't even funny, I took a deep breath and ventured, "So it's still out there, then. Alright. That's fine. I'll just never leave the village again. Ever."

Bum-bum shook his head. "No. No find. No Krampus."

"Bullshit!" I burst out. "I know what I saw!"

A series of grunts left him that equated to starts and stops to me.

"What?" I barked.

"Jo… think Jo think she see," he grunted out. He really didn't need to finish that. Wasn't necessary.

"But you don't think I saw what I know I thought I saw," I interjected. Lips pursing mulishly, I made to move past him.

When he didn't budge, I craned my neck to stare up at him, plastering a dirty look on my face. "Frankly, I don't give a flying fuck what you think. I KNOW what I fucking saw."

His big body tensed and his grip on his axe tightened. "Why come to Bum, no care what think?" he grumbled.

"Because I'm stupid," I spit out, using both hands to give him a shove to get the fuck out of my way and leave.

He stood there and looked down at me, askance. The beast wasn't going to move until I'd satisfied his curiosity.

"You were the first being I thought of when I saw the shadowy Krampus figure. For a moment, I'd forgotten that you're a no good, dirty rotten liar, that you had no problem leading me on as one half of your person, to shove me away with your alter ego, the next, that you had no problem keeping up this ruse for forever and a day, listening to me whine and pine for your horned other half, pestering you to help me get back to him because I thought if I could just talk to him and he'd listen to me, he'd see, and maybe, just maybe, he'd give me another chance. I'd forgotten that I'm not good to you for much but for satisfying your "urges". I forgot I'm just some stupid plaything. I forget you continue to torment me still, like a giant penis through my door and embarrassing sexual statues aren't a painful reminder of all that I'm not to you. For one moment, I was scared, and thinking of the times you'd thought to rescue your secret piece of ass, like all those times before, I'd come running to you." Giving up on getting past him, I climbed onto his bed and walked to the end to hop over the foot of the bed.

Storming out the door, I made it a few feet past his place before he was calling out for me.

I didn't dare look back. I couldn't. If he didn't care, it would kill me. If he looked like he cared too much, I worried my weak ass might pseudo forgive him, if only for a little while, and that wasn't fair to anybody.

"Jo?" he called after me, louder than the last time.

Picking up my pace, I couldn't get away from him fast enough.

???

I nstead of traipsing my happy ass home, I decided to head to Rek's. He wasn't home and his place was locked up, so I sat outside in the cold and wet and everything that comes with that, and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

A new day was ready to peak when I finally gave up and headed home. Worry fought with annoyance and a pinch of hurt. Where the hell had he gone off to and stayed gone all night and hadn't thought to say a word to me? Were we not doing this relationship thing here?

Trudging my way back to my place, no sooner had I rounded the corner past the last hut before mine, did I spy a pair of thick, hairy legs, then the rest of the person they were attached to. Rek slept at a funny angle, legs splayed, body slumped and listing to the right, a garbled noise leaving him as he noisily breathed with his neck cocked funny. He was going to have one hell of a crick in his neck.

"Rek?" Coming up on him, I tapped the toe of my boot onto the underside of his foot.

Snuffling awake, curling his leg away from whatever was pestering him, his eyes slowly slid open, to scowl at the human frowning down at him.

Knowing what was coming, I started talking before he could. "Thought I saw a Krampus, was temporarily hijacked when I went for help, who claims they didn't find any sign of my Krampus sighting, and then I went home to wait for you but you weren't there."

"Jojomine not home. Rek go Jojomine's, wait. You no here," he grumbled, his voice still sleep addled.

"Your place "home", dummy," I muttered with an eyeroll. "Would've drawn a bath and then curled up in the bed to read until you showed your grumpy mug but you had the place locked up tighter than your asshole."

"Jojomine go… Rek's? Go home?" This seemed to perk him up. Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed me up and jerked me into his arms. "Jojoknee come home ."

"Uh, yeah. That's what I just said, isn't it?" I sputtered, my voice muffled in all that chest fluff.

Pulling back, he grinned at me. "Jojomine come home," he repeated.

A snort of a laugh left me at just how happy that made him and I found myself smiling back.

"Mine," he rumbled, reeling me back in to plant one on me.

When he finally let me up for air, I had to ask, "Why did you wait out here? Why not go back home and wait me out?"

"Jojomine think Rek mad, Rek say want be mad. Bum-bum find Rek, tell Rek my Jojo see Krampus playing the peeks-a-boos, we go, all go, no see. Look, no see. No see Krampus anywhere. Celuk say him still look. Tell Rek wait for Jo. Rek think Celuk mean wait my Jojomine's hut, not Rek's hut. Rek come here. Rek wait." Grimacing, he grumbled, "Bum-bum just say Jojomine's safe, no say where safe. Odix stay in woods, go out with Tarnk, look for more Krampus. Gopher check dens with Veck. Gopher like this," he explained, miming being thin, "fit in skinny places bigger Lo denaii no fit. Tebor scout. Comes back. Says no Krampus. No one find Krampus. Rek still wait. Celuk say Rek stay, wait for Jojomine, him look. Jojomine comes to Rek."

"And still not one single hint of a flippin' Krampus?" I breathed, flabbergasted. I knew what I saw, and it wasn't a damn trick of the mind! "How can that be?"

"No know." Rek's shoulders lifted in a half shrug. "Hide good. Maybe this one smart," he guessed.

Waiting, staring at him, there was not one hint of ‘I don't believe you' or maybe you were incorrect, in his tone or the look on his face.

"You- You believe me, then? You don't think I thought I saw something but I didn't?" My fingers played in the hair above his pecs in the middle of his chest. "Because I know what I saw."

Rek gave the side of my face a brief nuzzle before pulling back to stare down at me.

"Bum-bum thought I was mistaken," I muttered petulantly, feeling a wee bit stung from that one.

"Rek no care," my male told me. "Jojomine say she saw, she see." He was insistent.

"Thank you," I murmured as I stared at his collarbone, unable to meet his gaze as I smiled softly. Why that made me feel a little smitten, sort of shyly happy, enamored, I had no idea why, but it meant the world to me.

"Joansie," Rek rumble-purred.

"Yeah?" My gaze lifted and I stared into glittering chips of bright green.

"Loves you."

Throwing my arms around him, I squeezed him to me until he protested at the crush. Grinning as I pressed a kiss to his neck, then mock bit it, I pulled back with a laugh at his surprised yelp to inform him, "I love you more."

"No." Huffing, puffing, he grunted and grumbled, "Rek loves more."

"Mm… I dunno…" I couldn't hide the smile pulling at my face, it was so wide it hurt, if I tried. I was just that happy with him in this moment.

"Rek no' mad no more," he purred, nuzzling my neck to mock bite mine back.

"No?" Acting like I had no clue, I put on a convincing performance as I asked lightly, "Something lifted your spirits, sock monkey?"

Rek bit down harder than the last, then growled into my skin. The vibrations from it had me giggling and laughing as it tickled the hell out of me, squirming to get away. "Rek take Jojomine home. Show her how Rek lift the spirits-" he garbled out, his voice gone deep and guttural, as hefted me up into his arms and urged me to wrap my legs around him.

Soft laughter spilled into the early morning, those few moments before the village filled with early worms. "Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"

Rek's hand cracked across my ass as he growled into my shoulder, rushing off with me squirming in his arms, "Take all the clothes off, kiss every inch my Jojomine, then lick…"

Listening to him, shivering all the while, I pressed my head into his shoulder and neck, and my eyes had just started to drift shut as I played out his dirty, soon to be wish fulfilled, when movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention.

My eyes flew open just in time to watch Celuk pop free of the shadows. Our eyes met and held briefly before he dipped his chin in a silent nod and slipped off into the woods.

A second, harder crack across my bottom got my attention. "Oi! Furball! Did you have to do it so hard?!" I bitched.

"Rek do it long, hard, so long, hard, Jojomine not sit right for weeks!" he swore.

"Eh. Promises… Promises," I mumbled against his skin.

Rek's growl and his hand cracking down again, eliciting the response he'd wanted from my already aching body, promised me many things, a very sore behind amongst them.