Chapter 33

S tartled into wakefulness, the growl-speak vibrating my back was so loud it almost drowned out the one sounding off across the room.

Celuk stood tall, glaring down the length of his nose at Rek as Rek had his say.

Whatever they were growling at each other about, I was pretty sure it had to do with me.

Thinking about last night, I blanched and my stomach dropped.

The arm wrapped around my waist, holding me to Rek, tightened.

Celuk cut off whatever Rek was saying with a disgusted look aimed at him. Lifting a hand, claws extended, he jerked it from Rek to me.

My gaze continued to pingpong between them.

Rek bared his teeth at Celuk and let out one last snarl. Clamping his lips shut, his gaze dropped, eyes narrowing as they fell on me.

Fuck.

I had nothing to say for myself. No excuses. No bullshit. I'd done screwed up.

I wasn't sorry about what had happened between me and Celuk. Maybe that was bitch ass ballsy of me to say but it was true.

A wince stole over me as I tried to imagine the situation in reverse. In Rek's shoes, I couldn't say I wouldn't be upset, too.

Instead of glaring down at me like he was about to send my ass packing, his brow puckered and his lips drew down. Frowning, his gaze darted from the beast barking at him, to me.

"This. You do this," Celuk switched to English. "This you." Switching back to Lo denaii, he continued.

A blush stole over Rek's face, until it was clean down to his shoulder blades, peeking through his fur.

Shifting uncomfortably beside me, curling his arm even more around me, until I was pressed to him tight and I could feel the wild pounding of his heart, he mumbled something softly under his breath that made me think of a child being called out for their naughty behavior.

Celuk scoffed, snarled something out, before chuffing humorlessly. Walking over to us, my arm shot out automatically, protectively. Celuk gave Rek a look at my reaction, one that had Rek dropping his eyes, to my shock.

Celuk bent and would have pressed his forehead to mine but I flinched.

Pulling back to stare down into my eyes for a long moment, he murmured something to Rek that had my forever pain in the patootie softly grumble-mumbling under his breath before removing his arm from my person under Celuk's death stare.

My gaze darted between them almost frantically. What was that? What the fuck was going on?

Celuk curled a finger beneath my chin, dragging my gaze back to his. Right there in front of Rek, he pressed his forehead to mine, nuzzled his nose along my face, then pressed a curl-my-toes kiss to my frazzled mug.

My hands had found his shoulders and were digging into his fur, kneading it as a needy sound left me. Celuk had to pry my hands free of him. Placing a kiss to the knuckles of each hand, he placed them beside me and stood. "Be goot," he mock grumbled down at me, before turning to Rek as he made his way to the door. "This you fault," he told Rek. Louder, he snapped, "Fix it!"

With that, he stormed out the door, to quietly shut it behind him.

Rek watched him go, swallowing thickly.

"What- Uhm… What just happened?" Sitting up, I gestured vaguely between him and the door Celuk had just vacated from.

Rek just shook his head, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

Scrubbing my hands down my face, then smoothing my fingers through my hair, I stood to go pee, leaving him to digest the moment, whatever the fuck that all was.

I'd just passed Rek to get to the bathroom.

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind and he curled himself around me. Smoothing my hands up and down his arms, I gave him a little squeeze back. Nestling his chin in the crook of my neck, he made a rumbling sound when I went to continue down the hall with him in tow.

A soft chuckle left me when I tried to extricate myself once more and he jerked me back to him with a grunt.

"I love you, grabby hands, but you're going to have to let go of me some time. Even if only for a little bit. I've gotta pee." I laughed at my tease but Rek didn't.

Tapping his arm to try and turn, he held me tighter, until my back was pinned to his chest. "Loves you, too," he mumbled into my nape.

His rumble-purr wasn't nearly as ecstatic sounding as it had been before.

"Hey. What's the matter?" Squirming to turn myself around, I lifted a hand to motion over his shoulder awkwardly. "What was all that about with Kookypants?"

"Jojoknee… Jojomine think Rek bad?" he grunted out against my skin.

Knowing what he meant, I chose to misinterpret that. "Define bad, toots, because I quite like a bit of bad, if you know what I mean."

Rek's lips quirked but he shook his head. "Bad-bad. Think Rek still bad-bad? Bad male?"

"Do you think you're bad-bad?" My hand fluttered near my chest. "I'll tell you right now, I don't know if I'm the right person to ask about someone else being bad-bad or whatever. I'm not exactly the picture of goodness. You feel me, fluffy?"

"Jojomine not bad," he grumbled.

I was surprised to hear that from him. "Not even a little bit?" Holding my fingers up to him, index and thumb pinched a little part, I glanced from him to my fingers pointedly. "You sure?"

When he loosened his hold, I gave the thick tuft of fur in the middle of his chest a not so gentle tug, signaling there was about to be a passenger on the Rek train. My hands slid up to wrap around his neck as he bent, half smiling at my cheek, and he lifted me up.

"Being good all the time is overrated," I told him, then pressed my lips to his.

The noise Rek made had me smiling against his lips.

"But first," I mumbled against his mouth, "The Joanie needs to pee!"

Rek chuckled and set me down.

Rushing off to the bathroom, I stole a peek over my shoulder as I rounded the corner. My guts tightened at the troubled look on his face.