The Bridal Hunt

by Lynn, Jeanette

  "What are my options here?" I sighed resignedly.

  I am so fucked!

  Gah!

  I'm stuck here!

  I. Am. Stuck.

  And if I go with someone else... I'll be fucked in more ways than one...

  Oh, the decisions!

  "Mate Veck or Lo denaii males claim Meanie. Meanie go to Lo denaii mating hunt in woods," he said eyeing me skeptically, like he thought I might actually consider option number two.

  Like friggin' hell!

  Hmmm... Gee... let's think about this... shall we...

  A hunt for me in the woods... being chased by a bunch of horny beast men... no idea who’ll catch me and keep me… and I’ll be stuck with them forever…

  Or one who claims, emphasis on the ‘claims’, that he'll wait.

  "Well, Veck, where do I sign up and where do I sleep?" I wiggled my hand free so we could shake on it.

  He grinned at me and placed his hand in mine, pulling me into him, so he could cuddle me close.

  "Meanie," he murmured on a sigh.

  "Mina," I corrected, elbowing him.

  He just chuckled and grunted.

  Ugh!

  Oh, I can already tell... this union is going to be just... joyous.

  Chapter 7

  I shivered when I woke up , cold and miserable, teeth chattering as I tried to get comfortable in the chair.

  "Stupid... stubborn..." I eyed Veck, sleeping peacefully in his huge bed, plenty of room for like five people, human people.

  He looks so warm and cozy...

  Makes me wanna slap him, just because.

  You could be warm too, the little Mina on my left shoulder cajoled, shivering right alongside me.

  But that's just what he wants, the little Mina on my right shoulder piped up, then he's going to make his move.

  If he was going to make a move though, wouldn't he have done so by now?

  "You think too loud," Veck grumbled, rolling over to watch me.

  "I do not," I lied.

  "Meanie think loudly." He emphasized the loud part.

  "Ohhhh, uh, sorry," I apologized sheepishly, "I didn't realize I was talking out loud."

  "Come to bed, mate," he prodded.

  "Uhhhh, I'm okay right here."

  "Meanie has to sleep with Veck. Meanie needs to smell like Veck, yes? Veck not claim Meanie, not sleep with Veck, males can tell."

  "They can?" I squawked, clutching my jacket tighter around me.

  "Yes," he said simply and pushed some of his furs aside."Come, sleep."

  I slowly sidled up to the bed, biting my lip.

  "What will they do if I don't smell like you?" I asked worriedly.

  He shrugged and gave me his back.

  "Might try to claim Meanie, might not..."

  "It's Mina. Mina," I grumbled and climbed into the bed. "You better not be lying to me, Veck, or I swear I'll find a way and I'll shave your ass bald, literally."

  He chuckled and adjusted his head.

  "Veck's mate's feisty." He chortled.

  I nudged him warningly.

  "And don't you forget it."

  He burst out laughing, shaking the bed, his huge, white haired, brawny shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

  I smiled a little at that.

  He settled down after a minute and I waited, stiff as a board, wide awake.

  Does he mean what he says...?

  Only time will tell, right?

  So... I waited, tense, stiff, biting the insides of my cheeks, a jumbled up pile of knots, the mental clock in my head ticking relentlessly as my wait grew longer and longer.

  A considerable amount of time passed and I rolled over a little, letting out a quiet sigh, relieved.

  I yawned, my eyelids growing heavy, giving in, succumbing to the pull of a comfy, warm bed and a night's rest, Veck's soft snore oddly comforting as I let the sand man have his way.

  Well, I thought, drifting off to sleep, it's been a fucked up journey to abominable, bridal camp hell and right now it seems I'm stuck.

  Hopefully not permanently.

  But until then... It looks like I should be counting my blessings.

  I turned enough to glance at the back of Veck's head, then his chest, relaxing when he let out a soft snore.

  Time to look for the rainbow in this shit storm, Mina. Maybe there'll be a way home at the end of it...

  At least I didn't end up mated to Kirch, right?

  Could have been way worse...

  ****

  I woke up smashed against a white furry chest, my bladder full to bursting, borderline about to pop.

  I commenced poking Veck in the ribs, jabbing him so he'd shuffle off of me, popping out of bed anxiously as I ran around opening the doors to the cozy little hut, looking for a bathroom.

  Without my personal heater blanket to warm me, aka Veck, it's kinda chilly in here.

  When did we start cuddling last night?

  Was it a mutual, gravitate towards each other in sleep snuggle or was it a one sided attack? Hopefully not prompted by me.

  I cringed inwardly.

  Yeah, Mina, wallow all over him while you’re sleeping, like that won't send the wrong message!

  My bladder prodded me to hurry up, stealing all of my attention.

  Gotta pee, gotta pee!

  Door number one wielded a closet.

  "Crap," I muttered, "I'm going to piss myself."

  I danced around, trying to hold it in.

  "Meanie?" Veck asked groggily.

  "Mina! Not Meanie! Where's your bathroom? The john? The loo? I have to go pee, like right now!"

  "Out," he said smiling a little at my pee dancing jig, pointing to a smaller hut a little ways away from the house.

  I dashed out the door and ran to the bathroom, slamming the privy door behind me as I held my breath and peed as fast as my body would let me.

  Hey, at least they have outhouses... don't know how I'd feel if I had to use more... natural methods. No, thank you!!! I shuddered at the thought.

  I hurried out of the bathroom, ready to dash back to the warmth of Veck's house and hope they'd discovered soap, the awesomeness that is soap, so I could wash my hands.

  Considering they go through the portal however much they do, probably learning some stuff along the way, I'm hoping that's the case.

  I blew out a deep breath as I walked, reflecting back on last night, my esteem for Veck going up a smidgeon.

  He kept his word...

  He hadn't tried anything last night, phew, just like he’d said. Considering my current circumstances, that's promising.

  "Meanie," the blue eyed devil from the cave the other day called as he hurried to catch up to me.

  Where the heck did he come from?

  "Mina! Get it right! And go away," I barked as I picked up my pace.

  "Here." He held something out to me, "It's for you."

  I gave him a funny look and shook my head.

  "I don't like you," I told him bluntly.

  "Here, take it," he said nervously, but I didn't take it or even look at it.

  "I don't take things from strangers."

  Ha! Stick that in your craw!

  He was wearing an innocent enough expression, undeterred by my snubbing, I noticed, glancing up at his face.

  I don't trust the sneaky devil, he wreaks of mischief. I feel like he's like the situation with Kirch's fur right now, more to it than they let on.

  Just look at what he did to me in that cave!

  Something about him has little red flags dancing about in my brain, warning me to proceed with caution.

  He's like the Puck of abominable snow men, oddly adorable with his bright blue eyes and more human appearance, but I'm not impressed, not really.

  "No, thank you," I said snootily, sticking my nose up in the air as I sniffed at him disdainfully.

  "I'm Bia," he offered, keeping pace with me, unaffected.

  I frowned at him as he looked around a little bit, making s
ure we didn't have an audience as he got all chitty chatty with me.

  What's up with that?

  "How come you speak English so well and the others don't?" I asked suspiciously.

  "My mother is like you," he smiled at me, a boyish grin gracing his face, despite the sharp teeth, "She taught me. She was one of the first brides from your world. Want to meet her?" He asked this a little slyly, an odd, hopeful look on his face.

  I got a funny feeling there would be a lot more to it than that if I met his mother.

  Why do I have a feeling they never mean what they say exactly?

  "Uh... maybe some other time," I said vaguely and waved halfheartedly as I turned to head back.

  "I don't want... I want..." He stumbled suddenly on what he wanted to say.

  He looked slightly apologetic, but I wasn't going to make it easy if he was trying to say sorry or something.

  Why be contrite now? They kidnap brides for goodness sakes!

  Someone be contrite about that and take my ass home!

  He took my hand in his, holding it prisoner, tying a bracelet around my wrist, knotting it tightly before I could wriggle free.

  "For you, don't hate me."

  I frowned, staring at him as he hurried off.

  He glanced at me again, making eye contact, holding my gaze for a long moment with those vivid, bright blue eyes, then turned and headed off.

  Erm... okay...

  I looked at the bracelet, the stones on it shining brilliantly as they shimmered in the morning light.

  I recognized them as the ones I'd played with in the cave, the ones I'd thought were the prettiest.

  Huh.

  Veck called out to me and I tucked it into my jacket sleeve as I walked back inside.

  It's really pretty, I thought as I admired it, but...

  Odd... odd... snow beasties...

  Kidnapped brides... portals... weird apology gifts... erm... or friendship bracelet... can't be too sure... What's next?

  Do I even want to know?

  Probably not...

  ****

  The days seemed to pass by fast as they turned into weeks.

  Veck was true to his word and never said anything else about mating or claiming, but he did insist we sleep in the same bed.

  It was one of his stipulations when we worked out the dynamics of our situation.

  It's odd to think he could be so reasonable about everything, especially considering how I got here in the first place.

  He must be the odd ball of the bunch.

  Plus, I think everyone is kind of scared of him, he is kinda huge.

  He's always telling me he's happy I'm not afraid of him, so maybe that's it.

  He values my friendship too.

  We've gotten really used to each other, very comfortable, in fact, and I have no problem telling him to stick it where the sun don't shine.

  I think the twisted snow beastie likes it, muttering his usual, 'feisty mate' or 'my Meanie is bold' or some other such nonsense, grinning proudly, a smug expression on his snow beastie face.

  I tried to learn the ropes with the other newbies at camp snow bride and get into a routine, something to help me gather info and pass the time.

  I still have no flippin' idea where the portal is.

  It's not like I could do anything else.

  No one's willing to help a gal out or even lead me in the general direction of the portal dealie we'd gone through.

  That's all I did the first week, try to find a way home.

  All my searches were fruitless and came up with nothing, only succeeding in frustrating me to no end.

  Veck knew exactly what I was doing, but didn't say anything. He just patiently waited me out and helped me get into the swing of things when I gave up and asked him to help me acclimate.

  Not give up on my search, let's not be hasty here, but give up on acting like I was.

  You can't beat em, then join em. …at least until you find a better solution.

  Bride nabbing aside, they weren't a bad lot. Not once you got to know them... oh yeah... and stop resenting them every five seconds for grabbin' ya up...

  Did I mention I've been here for a few weeks? More than a few now.

  Yeah... I've had a little time to adjust...

  Oh, yay me, I thought glumly, with all the enthusiasm of someone who'd just been given a certificate for a free colon cleansing for Christmas.

  I glanced down, admiring my hand made, thick, warm winter clothes distractedly, recalling how I'd gotten them in the first place.

  After a week solid of wearing the same outfit, I'd been thrilled when Veck had brought me this set of clothes to wear, several others too as the weeks went by, but this one was the first.

  Really warm ones fashioned from tanned animal hides.

  My outfit consisted of a soft pair of pants and a long dress like top that fastened with ties at the back and a really warm pair of furry boots.

  So warm.

  I used the mating fur he'd given me like a cape, wrapping it around my shoulders to shield me from the cold.

  Veck was very proud when he admitted he'd made them for me himself and I was in awe at that and the fact that he would do something so thoughtful for me.

  He'd made them himself... just for me...

  When I'd told him as much, trying to thank him, he'd just grunted and said, "Veck takes care of Meanie," ending any further comments.

  ****

  "Meanie, no luck?" Veck asked plopping down beside me on the ground as I wiped the stray tears from my eyes, my nose a bright red, face puffy from crying.

  "I just want to go home," I sniffled.

  "This make Meanie happy?" Veck asked gruffly, staring off over the water. "What Meanie's home like? Good?"

  "I uh... well, yeah."

  I didn't protest when he wrapped an arm around me and tugged me towards him, taking the comfort he offered at the moment, needing it, absorbing his warmth.

  I thought about what I should talk about, how I could tell him how wonderful my life was.

  My mind blanked as I tried to think of one good thing about my life back home, something to really sell him on why I really needed to go back.

  I mean... yeah, there's television, cable, phones, cars...

  But then again... there's usually nothing on to watch, yet there are like fifty million channels...

  Phones... well my phone's constantly ringing off the hook, not for me, but because bill collectors are calling for the man who used to have my phone number....

  Erm...

  Cars, well... yes, I miss my precious truck... my baby... but then there's always traffic... the upkeep… poor truck is getting old and has broken down a few times…

  Yep, traffic…

  Definitely won't run in to that issue here...

  Is my life really that sad that I can't come up with anything really good or life altering?

  I’m only thinking of stupid materialistic things…

  There's hospitals! Yeah, medical care... doctors, that's good...

  ...what else....

  I sighed inwardly.

  Yeah, Mina, let's get real for a minute here, have a little Mina to Mina chat about what life was like back home...

  Well....

  I worked hard at a job that doesn't pay as well as it should, I don't have any family to speak of, not anymore, and I don't have anyone in my life that I could really call 'important' or 'noteworthy'.

  ...Not a single person I could truly, completely, call 'friend' and really count on, call whenever I needed something, whether it be big or small.

  George was the only constant in my life the past few years, other than work, and look how well that turned out.

  I huffed a little, tugging my legs up under me tighter, tightening my grip on my knees.

  Does my life really suck the big one that bad back home?

  I glanced around, but my eyes kept straying towards my toes, staring at the tips of my boots.

  The
boots that Veck, my 'friend' and pseudo mate/roomie, made me.

  I frowned, concentrating, wracking my brain as I tried to come up with something good about my life, something to sell him on taking me home, anything to really bring the importance of taking me back into the proper light for him.

  "Too many good things for Meanie?" he asked a little hoarsely, shifting beside me, getting up, his face out of my view, holding a hand out to me.

  I looked up at him and placed my hand in his, turning to peek up at him.

  His expression was carefully blanked, unreadable.

  He pulled me up.

  "Come, Meanie."

  He led me along, his thumb stroking my hand idly as I let him tote me where ever.

  I can honestly say I trust him as far as things like this go.

  I know he won't take me back, that's a fact, but I also know, without a doubt, he'd never hurt me, physically or otherwise and he won't lie to me…

  Avoid answering... yes, but outright lie to me... no.

  He's proven himself at least that much, so in that way, I trust him.

  Plus… he’s a horrible, most terrible, horrendous liar anyways… he couldn’t get away with it even if he’d wanted to.

  When he’d fibbed that first night, well sort of lied, like I said before, a lie by omission, the look on his face had been a dead giveaway.

  Dude looks constipated when he fibs… it’s even worse than when I try to outright lie.

  I smiled a little at that, the corner of my mouth kicking up a notch.

  We’re both kind of alike in that way.

  We reached a pond, warm steam wafting up, fish swimming away in it happily.

  We've been here before, many times, just he and I.

  He calls it his 'happy place'.

  He comes here when he wants to just think or when he's upset.

  Hmmm...

  Is he upset? Or does he just want to think?

  Where's my happy place back home?

  Do I even have one?

  The library... maybe...

  Going to the movies alone?

  Water splashed and I followed the motion.

  It was one of the fish.

  Looking down curiously, I still marveled at the creatures swimming about, completely unaffected by the hot water, their little multi-faceted scales and curly spines fascinating.