The Bridal Hunt (Brides of the Hunt Book 1)

by Jeanette Lynn

  Squirming, I stopped laughing when I realized his hands were trembling, his heart beating against my ear wildly, thumping in his chest loud and fast, like a steel drum.

  "Hey, I was fine,” I said soothingly, instantly feeling like a heel. “I can swim, remember? I didn’t mean to-"

  Kirch growled, cutting me off. Hitching me up higher, he reached around and slapped my ass.

  "Hey!" I shouted indignantly. "What the hell!" Screeching and alternately cursing under my breath, I tried to wrestle away from him, but he snarled at me again and slapped the other cheek, this time much harder. “Ow! Asshole!”

  Letting go out of nowhere, he released me just as suddenly as he’d scooped me up, and set me on my feet. I wobbled and would have fallen if he didn’t reach out to catch me. The second I had my footing he let go, his lips pulling back in a silent snarl as he marched off.

  Stomping over to his things, he grabbed up his work tools and furs. "Meanie no listen! Bad! Bad female! Hurt Kirch heart! Bad!" he snapped, growling viciously. Glaring at me, he made his way back and threw his mating pelt over my shoulders. Thrusting it at me, he handed me Veck’s mating fur, the only thing that hadn’t taken a dip with me, flying off when I took and unexpected pond-dive, next. "Meanie no talk, Kirch mad."

  He grunted warningly when I went to protest the use of his blanket, my lips parting as I went to open my big ol’ pie hole to speak. The beastie was seriously pissed, and whatever came out of my mouth was guaran-damn-teed to make it that much worse. Biting my tongue, I stood up straighter, slammed my lips shut, then tugged Veck’s fur to my chest.

  "You hit me," I muttered sullenly, dragging my feet when he started leading me home. I stared straight ahead, red-faced and humiliated, while he scowled angrily.

  "Kirch... Kirch think Meanie breathe water. Think Meanie die." Hand clenching on my arm, he snarled, his pace picking up as he hurried towards the cottage path.

  "You stole me and I didn't slap you!" I yelled, my skin hot with embarrassment, water dripping off of my clothes as I glared at his back. "You claimed me when you have no right to! And still, I didn't slap you!"

  Kirch whirled around, slamming his things to the ground. "Kirch has right! Kirch saw Meanie first! Kirch chose Meanie! Not Veck! Veck stole Meanie! Meanie mine!"

  "You didn't even want me, remember?! You went out and replaced me with Candy!"

  "NO!" he bellowed, flinging an arm over my head as he bent low and leaned in close. "Meanie NO WANT KIRCH!" he roared. "KIRCH WANT MEANIE!!"

  "Forget pepper spray! I should have shot your stupid ass when you kidnapped me!! You... YOU BOOB!" I screamed, and ran off ahead, veering off from his path to make my own.

  I'd made it quite a ways away before I even bothered to look behind me. When I saw he hadn't followed, I began heading towards somewhere I knew I'd be alone, somewhere no one would be able to bother me.

  Chapter Eleven

  "M

  ina," came Bia's voice, talking softly as he called out for me.

  I sniffled and pulled the fur around me tighter, huddling in my appointed hiding spot in one of the crevices I'd discovered in what I shall now call My Cave. Everyone else could go screw themselves.

  I should have picked a spot closer to the hot springs caves, I thought morosely, shivering in my still-wet clothes.

  "Mina?" he called again, sounding much closer this time.

  Crawling farther into the hidden pocket I'd squeezed into a few hours ago, thinking he must have heard me, I made sure I was far enough away he couldn’t reach out and grab me.

  From where I sat now I knew he couldn't reach me, even if he stuck his arm in here and felt around.

  "Puny nose, baby Lo denaii." Kirch sniffed disdainfully. "Meanie there."

  He can smell me? All the way over here? That easily? What else can he tell with that stupid nose of his?

  Ohhhh, I thought, cringing at that little tidbit. No wonder he'd started giving me things. He probably thought I was interested in him or something and tried to court me. The unbearable beast must have thought he was engaging in the oddest game of hard to get ever. Well, shit.

  "I'm not a baby, you imbecile! I'm short, there's a difference." Bia hissed and then there was a soft grunt.

  "Puny, baby, short..." Kirch snorted and I could picture him shrugging as he snubbed his cousin. "All same."

  "Yeah! Well... you're ugly!" Bia growled loudly, from somewhere close to my hiding spot, his voice echoing off the walls. "What is it Mina calls you...? Oh, yeah! A boob! Well, if I'm puny then you're a boob!"

  Kirch snarled in response, and Bia snickered.

  Kirch roared then, and like the snoop that I am, I turned with my ear cocked towards the entrance. A small smile fighting to slip across my face, I listened to the exchange between cousins.

  There was another growl, and then two thumps and a grunt, followed by what sounded like flesh meeting flesh. Eyes widening, I put my hand over my mouth so I didn't gasp out loud, tipping them off to my exact location. I didn’t want anyone beating the ever-loving shit out of each other over this crap, either.

  "Move!" Veck growled, and my heart leapt a little nervously.

  Veck! Gah. Wait. Did they tell him? Is he mad? Is he mad at me?

  "Meanie? Wife...?" Veck called.

  Wanting nothing more than to run to him and hug him tight, beg his forgiveness, I crawled a little closer.

  "Veck...? Are you... are you mad at me?"

  "No," he said from the other side. "Why my Meanie hide? Kirch and Bia make Meanie hide?"

  "Uh... not exactly." I hesitated. Oh, how do I say this without hurting him? Can I tell him without hurting him? "Veck?" I called softly.

  "Yes, wife?" he said patiently, waiting for me to continue.

  "Um. I, uh... Bia and I kissed," I blurted.

  It was quiet for a long time and I was worried that he'd left me. My eyes watered and I began to sniffle, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay.

  "Veck?" I asked, my voice gone shaky.

  Silence.

  "Veck?" a little louder.

  "Meanie kiss Bia? Or Bia kiss Meanie?" Veck asked slowly.

  Cupping my mouth, I hiccupped, stifling a sob, but told him the truth. "He kissed me, but... but... I kissed him back," I admitted, taking my part of the blame.

  "Bia force Meanie?"

  "No! It wasn't like that!"

  "Ok," he said after a moment, a note of resignation in his voice that killed me. "Veck let Bia live."

  “Wait?! What?!” I fairly squawked.

  There was a snarl and a shout, then a meaty thud. A gasp rent the air and Bia was groaning, the sound of male grunts and growls steadily growing.

  Panicked, I ran from my hiding spot, darting out to jump between Veck and Bia. Crying out, I threw my hands up to stop Veck as he attempted to pound Bia into a bloody pulp.

  "NO!" I shouted, shielding the bloodied, smaller beastie from Veck's wrath. "Don't hurt him!"

  Veck immediately pulled back, snarling viciously, slamming his huge fist into the floor of the cave. It left a giant dent in the ground behind, dust and dirt flying everywhere from the impact. Forget dent, I amended—seeing the large groove in the ground his fist made—he left a crater.

  "Meanie, get back!" Kirch growled and went to grab for me.

  "You!" I pointed at the yellow-eyed bastard accusingly. "YOU stay out of this! I'll get to you in a minute, mister!" I growled out as menacingly as possible.

  Kirch chuffed and gave me a look that screamed What the hell did I do? I ignored him for the moment, focusing on the current problem at hand.

  Veck looked like he wanted to pound on the cave floor some more, if not Bia, but I wasn’t sure how much more the ground could take.

  Tossing my hands up, waving them around at him, I was just about to speak when he snatched my wrist. Veck took hold of it to run his fingers across the bracelet from Bia, exposed as my shirt sleeves slipped on my arms.

  "Meanie say no mate but Veck," he stat
ed angrily, shaking my hand in my face. "Who, wife? Who?" Snarling, he growled the words out demandingly.

  "Who...? Who what? I don’t..." I muttered, impossibly confused, pulling my wrist out of his hand to rub it gingerly.

  "Who claim my Meanie?" he snarled, glaring at the two most likely suspects.

  "Claim? NO! No, no. Bia gave it to me as a friendship bracelet. The day after we met. Tell him, Bia." I looked to Bia. "Tell him.” My gaze slid back to Veck. “He wanted to say sorry, that's all. Bia...” I stared down at Bia from his sprawled position on the cave floor pleadingly. “Bia, tell him.”

  Bia looked from me to Veck as he got up, swiping his thumb across the blood dribbling down his lip.

  Eyeing my mate evenly, he grunted and dusted himself off. "I claimed her first, so she's mine first and then yours," he told Veck boldly, looking him straight in the eye as he made his ridiculous claim.

  "WHAT?!!" I screeched, while Kirch roared out in rage, and Veck crouched down to launch himself at Bia. "Like hell!" I bellowed over the noise, keeping myself between the three supposedly injured parties to prevent any bloodshed.

  "Kirch claim Meanie first. Kirch first mate!" Kirch put in, lips pulling back into a menacing snarl that dared anyone to say differently.

  "Oh, don't you even go there, buddy! Just be thankful you're still here and I haven't found some way to unman you! Yet!" I shouted, my voice coming out a hissed warning at the end.

  Kirch muttered under his breath but backed down, mumbling in his own language as he crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing me sullenly. He looked as if someone had just kicked his puppy.

  "Hmmph!" I huffed. Shaking my head in disgust, I turned to Bia and held my wrist with the bracelet up to his face, shaking it at him as I ranted, "Don't hate me, Mina! He said," I mimicked him perfectly. "Nowhere in that sentence was there a 'Marry me, Mina?', 'Be my mate?', or 'Hey, wanna get hitched, Wilhelmina?' No, there wasn't. So you can't claim shit!"

  Gritting my teeth, I looked to his stubborn, determined expression and my shoulders slumped. This was all so messed up, I didn’t know what to think at all.

  "I thought you were my friend." Lower lip trembling, I sniffed sadly, sounding depressed and little even to my own ears.

  Bia opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Swallowing nervously, he reached out for me hesitantly, but Veck wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. Big, strong hands hugging me comfortingly, he bent down and scooped me up. Wrapping me up in his mating fur over Kirch's, he cuddled me close.

  "Please take me home, Veck," I whispered quietly, wiping at a fresh wave of tears. Leaning against his warm chest, I closed my eyes in exhaustion.

  He didn't say another word, no one did, and I was thankful for the reprieve as Veck made his way home. Cuddled to his chest, his strong arms holding me tight, I prayed he never let go.

  ✽✽✽

  Veck walked into the cottage and set me down, not saying a word. Snatching up the small bag atop the wood pile by the door, he walked to the hearth and started up a fire.

  "Veck," I called tentatively, shivering in my wet clothes.

  "Clothes wet. Take off, Meanie," Veck rumbled, his back still turned away from me.

  I stifled my sniffles as best as I could and cleared my throat a little, trying to compose myself. Shivering hard enough to make my teeth rattle, I let my furs hit the floor, trembling hard as cold air hit my wet skin.

  Peeling it all away, one layer at a time, I pulled off my water logged outfit, trying to fight the shakes. Now I know how an ice cube feels. My hands shook badly as I wrung the garments out, attempting to hang them over the backs of the chairs.

  Once done, I knelt down and grabbed Veck's mating fur up off the floor. It was damp but I put it on anyway, wrapping it around myself. Swiping at my eyes, I watched Veck as he clutched at the stone mantle on the fireplace, his grip on it turning his knuckles pink.

  "I'm sorry, Veck," I said earnestly, my voice trembling as I slowly approached him. Reaching forward, unsure of my welcome, I put my hand on his back.

  Shifting restlessly, he dropped his head forward, letting it rest against the wall. Chest rumbling with a small, barely muffled growl, he didn’t pull away.

  "Meanie Veck's mate," he growled angrily, pissed, but purred when I rubbed his back soothingly.

  "Only you," I swore.

  "Kirch and Bia..." Veck started.

  "I won’t even talk to them again! I swear!" I pleaded when he started to pull away.

  "Meanie claim Bia," he stated simply.

  "No!" I practically yelled, gripping his fur tight to clutch at him. “No! Please! I’m sorry! I-”

  "Meanie kiss Bia. Meanie claim Bia." My mate began to snarl but stopped, paused for a full minute, then shook his head, sighing heavily. Pushing away from the wall, he shook himself out, brushing away my hands with the action.

  Feeling utterly rejected, tears sliding down my cheeks, I stumbled back.

  Grunting and pacing, Veck went back to his spot on the wall. Another growl started in his throat, but he muffled it.

  I stood there, frozen, watching as Veck started to lift his head and glanced at the door, his frosty blue eyes narrowing angrily. He growled viciously again, from somewhere deep within his chest, his frustration evident, then stopped and looked down again after a moment.

  “Only you, Veck. I swear it. Please... Don’t- Don’t leave me.”

  He didn’t answer, just continued to glare at the door.

  For a moment I thought he might be contemplating forcing me out and I panicked, running up and wrapping my arms around his waist in a death grip. "I love you! I'm sorry! I didn't know what the bracelet meant! I'm sorry I kissed Bia back! Just, please, don't leave me!" I wailed desperately, my fingers digging into his flesh.

  Veck tugged me off of his back, despite my best efforts to hold on, and I thought for sure he was truly kicking my ass to the curb.

  Gasping and choking as I tried to breathe, emotions strangling me, I stepped back, stumbling a little. A sob escaped me as I turned my back on him and went to run from the room.

  Heavy footsteps followed as I took off at a run. Veck chuckled a little as he easily caught up to me, expertly scooping me up. I went flying through the air and into his chest, crying out in frightened shock as he tugged me in to hold me close. Murmuring to me low, too low, I couldn’t make out what he was saying as the tears resumed. Face buried in his thick chest, shaking uncontrollably, I sobbed to my heart’s content.

  I was a little too busy losing my shit, blubbering ridiculously, promising the male everything under the moon, to realize he wasn't all that upset, as I had previously thought. It took me a full minute to realize he was at this point, in fact, laughing at me.

  "Why are you laughing?" I spluttered, incredulous, wiping my face. "I thought you were mad and maybe even hated me for what I did? That you might want to leave me."

  Chest still hiccupping from my sobs, I craned my neck to get a good look at the deranged snow beast. This produced a new round of chuckles from my mate-husband, which just made me frown harder.

  "Not mad,” he rumbled out gently. “Veck never leave Meanie." My mate shrugged and smiled down at me, grinning stupidly from ear to ear when I blinked and blinked again, gaping up at him uncomprehendingly. "Veck jealous of Meanie's mates. Meanie want her Veck.” Veck paused and asked, as if he needed to check, “Meanie want Veck, yes?”

  “Yes! Of course I want you, you big oaf. I choose you, and only you!”

  Veck nodded, leaning down to sip from my lips—a quick but sweet peck full of meaning that left my lips tingling.

  A deep rumble vibrated his chest and he purred, pulling back. “Veck not jealous now. Meanie want Veck first." Another kiss—sweeter, longer. “Most.”

  "They are not my mates!" I snapped angrily, trying to make him understand. I’d agreed, no more mates, just him. “What do I want with a bunch of mates? I don’t! I just want you, okay? Only you.”
>
  "Veck first mate, Meanie?" he asked thoughtfully, ignoring my tirade to swipe his tongue across his lips for a taste of our kiss, his expression hopeful.

  "I thought you were mad about Bia and Kirch? What's with the sudden happy man attitude?" I harrumphed indignantly, trying to keep up. My frosty-eyed giant was being a little too hot and cold for my tastes.

  "Veck first mate?" he stubbornly repeated, impatiently waiting for my reply.

  This is more mumbo-beastly-jumbo I’m not privy to, I just know it.

  Veck started fidgeting when I didn’t answer, swiftly growing agitated in his impatience, his expression anxious. That angry look scrunched his face again and he turned and growled at the door, muffling it when I gaped up at him.

  “Veck... what is going on?! You’re acting so-”

  “Veck first mate?” he gritted out, his left eye twitching as he snapped his jaws at the thick wooden door menacingly.

  "Oh, for heaven's sake! Yes! And Veck is my only mate! My only husband, my only anything!"

  "Meanie loves Veck. Stay with Veck always. Veck first mate.” Satisfied, my big beastie turned to me and nuzzled my cheek happily, ruining the moment with, “Veck try to be nice to Meanie's mates.”

  “For fuck’s sa-” My protest was swallowed up as he took my lips, cutting me off with a thorough, toe curling kiss that went on and on, deepening when I kept trying to talk.

  When he kept up his bit of shut-me-up nonsense, I pulled back and huffed at him, cupping my hand over his mouth. Eyes glittering, he licked my palm and chuckled.

  "Are you even listening to me?" I persisted, exasperated with him at this point.

  "Yes.” A gentle purr rumbled his massive chest. “Veck Meanie's favorite." Moving my hand away, he beamed. “Meanie mates, Veck first.”

  Rolling my eyes, I snorted, but couldn't help it when a small chuckle escaped. Then it bubbled up and out, morphing into an all-out laughing jag. Lost at this point, I just went with it, the absurdity that is my life catching up to my tired body. My overtaxed mind had officially gone to mush, leaving me a giggling mess.