The Bridal Hunt (Brides of the Hunt Book 1)

by Jeanette Lynn

  "Tarnk? Tarnk?” My gaze whipped around, searching out my mate. “Oh, Veck, is he dead? Oh! Don't die! Veck, help him!" Shaking Tarnk’s hand, I babbled hysterically, keeping my other palm pressed to his shoulder, sliding it to his front as Veck rolled him to his back. Determined to help him somehow, I locked my elbows and kept the pressure steady, ignoring how pale he looked and the way my hands shook uncontrollably.

  Others showed up, but I refused to give up on Tarnk, refused to let go. He could die. He can’t die! I’d never seen anyone die—never lost someone like that before.

  God, this is bad, so bad. There’s so much blood...

  I didn't know how much time passed or how long Veck had been trying to pry me off of Tarnk before I felt a soft hand on top of mine.

  Sniffling quietly, I glanced up. Familiar blue eyes set in a feminine face, welling with understanding, gave me a small, reassuring smile. Dorothy.

  "He just passed out, honey. He's still breathing. You can let go now. I'm going to have some of the fellas take him to his house to clean him up, and then I can get a good look at his wounds." Bia’s mother swiped a hand across my face, wiping it clean with a cool cloth. I realized then I must’ve been crying.

  "He's not dead?" I asked, sniffling. The adrenaline from earlier rushing out of me, left me feeling completely exhausted as my shoulders slumped in relief.

  "He's going to be just fine, sweetie.” Dorothy smiled and gave me a hug. “Those Lo denaii males are even tougher than they look."

  Reassured, I released Tarnk and scooted back and out of the way. Kneeling by his legs as Dorothy fretted over him, wiping wetness away from my face with my hands, my lips parted in a gape as I pulled back and they came away smeared with blood. I hadn’t thought about it, all that blood somehow ending up on me, and must have smeared a good deal of it across my face, mixing it with my tears.

  “Lots of blood,” I muttered, glancing at Tarnk’s chest.

  The wad of cloth Dorothy held pressed against his thick torso was slowly but steadily blooming crimson.

  Shocked, I sat down hard, falling back on my rump. Swallowing hard, gulping harshly, my gaze slid to my lap and I stared unseeingly at my blood stained hands. A small whimper bubbled up in my throat and my fingers shook. Lips trembling, just sitting there, staring numbly, balling my hands in my lap, I rocked a little. So much blood...

  Two strong arms came around my waist, lifting me up, Veck’s voice murmuring in my ear. Turning to him, I clutched him tight as he cuddled me close. Burrowing into his warmth, hands tucked to my chest, I sniffled a little and let my head fall against his neck. Fingers tangling in his fur, I cried silently against my mate as he took us straight home.

  When we arrived at the cottage, Veck setting me gently on my feet, kissing the top of my head, he instructed me to stay put.

  Bia and Kirch came in the door, bickering with each other, within minutes, trying to shoulder their way past each other, growling at each other in their usual way. They must have somehow missed all the commotion. It wasn’t surprising, considering how loud they are. I’d bet they probably hadn’t heard a thing.

  Sniping good-naturedly in Lo denaii as they jostled each other, the pair froze at the sight of me standing there, shaking, pale, and covered in blood.

  "Meanie!" Kirch was the first to react, rushing over and crushing me to him.

  Growling words I couldn’t understand, hands running all over me, he searched out the source of all the blood.

  "I'm okay," I murmured shakily. "It's not mine."

  "Tarnk's," Veck said, lumbering in with the large wooden tub we use for bathing hefted over his shoulder. Toting it to the middle of the kitchen and setting it down, he then grabbed one of our large clay pots, intending on adding water to the pot to heat up for a bath.

  "What happened?" Bia asked, addressing Veck as he came up behind me and hugged me close, resting his chin on top of my head.

  I stood there absorbing Bia's warmth while Kirch went to get more water, still in a bit of a state of shock with all that had just happened.

  By the time Kirch came back Veck had finished giving Bia the short version of events. Kirch, eyes darting back and forth from his task to my bloody face as he easily hefted his load, walked over and dumped every last one of his cold water jugs into the tub. Finished, Kirch stepped back, watching as Veck poured the contents of his warmed pot in.

  The men discussed what we'd seen as I undressed. I ignored them in favor of washing up, grateful Veck kept slowly adding more warmed water.

  Once the water turned pink and I didn’t feel like I was caked in grime, I closed my eyes, trying to get the image of Tarnk staggering about and bloodied from my mind.

  I must have drifted off at some point, focused on deep, even breaths and nothing else. Head resting along the tub’s lip, I roused long enough to figure out I was being lifted from the tub.

  Mumbling incoherently, I was too tired to care as strong hands dried me off and wrapped me up in warm furs.

  ✽✽✽

  "Meanie?" A soft, quiet whisper rumbled near my ear.

  "Hmmm," I murmured sleepily.

  A hand came around and rubbed my belly, fingers soothing over where our babies would soon grow.

  "Meanie still mad at Kirch?"

  "No," I whispered back, rolling over to caress his face in the dark. "And I'm sorry."

  "Meanie okay? Babies okay?"

  "Yes." I smiled at the worry in his voice. Leaning in, I pecked his lips.

  Kirch purred softly, nuzzling his nose with mine.

  “Kirch...?" I murmured tentatively, hesitant.

  Kirch’s chest rumbled and he nuzzled my cheek. "Yes, Meanie?"

  Smiling in the dark, I went for broke. "I love you."

  That deep purr of his started up in his chest and I giggled quietly, hugging him close.

  "Kirch loves Meanie, too."

  "Oh, and, Kirch?"

  "Yes?"

  "I won't force you to have sex with me anymore..." Blowing out a long breath that bordered on a raspberry, as if truly put out by the fact, I sighed heavily. "I'll miss you and your little friend... but I suppose I'll live."

  "Little?" Kirch grumbled, pausing as his purr rattled to a stop.

  "Well... it has been a very trying time for me.” Another long sigh. “I seemed to have forgotten what it looks like. Don't you worry, though, before you know it I'll be as big as a house and sex will be the last thing on my mind."

  Shifting uncomfortably beside me, Kirch cleared his throat awkwardly and opened his mouth as if to speak, but I continued. "Yeah, I really have to admire a guy who's willing to give up sex for nine months. It shows how strong willed and committed you are."

  "What?!" Kirch barked the words on a strangled yelp, jumping in the dark.

  Trying to keep a straight face, stifling a laugh and cupping his cheeks, I kissed him passionately before I pulled back.

  "Nine months. Didn't anyone ever tell you that's about how long it takes? Of course it's harder towards the end of the pregnancy. That’s when you usually put a hold on the sex. But I envy your cautious and caring take on fatherhood. It's sweet, really."

  Veck chuckled from his side, but I reached over to elbow him, effectively shutting him up.

  "Uh...” the spluttering Lo denaii mumbled, “Kirch not..."

  "No, really," I insisted, "you don't have to say another word." Smiling sweetly in the dim room, I put my fingers to his lips. "I get it now. Totally understand." With a quick peck to his lips, I rolled over and snuggled up with Veck. With a small smile playing at my mouth, I swiftly fell asleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A

  warm mouth attached itself to my breast and my eyes popped open. Veck pulled back enough to grin at me, his icy white eyes dancing mischievously. I smiled at him then, smoothing my thumb over his brow.

  Fingers running through the fur on his head, I tugged on his scalp until he crawled up my length to kiss me on the mouth.

  "Good m
orning, husband," I murmured sweetly, giving him a peck on the lips before I rolled out from under him and hopped out of bed.

  "Meanie?” he rumbled, aghast. Popping his fist on the furs, he scowled, patting the spot I’d just vacated. “Come back..."

  Lips quirking at his putout expression, I slipped a fresh dress over my head. Then, bending down, not bothering to hide my amusement, slipping one foot into a pant leg and then the other, I yanked my pants on.

  "Meanie?" Veck mumbled, confused, his raging hard-on standing up like a flagpole as his eyes darted to his little friend and then me.

  "It wouldn't be fair to have sex with you and not Kirch, now would it?" Expression carefully neutral as I spoke reasonably, I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind.

  "Did someone say sex?" Bia asked on a yawn. Stretching out as his blue eyes slid open slowly, he watched me interestedly from the small makeshift bed in the corner.

  "Meanie?" Veck grumbled, the tiniest hint of a whine in his voice.

  Sucking my lips into my mouth so I wouldn’t burst out laughing, I slipped my boots on and laced them up, trying to wipe the tiny smirk off my face before I straightened to face them.

  "Where are you going?" Bia blinked and frowned, less bleary-eyed and more fully awake than moments before.

  "I want to check on Tarnk and see if Dorothy needs any help," I explained.

  Veck grumbled and rolled over, thought better of it and rolled back, then pushed Kirch, shoving him off the bed.

  Kirch thumped to the ground and popped up, instantly alert, head whipping around wildly for any sign of danger. Long mane slapping about his face, he shouted, tensing as if ready to pounce.

  With a snarl in his throat, Kirch’s lips pulled back and he crouched in a fighting stance. Grunting, he relaxed a moment later when he realized it was just us and we were all in fact fine.

  "Meanie leaving?" he mumbled, disconcerted when he spotted me heading for the door.

  "I'm checking on Tarnk. Don't get up. I can go by myself.” I waved them all off. “Go back to sleep. Enjoy it while you can. Once the babies get here it'll be hard to squeeze in any time for yourselves. No me time, you know?" Chuckling, I grinned and winked. "If you know what I mean." With that, I hurried out the door, waiting until I got past the largest grouping of huts to bust up laughing.

  No sex for any of them? None for one, none for all, and extra time all to themselves to contemplate this? Hah!

  Yeeaah... Things are soon to get very interesting.

  ✽✽✽

  Walking down a graveled dirt path, I kicked pebbles as I shuffled forward. Counting down the huts, I studied each one until I thought I had it right. Call me silly, but a bout of nerves hit me suddenly as I stepped up to the door.

  Blowing out a long breath, I willed my butterfly filled gut to shut up, knocked tentatively and stepped back. This needed to be done. This was important. I had to know if he was alright and, possibly, what he knew about his attacker.

  Glancing over my shoulder, uncertain as my second and third knocks went unanswered, I counted down until I spotted Bia’s old hut, almost positive this one was Tarnk's.

  Knocking again, this time a bit harder, someone replied from within moments later, but I had no idea what they’d said. I still didn’t speak Lo denaii-grrrr talk.

  "Uhm... it's me," I called out awkwardly, "Mina. I just wanted to make sure that you were-"

  The door flew open, startling me enough to make me jump, and a huge arm emerged from the low lit confines, fisting the front of my dress to yank me inside.

  “Oh- Ah!” I stumbled in with a surprised yelp, trying not to trip over my own big feet as I flew forward.

  Catching my fall on a wall of warm muscle, I grunted, frowning up at the huge beast of a male I’d slammed into. Pushing off of him carefully, I tried to right myself.

  "Meanie?" Tarnk’s gravelly voice rumbled out, low and deep, obviously confused as he stared down at me, wide-eyed.

  "Where's Dorothy?" I asked, trying to peek around his wide frame, my gaze darting around the room for her.

  "Home," he muttered. Rubbing a hand down his drawn face, he still looked deathly pale, even for a beastie, but his wound appeared to be doing much better.

  "Oh," I said quietly. Not knowing what else to do or say as we slipped into awkward silence, I took a step back, putting some space between us.

  The awkwardness grew as I stood there like an imbecile and he stared down at me, watching me fidget in place as he just, well, stared. I had to wonder after a while—about the time he’d stopped blinking—if he even knew he was doing it.

  As he gawked and I squirmed, his gaze unwavering as it bore right through me, I was beginning to feel as if I was under a damned microscope.

  "Soooo... what happened?" I burst out, getting down to the reason I'd really wanted to come by in the first place. I mean, I’d wanted to make sure he’s okay—I'm not heartless—but someone with a gun was running around willy-nilly shooting people. Trying to make sense of all this, worried for my mates, the crazy with the gun was foremost in my mind.

  Tarnk frowned and tried to remember. His hand came up and he scratched at his chin. "Tarnk look for Candy. Candy yell for help. Tarnk run, rock hit Tarnk hard."

  "A rock?" Not a rock. I already knew where this was going. How does he not know what a gun or a bullet is? They make a habit of stealing women, surely one of them has been shot at, at some point in time?

  Tarnk nodded. "Mmmm-hmm. Fast rock."

  Fast rock, my fanny! "It wasn't a rock. It was a bullet. Unless you have someone out there with the ability to shoot a rock fast enough to pierce you through and through, and it ends up looking like that..." I trailed off, jerking my chin towards his shoulder wound.

  Brow puckering, I tried to wrack my brain for any other plausible answer.

  "Or really awesome arrows or something...?” Nah. “In the movies the arrow usually gets lodged into the person... Can't exactly go by shit you see on television and all that, really, but could it go through and look like that...?" Pacing the small space, I muttered to myself, thinking aloud.

  I was no expert... but that wound screamed gunshot, and the noises we’d heard before he’d come stumbling out were making more sense now. Not the racket he’d made after, but those booming, ear ringing pops—they had to have been gunshots.

  Someone had been shooting at him—I know it in my gut—I just know it. God, I wished I could remember more details from yesterday... it had all happened so fast, though.

  "Moo-vies? Arrows?" Tarnk blinked down at me in confusion.

  Peering up at him, I shrugged. "You know, arrows." Lifting my arms, I made my hands as if I was practicing archery and mimed shooting an arrow from a bow.

  Face lighting up, Tarnk grew animated and started spouting something in Lo denaii. His head bobbed up and down on his thick neck enthusiastically as he started rambling a mile a minute. About what? I had no clue.

  "Uh... I don't speak..." I started to say.

  He repeated it again and again, whatever he was so excited about, then hurried to a small door by a tiny, smudged up front window. Tugging the door open with a harsh yank, he grabbed something big and bulky out as he continued to babble.

  "Here!" Tarnk rumbled excitedly, holding up a huge bow and quiver of arrows for me to see. They were very similar to what I'm used to seeing, but Lo denaii sized, with a sleeker design.

  They most definitely got this idea from us, I thought. Or, hell, did we get it from them? Who the heck knows...

  “Oh. Wow.” Curiosity getting the better of me, I plucked up an arrow, testing the weight of it in my hand, and showed it to him. "Could this go all the way through your body and not get stuck? Would it look like that?” Raising a finger, I pointed at his wound without looking, knowing I might get ill if I did. “Wait.” And then I paused. “You'd probably have figured it out already if it was from an arrow, huh?"

  Taking in every word I said as his gaze shot back and forth from
his bow to me, then the arrow, he shook his head, then nodded.

  Shoulders slumping a little, knowing I was right, I sighed and grimaced. "That's what I was afraid of."

  Tarnk swerved a little when I went to hand his arrow back, catching himself before he bumped into me.

  Holding a hand out, I gave his chest a gentle nudge. "Hey, uh, buddy, should you even be up right now?" He wasn’t exactly all that steady on his twos at the moment.

  "Meanie scared?" he rumbled out in that soft yet rough voice of his, ignoring my question. Eyes slightly unfocused, he blinked, squinting down at me.

  “Uhm, no...?” I laughed a little as I shook my head at him, my lips tipping up at the corners as he wove a little drunkenly.

  Grunting in irritation at me when he stumbled again, he pushed my hands away when I would have attempted to help right him. Stubborn beast.

  “You shouldn’t be standing, Tarnk. You’re still injured. Go lie down, huh?”

  "Meanie said Meanie's afraid."

  Men. Pfft. Typical. And talk about avoidance. "It's just a figure of speech, silly. I didn't mean it literally. Now, sit."

  "Not silly." Grumbling under his breath, he pointed to himself, scowling down at me with a look hard enough to blister. "Tarnk. Taaarrrnnnkkk." He enunciated slowly, like one would to a child, seemingly put out at the thought I'd already forgotten his name.

  Unable to help myself, I giggled. He huffed, grumbling, and bared his teeth at me, putting his hand out for the arrow.

  Realizing I’d thoroughly offended him, I felt like a big old jerk. “Right, sorry. Here ya go.” Ready to give him his arrow back and leave, I was about to do just that, the arrow touching both of our hands as it slid into his, as Tarnk’s front door burst open.

  A certain wild-eyed looking crazy baboon man of mine took one look at us and snarled, barging right in. He took in Tarnk's hand on my shoulder as Tarnk gripped it for balance, the injured Lo denaii’s other hand gripping the opposite end of the arrow I held, and Kirch roared in rage. "MINE!"