The Bridal Hunt (Brides of the Hunt Book 1)

by Jeanette Lynn

  Staring off into the fire, I bit my lip. God, Kirch and Veck better be careful.

  "Mina, my sweet," Bia said warmly, "you worry too much. They'll be fine." Bussing my cheek, cuddling me close, he nuzzled his way up the side of my face and kissed my forehead.

  "Promise?”

  "I promise." Tugging my shoulder gently, he turned me around enough to kiss me properly, situating my legs in his lap. Rubbing my back soothingly, he whispered calming reassurances against my lips.

  Things started to get a little heated, our simple kiss quickly escalating, but someone knocked on the door, completely interrupting us.

  Yelping, I jumped, from both surprise and overall jitters. "Are we expecting someone?" My eyebrows arched in question as my gaze slid to the, slightly thicker than before, newly reinforced door.

  "Not me," Bia grumbled, pulling away reluctantly to answer.

  There was a grumble of voices as the latch slid and hinges creaked. Berkr walked in, lumbering over to the table with a short nod in my direction in greeting, and made himself right at home setting a bunch of weapons out along the wide table top.

  "Uhhhmm... what are you doing?" I asked, eyeing all the pointy looking things he unrolled from a thick roll of hide they’d been bundled up in. Grunting, he hung the sack he’d carted them in with over the back of a chair, spreading an assortment of knives, spears, and lord knows what else out neatly across my clean table like a weaponry buffet.

  "Kirch want Berkr watch over Meanie and runt," he said simply.

  "Runt?" Bia growled, stomping over, irritated.

  Lips pursing, I crossed my arms over my chest. It looked like I was going to have to maim my yellow-eyed, wild-maned mate later, if he made it back unharmed. Pfft. He’d better make it back unharmed.

  "While we appreciate the gesture, Berkr, I think Bia is quite capable of protecting me all by himself." Eyes narrowing, I glared at the gritty Lo denaii, tapping my fingers along my forearm impatiently.

  Eyeing me back, Berkr suddenly smiled, a huge smile full of sharp white teeth and two slightly longer canines that stood out more than the rest. Dark eyes gleaming, he pulled out a chair at the table, chuckled quietly, and sat down. Picking up a lumpy orange stone, he then proceeded to sharpen a huge knife he produced from his hip belt with it.

  "Berkr take it back.” Lips quirking, he sniffed in my direction. “Veck right. Meanie little body, big spirit." At the look on my face he grinned, rumbling good-naturedly.

  Bia grabbed me when I growled and went to launch myself at Berkr. Why, that cheeky, smarmy-

  Shaking his head when Berkr would have commented, he toted me towards the bed, laughing quietly as I promised all sorts of retribution on the black and grey streaked Abominable beastie if Berkr was ever stupid enough to insult one of my mates in front of me like that again—or dare to mock me, the big jerk.

  "Technically, he just complimented you," Bia said with a chuckle.

  "No, he didn't! It's mean, the way he says it!" Huffing, I growled indignantly.

  Leaning in, Bia nuzzled my face and wrapped his arms around me. “You’re cute, did you know that?”

  His erection brushed up against my inner thigh as he plopped us down on the bed, and I pulled away enough to look him sternly in the eye. "None of that is going down while he's in here, so don't go getting any funny ideas."

  Berkr glanced over at us interestedly, quirking a thick, bushy eyebrow at my words. Baring my teeth in an angry smile, I gave him the evil eye.

  "Mind your own business, you busy body," I snapped, earning a shocked laugh from the mammoth of a Lo denaii. Smaller than Veck in height, though about evenly matched in muscle, he was no less impressive. With bits of black and grey fur mixing in with all that white, he was an enigma among Lo denaii, who were for the most part all varying shades of white.

  Berkr’s chest rattled and he grinned and winked, chuckling when Bia growled at him in warning.

  "You are absolutely right, my sweet." Lips curling back warningly, his gaze staying on Berkr’s a bit longer to prove his point, Bia pulled the covers up and over me. "I already have to share you with two imbeciles, why add another one."

  Berkr snorted and dipped his chin to all his pointy toys, but otherwise didn't react, happily sharpening his knives and assorted instruments of torture at the table, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

  "Aren't you going to come, too?" I asked, gesturing for Bia to join me.

  "God, I wish," Bia muttered, his full lips quirking as his gaze met mine. Waggling his eyebrows as he leaned in, I giggled and gave him a quick kiss. "Rest,” he ordered. “I want to stay up and keep an eye on things, make sure you don't accidentally end up with another mate if Berkr's toes get cold and he thinks he can hop in and warm them with my woman."

  "Meanie too many mates,” Berkr called from his spot at the table, grunting. “Berkr no share Berkr's mate. Berkr mate Berkr's only."

  "Yeah, that's what they all say," I muttered under my breath, patting Bia’s cheek when his fingers dipped to my wrist to twist around my bracelet.

  With one last kiss from me, Bia joined Berkr at the table and offered to help. They spoke quietly, switching from English to Lo denaii, trading insults back and forth as they ribbed each other endlessly.

  As worried as I was about Veck and Kirch, I was also exhausted. My eyes closed sleepily, the heaviness in my lids outweighing my stubbornness. After the third or fourth taunt from Bia about Berkr’s massive head, I fell asleep almost instantly.

  ✽✽✽

  "Mina. Mina, wake up, love."

  "Hmmm?" I murmured sleepily.

  "There's a fire. We need to move. It's headed our way."

  "A fire!" Popping up, I gasped, trying to clear my sleep hazy head.

  Berkr was already waiting with the door open, his weapons packed up and over his shoulder in his sack.

  It was a mad scramble as we hurried out, the sounds of screaming and crying piercing my ears. The air was filled with smoke as I spotted the flames a few huts down. Thick grey and black clouds plumed the air, billowing out, red and orange flames licking at everything angrily as the fire spread quickly.

  "Oh my god! What happened?"

  Bia propelled me towards a large group of women all huddled together, adjusting my mating pelts about my shoulders as he did so.

  As he let go of my hand and nudged my back, I saw Dorothy and expelled a little breath of relief. "Stay here, where it's safe,” Bia instructed, his bright blue gaze darting to the damage the fire had wrought. “I'm going to see if I can help put out the fire." Turning back to me, he kissed my lips quickly as I stood there, dumbstruck. “Baby?”

  “Right.” I tried to snap out of it. “Uhm... Got it. Stay here.” Wringing my hands, fear knotting my gut, I nodded woodenly as I watched him go. “Okay, I’ll be right here.”

  Someone called out to me and I took a deep breath. I can do this. Stiffening my spine, I turned when the voice called out again, forcing a smile I didn’t really feel as I walked over to Dorothy.

  "What happened?" I asked, taking the hand she offered.

  Dorothy squeezed my fingers tight, smiling sadly. "I don't know. That's Mern's hut, but he's on the hunt. Maybe he left a candle lit," she said, as much at a loss as I was.

  It was freezing outside, the cold wind fighting and whipping at us from all directions battling with the heat from the fire. Clasping a mating pelt at my throat to ward off the chill as best I could, slipping another over my head like a hood, I huddled tighter under my furs, clutching them harder for warmth.

  Snow soon started falling in fat flakes around us, blanketing the ground and the burning hut, helping the men out a little with the fire when it started to blizzard with a vengeance.

  "Come on." Dorothy tugged on my arm gently. "Let's go to my house. We can't stand out here in this, it’ll be the death of us." Motioning for the others to follow, she gestured to the men. "They were made for this kind of weather, not us." No one was inclined to argue, and
we all started walking as a group towards the promise of a warm, dry place.

  Others followed my idea, tucking their pelts over their heads like hoods, bunching them at their throats. It helped some, but not much as we shuffled through the burgeoning snowstorm.

  Tonight has been one crazy night, I thought, ducking my chin as we sloshed through the rising white stuff—it was piling up fast.

  The hairs along the back of my neck pricked and I shivered. Disconcerted, I glanced around uneasily, scanning the area to find the source of my odd discomfort. A frown marring my face, I couldn't see anything, but that didn't make me feel any better. The woods looked downright creepy this late at night.

  Skin prickling once more, my stomach dipped and I picked up my pace. Eyes wide as my gaze darted into the darkness, I made sure I stayed with the group.

  ✽✽✽

  lf sigh in relief once everyone got settled. The uneasiness I'd experienced earlier had dissipated, at least for now. I felt a little silly for letting my imagination run wild with me like that, but tonight was just one of those nights, I guess.

  ✽✽✽

  "They should be back by now, shouldn't they?" I asked, my gaze jerking to the window as I cleared the breakfast dishes off the table.

  Berkr let out a happy sigh and patted his full stomach. He'd better be full. He eats more than Kirch and Veck combined.

  Berkr tried to put his feet up on the table, but I pushed them off with a smack to his thick foot and looked to him warningly. He grumbled under his breath at me, wiggling his poor, spanked tootsies, but didn't try to put them back up.

  Bia, standing off by the counter, was shaking all the water jugs, checking to see how many full ones we had left. They all sounded bone dry to me.

  Grabbing up an empty jug or two to refill, my mate walked over to me. "This is normal. They're fine. Don't worry so much, hmm? It's not good for the babies." Bending down to peck my lips, he gave me a reassuring smile.

  Easier said than done, buddy. "But the fire, and Tarnk getting shot... I can't help it. What if...”

  "Shhh. Two entirely different things." My mate put a finger up to my lips, already catching on to my particular train of thought.

  "But what if..."

  "Nope. No more," he said sternly, his big, beautiful blue eyes narrowing.

  "Well, it cou-"

  "Mina," he warned. My typically laid back Bia was getting upset with me. Okay, so maybe he did have a point. I was sounding a bit like a conspiracy theorist.

  Paranoid much, Mina, I asked myself. Grumbling under my breath, I sighed unhappily, but resigned myself to try and not worry so much, as he’d suggested.

  I could try, and he did have a point. Kirch and Veck are used to these woods—they are hunters, after all, and I trust them to be careful. They aren't dummies. What am I worrying for, really? He’s right.

  Lips tipping up, I made myself smile as genuinely as possible, letting my mate know, without words, that I would try. Bia grinned back, on the same wave length, flicking the end of my nose playfully. Swatting him away, I rolled my eyes as he chuckled.

  "I'll be back," he announced, kissing me lingeringly. "Be good, my sweet." Kissing him back, I sighed happily as he murmured sweet nothings in Lo denaii against my lips.

  "Aren't I always?" I quipped saucily.

  "Why, yes, you are. I-"

  "Ugh! Berkr just ate. No kissy-kissy. Bia get water and Bia be back. Bia not gone forever, Meanie." Coughing and making strange gagging noises, he huffed, exasperated, rolling his eyes at us.

  Grinning over at Bia, I gave him a noisy kiss, laughing when Berkr had enough of our public display and harrumphed. Muttering under his breath in Lo denaii, he picked up his chair, fixing it to face away from us, and plopped down. Snatching up his sharpening stone and a small spear, he gave us his grumbling back, effectively tuning us out.

  Chapter Twenty

  I

  'd just finished putting the bowls on the shelf when the front door creaked open. The very last plate in my hand, I rubbed at it vigorously with the small scrap of cloth I held loosely in the other, too impatient to let it dry in the drying bin before I put it away.

  Smiling, I turned to ask Bia if he could take me to Dorothy's in a bit. I had some things I wanted to ask her about the stupid wood fueled oven. I kept burning every other thing I tried to bake in it. The darned thing was a bit harder to manage than I’d thought.

  A man walked in then, closing the door quietly behind him. Glancing around quickly, he took inventory of the room. He had a gun held tightly in his left hand and a backpack slung over his shoulder—a thick ski mask covering his face.

  The gunman was definitely a he, his masculine frame obvious, even through the layers of warm winter clothes he wore.

  Stunned, I dropped the dish I was holding, frozen in place as it fell at my feet, shattering all around me.

  “Meanie?” Berkr glanced over his shoulder, frowning as he took in the look of utter horror flitting across my face.

  Unable to speak, I spluttered, fingers shaking as I tried to motion behind him. He must’ve thought the gunman was Bia coming back too, obviously, and I couldn’t get my hands or mouth to work to warn him.

  “Meanie?” Berkr rumbled out, growing concerned.

  The stranger slowly raised his gun, aiming it right at Berkr as Berkr went to stand.

  "NO!" I shouted, breaking through the shock, panicked. "Please! Don't shoot him!"

  The man paused, head cocking mechanically, and Berkr finally figured it out.

  Hissing, Berkr spun around, crouching down low. Hunching, big body coiling tight, ready to attack, he snarled his rage at the intruder.

  The hammer on the antique looking revolver clicked as the intruder pulled it back with his thumb, nodding knowingly as Berkr froze. Motioning Berkr to step aside, waving the barrel at him and then the door, the Lo denaii warrior refused to budge.

  As they stood there in a sort of standoff, Berkr glanced over and started shifting towards me, attempting to block me with his body. With the exception of the spear he’d been sharpening and the knife on his belt, all of his damn weapons were still in the sack by the door, right by the masked man with the gun. Fat lot of good those were going to do us now.

  "Uh-uh-uh." The man tsk-ed Berkr, gesturing him back again with the gun. "Get back over there, beast."

  The second he spoke, my mouth dropped open and I choked on a gasp, feeling as if I’d been slapped. "George?" I blurted, stunned, the familiar timber sending shards of icy dread through my veins. I’d know that voice anywhere.

  Rolling his shoulders, the masked man’s head snapped in my direction. "Hello, Willy. Did you miss me, my love?" he asked sweetly.

  Reaching up with his free hand, he pulled off his mask—his thick shock of blonde hair sticking up at a hundred different angles, plastered to his head at the sides. Lips curving, he smiled. Crooking a finger at me as I sputtered incredulously, he motioned for me to join him.

  Gobsmacked, I gaped. "What the fuck are you doing? Are you insane?! You can't just go around shooting people when it suits you! You could kill someone!" Arms waving wildly, I shook my finger at the stupid look on his face and then his gun, barely able to form coherent sentences, I was so angry.

  As if to shrug off my fit of temper, his smile brightened and he waved me over, his gun barrel dancing between Berkr and me as his arm flapped wildly.

  He was like some deranged camp counselor trying to get that last reluctant camper to join in, ready to break out in Kumbaya and roast marshmallows and shit at a moment’s notice, cotton candy too far up his ass.

  I stayed right where I was, glancing surreptitiously for a place to duck if he did decide to shoot. Hopefully I can duck fast enough—otherwise I'm toast.

  George chuckled, looking me up and down lasciviously as his gun hand wavered. Swallowing hard, I tensed.

  "Oh, how I've missed you, Willy," he said wistfully. "You haven't changed much at all. The same feisty woman I fell in love w
ith.” Smiling so wide his eyes crinkled at the corners, he tapped the butt of his gun. “I've been waiting for this moment, my love. Our reunion. Did you miss me too, pumpkin?"

  I didn't respond, but he didn't seem to notice or care. The psychotic male, tuned out of reality, kept giving me that scary, stalker, googly-eyed look.

  How did I once find him so attractive? I shuddered at the thought. He was giving me hives. That look on him, just the look of him, was beyond creepy.

  George, despite the creepster smile, appeared nervous and excited to see me, continuously wiping his right hand on his jacket, easing from foot to foot. Feeling slightly dizzy, trying to wrap my head around all this, I gaped at him, saucer-eyed.

  "Meanie," Berkr said quietly, catching my attention. Fidgeting in place, I glanced over at him. "Man Candy's George?" he asked pointedly.

  "No!" George burst out angrily, glaring at Berkr. His gun hand swung.

  Stifling a shriek, I tensed and scooted a little closer to the oversized Lo denaii.

  "I would never do something as stupid as taking up with that insipid, sniveling, double crossing little bitch!" George spat.

  Entire body vibrating angrily, he looked to me again and gave me a puppy dog look, flashing his crooked smile. "I've been faithful to you, Willy. I haven't strayed once since they took you, pumpkin. No matter what Candy said, I knew you were alive, and I've waited."

  There was a fanatical gleam in his eyes as he gazed down at me, the wild-eyed look of a desperate man who’d long ago crashed through the cuckoo’s nest, clear through to the other side, and blown right on into crazy town—no pit stops, no need to stop and collect that two hundred dollars, just step right up and settle on in there.

  A bit more than George’s screws were loose—the damned things were flat out missing.

  "Why are you doing this?" I murmured quietly.

  "Don't you know, Willy?" George entreated. Holding a hand out towards me beseechingly, he lowered the hand that held the gun a little as he took a small, tentative step towards me. "It's all for you."