The Bridal Hunt (25 page)

I jumped, yelping, both from surprise and the over all jitters.

"Are we expecting someone?" I raised my brows in question.

"Not me," Bia grumbled, pulling away from me reluctantly to go answer the door.

Berkr walked in and set a bunch of weapons on the table.

"Uhhhmm....
what are you doing?" I asked eyeing all the pointy looking things he had laid out on the table like a weaponry buffet.

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

"Runt?" Bia asked irritated.

I crossed my arms over my chest.

Looks like I'm going to have to maim Kirch later if he makes it back unharmed.

"While we appreciate the gesture, I think Bia is quite capable of protecting me
all by himself
."

I glared at Berkr and he suddenly smiled, a huge smile full of sharp white teeth.

He chuckled a little and sat down in a chair at the table, picking up a stone, then proceeding to sharpen a huge knife with it.

"Berkr take it back. Veck right. Meanie little body, big spirit."

Bia grabbed me when I growled and went to launch myself at Berkr.

He toted me towards the bed, laughing a little as I promised all sorts of retribution if Berkr was ever stupid enough to insult one of my mates in front of me again.
...or ever mock me so openly.

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

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

Bia nuzzled my face and wrapped his arms around me.

His erection brushed up against my inner thigh 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 get any funny ideas!"

Berkr glanced over at us interestedly and I gave him the evil eye.

"Mind your own business, you busy body," I snapped at him.

He grinned and winked, chuckling when Bia growled at him in warning.

"You are absolutely right, my sweet." He pulled the covers up and over me. "I already have to share you with two imbeciles, why add another one."

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

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

"God, I wish," he muttered, then gave me a smirk, letting me know he'd meant what he'd implied.

I giggled and gave him a quick kiss.

"Rest. 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 no share Berkr's mate. Berkr mate
Berkr's
only
."

"Yeah, t
hat's what they all say," I muttered under my breath.

Bia grinned, confirming he'd heard me and joined Berkr at the table, helping him sharpen his assortment, trading insults back and forth with him as they ribbed each other good naturedly.

As worried as I am about Veck and Kirch, I’m also exhausted.

My eyes closed sleepily, the heaviness in my lids outweighing my stubbornness.

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!" I said popping up, trying to clear my sleep hazy head.

Berkr was waiting with the door open, weapons over his shoulder in a large sack.

We hurried out and I gasped as I saw the flames a few huts down, fire licking at everything angrily as it spread quickly.

"Oh, my god! What happened?"

Bia propelled me towards a large group of women all huddled together.

I saw Dorothy and expelled a little breath of relief.

"Stay here, where it's safe. I'm going to see if I can help put out the fire."

I nodded my head that I understood and walked over to Dorothy.

"
What happened?"

"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 am.

It was freezing outside and I huddled more under my furs, clutching them to me tightly for warmth.

Snow started to fall 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 suddenly 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." She gestured at the men. "
They
were made for this kind of weather, not us."

We all started walking as a group towards the promise of a warm, dry, place.

The hairs along the back of my neck pricked and I shivered.

I glanced around uneasily, scanning the area to find the source of my odd discomfort.

I couldn't see anything, but that didn't make me feel any better.

The woods look
downright creepy this late at night.

I picked up my pace and made sure I stayed with the group.

I finally let out a sigh of relief once everyone got settled in and warmed up at Dorothy's.

The uneasiness I'd experienced earlier had dissipated now, making me feel a little silly for letting my imagination run wild with me like that the way it did.

****

"They should be back by now, shouldn't they?" I
asked 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 and looked at him warningly.

He grumbled under his breath at me, but didn't try to put them back up.

Bia shook all the water jugs by the counter, checking to see how many full ones we had left. They all sounded empty.

S
ince we were obviously getting low, Bia grabbed up an empty jug to refill with water and walked over to me.

"This is normal. They're fine. Don't worry so much, it's not good for the babies." He gave me a reassuring smile.

"But the fire and Tarnk getting shot... I can't help it! What if...”

"Shhh. Too entirely
different things." He 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.

"Well it cou…"

"Mina," he warned.

My usually laid back Bia is getting upset with me...

Okay, okay! So
maybe
he
does
have a point... I
am
sounding a bit like a conspiracy theorist...

Paranoid much
, Mina?
I asked myself.

Maybe I
do
need to back down... just this once, of course
... don't want him to think I'm getting soft or anything
, I thought, snorting at myself.

I sighed unhappily, but resigned myself to really trying not to worry.

Kirch and Veck are used to these woods... they are hunters after all... I trust them to be careful.

They aren't dummies
, not really.

I smiled at Bia reassuringly, letting him know, without words, that I would
try
to chill out.

He grinned at me and flicked the end of my nose playfully.

"I'll be back," Bia announced and kissed me lingeringly. "Be good, my sweet," he murmured against my lips.

"Aren't I always?" I quipped
saucily, my grin matching my statement.

"Why yes you are. I..."

"Ugh! Berkr just ate. No kissy kissy. Bia get water. Bia not gone
forever,
Meanie," he said exasperated, rolling his eyes at us.

I grinned at Bia and gave him a noisy kiss, laughing when Berkr had enough of our public display of affection and turned his back on us.

Chapter 20

I'd just finished putting the dishes on
the shelf when the front door opened. 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 very last dish was in my hand as I rubbed it vigorously to dry it, too impatient to let it dry in the drying bin before I put it away.

A man walked in and closed the door quietly behind him, glancing around quickly to take inventory of the room.

He had a gun held tightly in his left hand and a backpack slung over his shoulders. There was a ski mask over his head.

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

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

Berkr looked over his shoulder, frowning as he took in the look of utter horror flitting across my face.

The man raised the gun and aimed it Berkr.

"NO!" I shouted when it looked like he was going to shoot, "Please! Don't shoot!"

The man paused and Berkr finally noticed him.

He crouched down like he was going to attack, snarling in rage at the intruder.

The man cocked the gun back and Berkr froze.

Berkr glanced over at me and started shifting towards me to block me with his body.

All of his damn weapons a
re still in the sack by the door, right by the intruder! Fat lot of good those are going to do us!

"Uh, uh, uh," the man tsk-ed Berkr, "Get back over there, beast."

"George?" I asked stunned, the familiar timber sending shards of icy dread and shock through my veins.

I would know that voice anywhere.

"Hello, Willy. Did you miss me, my love?" he asked sweetly.

He pulled off his mask, his shock of blonde hair sticking straight up at a hundred dif
ferent angles, plastered to his head at others.

He smiled
, crooking his finger at me, motioning for me to join him.

I gaped at him.

"What the fuck are you doing? Are you insane! You can't just go around shooting people all willy nilly when it suits you! You could kill someone!" I waved my arms wildly, gesturing at him angrily.

He motioned for me to join him again.

I stayed right where I am though, glancing surreptitiously for a place to duck if he
does
decide to shoot at us.

Hopefully, I can duck fast enough or I'm toast.

George chuckled and looked me up and down lasciviously.

"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 with. 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. He just kept giving me a scary, stalker, googly-eyed look.

How did I once find him so attractive?

I shuddered at the very thought.

He's giving me hives. That look
on
him and just the look
of
him is beyond creepy.

He looked nervous and excited to see me, continuously wiping his right hand on his jacket, easing from foot to foot as I stared at him saucer eyed.

"Meanie," Berkr said quietly, catching my attention.

I glanced over at him.

"Man Candy's George?" he asked pointedly.

"No!" George burst out angrily, glaring at Berkr.

I tensed and scooted a little closer to Berkr.

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

He looked at me again and gave me a puppy dog look, flashing me a 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."