The Bridal Hunt (3 page)

A big brown mass flew at me and I crouched down and screamed, covering my face and neck with my arms.

It's a bear!

Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god!

Please don't eat me!

I'm too young to die!

I was pushed on my back and my hands were yanked up and over my head, a warm body pressing against mine, hip to hip, groin to groin.

"Miss me, p
umpkin?"

My screaming resumed, increasing in strength and volume, this time for an entirely different reason.

"It's
me,
Willy.
Quit screaming
," George piped up in a reasonable tone, smiling at me slightly.

"You're insane! Get! Off! Of! Me!" I screeched.

I thrust my hips up, trying to dislodge him from his current position, bucking wildly against him, twisting from side to side, but I couldn't move him.

He laced our fingers together and I dug my nails into the knuckles of his hands.

He still didn't react.

If anything, he looked kinda turned on.

He leaned in, but I turned my head away from him, shutting my eyes.

Helplessness consumed me as his hot breath fanned across my neck, his voice right next to my ear as he chuckled huskily, "They let me off on bail this morning. Isn't this perfect? Me, you, a secluded cabin, just the tw..."

"How did you find me?" I cut him off.

"Oh," he chuckled sheepishly, pulling back a little, "I put a tracking device on your truck last year, so I just followed you here after I got out."

"You what?!!!!"

George, seeming unfazed by my ear splitting shriek, ignored my outburst and acted like this was all normal, like nothing had happened, as if everything was back to the way it used to be.

He smiled at me warmly and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Want to make snow angels, p
umpkin? Or we could hump each other like snow bunnies... We've never had sex in the snow before."

He chuckled and grinned at me.

He paused for a moment and an intent gleam entered his eyes.

"Oh, I know! We could try for our own little one now. I've been thinking about it and why wait, right? I love you... You love me... we're gonna get married anyways..." he said excitedly, ignoring me as I cussed him out and glared at him openly.

A thought occurred to me and I figured that it might, at the least, buy me some time or distract him enough to get him off of his current train of thought.

"What about Candy? You should really go talk to her..." I told him, trying a different tactic, "she looked really upset."

I put on a concerned expression and tried to loosen myself up, make him think I'm starting to relax, then maybe he'll let me get up.

"She's nothing, Willy. She could never be
you
. I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one for me."

He leaned down and nuzzled my hair, pulling back a little to study my face.

"But..."

"Your hair was a little shorter back then and you were wearing a polka dotted skirt, sitting in the theater all by yourself as you watched that one movie you love. You know, the one that always makes you cry... what was it called again?"

"I didn't meet you in a theater. I met you at the grocery store and if I recall, I was wearing grubby jeans and a t-shirt, not a skirt," I remembered, frowning at him.

Is he losing his memory too?

"Oh, no, that's just where I made it so we
would
bump into each other. I'd been watching you for weeks before I made my move," he said wistfully.

"And I wondered why you didn't date much..." I muttered under my breath, clearing my throat a little, then looking up at him with an innocent expression.

"No.
I chose you
. I told myself that this time would be different, this time I'd find
the one
. The other women were too...
willing
, too needy. They weren't loyal enough. I knew when I found
you
that you would never leave me. You'd always choose me if I just treated you right."

He grinned at me lasciviously and I cringed as he regarded me now.

"And look how great that's turned out to be," he said happily, ignoring my spluttering and offended huffing.

So much for me pretending to be docile...

"I was a little hesitant at first, you know. I didn't know if I could really grow attached to someone with a little...
meat on their bones
."

I felt my face flushing with humiliation.

"But after I'd had you, Willy, I
knew
I would never go back. Your body was made for me," he cajoled, his hands slowly sliding down my wrists, to my arms, heading towards my breasts.

I growled at him indignantly and resumed bucking my hips to try and push him off.

He gripped my wrists in his hands, when I would have clawed at him, pinning them back down again.

"Asshole," I hissed at him through gritted teeth.

He pushed his groin into mine suggestively, ceasing my struggles immediately as his demented misconceptions had him rubbing himself against me.

Hell no, buddy!

Nuh-huh! Not gonna happen!

Think, Mina, think!

Use the matter between your ears, girl!

He's off his damn rocker!

An idea, grown out of desperation, suddenly formed in my mind.

It was a little far-fetched for my limited fibbing skills, but I think I can pull it off.

I need to do
something
.

Well
, I hope I can... for my own sake and any future unborn children he had his eye on making today.

So not gonna happen!

Hell no!

Here goes nothing, Wilhelmina. You can do this!

I slackened my mouth and went completely limp under him, trying to relax my features as he shifted a little, jiggling my hand to see if I was playing around or not.

"Willy? Pumpkin?" he asked concerned, worry lacing his voice when I continued to play possum for a few more minutes.

He released me and hopped off, checking my neck for a pulse, his voice growing frantic as he babbled and made ridiculous promises if I would just wake up.

I waited until I heard him running for the cabin and hopped up, running as fast as my legs could carry me towards the woods, further away from 'crazy George'.

I can find a road or something and hitch a ride back to town if I have to.

Oh
, wait!
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my truck keys.

Bingo!

I veered and changed directions, running straight for my truck.

I spotted George heading towards me and upped my step, hightailing it to my truck as he broke out into a run, calling my name out as he chased me down.

"Gotcha," he yelled as he launched himself at me.

I screamed bloody murder and huddled into a ball, keys clutched in my hand as I threw my hands and arms over my head protectively.

I heard a snarl and a growl from somewhere behind me and my blood froze, every molecule in my body coming to a screeching halt.

What the hell was
that
?

I was too terrified to look, so I stayed huddled, peeking a little from between the protective position my arms had formed around me to see a white mass of fur c
rouched down in front of me, its back facing me.

I slowly moved my hands and jumped when the white, massive fur ball snarled and growled again in warning, its deep bass a menacing rumble as it faced off with something... or
someone,
I realized when I saw George trying to taunt the beast thing.

...whatever it is.

"She's mine!" George yelled at the
thing,
"Let her go!"

"I really don't think yelling at a wild animal is going to..." I said quietly, trailing off as the white beast whirled around at my voice, taking me in from head to toe as he took my measure.

It was a
he
, if the fur covered rod jutting from between his thighs was anything to go by.

Outie usually means it’s a boy, you know?

Hasn't he ever heard of pants?

He had skin so white
it almost looked translucent, white and blonde fur covering his entire body. His face, hands and feet appeared to be the only parts of him with patches where hair was absent.

His eyes were a frighteningly bright yellow, with a darker, richer gold around the edges of the irises as he stared at me.

He had really sharp teeth that gleamed as white as his hair and his nose looked long and straight, but the end was slightly tipped up, his nostrils flaring, nose crinkling a little as he scented the air.

The man beast roared as he turned and swatted at George like he was a fly, batting him and the branch he was swinging at him away with one back hand from his massive arm.

"Run! Willy! Run!" George shouted frantically.

I panicked and ran to my truck, opening the door hurriedly. I opened the glove box and grabbed my pepper spray.

Stalker with his screws loose or not, no one deserves to die like this!

I have to help George!

I ran back towards the melee and ran over to stand in front of George as he groaned on the ground, the beast's most recent swat sending him flying across the yard.

The man beast looked surprised at my defense of my coo coo beans ex.

"Move!" the man beast snarled gutturally at me and even though I was scared shitless, I stood my ground.

I took aim and let the spray fly, cringing as the man beast roared out in pain and tried to wipe at his eyes ineffectively.

"George! George! Get up!" I pleaded and yelled, tugging on his arms to get him going.

"Wha...? Wilhelmina, honey, when did
you
get here?" he asked dazedly as I tried to get him up, tugging on his arm desperately.

He's too heavy!

"Hurry! We have to hurry! He's... Ahhhh!!!!" I screamed as I was lifted off of my feet and thrown over an enormous, white furred shoulder.

Panic set in and I pounded on his back, tugging on his hair, kicking him as hard as I could, anything I thought might get him to drop me, release me, something.

My attempts to get loose grew more and more frantic, the deeper into the woods we went.

Chapter 3

We must have been traveling for
at least two hours before we finally stopped, my 'hitting and kicking' fit turning into a 'cuss him and curse him' tirade when my limbs tired out.

Now, exhausted, voice a little wobbly, I'm settling for sullen glares and deafening silence.

Not really gonna help accomplish much, but my voice was starting to go hoarse from all the yelling.

I guess I should just consider this reserving my strength.

We hit a large clearing and he started to slow down, scanning the open area with a keen intensity, like he was checking for any signs of possible threats.

He walked over to a large patch of grass that had yet to be covered in snow and set me down on my feet.

I sank down on the ground, my limbs tingling from renewed circulation.

My body felt like it had gone gooey, like jelly, from dangling over his shoulder for so long.

He pulled a pouch out from what appeared to be a furry belt around his waist and took a healthy swig, the thick muscles in his neck contracting and releasing as he swallowed.

The belt he wore matched his thick pelt perfectly, blending seamlessly into him, effectively masking it.

He took another hearty drink from the pouch and offered me a sip.

I shook my head 'no' and he shrugged like 'suit yourself'.

I watched as he waded towards a small stream to fill it up again, waiting for him to crouch down and turn his back to me as he tried to refill it.

I took the opportunity and ran, my breath puffing white little smoke rings in the chilly winter air as I ran in the direction I
thought
we'd come from.

Kind of hard to tell when you're being carried upside down over someone's shoulder like a bag of grain, bouncing around as the scenery blurs by.

Once again, I was effortlessly plucked up from the ground, my legs pin wheeling in the air as he lifted me with ease.

I squawked in protest, swinging my arms uselessly as he pinned my back to his front.

"Stay,
female
. Hunt you down. Eat you," he gritted out as he ran his teeth warningly along my neck.