CHAPTER 10
BUK
I am living a dream I never thought would occur, only to be horrified when Briar suddenly starts screaming at the top of her lungs. Jerking up and away from her, I glance down at my claws, terrified that I may have damaged her.
Briar is pulling the blankets all around her as she scrambles away from me, practically falling on the floor. Standing naked in the cold air, my heart hits my throat at the pure terror she is displaying. Grabbing her gently, I pull her back to me. “Briar, what is it? Did I harm you?”
“What? NO! But there’s a freaking Abominable Snowman staring at US through the viewer!!!”
I feel the spines on my arms lift as I turn to place myself in front of her, only to see HaL standing there with a huge smile on his ugly, furred face. He even waves as if I am not standing in front of him fully nude, ready to battle whatever has scared the female I love.
Without thinking, I pick up the closest thing on the floor and wrap it around my waist, only to turn and see Briar’s stillterrified eyes peeking out of the blankets she has completely wrapped herself in.
“Briar, my love, there is no monster, at least not in the sense you are thinking. That is HaL.”
“What’s a HaL?”
“My brother.”
“You have a damn Yeti as a brother?” Terrified just turned into angry as she snarls the following words my way, “You and I need to work on our communication because I believe this should have been mentioned before.Damn it,BuK, he just scared the living hell out of me!”
Before I can say another word, I hear the lower-level door opening. “We are about to have company so you might want to put on some garments.”
“I’m not the one standing around with his dick swinging in the wind.” Fighting a smile, I watch as Briar gathers up the warm clothing she had put in a pile on the crate I retrieved earlier. She wraps the blanket firmly around her before making her way into the refreshing chamber, cursing under her breath with every step. One thing I know for sure is that life will never be boring with my feisty little female.
CHAPTER 11
BUK
Just as Briar slides the door shut, the tarp opens, and in walks HaL, a huge crate sitting effortlessly on his shoulders.
“Brother, I did not mean to frighten the small female, but I am glad to see you are both well. ANDI was extremely concerned about your welfare.”
“Your timing could have been better brother, but I am still glad to see you. I never considered ANDI reaching out to you, but the Lord of Light knows there was no one better suited than yourself to be out roaming around in this cold.”
“Ahh, it is not cold out, just a little chilly! But you might want to put on some warmer garments until we get this place sealed up better. I will return as I have several crates to bring in.”
HaL ducks under the tarp as I start shifting through the blankets that Briar had piled over us. “Briar, have you seen my pants?”
She sticks her head out of the refreshing room, looking around before emerging. Her small frame is practically swallowed up in her new thick coverings. “They were wet, so I threw them overin the corner with the rest of the cold things. There’s another set just like this on top of the crate you nearly died going to get.”
Turning, I find them and without thinking, I drop the small rug I had tied around my waist. When a sharp whistle suddenly surrounds me, I jump — practically falling over as I am trying to get my large feet through the bottoms of these weird garments. The tic I have them over my hips, I hear Briar.
“It’s really a shame to cover up something that fine.”
Confused at what she is referring to, I see her smiling at me mischievously until a large white hand pushes back the tarp. Briar lets out a screech, and the next thing I know, she has tucked herself behind me. “God, if he says, ‘I want to hold him and squeeze him and call him George, I’ve heard it all.”
“What nonsense are you mumbling now?”
“Nothing, it’s an Earth thing once again.HI, Mister Abominable Snowman!”
“Good rising, earthling. There is no reason for you to hide. I am harmless.”
“Yeah, said every eight-foot snowman, never.”
Laughing, I pull her around in front of me, and she backs up against my chest. I take a moment and try to look at HaL from her point of view, and he is a little overwhelming from her slight height.
“Briar, this is my brother, HaL. HaL, this is my Briar.”
