Jungle Freakn' Bride (34 page)

“So we push them back.”

“
You can’t kill all those who encroach upon our territory.”

“That’s what you think,” Acat growled.

Chaob rolled his eyes.
“
And I thought she was stubborn.
”

“
What you’re suggesting…”

“Is a hybrid life. Yes, we still teach her the old ways. Teach her to love the jungle like we do. To know of its dangers and beauties. But
I say
we
also give her the modern life, the freedom she expects. Why can’t she have both? We’ve done it successfully for years.”

“I’m not worried about one of us running away
or spilling our secrets
.
”

“So you’ll keep her caged instead?” Chaob couldn’t stem his incredulity. “You can’t seriously expect that to work.”

A heavy sigh left his friend. “No. Or at least the rational part of me understands that, however, the crazy part of me that I’ve discovered since meeting her insists on it.”

“
You need to tell it to shut up.
”

“
What
if you’re wrong?”

“Trust me.
Besides, are you going to tell me that you can handle leaving her, maybe for a few weeks at a time
, on a regular basis
to deal with our business affairs?
What about when she’s pregnant and needs us? What if something happens and she’s hurt?
”

Judging by the grim lines bracketing his mouth, Acat had thought of it and didn’t particularly care for it.
“We’ll have to find a way.”

“We will
,
and I’m telling you right now that way is bringing her with us. She gets what she needs. We get what we need
,
and everyone wins.”

“If only it were so simple.”

“It can be if you’ll just let yourself trust her.”

“I love
her
, Chaob,” Acat admitted quietly.

“As do I, brother. And it is because we love her that we must fight for what she needs.”

“You mean fight my father?”

Chaob bared his teeth in a wicked grin. “
If we must. It won’t be the first time. So what do you say?”

Acat took a moment to answer. Sighed. “Let’s do it.”

Chaob clapped him on the back. “It’s the right thing to do. I know it.”

“Are the gods speaking to you now?” Acat asked dryly.

“
They do work in mysterious ways,” Chaob quipped.
With Acat on his side, they moved quickly
toward
home – and their bride.

Despite
their
anxiousness in seeing their
mate – for some
quality
,
sweaty time
–
they cornered their alpha, Acat’s father
,
first. Just sitting down to dinner,
Acat waited until their tribal leader had a mouthful of food before making his announcement.

“We’re taking our bride Carlie with us when we return to the city on the morrow.”

Honey flavored water and food spewed everywhere as Hunapu sputtered, “What
?
”

“You heard me. I cannot work for the betterment of the tribe when I am constantly worr
y
ing about my bride.”

“
Your bride is just fine.
”

“But I’m not.”

“
You’re horny,” Hunapu declared with a wave of his hand. “Plow her a few times and you’ll
recover
.
”

Juanita walked by and slapped
Hunapu
in the back of the head.

“What was that for?” he yelled.

Ixtab, Acat’s other father, snickered. “Could you have spoken more crudely? Have you forgotten what it
i
s like to be newlywed?”

“Apparently,” Hunapu grumbled, crouching in his seat as his wife came back in his direction carrying a steaming bowl of broth.

She slammed it down in front of him. “
The girl is lonely.”

“So
,
one of
them
stays behind while the other conducts business.”

“The whole point of pairing
,
though
,
is for safety,” Ixtab reminded. “Or are we suddenly ditching only the traditions that don’t work for you?”

“
What do you expect me to say? Yes, he can bring her to town? It’s just not done. What if she tells someone our secret?”

“She won’t,” Chaob interjected. “But she will do something drastic
,
I fear
,
if we don’t give her something. She wasn’t cut out for village life.”

Juanita nodded. “She learns quickly
,
but she’ll never be happy if you try and force her into a role she wasn’t meant to act.”

Grandfather spoke up. “Has it occurred to any of you that perhaps the gods made a deliberate choice when they selected her as Acat
’s
and Chaob’s bride? Knowing their business for the good of the tribe has them living more often in the city than here in the village, does it not stand to reason that their choice of a bride who is comfortable in that world is intentional
?
That the gods intended for her to accompany them.”

“
Don’t you spout the gods crap to me,” Hunapu sputtered. “
For hundreds of years the brides have lived in the jungle, leaving their old lives behind for the new one with their mates.”

“And yet, despite that, you still take me twice a year to visit my family,” Juanita said, dropping her bombshell. Chaob knew he must have gaped as widely as Acat.

“You what?”

Hunapu turned red as he blustered. “I
–
Well
–
That is
– ”

With a rueful smile, Ixtab spread his hands. “Caught. Yes, we’ve flouted tradition for years now
,
a
nd we’re not the only ones. A few mates have been known to take their brides out for visits under the guise of going on spiritual journeys.
And guess what
,
old friend?” Ixtab fixed Hunapu with a stern stare. “The world has not ended. We are in no more danger now than we were before.
Let the boys do as they must. Let them take their bride to the city with them. Happy wife, happy life.
”

“
Don’t quote your stupid t-shirt to me,”
Hunapu
mutter
e
d
,
then sighed. “
It might be that your grandfather has a point
,
though. It
does seem
kind of coincidental that of the warriors who spend the most time in the city you should end up with women best suited to live there. I know the other American bride
,
Sasha
,
has been just as vocal about missing the amenities she’s accustomed to. Her mates have also come to speak with me.
”

“
So this is settled then.” Acat stood. “We take our bride with us when we travel.”

Chaob silently cheered.
He knew in his heart the decision was the right one
,
even if Acat and his father feared it.
Yet
Chaob believed it was the only choice
,
t
he best choice for them all.
Now to give her the good news.

Eager to see her, they departed quickly, ignoring the knowing smiles and smirks.

Their enthusiasm was not reciprocated
,
though. Covering the short distance to their jungle treetop home, they’d both just swung onto the upper deck when Carlie emerged in a short sarong style skirt and
a
blouse tied off under her breasts. She looked gorgeous. And mad.

“About time you got back!” she yelled, hands on her hips.

“Did you miss us?” Chaob teased, reaching for her.

She danced out of reach and shook a finger at him. “Hands off, mister.
You can’t just disappear for
two
week
s
then reappear and expect to get some nookie.”

“
W
e brought you a present,” Chaob said
,
flourishing a box
,
which he pulled from his bag
.

She batted it out of his hands.
“
I am not a mistress who can be bought with baubles. I’m bored!”

“
Not for long, if you’re good,” Acat teased.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We have business we must attend to.
”

“
But you just got back.” She pouted only for a moment, giving them a glimpse of her loneliness, a loneliness Chaob knew all too well since he’d suffered it the past week
s
.

“We need to return and deal with it as soon as possible,” Acat taunted further.

Her expression darkened. “Sounds wonderful. For you. Me,
I get to look forward to spending more nights by myself.
”

“Did you miss us?”

“No.” She lied badly.

“
A shame
,
because if you did
,
then maybe y
ou could come with us
, for company, of course
.”

“
I could…
”
Her voice trailed off and her face brightened. “Seriously?
You’ll bring me?
Where to?”

“Suffice it to say we’re taking you where no bride has gone before
,
b
ut only if you promise to behave.” Acat couldn’t maintain his stern look when she squealed and threw herself at him.
Chaob laughed when he got the same enthusiastic hug
.

“When do we leave? What do I pack?”

“In the morning. We travel light.
Just basic bags with water and dried rations.”

“But what about when we get somewhere
?
I can’t go around like this
.
” She peered down at her mostly exposed body.

“Trust us,” Chaob replied
,
pulling her in for a kiss
because despite Acat’s fear, they were about to trust her
.

Happy and enthusiastic about showing it, Carlie showed them just how much they were
m
issed.
Right after they showed her
how much they’d missed her
to her screaming delight.
Chaob felt complete again with her by his side, unlike the past week
s
of hell
as they’d tried
quickly
to
deal with issues demanding their attention.

The following morning,
Carlie beaming at their side,
they departed bright and early, taking
the quick path into town, keeping mostly to their cat form
s
and diverting her questions with kisses
.
They had to answer some when they hit the well
-
stocked hut
close to the edge of the jungle
,
which not only stored
clothing
,
including some female garments that Chaob ordered on their recent trip through
, but also a rumbling truck they used to travel the rest of the way to town
.

Dressed in a peasant style gown with a round scoop neck, cinched waist
,
and flowing skirt, Carlie looked even more tempting than she did when roaming in her skimpy bikini.
She also proved mighty distracting squished between them in the front seat.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”

Chaob tossed Acat a glance. “You accused us a few times of knowing more than we should
;
that’s because Acat and I, along with some others, actually live most of our time in town.
”

“What for?”

“To manage our assets,” Acat said without looking away from the road.

“Assets?” Her voice went up in
clear
suspicion.

“Years ago, when encroach
ment
of the rain forest began, some of tribe recognized the need to have people outside the village watching over and protecting our interests. Over time, some of us have gotten jobs, educations
,
and with our knowledge and money
,
made investments.
”