Jungle Freakn' Bride (8 page)

Ancient ritual words spoken, his father sighed and performed the sign of the blessing. “I hear and grant your request. Who stands as your second?”

As if his choice would surprise anyone. “Chaob.”

“You are sure she is the one?” His father strayed from the ritual to give him a hard stare.

Sure that
the woman with the golden hair, pale skin
,
and strong mind belonged to him and his beta?
He knew she did w
ith every ounce of his being. “She is my mate.”

“Very well then
,
son. I will light the fire
and proclaim your intent
. And if the gods will, you will prevail.”

As if he’d settle for any other outcome.
Acat would conquer any who would stand in his way. Carlie would belong to him and Chaob.
Of that he’d make certain.

Standing silent at his back the entire time, Chaob finally stirred.
“You’ll need more than one torch, I think,” Chaob muttered as their friends from the raid
arrived,
serious
miens on their faces
. It seemed
their bride quest
had netted more
interest
than expected.
Not only did the warriors who’d accompanied him
state
their claim to the two other American girls
,
but others in the tribe, unmated males
,
arrived in pairs to toss their challenge into the ring. How dare they think to try and steal his bride from him?

She belongs to us.
They’d soon learn that. Nothing would stand in Acat’s way.

Moving on to other issues, his father paced as he spoke aloud.
“What should I do with the rescue party? They are already en route along with one of the female’s sister
who was in town asking too many questions
. They won’t want to leave empty handed.”

“
It will take them days to arrive
,
m
ore than enough for us to achieve our goal.
Once Chaob and I emerge victorious, we’ll complete the bonding ceremony and meet up with them to reassure the group that the females are well taken care of and happy. I’m sure you can spin some kind of story to please the media.”

“This would have been much simpler if you’d just claimed a village girl,” his father grumbled.

“Simpler, yes, but the will of the gods
,
no.”

“Don’t you start spouting that god nonsense to me now,” his father barked.

Holding back a grin, Acat left before his alpha gave the other warriors in his group the same harangue. Despite
what his father
thought of Acat’s choice
, he
would ensure everything worked out. Acat
,
with Chaob as his second, would fight all the challengers
,
p
rove his worth
,
and e
merge victori
ous
.

And
then,
after the battles were won? He’d claim the woman meant to sire his cubs, if their rituals didn’t accidentally kill her first.

“I wish someone would tell us something!”
More than once, Carlie muttered it aloud
and
in her head.
The not knowing just about drove her crazy.

Jungle capture
101
. Be careful what you wish for.

Frustrated after hours of nothing except speculation
, which
she shared
with the other captives of their fate, Carlie could almost regret her words when the
only
door suddenly opened and a large group of mostly naked men – imposing males with rippling muscles, swirling long hair
,
and intent expressions – came to surround them.
Her tension eased somewhat as she recognized two
.
Mr. Kitty and Golden Grin
.
S
till
wearing only their skimpy
loincloth
s
,
and
hotter than
she remembered, their
silen
ce did more to
ramp
up her anxiety than ease it. For better or worse, it seemed she’d finally learn her fate
,
o
r so she assumed as
they
gestured to the door.

“I am not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. And don’t tell me you don’t understand. I’m not completely oblivious. I can tell you know some English.”
But as with all the previous times, they
wouldn’t respond
. “Oooh,” she vented. “This is taking the strong, silent thing too far. I demand to know what you mean to do to us.”

A flicker of chagrin lit Golden Grin’s eyes, again lending credence to her theory they at least comprehended some of her speech. They just didn’t care enough to reply.
Maybe because their parents taught them not to talk or play with their food.
Grandma always said to never refer to the turkeys or chickens she raised by name
.
I
t made it easier to wring their necks later on for dinner. Carlie didn’t care.
Hurt, and a touch scared,
she gave them a cold shoulder. It didn’t stop her mismatched fiend from throwing her over his burly shoulder and carrying her out.

“Brute!” she cried as she pounded his back. “Put me down, I am not going anywhere with you.”

He slapped her ass
,
s
lapped it hard
,
as a matter of fact
,
and growled.

“Oh you did not just do that,” she sputtered. “I demand you put me down this instant.” Or not, she reconsidered as he stepped from the hut and strode across a fat tree limb. S
he
took
one peek
at the
ground far below
as he traversed a swaying rope bridge
and closed her eyes, praying he didn’t drop her.
Still as a statue, she even held her breath until she heard the steady thump of his feet hitting hard ground. Then she opened her eyes and freaked, pummeling his back.

“You jerk. Are you insane carting me around like a sack of potatoes that high in the air
?
What if you’d dropped me?”

She squealed as he flipp
ed her
off his shoulder
and she
brac
ed
for impact. Big hands kept her from falling as her two feet landed in the dirt. Flipping hair out of her face, she planted her hands on her hips and glared at her captor. “I am really starting to dislike you, nice abs or not.”

A tap on her shoulder had her turning to see Golden Grin shaking his head with a wide smile. But it was when he stepped aside she forgot her temper. She gaped. Probably swallowed a fly. But she had reason. It wasn’t everyday a girl got to see so many naked, muscled, tanned
–
d
id she mention muscled
?
–
men all in one place wearing the same skimpy
loincloth
s
as her kidnappers.

“Hot damn, that’s a lot of six packs,” she sighed.

A crease on his forehead, Mr. Kitty blocked her view. His eyes flashed dangerously, almost as if jealous at her ogling. Good. She stuck out her tongue for good measure to make sure he understood she didn’t give a damn if he didn’t like her sizing up his buds.

Golden Grin chuck
led
out loud
and h
it his friend in the shoulder
. Mr. Kitty growled before
they turned away from her, their broad backs
blocking her view
.
She peeked around as best as she could.

Leena and Sasha were there, tucked behind their own pairs of warriors. Leena appeared frightened, and huddled close to the backs of her abductors. Sasha, though, hands on her hips, surveyed the area and met the
gazes of the men in the crowd.

Trees towered overhead
.
A
ncient monoliths that
,
despite their thick branches
,
had an almost perfect round hole at the top of the canopies, a space big enough to show a rising moon.
A place of ritual
,
she’d wager
. How not reassuring, although, Carlie was somewhat encouraged at the lack of a giant cook
ing
pot or fire
pit flanked by a human
-
sized spit. Maybe they’d make it out alive yet.

The rustling and whispering of the men all around died down as an unseen
voice warbled
in words she couldn’t understand
.
A
n all-
male tenor
commenced, the men around them erupting into
a sing
-
song chant.

“
Singing?
What
’s next? Dinner and dancing?
” Sasha hissed as she sidled up to Carlie.

What indeed?
Carlie
watched as
six
warriors,
including
her two,
sang as they
hit their chests.
Thump
.
Thump.
Then raised their fists to the sky. The watching crowed hooted and hollered.
The singing
grew
louder.
The chest hitting harder.

Despite herself, Carlie edged closer to her abductors, Sasha and Leena did as well. They could all feel the air getting thi
cker.
The anticipation buil
t
.
A wild energy coil
ed
.

An almost guttural roar emerged from
the bodies of Mr. Kitty and Golden Grin
. A shiver worked its way down Carlie’s spine. For a moment there, they didn’t sound too human. Crazy of course, just as crazy as the sudden hush that fell
and t
he way her men dropped to their knees and bowed their heads
,
leaving the women standing and exposed.
It gave them a clear view of t
he wrinkled old man who strode toward them naked b
ut
for
his
long
,
loose grey hair.

“Someone
should
tell
G
ramps he forgot his leaf,” Sasha whispered.

Somehow
,
Carlie got the impression the old man already knew and didn’t care
,
because lucky them
,
t
hey appeared
to be
the centerpieces of a ritual. Hopefully
,
not one
involving
pain, sacrificing body parts
,
or group sex.

Huddled with her friends, Carlie didn’t say a word as the naked
old
guy pranced around them with a grace his gnarled limbs belied. Despite his birthday suit, his flying gray strands swirled in
a silken sheen
, somehow flowing
in
such a way to keep a certain part of him hidden.

It should have seemed odd
,
the rapt way the other men, including her captors
,
watched in hushed silence
,
e
yes tracking the movement. Faster and faster,
G
ramps whirled, closer too
,
somehow dancing between the kneeling warriors, whiplike strands
of grey
striking their skin, tickling
,
she was sure
.

And then it was over. With a sudden stop and hands outstretched to the rising three quarter moon, framed in an opening hig
h up in the tree tops, a single extended cry
left him. One treble
d note
that grew in tenor, then in chorus as all around, men opened their mouths wide and echoed th
e
same
soun
d
.

Eyes flashed. Yellow, amber
,
and gold – plus one blue one. Inhuman eyes. All trained on three, very out of place girls.

“Holy shit,” Sasha whispered.

“Eep,” Leen
a
squeaked.

“Run!” Carlie yelled.