The Snowmaiden, A Bride for Krampus - Jeanette Lynn Page 0,47
shit, I was next!
I couldn’t move, didn’t dare to breathe. When he was right over me, he got as close as he could, pausing when I flinched as his fur brushed me. Thick whiskers tickled my cheek as he leaned in, until we were almost nose to nose, his button of a nose’s nostrils flaring. Instead of biting my head off, he leaned in, churring loud and erratic, and then he gently brushed the side of his cheek along mine. His cheek bones covered in fur were the hardest part of his face. His cheeks were as soft as the fur on them, loose cheek skin rippling gently against mine as he began rubbing up all on my head. When I relaxed a little, he scooted closer. When his thick arms braced on either side of me and I jumped, his churring garbled to a halt to start up again.
Again he waited until the tension left me to advance. The back of his hand lifted, brushing over my hip and lower. When his fingers came away bloody from the damage Behemoth’s clawing had done, his churring gave way to a low growl.
My breath left me in a whoosh. This was it.
“Please don’t bite my head off,” I burst out, then squeezed my eyes shut tight. I wanted to throw my arms up over my head but I was afraid I’d startle him.
Thick arms came around me instead of a mouth closing over my head. A squawk left me as he scooped me up, cuddling me close to his chest, spun around, and began to lope off towards the back caverns.
Stealing peeks through my slitted eyelids, I jounced in his hold, his bouncing steps jarring. The deeper he went into the back caverns, the more my eyes widened.
My first surprise was the colors of the mountain walls this deep in, swirls of brown, blue, white, in vibrant stripes of color. Crystal blue stalactites and stalagmites hugged the floors and ceilings. The walls, alien Neapolitan ice cream came to mind. The sound of running water grew closer, and with it warmth.
A shiver enveloped me. The chill in the air fought the warmth wafting towards us.
Too many twists and turns past an indoor waterfall with a lagoon, large, furry beasts with greyish black beaks and mouths full of insanely large teeth lazing about like giant oversized, bleach white polar cats lounged about. A few of their younglings frolicked in the shallow end of the water. At a soft chirrup from the Baumbel holding me, a medium sized beast creature popped up, stretched, and bounded closer to fall in line next to its master.
Baumbels had pets? Attack animals? Would it attack me?
Shifting a little, spying a tuft of spiked fur as the beast calmly strode alongside us, it barely spared me a second glance. Apparently, I wasn’t on its radar. Yet.
Baumbel made a noise that had me glancing up. I assumed by the thick stack of pelts on a platform looking chunk of rock, a section carved out of it about the size to possibly fit the needs of a Baumbel and his pet, guard beast?, just up ahead. There was an enormous fireplace looking pit filled with glowing orange and green rocks that gave off heat warming the place. I spied a steaming mini pool of water, passageway after passageway leading elsewhere surrounding their heat source, which seemed to be the center of Baumbel-ville, with the Baumbel guy who’d taken me hanging at the main entrance.
Maybe he was their guardian? Along with the beaked creature walking over to a large bone near a single pelt near the platform bed to settle and begin gnawing at his treat.
Gulping audibly, I stared at the creature sharpening its teeth on the largest bone I’d ever seen.
“Hun-man,” the Baumbel rumbled.
My gaze jerked up to find him staring at me. “Human?” I guessed, gaping. My jaw flapped, swinging there uselessly. “You- You can talk?”
Walking over to the bed, he set me down at the end of it. I flinched, cringing and jerking back as his large, double thumbed hands came at me. No. Four thumbs, I corrected, cracking my eyelids opened when nothing happened to find two opposable thumbs on both ends of his hands curling and uncurling, hesitating to touch me.
“Don’t hurt me.” My voice came out squeaky and high. “I’ll- I’ll cooperate-” Though I shook like a leaf, I placed my hand gently over his. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t- Please, don’t hurt me.”