The Snowmaiden, A Bride for Krampus - Jeanette Lynn Page 0,63

naive of me to believe my antlered prince was really going to come and collect me after the Krampus harvesting that was due very soon.

What about Baumbel or Ded? What would become of them? Could they, would they, come with us too if Shnikel did show?

Why culling the Krampus herd coincided with The Big Day, I wasn’t quite certain of. If I could make it to one of these passages on the map Shnikel drew for me in time, and it looked like there were several throughout the mountain caves, I may never have to discover the big secret. From the way Shnikel had reacted to whatever he’d witnessed, I wasn’t keen on figuring it out.

“You know what’s warmer than these?” I said with a sly look at Baumb as I set the material aside and stood on the bed. Grinning as he rumbled loudly at my outstretched arms as I waited for him, he collected me into his bloody arms. His mouth pressed to mine automatically, eager for more of his human’s kisses. “Baumb-Lumi,” he groaned against my lips. A thick hand cupped my ass and gave it a squeeze.

“Again?” I said on a laugh as he urged me to wrap my legs around him.

“Baumb Lumi,” he murmured.

My beast of a male shivered when I nipped his lip playfully and kissed him back. “Okay, but maybe we should, uh, let him go first,” I mumbled between frantic kisses as his hands grew adventurous. “No need to keep him like that if he can be on his merry way.” Hooking a thumb at the Krampus, I asked of the male readying to maul me, “Don’t you want some privacy? I mean,” my voice lowered, “he likes to watch, and I was thinking of trying this thing I thought you might like...”

A deep, possessive noise left Baumb as he paused to mull my proposal over. Grunting, he grumbled out, “Thing. Like. Baumb like thing,” and quickly set me on the bed. Starting to walk away, he frowned at the way Ded’s blue gaze fixed on my body, rushed back, and tossed a pelt over me.

Snorting, I pulled my head free of the blanket in time to watch Baumb jerk Ded free of the wall and lift him up, Ded’s feet kicking as he snarled and fought like he didn’t want to not be a mount on the wall, to walk him out of the cavern. Ded’s growls were soon a funny noise in the distance as Baumb escorted him out.

“Think he’ll stay gone?” I asked Yule ti, who glanced my way but otherwise snubbed me. Someone didn’t like me very much.

Baumb loped back on all fours, the twin fluffy ends of his tail jerking over his back behind him. My Baumb boy was in an all fired hurry. He didn’t slow down as he bounded closer.

“Baumb!” I burst out as he leapt at me, pounced, and landed gracefully atop me. Jargling me with a bounce, he grinned down at me. I laughed as his feelers shot free, swaying with the happy swish of his tail. The rumble of a growl he let loose was playful, bordering on flirtatious. Glowing, cat-like eyes brightened as I smoothed my hands up his shoulders to cup the back of his neck.

“Are you going to settle, roll over, and give me my way?” I murmured, lifting up to bring our lips flush.

My mouth tingled as I broke our soft lip lock, the vibrations from his purr rattling me from my head to my toes.

“Baumb Lumi,” he garbled out as he began nuzzling his way down my body, which meant, Yep, sure thing, but me first. Taking my hands in his, he laved one and set it down, then the other was treated to the same, and he let loose a warning rumble to keep them there.

“No fair,” I muttered, staring at the ceiling, biting my lip as his main tongue dipped and he found a nipple to suckle it for a minute, then the other, to move lower. He wasn’t wasting any time.

A frisson of worry niggled at me for Ded but, fearing Baumb might sense it through our connection, I tried to quell it. A loud noise left him as his quest to check out oral drew him to my belly button. His main tongue traced the dip to then move lower.

Ded will be fine. He’ll do like Shnikel, turn Elkfen to return to his herd by the Big House, as Shnick had called it,