Page 21 of Gentle Giant

After a full minute of silence, he emitted a morose half-growl, half-whimper, and his footsteps faded in the distance as he departed his cave-apartment.

I blinked back tears and reminded myself that he was keeping me against my will.

But why was it taking all my self-control not to run after him and apologize for hurting him?

And why didn’t I feel like a prisoner?

BRUTUS

My human female perplexed me.I’d believed if I showered her with gifts, cooked for her, and cuddled her, that she would soften to me and agree to mate with me.

But that hadn’t happened. Not yet.

Five days passed and she barely said a word to me. Whenever I spoke to her, she would usually nod or shake her head, and sometimes she wouldn’t answer at all. She also kept pushing me away at night when I tried to hold her as we slept. Her behavior unnerved me, but I hoped the promised trip to her cabin would brighten her spirits and perhaps make her like me more.

The idea that she didn’t enjoy my presence left me saddened beyond belief. I’d seen her face in a vision. Why would the Great Spirit send me such a vision if she wasn’t meant to become my beloved mate?

We departed the cavern before sunrise, and my heart sank further when she refused to hold my hand. I kept close to her as we navigated our way south toward her cabin. Perhaps once she gathered her belongings and brought them back to the cavern, she would be happier.

During our travels, we paused now and then to drink from a stream, and when I heard her stomach growl, I foraged for berries and nuts. She accepted the food with a quick murmur of thanks, her expression unreadable. She seemed hesitant to meet my eyes.

The longer we journeyed south, the more I began to have doubts. I didn’t know for certain that Montikaans and humans could procreate. In the history of the Starblessed tribe, our races had never inter-mated. In my excitement over finding her so soon after my vision, I had simply assumed we would be compatible. But would we get the chance to find out? Her demeanor was so cold, I feared I might never thaw her heart, might never convince her to become my mate. If she never presented herself for claiming…

I tried to banish the thought.

The alternative was letting her go, and I couldn’t fathom doing so. I also feared how her continued rejection would affect the rest of my tribe. I wanted to claim her because I desiredher, but I also wanted my people to see for themselves that Montikaan-human mating unions were possible.

More than anything, I wanted a heart-bond to grow between us, but if she wouldn’t mate with me, there was little chance of that happening.

I tried to recall the few times my parents had had a disagreement and how they’d solved their differences before cuddling and rubbing their noses together. Usually, my father had brought my mother a gift, like an abnormally large acorn or a fat fish from upriver. And sometimes my mother had massaged my father’s shoulders or brought him a jug of water infused with mint leaves.

They’d never shouted or growled at one another in anger, nor had they remained distant and cold for long. I resolved to follow their example. Even though I was frustrated and had the urge to grab Hailey by the shoulders while demanding she tell me what was wrong, I doubted such forcefulness would be well received. I also didn’t wish to scare her or do anything that might widen the divide between us.

When we approached a cliff that overlooked a small valley, I guided her toward the rock and pointed into the distance. “The lands of the Starblessed stretch past that snow-covered mountain,” I said. “Each spring, when the terrain becomes less treacherous, we travel beyond the mountain and reinforce our markers.”

“Markers?” she asked, meeting my eyes for the briefest moment. “You’ve mentioned territory markers before. What do they look like?”

Hope rose in my chest. This was the most she’d spoken to me in days. I led her toward a nearby tree and proceeded to show her how the markers were made by twisting a thick branch in three separate places. Once I was satisfied with the pattern of thetwists, I gently pushed her away a few steps, turned back to the tree, and urinated on it.

Chapter 14

HAILEY

Just when Ithought things couldn’t get any weirder, Brutus was peeing on a tree to mark his territory. After all I’d seen during the last few days, I didn’t know why this surprised me, but it did. I barely restrained a gasp.

I thought about the ten males he’d recently sent north to the border for the sole purpose of reinforcing his people’s territory markers. Had they really spent their time there twisting branches and urinating on trees?

I tried to keep my expression neutral when Brutus turned around. Though I found his customs strange and even amusing at times, it didn’t feel right to laugh at him. He probably thought many human customs were strange, and he’d never made fun of me. Not for wearing clothes or using a toilet or eating cooked fish. Instead, he’d done his best to accommodate my needs.

A fresh wave of guilt settled over me, and my stomach twisted. I’d been a jerk to him these last few days. I’d snapped at him, ignored him, and purposely held him at a distance. I hadn’teven allowed him to curl up next to me on the large mattress at night.

I missed his cuddles and his sweet nose rubs.

Would I really call for help when we reached the rental cabin?

I offered him an apologetic smile and opened my mouth, preparing to tell him how sorry I was, when an echoing bang sounded nearby, and something fast zipped past my head. A bullet.

Brutus growled as he lunged for me. He swept me up in his arms and bolted through the trees. I clung to him and cried out when another shot sounded. Close. It was too close.

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