Page 24 of Gentle Giant

Then I made haste for the cabin, constantly sniffing the air to make sure there weren’t any other human males in the vicinity. I hadn’t detected the first hunter because I’d been downwind of him, so I also kept scanning the forest behind me, just to be safe.

A growl left me as I recalled how close the bullets had come to Hailey, and I hoped my people would discover a way to keep more human males from entering our territory. The markers we left on our borders usually kept out Montikaans from other tribes, but the humans didn’t seem to notice the twisted branches, nor were they bothered by our scent coating the tree trunks.

Once we returned to the cavern, I would call a meeting with my most trusted males, and together we would try to find a solution.

I disliked the thought of splitting our tribe up so groups of us could inhabit the borders and prevent the humans from entering. My people had lived in the cavern for thousands ofyears, generation after generation. It was said that the mineral formations in the cave system gave us the healing energies we used to keep the forest beautiful, the animals and vegetation thriving, and the water safe for drinking.

If some of our people relocated far from the cavern, would their healing energies fade? It was an outcome I didn’t want to consider, for it would mean the end of our way of life. The Great Spirit had charged us with protecting this land, and I intended to lead my people as we watched over the Starblessed territory.

When I reached the cabin, I stood on the porch and took a deep inhale. The sweetness of Hailey’s scent reached me, and I released a growl of pleasure. My little human had obeyed. She hadn’t run away as I’d feared she might. Not that chasing her down and recapturing her would be difficult, but it gave me hope that her cooperation meant she truly wished to stay with me. That perhaps she would agree to mate with me soon.

Once I walked inside, I heard her voice coming from behind a closed door. A door on the first level of the house. It would appear she hadn’t completely obeyed me. I’d ordered her to remain upstairs and lock the bedroom door, but she hadn’t. Annoyance flared inside me. I’d wanted her to stay safe while I’d dealt with the hunters.

Keeping my footfalls silent, I stalked to the door where I heard her voice coming from the other side. For her safety, I hoped she’d at least locked this door. What if another hunter had come by and bothered her? The front door no longer closed (my fault) and a dangerous animal could have entered the cabin as well. My annoyance grew when the knob turned.

Suppressing a growl, I flung the door open and stared down at my errant female. She gasped and peered up at me from a chair, and I took in the details of the tiny room. She was seated in front of a bright screen, where the face of a worried looking light-haired woman stared straight ahead.

“Hailey?” the woman said. “Hailey, is thathim? Is that your Sasquatch boyfriend?”

Chapter 16

HAILEY

I placeda hand to my racing heart. Brutus had startled me when he’d burst into the closet, but damn if I wasn’t utterly relieved to see him. He was alive, and he looked to be in one piece, though my mouth went dry when I speculated about his confrontation with the hunter who’d shot at us. I’d heard the scream, and I doubted he’d allowed the man to live.

As I stared at him, Candy kept calling my name. I swallowed hard and reached out a hand to my “Sasquatch boyfriend” and drew him closer to the screen. I tugged on his hand, beckoning him to kneel beside my chair so Candy wouldn’t get an eyeful of his big cock. A curious look came over him as he glanced from me to the video comm, but he eventually complied and crouched next to me.

I gestured to the screen. “Brutus, meet my best friend, Candy. Candy, meet Brutus.”

Candy grinned and waved. “Hello, Brutus. I am delighted to meet you. Hailey’s told me all about you. Wow, a… Montikaan.I’m so excited to learn about the existence of your people. Hot damn, this is wild! I’ve heard rumors of course over the years, butwow,seeing a handsome Sasquatch with my own eyes is most definitely the coolest thing that’s happened to me this week.” She spoke in her usual, rapid rambling tone, and I found myself biting back a grin.

Brutus leaned closer to the screen and tapped on it. “Hello… Candy.” He turned to me. “Whereis your friend?”

“She’s on another planet. A world known as New Vaxx,” I explained, though it seemed Brutus didn’t quite comprehend the existence of other planets. Whenever I’d mentioned aliens or other worlds, he’d always given me a strange look. I drew in a long breath. “She’s in a land far away, in Vaxxlian territory. Vaxxlians are not human, but they are… a race of great warriors and their people lost most of their females, so they are mating with human women now.”

His eyes glowed with understanding. “A land far away. And the males there aren’t human. Very interesting.” He turned back to Candy. “I’ve never heard of Vaxxlians.”

“Hailey said you guys got attacked in the forest and that you’d run off to deal with the asshole who’d shot at you.” Candy lifted her eyebrows as she peered at Brutus. “How’d that go? Did you kick his butt?”

“The hunter is no longer a threat to Hailey, myself, or my people,” he replied in a cautious tone.

Wanting to change the subject, I said, “So, Candy, tell me more about planet New Vaxx and your new husband.”

Candy gave me a wry smile and shook her head. “There’s a handsome Sasquatch beside you who happens to want to become your mate and you think you can trick me into talking about my life? As if, girl.” She leaned so close to the screen, her face suddenly appeared twice as large. “I want to hear more about those Montikaan mating customs you mentioned.”

I aimed a shut-the-hell-up look at my friend, but she only laughed. Before I could try to change the subject again, Brutus wrapped an arm around me, and his abrupt nearness caused me to lose my train of thought.

“My people mate for life,” Brutus announced. “When a Montikaan male feels called to a specific female, he courts her by bringing her gifts and spending time with her. Eventually, once the female is ready, she will get on all fours and offer the male the use of her mating hole, and they will become lifemates. And usually, once they become better acquainted and experience softness, tenderness toward each other, a heart-bond develops between them.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet,” Candy said, holding a hand to her chest as she sighed dramatically and batted her eyelashes.

“Yes,” I said, “it was so sweet when he broke into the cabin in the middle of the night and carried me off to his secret lair.”

Despite my sharp tone, Brutus hugged me to his side and nuzzled my hair. His warm breath tickled my neck and endorphins rushed my head, making me feel pleasantly light-headed… and achy. Damn it. I squeezed my thighs together in hopes of hiding the scent of my growing arousal from him, but the twinkle in his eyes revealedhe knew.

“Oh, come on,” Candy said. “Sure, he kidnapped you, but he’s treated you well despite that. He’s cooked for you, raided a cabin for supplies he thought you might need, given you sweet nose-rubs and affectionate cuddles,andyou said he has the nicest, firmest butt in the history of the world. Sounds like the beginning of true love to me… or maybe one of those heart-bonds he mentioned.” She gave me a cheeky grin while I fought the urge to punch the video comm.

I couldn’t believe she’d just said that.

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