Page 26 of Gentle Giant

She smiled and snuggled deeper into my arms. “Well, my favorite thing to do on a rainy day is make some tea and curl up with a good book. But since you’re here with me and we are supposed to be getting to know one another, how about we spend the day… exchanging stories. You can tell me more about your life, and I’ll tell you more about mine.”

“I like your idea,” I said. “But what about gifts? Will you require more gifts to tempt you into mating with me? If so, I would like to know what kind of gifts you desire.”

“That’s very sweet of you to ask, Brutus, but you don’t have to give me any more gifts. Let’s just spend time together and see what happens.”

I pressed my forehead to hers and breathed deeply of her enticing scent. Her stomach gave a sudden growl, and I pulled back as guilt wracked me. I should’ve immediately gone out to forage for food after we said good-bye to her friend.

Rising with her in my arms, I set her on a plush seating area and rose to my full height, only for my head to hit the ceiling. I ducked and rubbed my head.

“I will go find food in the forest, Hailey, and I will return to you soon.”

“Wait! You don’t have to go anywhere,” she said with a nod toward the hallway. “There’s lots of food in the kitchen. I’d planned to spend three months here and I stocked up in town.” She hopped off the seating area and placed a hand on my chest. “Let me prepare the food for a change.”

“Very well,” I said with a nod. “Thank you, Hailey. Can I help?”

“No, but you can come watch.” She grasped one of my fingers and tugged me into a room I assumed was the kitchen she’d spoken of. “I’ll cook while you talk. Tell me about your childhood. I want to know everything.”

HAILEY

As I prepareda Sasquatch-sized portion of spaghetti and meatballs, complete with a spring salad and garlic bread, I listened as Brutus told me about his younger years. His life on the mountainside fascinated me and I kept asking questions, wanting to understand him better.

“The cavern has always been my home, though as I’m sure you’ve noticed, some of my people live in the forest outside thecavern.” He paused as a pained look crossed his face, but he soon gave his head a quick shake and continued. “As a child, I spent my days at my father’s side as he taught me all I would need to know when I became chief. He taught me how to protect our people, taught me when to fight and when to yield, when to negotiate. Some of the chiefs from neighboring tribes of Montikaans are brutal and rule their lands with cruelty, but he wanted to make sure I would be a good, fair leader who commanded the respect of our people.”

“From what I can tell,” I said gently, “you’re doing a fine job of being chief. Your tribe seems peaceful, the Starblessed people happy, and everyone works together. I’m sure your father would be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

“That is kind of you to say, sweet human, thank you.” He leaned against the kitchen island as I stirred the spaghetti sauce. “I wish he were still here. I hadn’t thought I would become chief so young.”

“How old were you when you became the leader of your people?” I asked as I added tomatoes to the salad.

“I’d seen twenty-five summers when I became chief,” he said. “My father died ten summers ago.”

Thirty-five. My Sasquatch boyfriend was thirty-five years old. Seven years older than me. “I’m sorry about your father,” I said. “What happened? He must not have been very old when he died. Or, um, well… what is the lifespan of your people? How long do you usually live?” I held my breath as I awaited his answer. If he told me the average lifespan of a Montikaan was just fifty or sixty years, it would break my heart.

“Most of my people see at least ninety summers, though I once knew a Montikaan female who had seen one hundred and twenty.”

I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. “I’m glad to hear your lifespan is about the same as a human’s. How sad it would be if one of us outlived the other by a great number of years.”

Oh shit. Had I really just said that? I was talking as though I’d already agreed to become his mate. Thankfully, Brutus only nodded.

“So, what happened to your father?” I asked again.

He was quiet for so long I started to regret the question. Obviously, something tragic had befallen the former chief of the Starblessed, for Brutus to appear so sad and deep in thought. But finally, he spoke. “My parents were shot by a hunter.”

A wave of sickness hit me. A hunter. A human. He’d lost his parents in an act of violence perpetrated by one of my people.

“Brutus,” I eventually said, “I’m so sorry.” I reached for one of his fingers and gave it a gentle squeeze. His hands were so large that I couldn’t grab onto more than a single digit.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I heard his voice recently. He came to me in a vision. The same vision where I saw your face. He said I was meant to mate with a human female, and that my brothers and many others in our tribe would claim human women as well.”

The vision. He’d mentioned it before, had spoken of seeing my face. Should I tell him about my dreams? Soon, I promised myself. I would tell him soon. “Is it common for the males of your kind to have visions of the females who will become their lifemates?” I asked. “And what of the females in your tribe? Do they ever have visions?”

“I’ve never heard of my people having visions about their lifemates,” he said, “though I am now proof that it can happen. Perhaps it is a new occurrence that will affect others in my tribe in the days to come.”

Water sizzled behind me, and I spun around just in time to keep the spaghetti pot from boiling over. I turned the heat downon the burner and gave the noodles a quick stir. Glancing over my shoulder, I said, “Dinner’s almost ready. Just waiting on the garlic bread now.” A strange giddiness filled me at cooking for him. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he took his first bite of the human meal.

“It smells delicious,” he said. “Thank you for cooking for me, Hailey. I am honored. Females usually don’t prepare meals for a male until after they have mated for the first time.”

All this talk of mating was getting me flustered. I kept dropping things on the counter as I hurried to put the finishing touches on dinner.

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