“Need eat more. No food make Candy-ass grumpy,” Berkr grumbled. “Here. Candy-ass likes those. Eat those. Eat all those. Look skinny any the ways. All bones, not meat. Get sick, not fats on you, get sick-sick and die.”
“Stop bossing me around. I’ll eat what I want,” Dace muttered through another mouthful.
“Leave her be. She’s fine,” Sorak grumbled in her defense.
“Don’t stick up for me. I can stick up for myself,” Dace sniped at him.
“Tea, miqep?” Sorak asked.
There was the sound of liquid pouring. The clinking of what I assumed was a cup.
My eyelids slid shut for a moment— what felt like a moment— to pop open right as Sorak and Berkr started up again.
“Shhh,” a loud voice hissed.
“What are you doing?” Sorak rumbled.
“What look Berkr doing? Sorry head worry ‘bout self.”
“Leave her be. She’s exhausted. You’re going to wake her up.”
“Then shuts up and Sorry head won’t,” Berkr hissed right back.
Sorak made a noise in his throat. “Give her here.”
“No.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Take Candy-ass home, what look like Berkr doing?”
“Taking off with my tebbikep,” Sorak bit out.
“Sorry speak the nonsense,” Berkr grumbled. “See you say you sorry awful name for Candy-ass ‘nother time”
“I have kepkies to tend to.”
“Go. Yes. Tendy to Sorry head’s kep-keps. Berkr take Candy-ass home, put to bed, so she sleep, left be ‘lone.”
“I’ll follow you out.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“You already said that,” Sorak taunted.
“Oh, shuts up!” Berkr barked.
Wriggling in Kehl’s arms, I rolled to my side so I could face him. What surprised me was to find my horned lover wide awake, staring down at me curiously, patiently.
“No want move,” Kehl whispered. “Worried Kehl wake up ‘gain, find my Purr-roo still long dreamings.”
“How long a dreaming did I have?” I blurted. When my hand lifted to cup his face, I froze and stared in wonder at the sheen of white peach fuzz flocking my hand. There weren’t patches of fuzz anymore. I was covered in it and most of it was snow white!
Kehl captured my hand and nuzzled the fuzzy back of my hand. His purr was everything.
