Read Online Jungle Freakn' Bride by Eve Langlais - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eve Langlais
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permission. I know. But, still, it seems like a piss poor way to start a new life. ”
“And yet it has work ed for hundreds of years.” A heavy sigh left Acat . “I like it no better than you. If I did not fear the repercussions of not following the ritual to the letter, I would do things differently, but – ”
“But what? How can warning her be worse?”
“The choice must be not be tainted or it not might work.”
“So they claim.”
“So the facts state. Or have you forgotten Naum and Zotz?”
Nobody would ever forget the happy boys they grew up with. Once they reached manhood, Naum and Zotz stole their bride from a small Mexican village , l eft the dowry in her place, and followed all the rules of the ritual except one. The pair, feeling bad for t he i r chosen bride’s obvious fright, spoke to her, reassured her , and explained what would happen. What she would go through. What she would become.
The girl , terrified at the fate the gods chose, escaped them and jumped to her death . Her demise was followed shortly thereafter by a dual suicide , as bereft with grief – and guilt – two men in the prime of their lives, threw themselves off a cliff.
Their story was a sobering reminder of why ritual was so important. Magic didn’t care about logic or feelings. Old magic, ancient magic such as their tribe wielded , thrived on habit.
Not willing to take the same chance, Acat and Chaob didn’t dare do anything to mess things up. So , no matter how much they wished to respond to their mate’s pleas, or console her, they needed to wait. Wait until they’d claimed her, mind , body , and soul . Then, they’d probably hear an earful.
Chaob, sadistically enough, couldn’t wait. He tired of the subterfuge and looked forward t o engaging his mate not just physically but verbally. If she survived. She’s too strong not to.
Or so he hoped.
Pale, even paler than before, her lips colorless and her body covered in a sheen of sweat, she appeared so fragile. He didn’t like seeing her so still. So lifeless. D uring their journey , h e’d gotten used to her fiery temper and outbursts , h er lively antics , h er seductive scent and body.
Would she emerge from the ritual the same person? Or would it change her? Did they do the right thing in choosing to make her become ?
They’d know in two moonrises. In the meantime, they could only pray.
“Do you think she will keep her golden hair color?” he asked, letting his fingers stroke the curly, golden mass.
“It would be unusual,” Acat observed. “I don’t think I recall a bride ever having either her coloring or such waves. Wouldn’t my father have an apoplectic fit if she was the first curly - haired member of our tribe?”
Despite the gravity of the moment, Chaob couldn’t help a grin. The alpha of their group tried so hard to cling to the unwritten rules passed down to him, but more and more, he had to give some up as the modern world encroached. Acat, Chaob , and several others of their age were the third generation to leave the tribe to be educated in the outside world. Their shaman, Acat’s grandfather, claimed the gods decreed it , saying they needed to know what happened around them lest they get caught unaware by technology and the ever - encroaching tendrils of civilization. They also needed money. Trade, while good for the smaller things among villages, didn’t go far anymore. In order to keep up with the world, they needed to stay abreast of technology and to stay in the information loop. Satellite phones and other devices they needed for security didn’t come cheap.
And that’s where Acat and Chaob did their part.
Chaob never completed his thought as the first of many convulsions wracked their female. N ow the true test began in earnest. May t he gods give him the fortitude and strength to help h is bride through this most trying of times. While no one spoke much of what happened once the potion was ingested , despite the distance
“And yet it has work ed for hundreds of years.” A heavy sigh left Acat . “I like it no better than you. If I did not fear the repercussions of not following the ritual to the letter, I would do things differently, but – ”
“But what? How can warning her be worse?”
“The choice must be not be tainted or it not might work.”
“So they claim.”
“So the facts state. Or have you forgotten Naum and Zotz?”
Nobody would ever forget the happy boys they grew up with. Once they reached manhood, Naum and Zotz stole their bride from a small Mexican village , l eft the dowry in her place, and followed all the rules of the ritual except one. The pair, feeling bad for t he i r chosen bride’s obvious fright, spoke to her, reassured her , and explained what would happen. What she would go through. What she would become.
The girl , terrified at the fate the gods chose, escaped them and jumped to her death . Her demise was followed shortly thereafter by a dual suicide , as bereft with grief – and guilt – two men in the prime of their lives, threw themselves off a cliff.
Their story was a sobering reminder of why ritual was so important. Magic didn’t care about logic or feelings. Old magic, ancient magic such as their tribe wielded , thrived on habit.
Not willing to take the same chance, Acat and Chaob didn’t dare do anything to mess things up. So , no matter how much they wished to respond to their mate’s pleas, or console her, they needed to wait. Wait until they’d claimed her, mind , body , and soul . Then, they’d probably hear an earful.
Chaob, sadistically enough, couldn’t wait. He tired of the subterfuge and looked forward t o engaging his mate not just physically but verbally. If she survived. She’s too strong not to.
Or so he hoped.
Pale, even paler than before, her lips colorless and her body covered in a sheen of sweat, she appeared so fragile. He didn’t like seeing her so still. So lifeless. D uring their journey , h e’d gotten used to her fiery temper and outbursts , h er lively antics , h er seductive scent and body.
Would she emerge from the ritual the same person? Or would it change her? Did they do the right thing in choosing to make her become ?
They’d know in two moonrises. In the meantime, they could only pray.
“Do you think she will keep her golden hair color?” he asked, letting his fingers stroke the curly, golden mass.
“It would be unusual,” Acat observed. “I don’t think I recall a bride ever having either her coloring or such waves. Wouldn’t my father have an apoplectic fit if she was the first curly - haired member of our tribe?”
Despite the gravity of the moment, Chaob couldn’t help a grin. The alpha of their group tried so hard to cling to the unwritten rules passed down to him, but more and more, he had to give some up as the modern world encroached. Acat, Chaob , and several others of their age were the third generation to leave the tribe to be educated in the outside world. Their shaman, Acat’s grandfather, claimed the gods decreed it , saying they needed to know what happened around them lest they get caught unaware by technology and the ever - encroaching tendrils of civilization. They also needed money. Trade, while good for the smaller things among villages, didn’t go far anymore. In order to keep up with the world, they needed to stay abreast of technology and to stay in the information loop. Satellite phones and other devices they needed for security didn’t come cheap.
And that’s where Acat and Chaob did their part.
Chaob never completed his thought as the first of many convulsions wracked their female. N ow the true test began in earnest. May t he gods give him the fortitude and strength to help h is bride through this most trying of times. While no one spoke much of what happened once the potion was ingested , despite the distance
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