Chapter 13: Squeaky Clean Demon

“Put me down! I am a person, not a sack of food!” Bai Yue shrieked, her fists drumming against Zhāo Yàn’s muscular back.

“You are currently a very muddy sack of food,” the Fox Lord countered, his voice steady despite her thrashing, moving through the moonlit forest. “And if you don’t stop screaming, you’ll wake every cub from here to the Eastern Hills. Do you want Ruì Xuě to think the ’Demon’ is being kidnapped?”

Bai Yue immediately went rigid.

She squeezed her eyes shut, huffing a breath that blew her messy bangs out of her face. “Fine. But I am filing a formal complaint with the labor board. This is kidnapping.”

“I don’t know what a ’labor board’ is, but if it stops you from smelling like a dead bird, I’ll take you to see them tomorrow,” he replied dryly.

They reached the hot springs, and thankfully, it was entirely devoid of other beastmen.

“We are here,” Zhāo Yàn said, finally sliding her off his shoulder.

Bai Yue hit the ground, wobbling on her legs. She immediately scrambled back, putting a respectable distance between them. “Great. Springs. Lovely. You can go now. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Zhāo Yàn leaned against a nearby cedar tree, crossing his arms over his broad chest. A slow, mocking smirk played on his lips. “And leave you alone in the dark where more Vultures might be lurking? I think not.”

“Then turn around!” she snapped.

Zhāo Yàn’s eyes widened in genuine confusion. “Turn around? For what?”

“I…..I need privacy! To bathe!”

“Privacy?” He frowned, his head tilting slightly. “Bai Yue, you have lived in this tribe for years. We have shared a hut. You have never cared for ’privacy’ before. In fact, you usually insisted I watch so I could ’admire your perfection.’”

Bai Yue felt her soul leave her body for a second. The original Bai Yue was a nightmare! “Well, I’ve had a change of heart! My perfection is now a solo act!” she yelled, her face heating up. “Turn. Around.”

Zhāo Yàn let out a huff of amusement, but to her relief, he turned his back to the pool. “Fine. You are becoming stranger by the hour.”

Working with frantic speed, Bai Yue unlaced her fur garments, her heart pounding against her ribs. She cast a nervous glance at the Fox Lord’s broad back, the orange fur of his tail flicking lazily, before she slipped into the water.

Splash.

“Ahhh…..” She let out a long, shaky sigh as the heat soaked into her aching muscles. The mineral water stung her raw knuckles, but the warmth was heavenly. For a moment, she forgot the Vultures, the mission, and the Fox Lord.

Until the water rippled.

She turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin. Zhāo Yàn had shed his own loincloth and dived into the water, surfacing just a few feet away. He flicked his wet orange hair back, droplets of water glistening on his shoulders like diamonds.

“AH! What are you doing?!” she squeaked, diving behind a large, submerged rock so only her eyes were visible.

“Bathing,” he said simply, swimming closer with slow, powerful strokes. “It is a large pool, Bai Yue. Stop acting like a kit.”

He stopped near her rock, his expression softening as he looked at her. “You saved the kits today.”

Bai Yue gripped the edge of the stone. “Yes! And I’d do it again! Nobody is taking them away from me. Not while I’m breathing.”

Zhāo Yàn’s eyes darkened, a flash of old pain crossing his features. “Even Yòu Lín?”

Bai Yue’s heart gave a painful throb. She remembered how Yòu Lín, the Fox Lord’s son, had been sent away because he wouldn’t stop crying for a mother who didn’t want him.

“Especially Yòu Lín,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m…..I’m so sorry, Zhāo Yàn. For abandoning him. For being….that person.”

She swallowed hard, looking him directly in the eyes. “I know you don’t believe me. I know I’ve been a monster. But please…..just give me another chance to prove I’m not like that anymore.”

Zhāo Yàn’s jaw tightened. He swam closer, the water swirling between them. He reached out, his fingers surprisingly gentle as he stroked her wet cheek.

“He called for you every day, Bai Yue,” he said, his voice ragged. “He asked why Mama didn’t love him. He asked if he was too loud, or too small, or too much work. It was a dagger in my heart every time I had to look at him.”

Bai Yue felt a tear prick her eye. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to him. I swear it.”

He searched her face, his gaze lingering on her trembling lips. “You have clearly….changed. Maybe not completely. No one changes their entire soul in two days. Hmm…..” He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear. “I shouldn’t enjoy this. But I am enjoying your reactions to my touch. You used to be so cold, so demanding. Now……you’re like a startled bird.”

Bai Yue’s face went red. She felt his hand slide down to her shoulder, and she panicked. “Go away! Too close! Boundary violation!”

She tried to swim away, but he was faster, his hand catching her arm and pulling her back toward him. For a second, their bodies almost touched beneath the surface.

Then, abruptly, he let go.

He pushed back, a sudden look of resolve on his face. “I will not be fooled by a pretty blush, Bai Yue.”

“Eh?”

“I will only consider…..mating…..with you again when you have made amends,” he declared, his voice regaining its haughty Alpha edge. “When you have made up with my son, and with Yàn Shū and his own cub. And when Han Shan returns and sees that you haven’t eaten his cub yet.”

Yàn Shū was Bai Yue’s last husband, but she was too embarrassed to even process that.

“Mating?!” She choked on the water. “Who said anything about mating?!”

Zhāo Yàn didn’t answer. He lunged out of the water, and Bai Yue was treated to a very clear, very panoramic view of the Fox Lord’s backside in all its sculpted, furry glory as he reached for his furs.

“Eek!” She squealed, slamming her hands over her eyes. “Cover yourself! Modesty! Standards!”

She heard the rustle of clothes and the sound of footsteps on the grass.

“Zhāo Yàn? Are you decent?”

No answer.

She peeked through her fingers. The clearing was empty. The steam swirled in the moonlight, but the Fox Lord was gone.

“Zhāo Yàn?….. Zhāo Yàn?! You left me here?! In the dark?!” she screamed at the trees. “You arrogant, orange-haired jerk!”

Damn you, fox lord!

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