Chapter 102: The Ghost in the Forest

The frying pan hit the dirt with a dull thud.

Ren scrambled over the carcass of the dead bear, dropping to her knees beside Kael.

“Kael!” she screamed, her hands hovering over him.

He was a dead weight. His massive, muscular body was completely limp. It took every ounce of Ren’s hysterical strength to grab his shoulder and heave him over onto his back. He flopped over heavily, his head lolling to the side, his eyes closed.

Ren’s trembling fingers went straight to his neck.

There, protruding from the thick muscle just above his collarbone, was the projectile.

She gritted her teeth and pulled.

Pluck.

It came out easily. Ren held it up to the dappled sunlight, her breath hitching.

It was a needle made from a stiff, sharp porcupine quill. The end was fletched with soft, white dandelion fluff to stabilize its flight. The tip was coated in a viscous, glistening purple liquid that smelled faintly sweet.

“System!” Ren barked, her voice shaking. “Analyze! Now! Is he dying?”

[System Analysis: Substance detected. “Dreamer’s Bane.” A potent neurotoxic sedative derived from Nightshade Tubers. Effect: Immediate unconsciousness and muscle paralysis. Lethality: Low. The dosage is insufficient to kill a beastman of this mass. He is merely sleeping.]

Ren slumped forward, exhaling a breath she felt she had been holding since she was born.

“He’s just sleeping,” she whispered, clutching the quill. “He’s just sleeping.”

Then, the relief curdled into ice-cold rage.

’Who?’

Ren thought frantically. ’Who is out here?’

Her mind instantly snapped to the only enemy who had a motive this strong.

’Vara.’

That treacherous female tiger. Vara was the one who had conspired with Syris to have Ren taken away so she could claim Kael for herself. She was the one who had drugged Kael with the poison that started this whole mess.

She must have tracked them. She must have somehow known they left the swamp.

Crunch.

A twig snapped.

Ren froze.

Crunch. Crunch.

Footsteps. Fast ones. Coming from the thicket behind her.

Ren didn’t cower. The fear that had paralyzed her moments ago was incinerated by a blaze of pure, protective fury.

’You want him?’ Ren thought, her eyes narrowing into slits. ’Come and get him.’

She reached out and grabbed the handle of her frying pan.

Ren stood up, her knuckles white as she gripped the handle. She kept her eyes locked on the wall of green foliage.

“Come out!” Ren jeered, her voice raw and dangerous. “I know it’s you, Vara! Come out and face me, you striped bitch!”

The footsteps got closer. They were hurried, rushing toward her.

Ren braced herself. She planted her feet. She calculated the swing.

The sound was right behind her now.

“Eat iron!” Ren screamed.

She swung.

She put her entire body weight into the motion, spinning around with enough force to decapitate a buffalo. The cast-iron pan whistled through the air.

Whoosh.

It hit nothing.

The momentum spun Ren around a full three-sixty, and she stumbled, barely keeping her balance.

She blinked, chest heaving.

There was no one there.

The clearing was empty. The bushes were still.

“What?” Ren gasped, gripping the pan tighter.

She spun around again, checking her six. Nothing.

The forest had gone silent. The aggressive footsteps had vanished. The only sounds were the distant, gentle bubbling of the river, the soft wind rustling the leaves, and a single bird singing a cheerful, mocking tune high above.

Ren stood there, super alert, her heart drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She strained her ears, waiting for a growl, a hiss, a twig snap.

Nothing.

Slowly, very slowly, the adrenaline began to bleed out of her.

’She ran away,’ Ren thought, wiping sweat from her forehead. ’She saw the pan and she ran.’

Ren let out a shaky breath, her body relaxing. “That’s right. Keep running.”

She turned around.

And her heart stopped.

He was right there. Directly behind her.

Ren hadn’t heard a sound. No footsteps. No breathing. But suddenly, her vision was filled with a chest clad in reddish furs. She looked up, and her breath caught in a choked gasp.

Messy, vibrant orange hair that caught the sunlight like a burning fire. Two fuzzy, russet fox ears twitching atop his head. And a face that was sharp, angular, and impossibly handsome, dominated by a pair of brilliant, cunning orange eyes that stared down at her with intense amusement.

He was inches away.

Ren’s eyes went wide. The shock of his sudden appearance short-circuited her brain. Her mouth flew open to scream.

Slap.

A warm hand clamped firmly over her mouth before the sound could escape.

In one fluid motion, he stepped forward, pushing her backward until her spine hit the rough bark of the oak tree. He pinned her there, not aggressively, but with the inescapable trap that was his body.

Ren stared up at him, her chest heaving against his, her mind reeling from the whiplash of emotions.

A slow, lazy smirk stretched across his lips as his orange eyes danced with mischief.

“Hello, Little Rose.”

Ren’s eyes widened further as recognition hit her like a physical blow. The shock instantly curdled into furious anger.

She didn’t hesitate. She clamped her teeth down hard on the fleshy part of his palm covering her mouth. He didn’t even flinch.

Desperate, she brought her knee up sharply, aiming hard for his crotch. He anticipated it perfectly. He removed his hand from her mouth just in time to catch her knee, stopping the impact inches from its target.

“Woah,” he chuckled, his voice a low rumble in his chest. “That was a close one.”

Ren glared at him, her breathing ragged, pinned between the tree and his hard body.

“Let me go,” she hissed, “or I’ll scream.”

The threat only seemed to delight him further. The amusement in his orange eyes deepened into something darker, something hungrier—pure lust. He leaned in even closer, until his nose brushed against hers.

“I dare you,” he whispered seductively, his warm breath ghosting over her lips.

Her mind raced. She and Kael had wandered quite a distance from the river where Syris and Viper were. But if she screamed loud enough… if she put everything she had into it… maybe they would hear.

She made her choice. She took a deep, sharp breath through her nose, filling her lungs to capacity. She opened her mouth to let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

The sound never made it past her throat. Vex crashed his lips onto hers, silencing the scream with a bruising, possessive kiss.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep