Chapter 112: A Mermaid in the Moonlight

Ren stepped into the forest, and instantly, the world was swallowed by ink.

If the forest was a mystical paradise by day, by night, it was a gothic nightmare. The towering trees, which had looked majestic under the sun, now loomed over her like skeletal giants, their twisted branches clawing at the sky.

Snap. Crinkle.

Every step she took sounded like a gunshot in the silence.

Ren’s heart was beating so hard she could feel it vibrating in her throat. She hugged her bare arms across her chest, her teeth chattering a frantic rhythm against the biting cold.

Hoot.

Scritch-scratch.

Rustle.

The sounds were amplified a thousand times. Was that a squirrel? Or a Shadow Beast? Was that the wind? Or the breath of a monster?

Ren squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then forced them open.

’I can’t see anything,’ she panicked, squinting into the abyss. ’It’s just shadows on top of shadows.’

She felt horribly, painfully exposed. Being naked in the middle of a hostile wilderness tapped into a primal fear she didn’t know she had.

The System’s words echoed in her mind, cold and clinical: ’Beast world, sex, violence, and food.’

Ren looked down at herself.

’I am the trifecta,’ she thought with mounting horror. ’I am a naked, bleeding, defenseless female.’

Her imagination, fueled by fear, began to paint gruesome pictures. She imagined a massive Feral Wolf—frothing at the mouth, eyes glowing red—bursting from the bushes. He would take her violently against a rough tree trunk, satisfying his feral lust, and when he was done using her body, he would tear into her throat to satisfy his hunger.

She wouldn’t even be able to fight back.

“No,” Ren said aloud, her voice trembling in the vast darkness. “Stop it, Ren. Stop scaring yourself.”

She forced her chattering teeth to unclench.

“The forest in the night,” she declared, trying to sound confident despite being buck naked and shivering, “is the same forest in the day.”

“Is it though?”

The voice was smooth, velvety, and came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

“AH!”

Ren jumped out of her skin. She spun around, trying to find the source, but her bleeding foot slipped on a patch of wet moss.

Gravity took over. Ren flailed, bracing herself for a painful impact with the hard roots.

But she never hit the ground.

A pair of strong, muscular arms snatched her out of the air.

One arm hooked around her waist, the other supporting her back, dipping her low in a classic, romantic swoon.

They landed perfectly in a small shaft of moonlight that had managed to pierce the dense canopy, illuminating them like actors on a stage.

Ren’s breath caught in her throat.

She stared up, her wide, terrified eyes meeting a pair of brilliant orange eyes that twinkled with absolute mischief.

Vex.

His face was inches from hers, highlighted by the silver glow. His russet fox ears were perked up high atop his head, twitching slightly, and his teeth poked over his bottom lip in a lazy, satisfied grin.

The heat radiating off his bare chest was intense, seeping into her frozen skin instantly. It was so soothing, so welcoming, that for a split second, Ren wanted to burrow into him like a tick finding a warm dog.

Vex smirked, clearly enjoying her predicament.

“You are late, Little Rose,” he purred.

The arrogant tone snapped Ren out of her daze.

She placed her hands on his burning hot pectorals and shoved herself up, forcing herself out of his arms. She stumbled back a step, landing in the center of the spotlight.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” she retorted sassily, her teeth chattering.

Vex stood in the shadows, letting the moonlight wash over her.

His orange eyes raked over her body.

Under the silvery light, Ren looked ethereal. Her pale skin, scrubbed pink from the river, glistened with water droplets that looked like diamonds. Her wet hair clung to her face and flowed over her shoulders, covering just enough to be teasing. She looked like a water spirit, a mermaid who had wandered onto land and gotten lost.

She was shivering, vulnerable, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Vex took a slow, deliberate step toward her, emerging fully into the light. His gaze was heavy, darkened with lust.

He nodded slowly, his eyes locked on hers.

“Yes,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. “You are indeed here… very much here.”

Under his intense, unblinking gaze, the reality of her situation crashed down.

She became extremely conscious of her nudity. Her face flushed a deep, burning crimson. She frantically crossed her arm over her chest to cover her breasts and clamped her thighs together, using one hand to shield her exposed crotch.

She stepped back, creating some distance between them, her eyes narrowing.

“Stop staring!” she hissed. “You pervert!”

Vex chuckled, a rich, amused sound that echoed in the quiet clearing. He spread his hands innocently.

“I am the pervert?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You are the one running around the forest naked, Little Rose. How can you call me the pervert?”

Ren’s face got even redder, matching the color of a ripe tomato.

“I am naked because of you!” she argued, her voice rising in indignation.

Vex’s ears twitched atop his head, pure amusement taking over his sharp features. Behind him, his three large, fluffy tails swished lazily from side to side, betraying his delight.

He stepped toward her, his grin widening into something predatory and charming.

“I like the sound of that,” he purred. “You… naked because of me.”

Ren gasped, realizing how that sounded. She panicked and took another hasty step back to get away from him.

“Stay ba—”

Before she could finish the sentence or land her foot, Vex moved. He was a blur of motion.

In one fluid second, he ripped the heavy red fox fur coat from his shoulders and swung it around her. He grabbed the lapels and pulled tight, yanking her forward until she collided with his body.

Ren froze.

She was wrapped in his scent and pressed hard against him. Her face flushed red at the sudden proximity to his bare, muscular chest.

Vex leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. His hot breath fanned her cheek, sending shivers down her spine.

“Careful,” he whispered. “You almost stepped in the Purple Poison Widow.”

He let go of the coat, stepping away from her smoothly.

Ren blinked, confused. She clutched the coat tightly around herself, savoring the warmth, and looked behind her.

He wasn’t lying.

Directly where her foot had been about to land was a vibrant, sinister-looking plant. It had dark purple leaves and jagged, black thorns that dripped with a clear, viscous liquid.

[System Analysis: Plant Detected. “Purple Poison Widow.” High Toxicity. Contact triggers immediate tissue necrosis and paralysis. Survival Rate without antidote: 0%.]

Ren gulped, her eyes widening. She looked back at Vex, her heart racing. He had just saved her life.

Vex didn’t wait for a thank you. He turned, his tails swaying, and began walking further into the dark forest.

“We need to leave now,” he called back over his shoulder, his tone urgent. “Syris could wake up at any second and notice you are gone.”

Ren sighed, clutching the warm fur coat closer to her body. She looked at his retreating back, then down at the poisonous flower one last time.

“Okay,” she whispered.

She hurried to follow him into the shadows.

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