Chapter 159: Soap Sommelier

“Ah, ah, ah,” Ren wagged a wet finger at him, cutting him off before he could speak again. “Remember the promise. No questions.”

Vex’s mouth snapped shut, but his orange eyes were vibrating with curiosity.

“It is… sort of magic,” Ren admitted, lowering her hand. “I have a magical space. A void where I can store stuff. That’s all you get to know. And that’s all I know”

Vex looked at the bar of purple soap in her hand, then back at Ren, then at the bar of soap yet again.

His mind began to race.

He had traveled across most of the Beast World before settling in this forest. He had met other shamans who could somewhat manipulate the natural elements, turtles who could read the stars, and birds who could mimic the voices of the dead. But he had never heard of magic like this.

’She is special,’ Vex thought, a grin spreading across his face that was equal parts admiration and avarice. ’I was right about her. I am definitely not letting her go now.’

And then, the gears in his criminal mind began to turn.

If she could hide things in a dimension that no one else could access…

Vex’s imagination took flight. He pictured himself sneaking into the Snake King’s hoard, swiping the rarest jewels, and tossing them to Ren. She would pop them into her void. The guards would search them. “Nothing here, you scaly bastards!” No evidence. No trail.

’We would be unstoppable,’ Vex realized, his eyes glazing over with euphoria. ’We could steal the fur off a sleeping bear and he wouldn’t know until winter. We could be a power couple of crime!’

He was lost in a beautiful daydream involving a heist of the Golden Eagle Clan’s golden feathers.

Ren furrowed her brows as she stared at his euphoric face. He was looking right over her head, his eyes glazed with visions of grand larceny.

Ren wondered if his brain had short-circuited.

“Hello?” Ren called out, waving her free hand in front of his face. “Earth to Vex?”

Vex blinked, snapping back to reality. The manic gleam in his eyes didn’t fade; it just focused entirely on her.

A slow, mischievous grin spread across his face.

He reached out, his long fingers brushing against her warm, wet palm as he plucked the purple bar of soap from her hand.

“Little Rose,” he purred, clutching the soap like a precious gem. “I can help you regain your memories. I know a remedy. It involves a lot of ingredients that are difficult to get, but for you? I will get them and brew it.”

Ren rolled her eyes, sinking a little lower in the water.

“Let me guess,” she muttered. “It would come at a cost.”

“Of course,” Vex winked.

“Pass,” Ren said flatly. “I have no interest in getting my memories back. I’m fine with the ones I have now.”

She shrugged, splashing a little water. “Well, I mean… I’ve made new memories here. Mostly bad ones, but there were some good ones too. Like actually cooking in the wild and the few sweet moments with Kael and Syris.”

Vex brought the soap to his nose, inhaling deeply. “And I’m sure the best memories are the ones with me.”

“You?” Ren scoffed. “My memories with you are the worst ones. You are the reason I’m sick!”

Vex chuckled, feigning hurt. “You wound me, Little Rose.”

He looked at the soap. “This smells different from the pink one. It is purple.”

“It’s lavender,” Ren explained. “It’s supposed to be relaxing.”

Vex studied it with the intensity of a jeweler examining a diamond. Then, without warning, he stuck his tongue out.

Lick.

Ren’s eyes bulged.

Vex ran his tongue slowly up the flat side of the soap bar.

“What are you doing?!” Ren gasped.

Vex pulled the soap away, smacking his lips thoughtfully.

’Hmm,’ Vex analyzed in his thoughts. ’Texture is waxy. Taste is… bitter. Chemical composition is similar to the pink bar. But the floral notes are distinct. The taste is almost completely identical.’

He looked delighted.

Ren stared at him in horror. She remembered tasting soap once as a curious child. It had been a mistake she regretted instantly—a sharp, acrid taste that lingered for hours.

But Vex? He looked like he had just sampled a fine truffle. He looked intrigued, blissful even.

’Does… does it taste good?

’ Ren dared to wonder. ’Does magical soap taste different? Is it actually kind of…good?’

She shook her head violently to get rid of the ridiculous thought.

“Ow,” she groaned, clutching her temples. The sudden movement triggered the headache that had been lurking behind her eyes.

Vex was like a toddler with a new toy. He dug his sharp fingernail into the soft purple bar, gouged out a small clump, and popped it into his mouth.

He chewed. He actually chewed.

“Do you have to taste everything?” Ren asked, watching him swallow.

“Yes,” Vex replied simply.

He waded closer to her, the water rippling around his chest.

“Everything is best understood through taste,” Vex explained, his voice dropping to a low, husky register. “Sight can be deceived. Smell can be masked. But taste? The taste reveals the true nature of a thing.”

He took another step.

Ren instinctively backed away. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, echoing the rhythm of the dripping stalactites.

Her back hit the smooth, wet limestone wall. There was nowhere left to go.

The warm water lapped just above the swell of her chest. The steam from the spring mixed with the heat radiating off Vex’s body, making the air thick and dizzying.

He was close now. Too close.

Vex placed a hand on the wall beside her head, boxing her in. His wet, orange hair dripped water onto her shoulder. His eyes were dark, and focused entirely on her face.

He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

“How about I taste you?” Vex whispered, his breath hot against her wet skin. “And you taste me? That way… we can understand each other better.”

Ren stopped breathing. Her brain short-circuited.

Vex pulled back slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes. Then, he leaned forward and dragged his tongue slowly up her flushed, wet cheek.

Ren shuddered.

Vex pulled back, his lips curved into a seductive, predatory smirk.

“You taste like lust,” he murmured.

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