Chapter 175: A Glorified Pigeon

Ren sighed, picking up the chopstick he had put down, and retrieving the other one she had dropped.

She tried to continue eating. The curry had cooled down, the steam no longer rising in appetizing wisps, but the flavor was still punchy enough to make her toes curl.

But it was hard to enjoy the meal when a naked Greek statue was burning a hole in the side of her face.

He was still staring. Just… watching her chew?

Ren felt the heat creeping up her neck, spreading across her chest and cheeks. She couldn’t help it.

’He has a serious staring problem,’ Ren thought, trying to focus on a piece of ginger. ’Like, blink, buddy. Please.’

She knew she shouldn’t be flattered. Technically, this was creepy behavior. But she also knew the dark truth of human psychology.

’If he looked like a goblin, I’d be screaming for the police,’ Ren admitted to herself. ’But because he looks like he walked off a runway, I’m just blushing. It’s the ’You’ paradox. If Joe Goldberg was ugly, that show would have ended in episode one. But put a handsome face on a stalker, and suddenly we’re all watching five seasons on Netflix going, “Aww, he really loves her.”’

She shook her head. ’Society is flawed, and I am part of the problem.’

She glanced over at his bark plate.

The rabbit meat was decimated. Not a scrap left. But the mound of fluffy white rice and the gleaming green swamp kale were completely untouched.

Ren’s inner chef—and inner mother—bristled.

“Hey,” Ren said, pointing her chopstick at his plate. “You aren’t done. You have to eat the rest, too.”

He finally blinked, his silver eyes shifting to the vegetables with mild disdain.

“Mix the rice with the gravy,” Ren instructed, demonstrating with her own plate. “It soaks up the flavor. It’s cold now, but it’ll still be tasty. And you have to eat the kale. It’s full of fiber, iron, and… um… antioxidants. It’s good for your feathers and skin.”

He looked at the bark strip. He looked at the green pile of healthy decisions.

Then he looked back at her.

“No,” he said.

His voice was deep, smooth, and utterly deadpan.

Ren gasped. She dropped her chopstick again.

’Did he just say no?’ Ren asked her brain. ’Just… no?’

“Excuse me?” Ren sputtered. “You can’t just eat the meat! That is not a balanced diet! You need carbs! You need roughage! You’ll get scurvy! Or constipation! Do you want to be a constipated eagle? Eat the rest!”

He stared at her blankly.

“No,” he said again.

Ren bit the inside of her cheek. He was impossible. He was like a stubborn teenager refusing to eat his broccoli because it touched the mashed potatoes.

Her eyes widened. ’Wait. Is he a teenager? In bird years? Or beast years?’

She scrutinized his face. He looked young—maybe early twenties in human standards—but definitely not a child. But the attitude? Pure toddler.

“I don’t care what you say,” Ren huffed. “You are eating it.”

She scooted closer to him on the mossy floor. She used her chopsticks to scoop up a perfect bite—a mix of rice, gravy, and a large leaf of kale.

She held it up to his mouth.

“Open up,” Ren commanded. “Say ahhh.”

He didn’t open. He just stared at her with that blank, impassive expression, his lips pressed together in a firm line of defiance.

“Come on,” Ren coaxed. “Just one bite. It’s yummy. It’s—”

FLASH.

The hollow exploded with blinding white light.

“AH!”

Ren shrieked, throwing her hands up to cover her eyes, dropping the chopsticks and the food onto her own bark strip in the process.

“Again?!” she yelled. “My retinas!”

When the light subsided, Ren blinked furiously, trying to clear the dancing white spots from her vision.

The handsome man was gone.

In his place, the Golden Eagle sat on the moss, looking smug.

Ren rubbed her eyes, staring at the blurry bird.

“You…” Ren gasped at the audacity. “You shifted back?! You turned back into a bird just to avoid eating it?!”

The eagle ruffled its feathers. He stood up and walked to the entrance of the hollow. He sat down facing the rain—which had reduced to a light drizzle—turning his feathered back to her completely.

It was the universal gesture for ’Talk to the tail.’

“Oh, absolutely not,” Ren snapped.

She was incensed. She had slaved over that fire. She had cooked a gourmet meal with a rock and a stick. He was going to appreciate it.

Ren snatched up the chopsticks. She picked up a clump of rice and kale from his abandoned plate yet again.

She stood up, naked and furious, and marched over to the bird.

“Turn around!” Ren ordered.

Surprisingly, he did. The eagle turned, his silver eyes locking onto her.

Ren saw his gaze lower immediately. He looked at her breasts, lingered for a second, then looked back up at her face.

“I see you looking!” Ren snapped, ignoring the heat rising in her cheeks. “I am not afraid of you anymore! Do you think turning back into a big bird is going to deter me? I have handled raw turkeys bigger than you!”

She thrust the chopstick toward his beak.

“Eat it!”

The eagle moved his head to the left.

Ren thrust to the left.

The eagle moved his head to the right.

“It is rice!” Ren yelled, lunging forward. “Birds love rice! Pigeons fight over this stuff in the park! What is your deal?!”

He dodged again. He ducked. He weaved. He was like a feathered boxer, bobbing and weaving around the offending vegetable and rice.

Ren was panting.

“Okay,” Ren growled. “That’s it.”

She dropped the chopsticks.

“You want to play hardball? Let’s play.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“You large, glorified pigeon!”

Ren lunged.

She threw her entire body weight forward, tackling the massive bird.

The eagle’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting the naked female to go full WWE on him.

Ren’s arms wrapped around his body. His feathers were incredibly soft and warm, though the outer layer was still slightly damp. She bore him down to the mossy floor, intending to pin him until he agreed to eat his greens and rice.

“Gotcha!” Ren triumphed.

But in the exact motion of taking him down, as her chest pressed against his feathers—

FLASH.

The blinding, golden light erupted again.

But this time, Ren wasn’t a few feet away. She was on top of him.

The light exploded mere inches from her face.

“MY EYES!”

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