Chapter 193: Sleeping Beauty and the Little Monster

Ren left Viper to bound the unconscious pig with some sturdy vines and forced her way through the thick and itchy bushes into the hollow of the massive tree.

The air inside was cool and smelled faintly of earth and dried herbs. Lying on a makeshift bed of furs were the two most important men in her life.

Ren stooped by Syris’ side first.

The Snake King, usually the epitome of pristine, untouchable elegance, looked like he had gone twelve rounds with a blender. His snakeskin robe was tattered and stained. His pale, pearly skin was marred by dark bruises and dried blood.

“Oh, Syris,” Ren whispered, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest.

It was the first time she had ever seen him look… imperfect. He was always so composed, so terrifyingly beautiful. Seeing him vulnerable, with his defenses down and his body broken, made guilt crash over her like a tidal wave.

’This is my fault,’ Ren thought, her hand trembling as she reached out. ’If I hadn’t run off… if I hadn’t lied to him…’

She gently caressed his hair. Even in this state, slick with sweat and grime, it was silky smooth. Like high-quality satin.

“How does he use zero conditioner and still have hair better than a L’Oreal model?” Ren sniffled, distracting herself with jealousy for a second before the guilt returned.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered to his sleeping face. “I shouldn’t have lied. Please don’t hate me when you wake up. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

She solidified her plan.

’I will cook,’ Ren decided firmly. ’I will make the most delicious, high-cholesterol, comfort food this world has ever seen. Good food amplifies a heartfelt apology by at least 50%.’

She stood up just as Viper rushed in. He dropped to his knees beside his King, immediately starting to fret.

“My King,” Viper hissed softly.

Syris didn’t stir. His wounds were closing, but agonizingly slowly. Reptilian beastmen, unfortunately, did not heal as fast as mammal beastmen.

Ren turned her attention to Kael.

The White Tiger King was sprawled out on the other side of the hollow. Unlike Syris, his breathing was deep, calm, and rhythmic. He didn’t look like he was in pain. He just looked… filthy.

“Wow,” Ren whispered.

Kael was covered in so much dirt he looked like a chocolate-dipped tiger. His majestic white hair was now a sad, pale brown.

Ren narrowed her eyes into accusatory slits, looking back at Viper.

’That snake definitely dragged him all the way here,’ Ren thought viciously. ’Syris is bruised but clean. Kael looks like he was used as a plow.’

’Less pork chop for you, snake,’ Ren mentally noted.

She turned back to Kael, her gaze softening as she scanned his strong, bulky body for injuries.

“Okay, triage nurse Ren reporting for duty,” she whispered.

She placed her hand on his large pectoral muscle. A slight flush rose to her muddy cheeks. Even relaxed in sleep, the muscle was hard as a rock under her palm. She could feel the steady, powerful thrum of his heart beating against her hand.

“Heartbeat: check,” Ren mumbled.

Her hand slid down slowly. Over his ribs. Down to his stomach.

“Checking for internal bleeding,” Ren justified to the empty air.

She rubbed her muddy hands all over his chest, feeling the ridges of his eight-pack abs. He was ridiculously muscular. He was built like a Greek statue that had been brought to life and fed purely on protein shakes and aggression.

Then, her eyes fell lower.

To his waist.

His loincloth, which had somehow survived the battle, was holding on for dear life. It was tattered, torn, and sitting askew.

And it was revealing…a lot.

A significant section of his member was exposed through a rip in the fabric.

Ren’s face heated up so fast she felt like steam might shoot out of her ears.

“Oh my,” Ren gulped.

She looked at his handsome, sleeping face. Then she looked back down at the exposed appendage.

It was… massive.

She reached out with trembling fingers, intending to pull the fabric over it to preserve his modesty (and her sanity).

“Just… cover it up…”

She tugged the cloth. It didn’t move. It was pulled tight against his thigh.

“It’s hard,” Ren whispered, tugging again.

She froze.

“I mean… difficult,” Ren corrected herself loudly, her face turning atomic red. “The task is difficult! Not the… other thing!”

She fanned herself with a muddy hand, muttering, “Focus Ren, focus.”

“He is a size XL wearing a size M,” Ren diagnosed breathlessly.

She bit her bottom lip, staring at it.

Her mind, traitor that it was, immediately went to the gutter.

’How did I handle that?’ Ren wondered, sweating. ’I mean, really handle it if he’s not being gentle?’

She shuddered.

’If he goes “Beast Mode” on me without something like that aphrodisiac Vex gave us, I will split in half like a wishbone.’

She shook her head violently, slapping her own cheeks.

’Stop it, Ren! Your husbands are half-dead and you are thinking about sex?! Focus!’

As she tried one last time to adjust the fabric, Kael shifted in his sleep. His legs fell open wider.

The loincloth gave up the ghost.

Ren stared.

She felt the prickle of a nosebleed.

’I can’t,’ Ren thought helplessly. ’I just can’t. No matter how many times I see them naked, I can’t get used to it. It’s like staring at the sun.’

Ren took a breath.

She poked Kael’s dirty cheek.

“You’re only sleeping now, aren’t you?” Ren whispered.

Syris was out cold—Viper was practically marinating him in herbs and he hadn’t twitched—but Kael’s breathing was different. It was lighter.

“Wake up, Kael,” Ren whispered, leaning in close. “Wake up, wake up.”

She frowned, putting her face inches from his, squinting.

’Guess he really is tired,’ Ren thought.

A sudden thought hit her. ’I should go clean up. I look like a pirate on Davey Jones’ crew.’

She started to pull back.

At that exact moment, Kael’s eyes snapped open.

His vision was hazy. His instincts were sharp.

What he saw was not his loving mate. What he saw was a creature with wild, tangled hair full of leaves, a face completely caked in brown mud, and wide, manic eyes staring into his soul from two inches away.

“AHHH!”

Kael screamed. It was a genuine, high-pitched scream of terror.

“WAHH!”

Ren screamed back, startled by his scream. She scrambled backward, tripped over her own feet, and landed hard on her butt.

Kael shot up into a sitting position, his claws extending, ready to fight the little monster.

He blinked.

“Ren?” Kael rasped, his voice thick with sleep and adrenaline.

He lowered his claws, confused.

Ren sat on the floor, her lip trembling.

“You screamed,” she accused, her voice wobbling.

“I…” Kael rubbed his eyes. “I was surprised. There was a… strange face. In my face.”

“It was my face!” Ren wailed.

She covered her muddy face with her hands.

“I know I look like a compost heap!” Ren cried through her fingers. “But you didn’t have to scream like you saw a ghost! I’m only a bit dirty!”

Kael’s expression softened instantly.

He reached out, gently pulling her hands away from her face.

“I wasn’t screaming because you are ugly,” Kael soothed her, his voice dropping to that low, rumbling purr that made her toes curl. “I was just surprised is all.”

He looked at her. Really looked at her.

She was covered in mud. She smelled like a pig? And her hair was a wild red mess of leaves and twigs.

And she was the best thing he had ever seen.

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss into the center of her dirty palm.

“Ren,” Kael said, flashing a boyish, lopsided smile that cut through the dirt on his own face. “Even covered in mud, you are the most beautiful female in the world.”

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