"Yaya, are you alright?" Nivi’s hands hovered over me for a second before she grabbed my arm. The concern in her voice made my chest ache.
"I’m fine."
Nivi’s gaze swept over me, her brows knitting together. "You’re covered in blood."
"It’s not mine." The lie came easily.
Silence stretched between us. Nivi didn’t need to speak. I could read every question on her face.
"Kurus will only suffer with me," I said, my voice softer now. I reached out, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I know you want him, and I have no intention of fighting you for him."
"How do you know that?" Her eyes darted away from mine in panic.
"It’s easy to tell." I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips.
"Is it?"
"Well, yes." I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice, "How could I not when you practically eye-fuck him every time we stop for a rest?"
"Are you sure?" she squeaked, her eyes darting toward the campfire where Kurus sat, slowly recovering from the drug.
"Absolutely sure." I watched her throat work as she swallowed.
"Okay." Nivi’s gaze drifted back to Kurus, lingering a moment too long before returning to me. "You still carry that grand distaste for men, even for the eye-candy specimens like him?"
I let out a soft sigh, letting my ears droop in what I hoped was a convincingly pathetic display. "Even for him."
Nivi sighed, "Just promise me, Yaya. Once I accept a mate, you’ll shelve your reign of terror no matter how much it seems like I’m struggling. I will deal with them myself, alright? They are not cut out for the horror show like the one you’ve unleashed on my cheating ex," she urged, her tone mixing seriousness with a plea, "The males in this world are different."
I paused for a second, not refuting her words, "I promise."
Nivi smiled at me, the kind of smile that I could never say no to. "Thank you, Yaya."
"You’re welcome," I replied.
Discreetly slipping away, I found a tree to lean against.
I held up a vial with Kurus’s blood, which should be enough to neutralize the poison he had inflicted on my lips with his fangs.
Tossing the vial into the grass, I pulled out a mirror and looked at my disheveled state. Even if I managed to evade death at the hands of a feral beast, the looming threat of infection still hung over me like a dark cloud.
’Why am I doing this?’
I kicked the vial further away.
’Why the hell am I chasing danger when I should be kicking back, enjoying my new life like Nivi?’
I buried my face in my knees, pulling them tight against me, while my feet tapped an anxious rhythm on the ground.
’Look at the disaster you’ve turned your kid into, you absolute asshole.’
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"Keep an eye out for any sign of Yaya waking up. If you spot anything, stop what you’re doing and back off right away. Seriously, it’s super important for your safety. I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to you."
I stirred slightly, catching on Nivi’s familiar voice.
"Yaya has everything one could desire. Looks, intelligence, grace, wealth. Yet, when it comes to attracting males, well.... Imagine her as a poisonous, no... a carnivorous plant! Yes, a carnivorous and poisonous plant that sees most males as nothing but flies. Yet, ironically, the flies continue to swarm towards her."
I kept my eyes closed.
The person Nivi spoke with murmured a response, the sound blending with the medical smell of crushed herbs he was mixing, "How could anyone inflict so much harm to a female? Those bite marks... they looked like a cold blooded beastman caused them."
I grasped the hand approaching my face, aware that the person had no intention to harm me. With Nivi’s calming presence as a buffer, my response was alert yet devoid of aggression.
I opened my eyes, enchanting them with the sight of a man whose beauty was almost ethereal. His blond hair, luminous, fell gracefully to his shoulders, softening his features further. Adding to his unique appearance, feather accessories blended seamlessly with his blond hair.
An angel.
I couldn’t help but think.
"Yaya! Get your hands off Hale," Nivi growled, her voice dripping with menace as she stared me down.
"I shall comply, My Queen," I chuckled, playfully baring my canine teeth at Hale which caused him to jump slightly in fright before I released his wrist.
Nivi immediately grabbed Hale’s hand, blowing at it softly as if it could take the non-existent pain I inflicted away.
The owl beastman blushed furiously, which prompted her to get on her tiptoes and kiss his cheek teasingly.
’My girl is becoming so open and possessive, huh?’
So this was the healer Hale no females wanted but the heroine?
’I see. I see.’
"He is my mate now," Nivi declared, gesturing towards the owl mark located around her collarbone as she directed her new hubby out of the spacious room, "Please wait for me in the bedroom until I get back. I fear if you stay with me, those two might corrupt you."