Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 144: Skinny Dipping?

"Are you okay to stand on your own?" Vex asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Ren nodded, though the movement made her head swim. "I think so."

She carefully slid off his back. Her feet hit the churned-up earth, and her knees immediately buckled. Her legs felt like jelly that had been left out in the sun—wobbly, unstable, and aching with a dull throb.

She grabbed Vex’s arm to stop herself from face-planting into the dirt. The world spun a bit, tilting on its axis, and she swayed dangerously to the left.

"Whoa," Ren breathed, squeezing her eyes shut. She took a deep, shaky breath, waiting for the ground to stop moving.

Vex turned fully, his hands gripping her upper arms to steady her. A rare, genuine look of worry creased his features, replacing his usual mask of amusement.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice low.

Ren opened her eyes and nodded, forcing a weak smile. "I’ll be fine. Just... gravity is a bit aggressive today."

Vex hesitantly removed his hands from her arms. He studied her face critically. She looked terrible. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost translucent in the twilight, yet when he had touched her, she radiated heat like a furnace.

Choo!

Ren sneezed violently. It wasn’t a cute, dainty sneeze; it was a full-body event that rattled her teeth. Her nose instantly turned a bright, irritated red, burning as if she had snorted chili powder.

"Does your throat feel sore?" Vex asked, frowning.

Ren caressed her neck, swallowing tentatively. She winced.

"Yeah," she croaked. "It feels like I swallowed a handful of sandpaper and washed it down with cactus juice."

Vex didn’t hesitate. He shrugged the heavy fur cloak off his shoulders and draped it around her trembling frame.

Without the cloak, Vex was left standing in the cooling night air wearing nothing but a low-slung loincloth. His lean, muscular chest and toned stomach were completely exposed to the elements.

"You have developed a case of the flu," Vex diagnosed, crossing his bare arms over his chest without a shiver. "Your weak mammal body cannot handle the elements."

Ren tugged the warm coat closer, burying her chin in the soft fur that smelled of pine and musk. She glared at him, narrowing her watery eyes.

"Well," she sniffled, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "someone did have me bathing in a cold river and walking around naked in the middle of the night. I wonder who that was?"

Vex shrugged, unbothered by her accusation. "I do it all the time. It is refreshing."

A smirk played on his lips as he leaned in. "You should join me next time. We could share body heat so you don’t get too cold."

Ren’s face betrayed her instantly, flushing a deep scarlet that clashed with her red nose. She scowled at him, pulling the cloak tighter as if it were armor.

"I would never skinny dip with you!" she snapped. "Not a chance in hell!"

Vex blinked. The smirk vanished, replaced by genuine confusion. He rolled the unfamiliar phrase around on his tongue.

"Skinny... dip?" he repeated. "Why would you want to dip your skin? And why does it have to be skinny?"

He looked her up and down, his expression puzzled. "Is it a bathing technique? But to dip only the skin... that sounds painful. And messy. I prefer to submerge my entire body in the water. Why would anyone want to peel off their skin just to dip it? You are very strange."

Ren stared at him. "That is... not what it means."

Choo!

Ren sneezed again, a sharp pain shooting through her temples. She groaned, waving her hand dismissively at him.

"Forget it," she rasped. "Just... let it go."

She slipped her arms through the sleeves of the coat. They were comically long, swallowing her hands completely.

"Why are we standing around?" Ren asked, looking at the desolate ruins of the village. "Is Kael here? Do you smell him?"

Vex frowned. He looked at her trembling form, then at the darkening forest.

"I should have left you at the tree," he muttered. "The night air is only going to worsen the flu."

Ren sniffled loudly, wiping her nose on the oversized sleeve. "I am not leaving without Syris and Kael. I don’t care if I sneeze my lungs out."

Vex sighed. "Maybe they are already at the tree," he suggested smoothly. "We probably missed them."

Ren’s eyes widened with hope. "You think so?"

But then, her eyes narrowed.

"You’ve had no intention of helping me find them, did you?" Ren accused, her voice sharp.

Vex walked over to a blood patch and crouched down.

Ren watched with a grimace as Vex swiped a bit of the crimson liquid from the grass onto his index finger. He studied the viscosity for a second, then, with the casual air of a food critic, he put the finger in his mouth.

He tasted it against his tongue, smacking his lips slightly as if sampling a new dip for a chip.

"Nope," Vex responded to her question, standing up and wiping his hand on his bare thigh.

Ren was furious. "You are disgusting! And you are an asshole! You liar! You said you would help me!"

Vex wasn’t phased in the slightest by the slurs. His orange eyes were busy tracking the scene. He saw a trail of blood—Kael’s blood—heading back into the deep forest. But there was another trail. A messier, more chaotic splatter of blood heading further into the heart of the ruined village.

"Listen," Vex said calmly, cutting off her tirade. "The Snake King would kill me the second he saw me. He is not known for his mercy. Of course I had no intention of helping you find them. I still have a few more years of youth."

"I wouldn’t let him hurt you!" Ren argued, stepping toward him. "I would tell him that you helped me and—"

Slap.

Vex’s hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her immediately.

Ren’s eyes bugged out. She slapped at his hand, muffled protests vibrating against his palm, but he wasn’t letting go. His grip was iron.

"Hush," Vex hissed.

His face had lost all traces of humor. It was deadly serious.

He looked around the quiet, destroyed clearing. To Ren, it was silent. Dead.

But to Vex? It was loud.

His large fox ears twitched, swiveling independently like radar dishes.

He could hear it. He knew the village wasn’t abandoned.

From the shadows of the collapsed huts, he could hear breathing. Slow, terrified, ragged breathing. He could hear the frantic, cowardly hammering of dozens of hearts.

The White Tiger Clan was here. And they were hiding.

"Be quiet," Vex whispered, his eyes darting to the shadows.

Ren yanked his hand away from her mouth. "Don’t tell me to be quiet!" she hissed. "I am trying to—"

She stopped.

She finally noticed the look in his eyes. It was a flicker of genuine alarm.

Vex then suddenly scooped her up into his arms, bridal style.

"We need to get out of here," Vex said urgently. "Now."

He turned on his heel, his muscles tensing to sprint back into the safety of the trees.

But before Vex could take a single step, a smug female voice cut through the silence from behind.

"Leaving without saying hello, Vex?"