Arc 3: A city where 4 clans reside in peace.

Warning: sexual content, hinting at harrasment, mental health issues.

Before Ash could even curse at herself, she was grabbed by the waist and pushed flat on the ground. She was shocked by the blood tinted pupils that had shrunk into vertical slits of a reptile. 

“Be with me...” His usually breezy voice sounded hoarse. 

Ash didn't like the change. 'No!' She wanted to declare, keeping loyal to her confident persona. But the emotions swirling in his eyes seemed to paralize her. There was nothing to fear, he wasn't even moving- not yet at least, but the more she saw those eyes the number her limbs went. 

Brown eyes... deep dark brown eyes... filled with the greed unique to a man. 

Disgusted... she was so so disgusted... at him for showing it to her... at herself for... 

But rocking... it felt like he was rocking. 

Up or down- back or forth. 

She couldn't recon.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. 

His caramel brown skin- short brown hair- his appearance akin to skin and bones-

Her mind travelled in and out of consiousness as the image of Jonas overlapped with the red-head entangling himself around her. Shaking herself barely out of the dilemma, Ash tried to push at his chest. 

“What’re you talking about?!” 

Caden.

He wasn't Jonas. 

He didn't know her as someone who used to be very timid. 

She wanted to believe confident that she could still act defiant here and waved her hand as if trying to wipe him away.

But both her wrists got captured by Caden and pinned above her head. 

He’s so much stronger than Luca, it’s impossible to move him by force!  

His other hand moved inside her shirt, roaming along the curves of her waist and back. He was softly panting; eyes drunk in passion concealing the coldness he was born with.

Maybe because even when intoxicated, Luca was gentle and considerate- or maybe it was her biased fondness of the feline species that she had no issue dealing with him that night. But the stony gaze of the man over her terrified her. He was still waiting for her verbal consent- yet she felt trapped. 

No, she WAS trapped. 

Besides the fear of one wrong move potentially taking her life, she seemed to float in a strange trance the longer she stared into that gaze.

The conflict over her own emotions made Ash blurt out what she was most concerned of, “Don’t, Kitten... my kitten-” She might’ve wanted to remind him that she was waiting for someone, but that turned his eyes a whole level darker. After all, he wasn’t a rational man, heck he wasn’t even human. 

So in response, his claws started tearing her clothes in numerous places as he sneered in a low-sinister voice, “YOU can be MINE.” -emphasizing each prounoun as if it was her only option.

Whoa-whoa, I get it! Wrong choice of words. 

Seconds ago, she was scared. Expectedly, she should continue to be so. But the raw need acting as a nuace to his now low voice was stiring a part of her she really needn't the use of here. 

So while she was in a daze, Caden pressed down harder and licked at her cold sweat. 

”Eh?...Sweet.” 

Instantly, her thoughts and conscince tangled in a coil. She knew struggling won’t work but- his waist is rubbing, rubbing cold, and wet, like a damn Popsicle... wait. Why does it feel... Ash double checked. Turned out, she’s forgotten a rarely mentioned but major detail of the novel.  

Caden had them in duplex.

Now that she was most parts panicked, she pleaded, “What about Bai? She’s the one you chose. I rejected you!”

Caden’s expression seemed a little hurt as he stroked her face, “You seemed to know so much about me... tch. I want you. Let in. Say you want it too; before I forcibly bind us.” 

She knew he had the means to do so. She already played the ‘QingQing’ card. If he still insists, it was over for her. 

No he wasn't the short haired brown eyed bengal guy who once stripped her off her self esteem, but blood still rushed to her ears with loud ‘thump-thump’s as she watched his face get closer, “Cade... please... she's my famil-mm.” She tasted metal as his fangs hooked into her flesh. His forked tongue slurped below her flat one, where most of her saliva should be. Now that she was actually concentrated, he seemed to have a unique minty-humid scent. It felt rather refreshing, like a cold serving of ‘Mojito’ in the middle of a hot summer day.

Caden was born with the nature to do what he wants. He has always followed his will even with Snow. But Honey’s blunt rejection stirred him. She always gave off an aura that says, ‘Force me. I dare you.’ which, surprisingly, made him want to earn her approval. With only his strength, he could very well force her into anything, but relentlessly pestering until she agrees out of annoyance was more fun. Her continuous show of unmoving courage enticed him to subjugate her. 

He failed to realize, he was the one slowly getting wrapped until she suddenly kissed him.

He understood that she has sensed his discomfort and came to help. It made him feel cherished. At first, he really focused on getting rid of the flame spreading throughout his body. But when that died down and he tasted the small flesh probing around, he became irresistibly infatuated with it. The temperature of a female mouth, which was high yet didn’t burn, was like a strong aphrodisiac for a cold blooded snake such as him. Mixed with her honey like sweetness was a certain sort of spiciness that he’d never be able to taste in food. If he was a human, he might have named it cinnamon. And it stole his self-control. 

His kiss became increasingly fervent as he tangled himself with her hot little tongue, unintended to leave her any place to hide in. 

She was fumbling and mumbling incessantly, but he couldn't focus on it. The only thing that ruled his mind was a need he had always mocked his kin for succumbing to. Yet he himself- 

all of a sudden, she arched her small back, pushing her mouth and body more onto his on reflex.

Is she enjoying this too? Does she like me back now? 

For a moment, his breathing stopped. Then he came down with double the force and sucked on her little mouth fiercely. 

However, a tiny yet sweet voice rang in his ears, a recent memory he realized, saying: “When I go into heat, I’ll try to consider you. Even though you’re a little forceful, I like how you dote on me.” It was QingQing’s promise. He started to feel too confused about himself and released Ash, sitting up straight. 

A pair of dark resentment and confused eyes stared up at him.

"Mm... How good you are..."

He couldn’t resist kissing the lids of her reddened eyes once, before retreating far into the woods to collect his thoughts.

Ash panted vigorously like a fish away from water, her heart threatening to shut down. 

A flushed QingQing rushed to her side, covering her cheeks with own palms. 

“Jiejie? Are... are you... ok?” 

Letting her heart slowly stabilize, Ash tried a grin. “Dandy. I’ve been through worse.”

QingQing didn't understand what Ash meant. Her wrists were bruised, mouth was bleeding. He even extracted claws. She was too concerned to dwell on some words that sounded too fake. "Are you hurt anywhere else?” 

“Aren't you... ypu're not... disgusted by me?" 

Albeit, her jiejie's priorities laid elsewere. 

A: "I kissed your boyfriend right in front of you.” 

Q: "B-Boyfriend?!"

A: "Please don't try to act coy 'now'. I can tell you've started to warm up to him."

Q: “No! That... I know what you did. It was my fault feeding him spice. I just... I wanted to test how far he indulges me." 

Disgust? Wasn’t ‘the family’ herself Ash mentioned even when he was hurting her? 

Q: "Blame the snake if you want to blame someone.” 

Pulling an unstitched animal hide from the drying rope, she wrapped the older girl and pressed their temples together. 

Ash let out a deep sigh and leaned into the coddle. After her breaths finally stabelized, she took a look around. 

A: “Where’s Zayn and Muhr? They ate?” 

QIngQing couldn't believe her ears. 

Q: “Still worried about pesky males who wants no good of you?" 

A: "Hey, don't-"

Q: "None of them came to help you against Caden! How can I not get mad?"

A: "Baby, you didn't either."

Silence slipped into the expression of the turbulent teen.

A: "No need to get worked up. I know how afraid is of the snake, I blame none."

What else could she do? 

Q: "I... w-when Caden said he wants to... you know, with ‘you’ not me, Zayn went overflowing with joy, took their bowls and dragged Muhr away. I was a bit stuck on spot. I... something is strange.” 

A: “Caden suddenly tossing you away and pouncing on me or suddenly stopping everything and running away?”

Q: “Not that. Though you asked me to tell you everything, there’s an incident I was too ashamed to share. He... he kissed me by the riverbank when we went to search for pears the other day. He even said I was pleasant like snow and asked me to mate with. Recalling the look in his eyes, if not for some giant birds making a commotion, I might've been done for then and there."

Ash instantly knew- the commotion-culprit definitely was a certain three-stripped eagle. 

"Could it be... that made him give up on me so he came onto you, I’d understand. But he kissed me even while picking bamboos today. Beastmen seem so loyal to love, is it because he’s a feral and is yet to mate that he’s testing both of us out? Does he have other females too?”

Ash detected a faint hint of jelousy in the younger female's voice and chose to ignore it. It was not the time, nor the place to mention such. 

“That’s unlikely. He got 2 females full-time around him. He could be feeling conflicted? ...No. That sounds nonsense.” 

But QingQing found sense in it. 

“It might be part true. Have you seen how he treats other girls? It’s only us with whom his behavior is gentle and indulgent. But not only me or only you.” 

Meanwhile, the only thing Ash found was a cause to bury what happened just now with profound sarcasm. 

“Has he become so pent up waiting, that he’s aiming for every hole? After all, he’s over 40.” 

Hole? What in the- but wait-

Q: “He’s what? He seems barely 25!” 

A: “Have you seen the thing he brought our Ell with? Eating those crystals prolongs beastpeople's lifespan and keeps them youthful.” 

Bewildered, the poor Chinese forgot- “What is this? A fantasy world?" -but only for a moment. "Ah... scratch that. He can’t have two of us! He even gifted his scale and hair as a pair!” The scales that were tied to their neck with a strand of Caden’s hair. "I have no idea where he's going with this."

A: “Dunno. I’m busy feeling like a whore.” 

Q: “Why’d you think like that?!” 

A: “Give me one reason why I shouldn't. I had my sweet time with the intoxicated Luca, I spent the day fawning over a goddamn stalker, I’m also waiting for my Kitten, then I..I kinda... Caden-He is... he's a good kisser...” 

With each word Ash spoke, QingQing's bewiderment only rose to heights. 

Q: “So... you do admit doing something with the doctor?" 

A: "Ah... no, that not the poi-" 

Q: "Uh-hah! Because Muhr is hansome enough I'll pardon the fawning, but kitten? Is that your mysterious lover? A cat boy?” 

Sheepish, Ash chose the safer topic. 

“Erm... a white tiger actually. He’s a giant softie.”

Thankfully, QingQing responded in kind, “He must be very cute for you to call him Kitten.” 

“O you have no idea.”

Now she was more curious to see him. But before, she had something to confess.

Moving herself away to a safe distance, she too was sheepish,

"The thing with Caden just now; I-  Ahem. I-I admit, this is all a mess. but... remember, the 'strange' thing I mentioned earlier? It's just that... I don’t feel anything's weird. I mean, at first I thought that maybe I don’t like him romantically yet. So I feel okay when he does this and that with you. But I don’t like Zayn that way either, yet Rose's affection for him made me uneasy. So does the thought of Caden with other females. But... if it's you... It’s only you... If you're calling yourself names for enjoying this, what am I... I-uh...” 

Skeptical, Ash asked with caution: “You... Did you enjoy watching us kiss?” 

"I mean, it was a- a... sight. Like watching a drama, you know? Ah... haha..." 

Both girls went silent, staring at anything but themselves for over an hour. It was way too awkward. 

But until when?

A: “Umm... Bai? I think there's 2 holes drilled in my tongue. Can you pass me his spiceless bowl? The remaining raw meat should be enough for him. Just make sure he skins it first. I want to match dress with my Kitten.” 

Q: “Hey! You still caring for that two-faced snake? You’re too kind for your own good! Sigh... Muhr took the skin to prepare it in return of the meal.” 

A: “But I made him the meal in return of his help.” 

Q: “He was mumbling something about how witnessing miracles should be enough payment... Forget that. I’ll heat everything up again. After we eat let me wash you. If you try to act cool again, I’ll kick your a**!” 

A: “Haha, ok. And, Bai? um...Thank you.” 

Q: “Huh? It’s nothing, hehe...” 

At the end hunger won over everything.