Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 119: Do Not Panic!

Ren frowned deeply as she looked down at herself.

The leopard hide dress was, objectively speaking, cute. It hugged her curves in all the right places, accentuating a waistline she didn’t even know she had. But it was short. It barely grazed her mid-thighs, threatening a wardrobe malfunction with every breeze. And the neckline? It was a plunging canyon held together by strings and a prayer, showing quite a bit of her cleavage.

Strangely enough, the hide itself was warm and comfortable against her torso. But her exposed arms and legs were still shivering, riddled with goosebumps from the biting air.

’Of course,’ Ren thought bitterly. ’I should have known it would be like this. It was chosen by that perverted fox after all.’

She looked up at Vex. His back was still turned to her, giving her a moment of reprieve. Her gaze focused on his three fluffy orange tails, swishing gently from side to side like hypnotic pendulums.

She glanced down at the strap of her dress, where the taxidermied head of a small fox stared back at her with glass eyes. She recalled Vex’s massive red fur coat.

Her brows furrowed.

"Hey," Ren asked, her voice echoing in the clutter. "Isn’t it... cannibalism to wear the fur of your own kind? Or at least, really morbid?"

Vex turned around slowly, a smirk playing on his lips. His eyes traveled her body from her bare toes up to her exposed thighs, lingering on the hem of the dress.

"I’m a fox," he replied simply.

Ren rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. "That explains absolutely nothing."

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to shield herself from the cold. However, the action inadvertently squeezed her breasts together, pushing them up and turning the plunging neckline into a dangerous display of cleavage.

Vex’s eyes dropped immediately. He stared. He didn’t even try to hide it.

Ren followed his intense gaze down to her own chest.

"Eyes up here, buddy," she snapped, quickly uncrossing her arms. A slight blush dusted her cheeks.

Vex averted his gaze—for about a millisecond—before meeting her eyes again. His expression shifted into one of sudden, sharp concern.

"Hold on," he said, stepping closer. "I think I saw a flea on your dress."

Ren froze.

"A flea?" she squeaked.

She immediately started swatting at her thighs and the bodice of the dress. "Where? Is it gone? Get it off!"

In her world, a flea was annoying. In the Beast World, where frogs were the size of Mini Coopers, Ren assumed a flea could probably drain a human of blood in three seconds or transmit a plague that turned her skin green.

"Can you still see it?" she panicked, spinning in a circle.

Vex stepped into her personal space, his eyes drifting to her cleavage yet again.

"I need to look closer," he murmured seriously. "They are tricky. It might be hiding."

He bent forward, dipping his head until his face was inches from her chest. Ren could feel his hot breath fanning over her sensitive skin. Her face turned a brilliant shade of crimson at having a man’s face right in her cleavage, but fear overrode her embarrassment.

"Do you see it?" Ren stuttered, trembling. "Please tell me you see it."

"Stay still," Vex commanded, his voice grave. "Do not panic. But... there are two of them."

Ren’s breath hitched in her throat. Two? Two parasitic monsters hiding in her dress?

She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists by her sides as she tried to control her breathing. She imagined giant, mutated bugs burrowing into her skin.

"Please," she whimpered, turning her head away. "Please kill them."

Vex breathed out, a sound that was like a man savoring a meal.

"With pleasure."

Ren braced herself for a slap or a flick.

Instead, she felt two warm hands.

Vex reached out and pinched both of her nipples between his index fingers and thumbs. They were already hard and prominent through the thin hide due to the freezing cold, making them easy targets.

"Eeek!"

A squeal of pure surprise ripped from Ren’s throat. It was high-pitched, shocked, and mixed with a traitorous, undeniable hint of pleasure that shot straight to her groin.

Ren’s eyes shot open.

Smack.

Her hand flew out instinctively, slapping Vex across the face with a resounding crack.

"You lying, perverted asshole!" Ren screamed, covering her chest with both hands. Her face was burning with a mixture of embarrassment and rage.

Vex wasn’t phased by the slap. He didn’t even flinch. As a matter of fact, as he straightened up, rubbing his cheek, he looked thoroughly satisfied. A smug, cat-got-the-cream grin was plastered on his face.

"My mistake," he said, feigning innocence, though his eyes danced with amusement. "I mistook them for fleas under the dress. They were just so... perky."

"I hate you," Ren seethed. "I hate you so much. I just want to cure my tiger and go home to my husbands. I have never met such a perverted, horny person in my entire life! And I am married to a snake with two dicks!"

Vex chuckled. "High praise."

"I want to see Kael," Ren demanded, stomping her foot. "Right now. You said he would wake up any minute! Why are you wasting time harassing me?"

Vex waved his hand dismissively. "I said any minute, not the next minute. He has a few more minutes before the poison wears off completely."

Ren rolled her eyes at his twisted logic. "You are insufferable. I came here to cure my tiger, nothing more, nothing less."

For a moment, Vex just stared at her. The humor faded slightly, replaced by an unreadable expression as he studied her determined face.

Then, he sighed.

"Fine. Come with me."

He turned and began navigating the maze of junk. Ren followed him, stepping over piles of furs and dodging hanging herbs until they reached an opening—a doorway cut into the far side of the massive trunk.

She stepped out onto a narrow wooden hanging bridge that swayed precariously in the wind. Ren gripped the rope railings tightly, following Vex until they reached the end of the platform.

There were no stairs. There was just a long, thick vine that extended all the way to the dark ground below.

The air was frigid here, away from the shelter of the den walls. Ren’s teeth began chattering again, and she rubbed her bare arms vigorously.

"Are we..." Ren looked at the vine, then at Vex. "Are we supposed to climb down that?"

She opened her mouth to ask for instructions.

Swoosh.

Without a word of warning, Vex wrapped his strong arm around her waist.

"AH!"

He lifted her easily into his embrace, stepped off the ledge, and grabbed the vine with his free hand.

Ren let out a squeal of terror as her stomach dropped.

They were falling—no, gliding. Vex slid down the thick vine with practiced ease, the friction hissing against his palm.

The cold wind swished around them, whistling in Ren’s ears and whipping her hair into a frenzy. Instinct took over. Ren buried her face in the warmth of his neck, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

He smelled of pine and musk, and he was so incredibly warm.

Vex’s feet touched the ground softly.

Ren stayed clinging to him for a second longer than necessary, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Then, realizing what she was doing, she reluctantly peeled herself away from his warmth.

She stepped back, creating some distance between them on shaky legs.

"You could have given me a warning first!" Ren frowned, trying to smooth down her wind-blown hair and dress. "I almost had a heart attack!"

Vex chuckled, adjusting his grip on the vine before letting it swing loose. He turned toward the base of the massive roots.

"You freak out too much, Little Rose," he said over his shoulder. "If I gave you the opportunity to panic, we’d never get down tonight."

Ren scoffed in offense.

"I do not freak out!" she argued, marching after him into the shadows. "I exercise caution! There is a difference! And for the record, your safety standards are nonexistent!"