Beauty and the Beasts

When Bai Qingqing returned to the stone house, the rich aroma of fish rose from the fish stew bubbling in the pot, immediately whetting her appetite. She crouched down beside the pot and dug in. The small fish was more delicious than a large fish, and it even tasted like prawns.

 Parker’s cooking was improving. Bai Qingqing couldn’t guarantee that she could cook this fish stew better than him. She just felt like something was missing when she ate the side dishes alone. It would’ve been better if she had a nice, fragrant bowl of rice to pair them with.

 Bai Qingqing thought about Cortis the moment she thought about rice, and she suddenly lost her appetite.

 “Splash!”

 Bai Qingqing heard the sound of a heavy object dropping into the water coming from outside, which quickly snapped her out of her thoughts. Parker was still in the middle of a fight!

 Just when she was about to step outside and take a look, a leopard proudly ran into the house.

 Bai Qingqing asked, “Parker, did you win the fight?”

 Parker sneezed and turned his head to look around the house. He then walked over to his animal skin skirt and transformed into a human.

 “Of course. I threw that bear beastman into the river. Was the fish good?” Parker asked as he put on his skirt. His body was covered in bruises, but one could tell that the bear beastman was good at heart as his face was untouched.

 “It was good.” Bai Qingqing winced as she looked at the bruises on Parker’s body. She put down the stone bowl and walked towards him. “I told you not to get in a fight. Do they hurt?”

 Parker paid no attention to the bruises. His nose twitched, then he looked towards the stone bowl and said, “I want to eat fish too.”

 “Here.” Bai Qingqing turned around to get a stone bowl for him, then picked up a few larger fishes with chopsticks and passed them to him. “I’ll help you rub the bruises to move the stagnant blood away.”

 Parker’s ears instantly perked up, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. “It’s okay. Hurry up and eat.”

 “I’m full.” Bai Qingqing sat down beside him and placed her hand on his chest, where he was most badly bruised.

 The corner of Parker’s mouth curved up slightly as he said cheerfully, “And you said you didn’t like me. Other females aren’t even this nice towards their mates.”

 Bai Qingqing harshly rubbed the purplish bruise on Parker’s chest, causing him to suck in a breath. However, he didn’t cry out in pain. Instead, he gripped his bamboo chopsticks tightly before stabbing them into a fish to pick it up. He then ate half of the fish in one bite.

 Bai Qingqing quickly said, “Take your time. Small fishes have a lot of bones.”

 Parker’s warm and fuzzy feelings grew stronger. He listened to her and ate the fish more slowly.

 The food in his mouth was delicious, but all of his attention was on the pair of hands gently touching his body. His heartbeat sped up.

 Bai Qingqing felt that Parker’s heartbeat was powerful as if his body possessed immense strength. His muscles were full and firm and felt incredible beneath the palms of her hands.

 The two of them didn’t say a word to each other, and yet, their hearts were beating rapidly.

 Bai Qingqing quickly rubbed Parker’s abdomen twice before moving on to his waist. She said, “This is nothing. I’d help other people to rub their bruises too. Don’t read too much into it.”

 Alarm bells went off in Parker’s mind as he thought about the bear that he had beaten up so badly that it couldn’t even walk. I cannot let Qingqing see that bear!

 “Why aren’t you talking?” Bai Qingqing looked up at him.

 Parker quickly wolfed down his fish and said resolutely, “You definitely like me.”

 “I’m not going to bother with you.” Feeling sheepish at Parker’s words, Bai Qingqing forcefully rubbed every single bruise on his body before picking up the clothes Cortis left behind and walking into the bedroom.

 Parker’s looks and muscular figure were too lethal for Bai Qingqing. Any female from any world would find it hard to control themselves around them. If she hadn’t already mated with Cortis, she wouldn’t have the heart to reject a handsome man who liked her so much.