Pitch-black night sky. Autumn wind sharp as blades. A shortsword slapping against calves. Durant’s mocking laughter, full of holes.
The Elf’s voice grew hoarse from shouting, but the carriage door remained sealed shut. Durant’s laughter died as he leaped up, swinging his rusted shortsword straight at Fro’s groin. Suddenly, a blinding blue light enveloped Fro. The blade struck steel and ricocheted away. The sleeping bag binding the Elf vanished without a trace. Clad head-to-toe in armor, he collapsed to the ground.
Durant twisted his head. There stood the silver-haired maiden who had stepped down from the carriage. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Sweat glistened on her skin. In this moonless, freezing autumn night, her damp flesh seemed to glow with a soft, alluring light—enough to make anyone feel as if they’d been plunged into the throes of spring.
His four-part mouth split into a grotesque, wide grin.
“So the vicious woman finally shows herself,” he cackled, eyeing the silver-haired maiden with venom. “What now? Who told you to disobey me? Regretting it?”
“Your wife and three sons, two daughters—they’re faring well in Nophia’s outskirts, aren’t they?” Though Aelina’s face held that bewitching flush and her voice remained soft, her words froze Durant’s smile. “I should pay them a visit soon. Extend my… greetings.”
“How… how did you know?!”
“Your apes’ ‘secret code’? A joke. I cracked it with one glance.” Aelina’s tone stayed gentle. “I know you wrote in that code to someone, who then translated it into Nophian for your wife.” She tilted her head. “Selling people into flesh trade is vile, yes. But in this backward world? Letting your wife and daughters experience your handiwork—with your sons watching closely—might help them understand their ever-absent father better. Your wife could even bear you more children. A rainbow of hair colors wouldn’t be impossible. I’m sure your sons would adore their new little siblings. Oh—and how about letting your son and wife produce one together? Keeping it in the family, after all.”
“You venomous bitch!” Durant’s ghostly face blurred with rage. He’d told his family he was a mercenary; even his closest allies didn’t know of them. Fear of retaliation had kept them hidden. “When my dog knocks you down later, let’s see how sharp that tongue stays!”
“Dogs? Excellent idea. I’ll bring a pack of every breed when I visit your family,” Aelina replied smoothly. “I’ll kindly mention it was their devoted husband and wonderful father’s brilliant suggestion.”
“DIE, YOU—!” Durant shrieked, lunging at her. He raised his shortsword—just as the Elf behind him slowly rose. Red-eyed, panting, he gripped his longsword and swung downward with all his might.
Whether from rage, release, or both—this strike carried such force that Aelina, seven meters away, felt the blade’s whoosh cut the air. Purple lightning, like writhing serpents, coiled around the steel. It split the pale green Durant clean in two. The ghost wailed, dissolving into emerald mist that scattered on the wind.
Fro gasped for breath. White vapor billowed from his mouth and nose. The withered, silent forest lay shrouded in mist between skeletal trees. In this bitter autumn night, warmth and softness called—along with the urge for fiery acts. Fro lifted his head. His reddened eyes locked onto Aelina seven meters away, her face flushed. Questions, confusion, and raw desire burned in his gaze.
She held a cocked steel crossbow—far heavier than the one-handed models she usually wielded in battle. Fro had never seen her use such a weapon.
Meeting his feverish stare, Aelina raised the crossbow. The cold glint of its bolt chilled Fro’s heart.
“Yes. That wretched slaver was half-right. This is my deepest secret. My weakness.” A red targeting line flickered in Aelina’s vision, settling over Fro’s heart—where his chestplate was deliberately thinned, a flaw she’d engineered with the Molecular Reconstructor. “I’m truly sorry. I know exactly how tempting this body is to men. I must protect myself. If you still have reason left… turn and run into the forest. Cool your head.”
Fro didn’t seem to hear. He stepped forward. The air turned thick, sweet. The fever of desire burned in his veins. “Why?”
*My beautiful, noble goddess… why are you a liar?*
“I count to three.”
“Why?”
*Why is your pure, lovely heart so cruel?*
“One.”
“Why?”
*Why do you treat me like a dog to command?*
“Two.”
“Why?”
*Why did you deceive me? Why point that bolt at me?*
“THREE!”
“WHY?!”
Fro roared, charging at Aelina. A thick wave of masculine musk hit her. Danger and pressure surged toward her face—and her body thrilled with rising excitement.
Aelina gave a cold snort. “Goodbye.” Her finger squeezed the trigger. The bolt leapt forth, aimed precisely at Fro’s weak spot—where armor would shatter easily.
But Fro’s sword flashed faster than she’d calculated. The blade split the bolt mid-flight. It veered off, striking his side instead of his heart.
Aelina didn’t flinch.
“Plan B activated.”
She dropped the crossbow. Left hand seized the Molecular Reconstructor; right hand hurled a lightning grenade. Blue light flared from the device, pulling mist into a dense wall just two meters before Fro. The grenade struck it perfectly.
A hundred violet lightning bolts erupted through the fog, coiling around Fro’s body.
But the Golden Ape’s endurance far exceeded her estimates. He didn’t collapse twitching like the dog last night. His body merely jerked. His sword clattered to the ground. With a roar, he launched himself at Aelina.
Panic finally flashed across the silver-haired maiden’s face. She had nowhere to run. Fro’s chest slammed her against the carriage behind her. Breath left her lungs. His hands seized her wrists, pinning them to the carriage wall. Pain flared—then numbness. Aelina’s body went limp, melting against him. Her legs turned to water; only her wrists held her up.
Fro’s armored body pressed hard against her. Her warmth seeped through the cold steel.
“YOU LIED TO ME!!”
Fro’s roar filled her ear. Every betrayal, every doubt, every shred of contempt he’d swallowed now boiled into pure fury—and fury became strength.
As his flushed, desire-twisted face drew near, Aelina let out a soft whimper. *Damn this body—even my scream sounds weak.* *I’m dead. I’ll become some pathetic plaything.* Her mind raced through trashy novels like *The Otherworldly Mare Queen Chronicles*, painting her grim future. She choked back a sob. Glistening tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, tracing paths down her cheeks.
The hands gripping her wrists suddenly loosened. Her body crumpled limply to the ground. Aelina squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable.
No male could resist this Earth-engineered body built to fulfill carnal cravings. Not even females could stay unmoved.
THUD!
A deafening crash. Wood splinters stung her face.
Aelina opened her eyes. Fro’s fist was buried deep in the carriage wall beside her fluffy fur-trimmed hood. He panted heavily, his wounded, resentful gaze fixed on her. He yanked his fist free, bent to retrieve his sword, then gritted his teeth as he pulled the bolt from his side. He shrugged off his bloodstained cloak—splattered over the cheerful bee’s smile embroidered on it—and tossed it to her.
“We part forever.”
Leaving those words behind, Fro clutched the wound Aelina had given him. He limped toward the pitch-black, withered forest—and vanished into the mist-shrouded woods.
