"Firewood," Ren said, staring at the massive mahogany trunk that Kael had just dropped in the middle of the cave. "I asked for firewood."
Kael shrugged, the muscles of his shoulders bunching under his tanned skin. "It was in the way. I pulled it up."
Ren rubbed her temples. 'He had actually pulled up a tree with his bare hands.'
"Fine. Break it down. Smaller pieces. I need consistent heat," Ren ordered, turning back to her prize.
The "Earth-eggs."
They looked ugly and knobby, covered in purple dirt. But when Ren sliced one open with her kitchen knife, the inside was creamy and starchy white. It smelled like home.
"You are wasting your time," Kael grumbled, squatting down next to her.
He watched closely as she peeled the skin. His loincloth, really just a glorified leather napkin, strained across his thighs.
"These are trash food," Kael insisted, poking a raw potato slice with a sharp claw. "We give them to the pigs. They have no blood. No power."
"That's because you idiots are eating them raw," Ren muttered as she sliced the potatoes into perfect batons. "Potatoes need heat. They need love. They need..."
She looked at her skillet. It still had a glorious layer of rendered bacon fat at the bottom.
"Yes," she whispered, a maniacal chef grin spreading across her face. "Bacon-fat fries."
Kael watched, mesmerized, as she tossed the potato sticks into the hot fat.
Sizzle.
The sound was loud and sharp. The water in the potatoes hit the hot grease and sent up a cloud of steam.
Kael flinched, his ears flattening against his head. "It is fighting you!" he growled, reaching for the pan to smash it.
"Don't touch it!" Ren slapped his hand away with her tongs. Clack-clack. "Sit down! Good boy!"
Kael blinked. He looked at his hand, where she had struck him. No one had ever hit the Alpha. He could snap her neck with two fingers.
But as he looked at her fierce expression, her cheeks flushed from the fire and red hair sticking to her forehead, he realized he didn't want to snap her neck. He wanted to bite her neck, gently.
He sat back on his heels, his golden eyes following her every move.
[System Notification: Culinary Skill Detected – 'Double Frying'. Host is cooking like a pro.][Reward Quest Updated: Make the Alpha admit he is wrong.]
Ten minutes later, the cave didn't smell like damp rock anymore. It smelled like a fast-food heaven.
Ren scooped the golden-brown fries out of the pan, letting them drain on a large leaf. They were crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and glistening with bacon grease.
"Eat," Ren commanded, holding a fry out to him.
Kael looked at the stick suspiciously. "It looks like a burnt finger."
"Just eat it, you oversized furball."
Kael leaned forward and took the fry into his mouth. He bit down.
Crunch.
His eyes went wide.
The texture was unlike anything he had ever eaten. It wasn't chewy like raw meat. It shattered, then melted. The flavor was rich, earthy, and coated in the savory taste of the pork fat.
"Mmmph," Kael grunted. He swallowed and immediately reached for the leaf pile.
"Ah-ah!" Ren pulled the leaf away. "What's the magic word?"
Kael stared at her, his hand frozen in mid-air. "Give it to me or I eat you?"
"Close enough." Ren set the leaf down.
Kael didn't possess table manners. He shoveled the fries into his mouth by the handful, growling low in his throat whenever Ren tried to take one for herself.
[Ding! Quest Complete: Housewarming.][Reward: Starter Spice Kit (Salt, Black Pepper, Cumin) added to Inventory.]
Ren grinned. She summoned the salt...a small glass jar appearing in her hand out of thin air...and sprinkled it over the remaining fries.
"Try it now," she said.
Kael licked a salted fry. His pupils blew wide.
"Salt," he whispered reverently. "Pure salt. Not from a rock lick. This is... treasure."
He looked at Ren differently now. It wasn't just hunger or desire anymore...it was awe. In the Beast World, salt was currency and life itself. And she could summon it from thin air?
"You are a Witch," Kael declared, licking the salt off his fingers.
"I'm a Chef," Ren corrected. "Now, are you full?"
Kael burped, the sound echoing loudly off the cave walls. He leaned back and rubbed his solid stomach. The warm, starchy food settled in his gut like a heavy stone, making him feel sleepy and satisfied in a way raw meat never had.
"I am full," Kael admitted.
He shifted his position, sprawling out on the dirt floor. He spread his legs wide, relaxing completely.
"Ren," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Come here."
Ren looked up from cleaning her pan...and choked.
Kael was manspreading. Aggressively.
His loincloth was just a loose flap of leather with no real support, so gravity had done its job. The flap had slid to the side.
Ren was staring directly at the "Crown Jewels" of the White Tiger clan.
They were... impressive. And terrifying. And very much on display.
Ren's face went from pale to tomato-red in 0.5 seconds. She dropped her tongs.
"Kael!" she shrieked, spinning around and covering her eyes. "Cover yourself! Good lord!"
Kael frowned, looking down at his lap. He nudged his junk with a finger. "What is wrong? Is there a bug?"
"No! It's out! Put it away!" Ren waved her hands frantically behind her back. "Don't you have any shame?"
"Shame?" Kael tilted his head. "Why? It is a good part. Strong. I thought you would want to inspect it. You inspected the potatoes."
"I am not peeling that!" Ren yelled. Kael chuckled, a low rumbling sound. He found her reaction fascinating. The females of his tribe would have fought each other for this view, but this little human acted like she had seen a ghost.
He lazily adjusted the leather flap, though he didn't tie it any tighter.
"It is covered," Kael announced. "Turn around."
Ren peeked over her shoulder. Safe. Mostly.
"You need pants," Ren declared, her voice still shaky. "Real pants. With zippers. And locks."
"Come here," Kael repeated, ignoring her rant about pants.
He reached out and, before she could protest, grabbed her ankle and dragged her across the dusty floor.
"Hey! I am not a mop!"
Ren slid across the dirt and landed against his side. Before she could scramble away, Kael threw his leg over hers, pinning her down. He wrapped a massive arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.
He felt like a furnace. The heat coming from him was incredible.
"Sleep," Kael ordered, nuzzling his face into her hair. "You smell like salt and grease. It is my favorite smell."
"I can't sleep like this," Ren protested, though her body was betraying her. The warmth was nice. The cave was freezing, and he was basically a heated weighted blanket. "You're heavy."
"If you move," Kael whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, "the leather flap might move again."
Ren froze.
"That's blackmail," she hissed.
"That is survival," Kael corrected, his voice thick with sleep. "Goodnight, my little Chef."
Within seconds, his breathing evened out into a deep, rhythmic purr.
Ren lay in the dark, staring at the cave entrance. She was trapped in a prehistoric world, held hostage by a naked tiger man who thought french fries were fancy food, and she had just used a system interface to get salt.
She closed her eyes, listening to the heartbeat thumping steadily against her back.
'Well,' she thought, drifting off. 'At least I won't freeze to death.'
[System Notification: Bond Level Increased to 5%. Warning: Mating Season approaches in 3 days. Host is advised to start running... or start stretching.]
Ren's eyes snapped open. "Excuse me?"
But the tiger was already asleep, and there was no way she was waking him up now.