[ Contains mature content. Reader discretion advised. ]
Want the story without the 18+ scenes? Check the Author's Note for a short summary of the chapter.
Yep, I'm benevolent like that.
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Hale was currently sitting on a flat rock in the middle of a narrow stream near the camp's edge, where the forest began creeping in. He was nearly naked, down to nothing but his black boxers. The twins had insisted he strip those off too, but he'd bullshitted his way out of it with a straight face: "The Blood-Daughter wouldn't like other women touching my private parts." After a bit more nonsense, they finally relented.
At least his cuffs were gone. He still remembered how, when Freka first captured him, his hands were tied behind his back. Later, in the prison, they'd been bound in front—probably retied while he was unconscious, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to eat. Now, for the first time, his hands were completely free.
Night had already swallowed the sky, and the stream's icy water brushing against his boxers made him shiver. It barely reached his ankles, but sitting in a mock "cultivation pose" in the middle of it wasn't helping. The cold bit into him like tiny teeth. The only ones unaffected were the twins, who worked with maddening calm, mixing herbs and lotions from their utility pouches as if the chill didn't even exist. Their thin clothes clung to them, yet they didn't so much as flinch.
The glow of campfires in the distance lit up the night, making it not entirely dark here. Hale squinted toward the camp and muttered under his breath, "What are they using as lamps? Don't tell me they've got electricity out here…"
As Hale mulled over these unimportant details, his mind kept circling back to the twins. If he couldn't rely on strength, then maybe information would keep him alive a little longer. He'd already checked his skills, and any hope of using them went out of the window.
Beastbond? Great for forming contracts with new beasts, completely useless here.
Call of the Bound? Supposedly handy—if the beast was in his soulspace, he could summon it out. But if it was already in the real world, he had to physically touch the damn thing to recall it back into soulspace. Which meant Cockless was stuck right where it was. Not that the little bastard would've been much help right now anyway.
That left his so-called talent, Primal Codex. A ridiculous talent, really—one with insane potential, but utterly useless in his current situation. It was something that could, given enough time, let him screw over anyone stupid enough to stand against him. But time was the one luxury he didn't have.
So his only real option? Keep his mouth moving, get what information he could out of the twins, and play whatever hand they unknowingly dealt him.
He had already started getting chummy with the twins. The one who punched a hole in the tree earlier was called Remy, while the quieter one went by Rhea.
"So, sisters… why do you both look so different from the other Drakthar tribesmen? You look almost like me…like an Aenvari. Were you kidnapped too, forced to serve here? And why do you and the Blood-Daughter speak differently from the rest of the tribe?" Hale asked, feigning innocent curiosity.
Remy, crouched at the stream's edge as she ground herbs together, answered without glancing at him. "Not quite. We were born into the Drakthar tribe, but our mother was stolen from the Aenvari. Luckily or unluckily we took more after her looks." She finally side-eyed him, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "As for our way of speaking… that's a long story."
"Oh? I'd really love to hear it. Since we've got time until midnight, why don't you share it with me, sisters?" Hale doubled down on his act, widening his eyes in what he thought was a charming, catlike look; the kind he was sure worked wonders on girls.
"Hmmm…" Remy tilted her head. "Alright… Rhea, can you take over mine too while I give our brother a bedtime story?"
"Remmyyy…" Rhea groaned, looking utterly tired of her sister always ditching work.
"This is the last time, hehe… and my work is almost done," Remy coaxed.
Rhea sighed, finally conceding with a small nod.
"Love you, sis." Remy kissed her cheek, then stood and began slipping off her clothes.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—hold up! Why are you stripping, sis?" Hale blinked rapidly, wondering if his so-called charm had worked too well.
"Didn't you say you wanted to hear the story?" Remy asked, confused, while unbuttoning her top.
"What the hell? Is the story written on your body?" Hale shot back.
"Of course not, idiot. To tell it, I have to get into the stream and sit near you. I can't ruin my clothes—they're the only set I brought." She tugged the last piece off with casual ease. "Besides… walking through camp in wet clothes is enough to drive those beasts of men crazy."
She straightened, completely bare now—short brown hair clinging softly to her pale skin, her figure glowing faintly in the light from the camp. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she teased, "Don't tell me my dear brother's never seen a girl naked before?"
Hale sucked in a deep breath, eyes darting everywhere and nowhere. She could've given models a run for their money. He forced out a laugh, scratching his cheek. "Hah… ha-ha… of course I have. Plenty actually! I've slept with different women every night. Ha-ha…"
"Mmm… is that so?" Remy drawled, her playful gaze narrowing in suspicion.
Remy moved toward him with slow, deliberate steps, the water swirling around her legs as she closed the distance. Her ample breasts gave the faintest jiggle with each movement, impossible to ignore even if Hale forced his eyes down to the stream. He traced circles in the water with his finger, pretending to be fascinated by the rippling current and the smooth stones beneath.
But then her pale legs came into view, slender yet firm, until she stopped right in front of him. She lowered herself slowly, crouching until her mischievous smile hovered at his eye level, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her breath against his face.
"Mm… what's this look?" Remy teased, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Are you having naughty thoughts about your own sister, little brother?"
Hale's throat tightened. His voice came out in a low whisper, almost like he was afraid to admit it.
"You're… not my real sister."
"Awww…" Remy's voice softened as she cupped Hale's cheek with her right hand, her thumb brushing lightly across his skin. "You're too cute, little brother. I could just eat you up right now…" Her smile faltered into a sigh. "But if I did, it wouldn't just be my head on a pole by morning—it'd be both mine and my sister's."
Hale sobered from his flustered state and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Hmmm… I'll tell you the whole thing, but scoot over. I need a seat."
Before he could react, she spun around and plopped herself onto him. He was still in a cross-legged cultivation pose, so she settled between his thighs, her soft curves pressing against the thin fabric of his boxers.
A shiver jolted through Hale's body. "W-Wha… what are you doing, sis?" His voice cracked halfway.
Remy glanced back, lips curling into a devilish grin. "What? It's going to be a long story, so I need to sit somewhere comfy. Don't tell me… ohhh?" Her expression lit up with faux shock. "What is this thing poking me, little brother? Don't tell me you're already excited?"
"K-Keep your voice down—!"
"Kyaaa~!" She shrieked theatrically, covering her chest with her arms as if shielding herself from a beast. "My poor innocence! My brother is trying to ravage me!"
She peeked out from behind her hands with a sly smile, then turned her head toward Rhea. "Sister, look at him! Look at this savage! You shouldn't get close or he'll pounce on you too!"
Rhea didn't even lift her head from her work at the stream. She just sighed, muttering, "Remy, stop being stupid."
"Stupid? This is serious!" Remy huffed dramatically, then leaned back against Hale, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper that tickled his ear. "Mmm… but maybe I don't mind if my lil' brother gets a little… animalistic."
Hale's lips twitched. He finally gave in and wrapped his arms around Remy's waist, pulling her a little closer. "Alright, alright, enough teasing. Just tell me the damn story already."
"Mmm~ fine," Remy cooed, resting her hand over his. "But don't blame me if my warmth distracts you."