Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin-Chapter 91: Dungeon Dash and Grab

Lirit’s Perspective

"Stop following me! I am not going to become part of a slime monster!" I gasped for air and sped up to the point that my lungs started burning, but the monster picked up speed too.

"Go away!"

I rushed forward as fast as I could while cursing Kai for forcing me down into this dungeon and even plucking out my feathers! None of this would have been an issue if I could fly! My precious, beautiful golden wings! That was it, I had decided that I don’t want him anymore, I’ll hire someone to kill the beast just as soon as I get out of here! And that Perla bitch too! How dare she turn my beloved Kai against me?! She must have some weird mind-altering magic, like one of those vile beastkin who are wandering beasts that beastkin kick out of villages, or maybe she’s one of those Fae?

That’s probably it, she’s one of those vile Fae tricksters who’ve infiltrated beastkin territory! After I get out of here, I’ll report her as a Fae, and we’ll see what they do with her! That’s why they didn’t show her beastkin form! She was revealed as a Fae, and my mom is too soft-hearted to turn her in for interrogation! That must be it, my mom has always been weak! I suppose I could take Kai back after his mind control is lifted, but he’ll have to get down on his knees and grovel.

I gasped for air while thinking about how sweet it would be to see Kai begging me to take him back and watching Perla be tortured for information about the Fae. Yes, that’s what I would do, I will turn her in to be investigated, and they will torture her.

I ran until I started to become dizzy and then I saw someone up ahead of me. A male with the longest tail I’d ever seen on a beastkin, aside from snake beastkin, but that’s basically their body in general, so I’m not sure that counts.

He had brown shaggy hair that looked dirty and wild, like he didn’t know what a comb was, large rodent ears of some kind, and a giant gray tail with brown splotches on it. I hoped that that was just a pattern and not poo or something. He has bright red eyes and is crouching in the corner.

When he saw me running towards him, he stood up and tilted his head to the side. Then his eyes widened when he realized that I’m a stunningly beautiful female, and he rushed forward to attack the vile slime monster!

"Finally! I was wondering when I’d find someone else down here," I said as the male quickly dispatched the slime monster.

I watched him cut the monster in half with his extended claws and quickly fixed my mussed hair while his back was turned. There is no way that I would normally pay him any attention, but the best way to get out of here is to find a male to fuss over me while bringing me out of here. I looked back at my plucked wings and folded them tightly to my back so that they weren’t as visible. I don’t have any magic, so I can’t even make my wings disappear.

He pulled out the monster core and put it in his pocket! What kind of male doesn’t even give the monster core to a female? I clenched my teeth and glared at his back, but put on my best flirtatious smile before he turned around.

"Hey there, I’m Lirit. Thank you so much for saving me, and you are?"

"Cal. What’s a winged female doing down here?" He said while wiping his hands off on a dirty cloth that he had stuffed into his pants.

Really, who wears pants? How are you supposed to shift like that? Unless his beast body is small? Maybe it’s small? It’s not like he lives in a high society where shifting is considered rude. That’s where I need to live, somewhere where it’s considered rude to shift and no one asks you what your beast form is.

"My male was mind-controlled by a Fae and forced to knock me down into this hole that opened up to the surface. He’s been led off who knows where, and now I have to find my way back up," said Lirit.

"I could help you, but in return, I want you to make me your mate. There aren’t a lot of females down here."

I clenched my teeth and forced out a smile. I looked him up and down, while seething inside. He is going to be my first mate?! Him?! All this time, I had intended for General Kai to be my first mate. I’d turned down so many males who were better than this male in front of me, but he gets to be my first mate?! I promised myself that I wouldn’t be like my mom, who has a pathetic male that she doesn’t want for a mate, and here I am! He’s obviously some sort of disgusting male.

"I won’t accept mate by bite either. If I’m expected to guide you through the dungeon, I’ll require you to be my actual mate. It isn’t a small thing to help a female through here, given the types of dangers you’re asking me to navigate," said Cal.

"...Very well, I’m not exactly in a position to refuse, but you are going to be perfectly clean before we mate, and you are not to touch me in any way that isn’t strictly necessary. And eggs aren’t part of this deal. If you want eggs from me, you’ll have to earn them."

The only upside of this situation is that I’ve already slept with males who weren’t my mates; this isn’t the first time that I’ve slept with a male for benefits with the promise that I’ll consider him for a mate. It’s just going to be the first time that I actually go through with making a male my mate.

He stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "I can agree to that. It’s pretty nasty down here, so I’m probably a mess."

I wanted to ask him what his beastkin is, but was reluctant to bring up the subject since then he’d ask me about my beastkin and my aura, and I don’t want to talk about it. Best not to mention it for now, it’s not like I can do anything about it anyway.

He brought me to a little hovel, a small stone room within the dungeon with a rock slab for a door and a hay pile covered in fur. In the corner was a barrel full of mushrooms, another barrel with slices of dried meat, and the last barrel was full of water. He started some mushroom and meat soup over a fire while taking out some of the water from the barrel into a large stone bowl, and began cleaning himself while I warmed by the fire. I could hear the sounds of him behind me, and it was everything I could do not to throw things at him. Fine! So what if he’s my first mate? That doesn’t mean that I have to keep him!

After he was cleaned and we ate, the food wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I allowed him to mate with me from behind to reduce touching and so that I didn’t have to look at him.

I placed the bite on the top of his hand in the most sensitive spot I could find, and I bit down with all the force I could muster. He tasted disgusting, but he made a satisfying grunt of pain. My marking turned out to be a circlet of chain links; it wasn’t what I was expecting, but it would do.

After my marking appeared, I cleaned myself up, and I went to sleep on the bed. I made him sleep on the floor, telling him that I don’t want to be disturbed while I sleep. He didn’t complain, so at least he’s obedient.

The next day, he made breakfast, and then he shifted so that I could ride on his back, and I realized that he wasn’t just any lower form of beastkin; no, he was a possum beastkin. A possum! How he intends to keep me safe, I don’t know. I should have found out what kind of beastkin he was before agreeing to mate with him.

I climbed on his back even though his beastkin form was disgusting because the floor of the dungeon is even more so, and I don’t feel like walking that much. I’m used to flying wherever I want to go.

I held my sack of supplies, and he headed down a side tunnel, which was apparently towards the closest exit. At least he’s good for something. I would have kept going down the largest hallway, which is apparently the way down further into the dungeon.

Coming Next Time: Kai Joins the Crowd and Pursuit!