Beauty and the Beasts

She wasn’t lying. Although it was very hot in the summer, it did get very cold at night. Back then, even when she was healthy she felt a little cold at night and didn’t need to sleep with the fan or air-conditioning on or something, which was perhaps a good thing.

 Perhaps it was because of her period, ever since Bai Qingqing came back from the forests, she had been more afraid of the cold than before—when she slept at night she couldn’t resist squirming into Parker’s embrace, pressing her back against his soft and hot tummy.

 The thought of sleeping on Cortis’s cold body made her shiver.

 Cortis squeezed his tail and brought Bai Qingqing to his body.

 “Roar!” Parker transformed into a leopard and pounced on Cortis.

 With a wave of his hand, Parker was sent flying, landing on the pile of grass.

 This time Cortis didn’t exert much strength. Parker was no longer foreign to the experience of being thrown out by Cortis. When he fell on the ground, he didn’t let out so much as a whimper and simply kicked his heel and got back on his fours.

 Sitting on Cortis’s cold and tough scales, Bai Qingqing felt a chilliness rise from below. She grabbed Cortis’s arm and said, “Stop fighting. I’ll just sleep on your body.”

 Cortis clenched his fists and silently hugged Bai Qingqing for a moment, before releasing her. “You sleep on the grass.”

 Bai Qingqing carefully let out an exhale and gently agreed. “Mm.”

 She was self-conscious and didn’t go too far from Cortis, lying down on the pile of grass near him.

 Cortis didn’t roll into a circle like before when he slept. Instead, his tail was squeezed into a bunch, and the softer part of his body—the tail—was curled on Bai Qingqing’s ankle, whereas his upper body laid on the ground. His eyes remained open as he quietly gazed at Bai Qingqing.

 Parker was satisfied. He laid down next to Bai Qingqing and placed his leopard paw over her hand.

 “Let’s sleep,” Bai Qingqing said uneasily, then closed her eyes and tried to shut out everything.

 Parker knew that Bai Qingqing was afraid of the cold, so he edged closer to her before closing his eyes.

 However, for Cortis, he was used to living in the wilderness and was a typically nocturnal animal. Moreover, he didn’t need to sleep every day. He only had to sleep one every three to five days, though every time he slept it was for one day and one night.

 Right now, he could only gaze at Bai Qingqing with his eyes wide open. Luckily, he was lazy by nature and liked to space out, so it wasn’t boring for him or anything.

 The next day, thick fog could be seen rising in the City of Beastmen. The white fog, along with a chilly breeze, entered the bedroom and began spreading throughout the interior.

 “Mm—” Bai Qingqing stretched her arms out wide.

 “Ssss—” Cortis, who had been spacing out gazing at Bai Qingqing, snapped out of his daze. He edged his face closer to Bai Qingqing and gently licked her.

 Bai Qingqing’s eyes were still closed, and she suddenly felt an itch at her mouth. She parted her lips and something cooling glided into her mouth, moving around haphazardly like a centipede.

 Bai Qingqing was jolted awake. The instant she opened her eyes, she saw a giant snakehead. Because it was too up close, her vision was blurry.

 How could she possibly remember who this snake was at a moment like this? She was so freaked out her soul nearly flew out of her body.

 “Ah!” Bai Qingqing shrieked, shoving forward by reflex, her body constantly retreating.

 She could now clearly see the snake’s tongue—it was red, slim, long, and was moving nimbly. She quickly touched her mouth with the back of her hand and stared at the snake in front of her, clearly flustered.

 “Roar!” The leopard was caught off guard as she stepped on his tail and yelped loudly. His limbs flung wildly in the air before he crawled up, but Bai Qingqing ended up falling onto the pile of grass as a result.

 The human and leopard fell into a heap.

 Cortis transformed into a human and stepped on the grass with his bare feet. He then bent over and lifted Bai Qingqing into his arms.