Dripping wet from the unforgiving rain, the two figures walked into the highly elevated cave like strangled meat. Thankfully, they hadn't gone into the water because, judging by the territory, Tessa had earlier thought this was Valen's home—but seeing the cave now, she could only sigh.
It was wretched and insane, looking like some bush baby's dwelling place, but what other choice did they have? They just had to manage it.
Tessa was shaking, trembling right where she stood, and Valen wasn't spared either, but the difference was that he was used to the cold, and the pouring rain was nothing compared to the chilling waters he normally swam in.
She coughed out some water and sat down on the floor, only to jump right back up when the ice-like stones touched her skin, making her feel even more feverish.
"Damn it, pneumonia is definitely going to finish me here if not hunger." She clamped her arms around her boobs, trying to provide herself some warmth, when she suddenly remembered how humans used to warm themselves back in the Victorian age—and even in villages, the same thing still happened.
She could literally make a fire hearth and put in logs of wood to generate warmth in such a chilling place. Tessa was sure this cave could be mistaken for a refrigerator back in her world because the cold coming from it was on another level.
"No wonder beastmen hardly survive here. The cold is insufferable." Tessa grimaced.
Valen, who stood there, dropped the ingredients on the floor and looked around while thinking of how to help Tessa feel less cold.
Coming up behind her, he drew her closer and hugged her from the back, covering her completely.
Tessa, stunned by the action, instantly misunderstood his intentions and was about to give him a good lashing from her mouth when she suddenly felt warmth pulse through her body, making her whole skin turn warmer.
What the actual heck? she thought. Was this what he was trying to do—share warmth with her—or was she thinking too deep?
Turning around, she looked at him with one brow arched high.
"What's that for? The touching? Didn't I tell you not to lay hands on me without my permission?" she demanded, still shivering. During the questioning, Valen had stopped sharing his warmth, and now she had returned to trembling like a drenched chicken.
"I thought you were too cold and too feverish, so I wanted to share my heat. We mermaids hardly feel cold because we are a combination of both warm and cold body systems." Valen looked so innocent during his explanation that Tessa could have sworn maybe she had judged him too harshly.
But then again, this was still a beastman who sometimes acted on impulse. Not to mention he was one of those feral beasts cast out from the tribe—the type that could jump on her at any moment and make her lose her chastity.
Still, she was trembling like an epileptic leaf, so better to get that warmth before she turned into a frozen fish.
She opened her arms and hugged Valen back, and for some minutes, she lost herself in his embrace.
Despite his wild nature, Valen had a distinct berry-like scent, something Tessa didn't find normal at all.
Like how could someone actually smell like berries?
But she enjoyed it nevertheless.
Then she thought of explaining to Valen that what he meant was warm-blooded and cold-blooded, that he was more like some kind of hybrid—a combination of two elements—but since the man she would be speaking to was basically a cave man, she might as well be talking to a rock.
Together they shared the warmth until Tessa was awakened by the loud rumbling of her stomach, reminding her once again of her hunger crisis.
"Life would have been much easier if there was at least a stove around here. Like, how would I even start?" she muttered to herself.
But what about Valen? At least he should know how to light a fire in their world, right?
"Valen!"
She called the man, who was now nestling his face in her hair.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Valen moaned while answering, and it made Tessa blink in confusion. But her stomach needed serious help, and she couldn't keep wasting time anymore unless her fried body would be the only thing left lying on the floor. And the last thing she wanted was to die in such a miserable world. There wasn't any greater punishment than that.
"It's just cooking. I want to make a meal for the two of us, but I don't know if you can light a fire?" Her eyes twinkled with expectation.
So far, this man could make a dress, was a good helper in bringing food, and shockingly sweet too, so she was wondering if he could at least light a fire. That would make him really useful in domestic work.
But to her utter disappointment, he shook his head.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I can't light a fire. I don't know how it's done." His face turned sad as he retreated a bit, almost as if he had completely let Tessa down.
Tessa was flabbergasted.
She wasn't that stupid to think so. Of course he had never cooked before and wouldn't know this, so it was probably a dumb question to begin with. And why was he being all extra? It was just a simple no. He shouldn't take it so personally.
"It's fine, Valen. I just need some wood around. Help get me some at least from around this cave, and I'll try fixing something up." Tessa informed him, and Valen's face immediately lit up like radiant sunlight.
"You're not mad or going to reject me as your mate, would you?"
That made Tessa turn sharply because who the fuck brought up mate right now?
And she didn't remember asking anyone to be one, so what was this fish head talking about?
"Not so fast. Aren't you hungry? Let me get the meal started first, so go get me some wood while I at least start peeling the yam."
With her instructions, the merman hurried away to look for dry wood.
On the other hand, Tessa sat down on the cold floor, nearly freezing her butt off, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to stay put. Then she adjusted the loincloth she was wearing.
The damn traditional bikini was annoying.
The leaves scratched her boobs so much, and out of embarrassment, she couldn't even scratch them properly, which made her even more uncomfortable. And the itch on her legs from the one she wore underneath wasn't helping either.
It was so itchy she almost shamelessly scratched the middle of her pussy.
But one fear hit her immediately.
That scratching right there…
What if it was an infection?
There couldn't be STIs in this world, could there?
That was if Tessa had actually kept her legs closed because, at this point, the desperate cat might have opened them for someone—who knew?
Trying to focus on work again, she ignored the itching and started peeling the wild yams. Midway through, Valen returned and rushed over like a bolt of lightning, grabbing the yam from her hand.
"What are you doing? This is hard labour. You shouldn't be subjected to it, so please let me handle it." Valen offered, and Tessa eyed him reluctantly before handing him the knife.
But after giving him the knife, she decided to stay close by.
What if he peeled off half the good flesh and left the bitter back? Men and their mindset—especially ones that had never cooked before.
Valen stared at the knife like it was some foreign object, amazed at its sharpness.
"Easy there. Be careful unless you cut yourself," she warned, but Valen kept staring at it.
"Where did you get this from?" he asked while beginning to cut the yam's back off the same way Tessa had been doing.
Tessa coughed, not knowing how to lie to him, then shrugged.
"Who knows? I just found it in my pocket and saw that it was useful."
The mention of pocket made Valen look confused, and seeing that he was about to ask another question, Tessa covered his mouth and pushed him to continue the work while she turned to light the fire.
The stones she picked to assemble as a cooking stand were solid enough.
As for the matches—oops, not matches—stones again.
She began striking them together for what felt like endless minutes, but still nothing happened.
Tessa was growing frustrated as she struck the stones again, and this time it finally worked. But before she could use the spark to light the cooking stand, it went off.
Swallowing her frustration, she nearly screamed when Valen came from behind and took the stones effortlessly, striking them twice and lighting up the cooking stand.
Tessa scratched her head awkwardly.
"My bad…"
She was about to bring the yam over to boil when she suddenly remembered the fucking pot wasn't even there.
Then she facepalmed herself hard.
"Shit!!!!!"