Chapter 52: A Different Kind Of Surprise
Tera had been inspecting the progress around the settlement when Xavi found her.
She had spent the better part of the morning cataloguing what the foraging parties had brought back. Bundles of flexible branches for weaving, stacks of broad leaves for roofing, and a pile of smooth river stones that would make excellent foundation supports. Her mind was already arranging them into walls and floors.
The settlement was taking shape in her head faster than her hands could build it, and it was nice that the tent-like shelters were quick to put up.
"Tera."
She looked up to find Xavi standing very close. His golden eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her stomach flutter.
"Come with me."
Tera straightened. "Where?"
"I want to show you something."
Her brain, which had been occupied with construction logistics approximately three seconds ago, immediately abandoned all rational thought and sprinted in a completely different direction.
’Show me something? Alone?’
She glanced around. The other clan members were lounging and resting. No one was paying attention to them.
Her pulse quickened. Her thighs pressed together involuntarily.
The image that bloomed in her mind was vivid, detailed, and entirely inappropriate for a woman who was supposed to be focused on infrastructure.
’Is he pulling me aside so we can—’
[Host’s thoughts have taken a predictable turn]
[(·•᷄_•᷅ )]
’Leave me aloneeeeeeee.’
She had been working nonstop for days. The farm, the shelters, Ermin’s fever, the pregnant females, the constant supervision of every single construction detail.
She hadn’t had a proper moment to fully unwind, and especially ease her stresses.
Not since that night at the lake with Xavi.
But as if on instinct, Tera’s mind drifted back to work. The shelters needed checking, and the materials needed sorting.
[Is Host currently debating whether to prioritize clan infrastructure or the opportunity to jump the tribe leader’s bones?]
["( – ⌓ – )]
’Hello? Some privacy here.’
[This system merely observes that Host did not think about rounding up any work when Xavi first appeared]
Tera ignored the system.
She had a few things to do before she relaxed for the rest of the week, like the others. These were important things. Things that did not involve being pressed against a tree by a bear beast man with golden eyes and hands the size of—
’Okay! I’m sold! I wasn’t really going to do much more this week anyway.’
The internal debate lasted approximately three seconds. The work lost.
"Alright," Tera smiled. "Lead the way."
Xavi smiled too, and the sight of it still caught her off guard every time. He turned and started walking deeper into the forest.
Tera followed him, her pulse already picking up speed as they left the settlement behind. The sounds of the clan faded, and soon she was alone with Xavi.
She was practically skipping.
’Hehehehehe.’
’I am definitely getting railed today.’
[(╥﹏╥)]
[Why did this system get such a degenerate Host?]
’This is it. He’s going to pin me against a—’
She didn’t get to finish the thought because Xavi suddenly turned, scooped her up with one arm, and started moving at a speed that no creature his size should have been capable of.
"Xavi? What are you—put me down!"
He did not put her down.
"Where are you taking me?!"
"It is a surprise."
"A surprise? What kind of surprise?!"
He said nothing and kept moving, carrying her through the forest like she weighed less than the branches she had just been sorting.
Tera’s legs dangled uselessly. She tried to wriggle free, but his arm was locked around her waist with that same casual firmness he’d used to carry her the first time they met.
"Wait! I need to go back and tell someone about the beam placements for the fifth shelter! And the drainage trench needs—"
Tera gave up arguing with Xavi and folded her arms across her chest in silent protest.
The forest grew quieter as they moved deeper. The trees were older here, their trunks wider, their canopy thicker. Dappled light filtered through the leaves, and the air smelled like moss and fresh water.
After several minutes, the sound of running water reached Tera’s ears. It grew louder, and then the trees opened into a small, sunlit clearing beside a wide stream.
She recognised it. This was the stream that led to the lake.
And Ermin was there.
He was walking towards them, his bored expression shifting to mild irritation at the sight of Tera being carried like a sack of grain.
Tera’s mood instantly brightened.
Both of them. In a secluded clearing. Away from the clan. Alone.
Her brain, depraved and shameless, supplied the image before she could stop it.
’Oh my— is this finally happening? The double buffet—’
[NO!]
[(⊙_⊙)]
[HOST!]
[This system is BEGGING you to have ONE normal thought!]
’What?! They’re both here! In a private clearing! What else am I supposed to think?!’
[LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE!]
[(ᗒᗩᗕ)]
Tera chose to ignore the system again, slightly annoyed.
Though if she paused to think about this. Despite the growth in favourability, Ermin had still more or less been avoiding her.
Xavi set her down gently in the centre of the clearing, and Tera’s body was already responding to the proximity of both males. Warmth pooling in her stomach, her skin tingling, her mind racing ahead to logistics she had absolutely no business calculating.
She really needed this.
"Tera," Xavi said, his voice gentle. "Ermin and I put this together."
’YES. Here it comes.’
"You need to properly rest. For a few days. Away from the clan and all the work."
Tera’s fantasy shattered like a clay pot dropped from a sky scraper.
"...What?"
"You have not rested since you arrived," Xavi continued, as if he hadn’t just demolished her dreams. "You are not eating enough, and even when you should be resting now, you are still working yourself. This is not sustainable."
Tera stared at the two men.
"You... kidnapped me. To make me rest?"
"Yes."
’THE THREESOME WAS A LIE!’
[This system is relieved]
[(ᵕ—ᴗ—)]
[Host’s dreams have been postponed]
[This system’s sanity has been preserved]
These gorgeous beast men had conspired behind her back to physically remove her from the clan settlement —not for a passionate encounter in the wilderness, but for a nap.
She didn’t know whether to be touched or frustrated.