Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 124: brought to you by the biggest ho

Today on "Man Meat": Qin's backstory is revealed, along with her ties to Shay's mate (??). Winston is completely unreceptive to her advances, duh, and Benedict is caught up on the drama... kind of. Unexpected help comes from an unwelcome source. __________________________

"She wants to... what?"

"She wants to meet with you and," he turned his head to the wall, "ask if you'll sever my beastmark."

Neara looked at the freshly-applied mark on her thigh. She loved him... but she'd only seen him once? But why was he asking? Unless he wanted her to. She tried not to let herself frown. He'd caught her kissing another male... he had every right to try and move on in his own way.

Ugh... you're so stupid sometimes it makes me sick. Honestly, woman, what about Winston has told you he doesn't want to put his mark on you for real?

"And she's..."

"Oh my gods, Nagatha, just tell her to suck sap from a dry twig and get out of here!" Orson growled, elbow deep in a sack of leaves and grasses. "You're Winston's mate, real or not, and she knows better than to ask that of you."

"...Can you really sever a beastmark?" Tony asked, honey from his hand dripping on his knee.

"Yes." Winston looked back to the group in front of him. "You can cut through it with a sharp stone and if you have no feelings for the male, it will disappear."

Neara felt like he stared into her soul, although his eyes never left Tony. "And... and she said Ape King was sorry?"

Elephant shit," coughed Orson. He pounded his chest a few times, then swallowed with a pained expression. "She's just trying to steal Winston from you so he can kill him in peace. Winston's the last four-stripe left and with him gone, Ape King will have the City under his thumb. This is just his latest ploy..."

"She's too beautiful for Ape King; I think she's a spy." Benedict shrugged where he'd been leaning against the wall, his tail swishing past his ankles.

"How would you know?" Neara didn't mean it to sound accusatory and desperate, but she also shriveled up a little inside. She couldn't mate two guys at the same time... it'd be... icky.

Icky-picky-sticky, you're just a prude. Get in there and get some action. Or, as they say in medieval fantasy, 'Secure those alliances with marriage!' And then inner-Shay snickered to herself. To Neara's self... whatever helped her cope, right?

"I saw her come in." He nodded over at the window. "Not my type, of course, but I can't blame her for trying." He licked his lips and smiled at Winston, who ignored him.

"I can send her away, if you wish. You don't have to meet her."

"I... I think I have to."

"Ugh, don't be a sacrifice, Aggy. You'd think you'd know better than to trust everyone who says they're honest; at this point, you're just asking to be kidnapped." Orson groaned around a mouthful of... some kind of salad.

"Oh, so you're saying you're not strong enough to protect me from a woman."

"I'm not saying that, I'm saying there's looking for trouble, which you do on a daily basis, and there's running into trouble and slathering yourself in honey and salt and screaming, 'Take me!'"

It was Tony's turn to lick his lips.

Neara blushed. "I... I still think I should hear what she has to say." She turned from Tony and took a step towards Winston, waiting for him to leave the doorway. If she got too close, he might think they had a chance, which she wanted them to, but if she really was beautiful...