Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter Eight

Winston's fever broke at dawn the next day. I had stayed up all night by his side, cursing myself for having asked him to get my rabbit skin clothes. Ryan had made them for me, but no matter how much sentimental value they held, it wasn't worth putting Winston in such a vulnerable position. I should have just let Rosa destroy it. For the millionth time, I cursed myself for having remembered it all too late. Winston had already been poisoned and the Ape King had already placed a target on his back. I had become Winston's greatest weakness. We wouldn't be able to stay in the City of Beasts. We needed to leave.

When Winston woke, I was so relieved that I couldn't do much more than hold him as I trembled. To comfort me, he rubbed my back and kept apologizing for scaring me. In hushed tones he said it was all going to be fine and that a little venom was nothing to him.

"The Ape King sent people looking for you yesterday. In the rain. At night." I gave him a look that said I knew something was strange about the whole situation.

He opened up to me about how he suspected the Ape King felt threatened by his presence. He admitted to blatantly disregarding the king's orders at times, making him even more of an eyesore. Winston was stronger than his brother, the current Tiger King but hadn't any desire for the position. His lack of ambition was probably the only thing that had kept the Ape King off his back. Now that the Ape King knew he had a weakness, he may try to eradicate the variable he posed.

"I don't want to stay in this city, Winston. I don't like it here. It's too crowded anyway. Let's go somewhere else." I said, making it clear I wanted to get the hell out of dodge.

"I agree with your female. You should leave." Curtis' irritated voice drifted over from the bedroom entry.

"Curtis..." Qingqing's voice held disappointment in her mate's attitude. She followed the snake out of the bedroom, Parker at her heels.

I rose to my feet and Winston got to his as well. "Thank you for letting us stay last night. We will take our leave." Curtis and I were on the same wavelength. He wanted me gone and I wanted to get as far away as I could from Bai and her groupies.

"Do you have a place to go?"

Though she had posed the question innocently enough, I couldn't help but feel a bit defensive. "I'm sure we can figure something out." Honestly, I didn't care where we went. Anywhere was better than here.

Bai turned to Parker, "Parker, what if we let them stay at the hut in Camel's Hump Village? No one is using it, right? And Harvey lives there. Maybe he can help Winston with the scorpion venom."

Parker frowned a little at her. He probably didn't like the idea of another female and her mate spending time in the hut he had lived with Bai. I didn't like it either. I didn't immediately protest though because I remembered Harvey from the novel. He had been a kind and capable healer of this world. It would be good to have him nearby, just in case. I worried about Winston. Not just because of the scorpion venom, but yesterday had reminded me that I had come from a village that had been all but wiped out by an infectious illness. What if it came back?

I needed to consider Qingqing's suggestion seriously.

Bai looked at Parker with the pleading eyes identical to the puppies from last night. "Please?"

He sighed and rubbed his head in frustration. "Fine. Yes. They can stay there." He caved. He then turned his dissatisfied glare at Winston. "But you better not damage even a single splinter of it and as soon as you find your own place, you're out!"

Once again Qingqing had bulldozed the conversation. Everything was decided without her ever having asked my opinion. I tried not to sigh since it really wasn't a terrible idea. It achieved my goal of getting out of the city and had the added bonus of being next to a decent healer.