12

Sinister. That is how chilling the weather is outside of the cave. Dozens of lightning strikes slamming the same place a couple of times makes her body flinch every time. The once peaceful haven looks like a raging hell now. The only good thing about the storm is the strong deluge of rain. It prevents the fire from spreading from the trees that were struck by the lightning. On the other hand, the strong winds were fanning the fire enough not to put it out. It is a weird dynamic.

If one ever finds themselves in the middle of a storm, and you luckily survive the lightning, the wind will possibly be the one that can take you out. From her crouching position, she could see some flying debris of uprooted trees hovering in the air. It looks like the combination of a hurricane and a tornado. She can only hope that the animals in the area would not suffer much loss and find shelter. After all, the animals were also on the brink of extinction years ago. Their population is still slowly recovering, but storms like these could pose a great danger.

Thankfully, these kinds of storms only happen six to seven times a year. Three of those seven storms would be destructive just like the one currently causing havoc in front of her. This is the second destructive storm of the year.

"I better head back." She murmurs to herself and traces her way back to the small cove. It might be dark but she can find her way just fine. Her eyesight was much better than the average and since it's already late in the night, she might as well take a rest and sleep. Hopefully, the storm will be over the next day. She reached the cove safely.

"You're back. How's it going?" The man lying on the floor asked groggily. It looks like he fell asleep. She was out for hours observing the storm.

"Go back to sleep." She replied with her eyes clipped on the blazing fire. The stock of firewood they have would only last two days. In those two days, she will have to gather some more to fuel the fire for the last day of the storm if it continues. Luckily, the storm would deposit some of those debris in the mouth of the cave for her to gather. It happens often.

"You can lay beside me, Sir Hermit." Those words the prostitute said caused her to look in his direction which was a mistake as she got an eyeful of his physique once again. On the floor that he was currently laying on was the tunic that he was hanging to dry earlier. Since the small cove was just a small hideout with no other equipment inside, you cannot find a blanket to sleep on. The fire might be burning well but the floor of the cave is still cold.

Shaking her head in annoyance, she kept her silence and sat in his opposite direction. The cold stone behind her was comforting so she closed her eyes. She is exhausted. They still have fruits to eat tomorrow but she had to gather more food for the remaining stay. The torch would not last long for her to reach the underground river. She would have to make a new one. Tomorrow, she'll have to look around the cave for dry dung to make the torch. That way she can catch some fish again.

"Sir, you can lay here with me. It'll be warm that way." He insisted but she did not give him a look and keep her eyes closed.

"Why would I need you to warm me when there's fire?" she gestured to where the fire was with her eyes remaining shut.

There was silence after that. Her ears were heightened waiting for his reply. If he was offended by her reply, then it wasn't her problem. There might be a halt on her plans but she would deliver him safely, first thing after the storm.

"Why did you buy me?"

Her eyes snapped open at the question. There was a hint of hurt in his voice. Electric-blues clashed with hazel-colored eyes. The direct eye contact was unnerving. She is not used to making eye contact with humans. The closest thing she could compare the action to was with the apes.

"Did you not buy me to provide you with sexual relief, raunchy sex?" The seriousness in his voice was alarming.

Her eyebrows went up in surprise. He suddenly stood up and her eyes remained on his gaze. Why did he suddenly get up? Is he going this way? Her mind is cluttered which is unusual. She should get a better grip of herself.

'What?' Her mind was full of question marks. She would not like to admit it but his action coupled with his state of undress shook her a little.

"Stay where you are." She said in a hardened voice. This situation is too much for her exhausted mind. Every small step he made caused a goosebump to raise on her skin. This is why she wanted to live away from the rest. This kind of situation is above her understanding. Social interaction is an overwhelming duty. Or maybe, she was so used to being alone that he could easily rattle her.

"I did not buy you to be my personal whore." She said in a rather high-pitched voice, gulping. He stopped moving altogether. It seems like his eyes also stopped blinking and they were now looking at her with more questions.

"Then why?" He said confused.

"Er… I bought your freedom, is all. There is nothing more to it. I've no plans to keep you." She cleared her throat and slowly calmed herself down.

"And please, for the love of all greatness. Keep your penis out of my sight." The will it took for her to mutter those words was surprising. She was trying hard to gather her wits and here he comes waving his wobbly member so dangerously close to her face. No, it doesn't matter if he offered to pleasure her during their time in the dugout shelter. She would not have him waving his reproductive member around her. For goodness' sake, she is done for the day.

"Does it bother you? But the others don't. Is it the size? Shape? It's the color, isn't it?" He said, still confused with her reaction. The people in the district might find it usual to display their anatomy but she is not from any of those districts. She is a woman hiding behind a man's identity. The main island might be her playground but when it comes to things like this, she is a failure.

"Look, I'm exhausted. Go back to your makeshift bed, and let me rest, alright?" She made a shoo-ing motion with her hand.

Maybe he saw the truth to her words, so he moved back towards his tunic while giving her a look. A look that's telling her that they will have a talk that she did not sign up for. Finally, the man settled down and she followed suit. Tomorrow is another day indeed, and she needs a lot of energy for whatever things that would come her way.

Minutes ticked by and she fell into a deep sleep, evidence of her exhaustion. Tahlia was unaware of the eyes that were looking at her. Glowing electric blue eyes shone with interest as the fire burned between them through the rest of the night.