Chapter 11: Infuriatingly Handsome
"Screw you and your lies!" the black snake bellowed. Visibly in discomfort hearing his brother's playfully weaved yet conceited words.
"Damn, this won't do," he muttered, clucking his fork tongue in disapproval.
His cat-slitted eyes scanned her reaction with a frown.
"Don't tell me she bought that. Only a fool will believe his lie," he groaned inwardly. But the nagging feeling made him grit his teeth.
Although he had given Claw the green light and declared his support for letting him pursue his mate, seeing them 'flirt' still left him with a bitter taste.
Fang pulled a long face. Not long after, his voice resonated inside the abandoned cabin.
"Tch! You believe that? Don't you dare listen to his nonsense. Listen to your husband. I'm more appealing than anyone!"
Fang insisted fiercely with a mix of whining and threatening voice.
"You won't find anyone more good-looking than I am in the entire realm."
Seeing the man's heavy reaction, a blend of velvet and mischief slithered into Aella's consciousness. The girl was surprised to sense his mood becoming lighter compared to his previous oppressive aura.
Did he change his persona after transforming? She wondered. Although he still comes at her like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum.
"Hmph! Now stop being stubborn and crack those eyes open to see if I'm lying or not. Be obedient, unless you want me to bite your lips till you get tamed."
His deep breaths, hotter than a dragon's forge, grazed her nape making the girl shudder instinctively.
Immediately, the curiosity in the back of her head died down.
"T-Too close!"
She exclaimed internally with dewy wide eyes.
Aella was left with a heartbeat galloping like a wild steed, and she wondered if her cheeks were as ruddy as ripe apples.
Did a wanton ghost possess him?
And then, the impossible happened. Fang's cold lips—icy, yet tantalizing—pressed against her heated cheeks. Her mind spun like a dervish, and she couldn't decide whether to swoon or slap him.
Instantly, Aella's brain short-circuited!
"Wha-Wha-Whaaat?!" she stammered.
Just what on earth is this giant jerk snake up to?
And… and… argh!
Why was mere contact with this man turning her into a hormonal mess? Had he cast some love spell?
Or perhaps a bewitching potion? Either way, her heart pounded like a tribal drum, threatening to burst out of her ribcage.
Fear? No, it wasn't fear.
She'd been scared since she woke up, but this was different. It was as though her insides were doing the cha-cha, and her brain had taken a vacation to Bermuda.
Rather, she became quite accustomed to them as well, though she was still bugged with a lot of concerns.
Becoming their dinner wasn't a part of it. For now, that is.
"I-I…"
Aella's voice abandoned her like a coward.
Fang, the infuriating enigma, leaned in, his playful tease painting her cheeks crimson.
"Alright. Don't make that face, and just follow what I said. Surely you don't wish to enter matrimony blindly. Now, obediently open your eyes and take a glimpse of your mate's appearance."
"Mat… M-Matrimony?"
Aella's brain hiccupped.
She'd barely processed the whole "mate" thing, and now they were hurtling toward a wedding?
Wasn't there supposed to be a courtship phase? Some candlelit dinners, moonlit strolls, and maybe a dramatic rain-soaked kiss?
Wait, did she just imagine being intimate with him? Aella suddenly wanted to smack herself with reality.
But no, Fang wasn't all business. His voice promised both pleasure and peril. His honeyed words dripped with lethal sweetness, melting her resolve.
Like now for instance...
"I abhor waiting, my wife," Fang whispered, his breath was a dangerous caress. "So do it while I'm asking gently, or else you'll have to bear the consequence of making me wait."
Consequence? What kind of matrimonial penalty was this?
Aella's throat felt like she'd swallowed a desert. She needed an oasis, stat.
So with the grace of a reluctant camel, she cracked open her eyes, cursing Fang with every sleepy blink.
Reality hit her like a cosmic sledgehammer.
She is now inexorably linked to this man, and no matter how fervently she wishes it all to be an illusion, she must confront this head-on.
The Great Witch Goddess must've been bored that day, granting her this folly.
Oh, Goddess!
Please, let Fang and that big bear, Claw, be hideous. Please… let them not be decent-looking at all!
Since you put her in this predicament, then be magnanimous enough to at least give her a reason to shy away and reject them, please!
Let them have a face only their mother could love—or better yet, a face even a mother would disown!
With trepidation threading through her veins, Aella slowly lifted her eyelids.
"Just you wait and see," she roared, sniffling unhappily, her voice echoing off the walls. "I'll bet my hand you still have a monstrous snake head even if you trans—"
And then it happened...
"—form..."
Aella's jaw dropped, and for once, she was speechless unable to continue her piece any further.
Starstruck. Spellbound. Blinking for the umpteenth time.
As if a blinding light enveloped Fang, turning him into a celestial vision.
There, in front of her, stood a man who defied reality. Fang—no longer just the black snake Fang—became a masterpiece!
Aella swallowed a mouthful of air and rigidly closed her traitorous mouth, drooling for that jerk.
Only one thought was driving her nuts, 'Why is he so handsome? Argh!'
His features were chiseled by angels on their coffee break, his eyes held galaxies, and his smile could melt glaciers.
Forget snakes; this man was the entire Garden of Eden rolled into one infuriatingly handsome package.
Aella's heart, that rebellious drum, decided to join a high-strung boy band and perform a synchronized routine. She'd asked for a reason to shy away, but the universe had other plans and it was to screw her over.
It had gifted her a reason to lean in, to explore, and maybe—just maybe—to... fall?
Oh shut up!
With the world spinning around her, Aella whispered utterly perturbed and blaming, "Well played, universe. Well played."
"And they say the sun was bright," she lamented.
But forget the sun—Aella's retinas were about to stage a rebellion. Contrary to her hopes, the vision before her defied all expectations—she was utterly astounded!
Transformed with a sly grin, Fang stood there grinning from ear to ear. Liking every shift of her facial expression while her eyes glued on him.
Enraged, Aella wanted to tear his annoying smirk down but was afraid she'd ruin a fine art and get cursed for doing so.
She asked for divine intervention but the Goddess gave her the total opposite of what she pleaded for!
So much hate, this is just so unfair!
Still, her long lashes fluttered as she gazed at Fang. His once serpentine silhouette had morphed into the figure of a man whose features were as striking as they were intimidating. Twin lofty mounds with six packets under.
Prick!
"What the hell are you thinking!"
Fang angrily roared as he snatched her hand away from puncturing her own eyes.
"Are you an idiot?"
Aella bawled. "My eyes have sinned!"
God, she must've lost her mind for thinking that beast was hot!
Didn't they say the sun was hot? But why did Aella feel like the midnight's form was even hotter in person?
"Sinned? What are you talking ab—"
Fang was left baffled and turned speechless.
"Seriously?"
He combed his hair with his fingers, frustratingly. But the smile on his face didn't wane. The disbelieving snake didn't even know if he'd be happy for affecting her this much or feel concerned about how silly she was.
Taking a deep breath, Fang pretended to scold the girl, knocking his finger on her forehead softly, to feign anger.
"You're so stupid. I'm your husband. You can freely look at my body all you want. You don't have to feel guilty and hurt yourself. Here..."
With her hand still caught in his palms, Fang slowly guided her hand to his body.
"Feel it..." he said and the girl's mind instantly stopped and malfunctioned.
Poof!
All red and fidgety, Aella froze in panic. The tips of her fingers tingled from the sudden contact with his bare skin.
'Mother, your daughter is no longer innocent. I... I've been urged!'
Despite the nervousness and shame driven to her system, this time she didn't show a sign of protest.
Unable to stop her eyes anymore from peering at his figure, they continued to check on him like some starstruck teen. Though in reality, she was indeed dumbstruck to even say anything.
It was all his fault for initiating this!
Aella desperately reasoned and took another peek at his hard and scorching form. His bare chest down to his—
"Oh!"
Her round eyes bloom with wonder.