"Does Cursed Female—I mean, Bai Yue! Do you want this fruit?!"
Bai Yue blinked the sleep from her eyes to find a fuzzy, scaly tail flicking inches from her nose. Shé Èr was holding out a bright purple, star-shaped fruit, while his brother, Shé Yì, was shaking with nervous energy behind him.
Beside them stood a tall, slender man with dark, shimmering scales tracing his jawline and black eyes. This was Mò Chéng, the father of the twins!
"Thank you for protecting them, Cursed Female," Mò Chéng said. His voice was deep and raspy. He looked angry, his arms crossed over his chest, but the lethal edge usually reserved for her was strangely absent. "I am in your debt."
"I—it was nothing," Bai Yue stammered, taking the fruit. "I mean, it was a lot of hitting people with trees, but I'd do it again."
Mò Chéng looked at his sons. "Come. We are going back to the snake pits for training."
"Noooo!" Shé Yì wailed, grabbing Bai Yue's leg. "We want to stay with Ruì Xuě and Cursed Female!"
