Fanli's feet felt heavy as she made her way to the path behind the hunchback's house. Her plan was to hide Pest—she wasn't sure where. But each glance back showed him in a daze as he walked.

Finally, it happened—he stopped moving.

She didn't need to ask the reason; she knew. She more than knew.

It took everything in her to work up the courage to look behind her at Pest who stared at the ground.

Fanli felt compelled to say something. "I'd thought you left."

The crushed bodies of the flowers still hung limp in his grip even now.

She wondered if he was listening at all.

Thunder rolled in the distance. Pest met her gaze just as the lightning struck. He looked a fright.

"You let him...." It sounded like a question and an accusation rolled into one. At her silence, he demanded clarity. "Did you let him?"

Fanli had no words to offer. He'd been gone for hours—who knew where.

Even now, the ghost of Ved's kiss still hung on her lips. Worst yet...she didn't hate it—hadn't hated it.

The next crack of thunder had her blood boiling.

What would everything had been? If she'd never met him—never pined for him? Ved had wanted her. And she didn't know if she wanted him back. A week ago, an ogre had never been in her mind.

Now, flashes of Lowgli came and went. Something else lingered—regret. He'd been a good ogre, not at all like the older ones quick to anger.

Visions of their outing came to her. Of how he'd taken back his cat, and his three rats. How he'd tried to play it off but ultimately had to give up at her strange behavior.

He didn't laugh her to scorn like others would.

Gentle. He'd been gentle. And strong. Not manipulative and troublesome like this giant ogre before her.

"Did he do it?" Pest asked, sounding lost.

Fanli picked her head up to face him. She couldn't even find the energy to dare him to clarify.

"Did you let him do you!"

Lightning flashed behind him but it was Fanli incensed.

"Do me? Is that what you thought of it when thinking of me?"

A frown hung on Pest's face, pitiful, much like his posture.

"Huh? Is that what it would have amounted to?" Fanli's scream matched the thunder as well. "Where do you get off?"

The first drop of rain came with the wind blowing.

When Pest picked his head up, his lips trembled. "Everything in me wants to rush you. Everything in me wants to hurt you. And I'd never do that to you. Please stop provoking me," he begged.

Never had Fanli heard such a gentle threat. It was a plea and one Fanli understood. Fanli'd borne witness to her parents coming to actual blows, only to start crying on one another once it was over.

Pest was an ogre now, navigating ogre temperament.

The way his body trembled said as much.

Perhaps that was why Fanli found herself answering, "It's not your business what I do. The fairies are coming for you. Should I stand between them and you and get torn apart?"

Twitch after twitch came with Pest's teeth grinding. And that wasn't all—his tusks began to grow right before her eyes.

"Answer me," Pest pleaded.

Fanli couldn't bring herself to. With all she had to put up with. She couldn't just forgive him now—even if it cost her safety.

"We kissed," she admitted.

Pest bit back a cry. "Yes." When he gritted his teeth this time, the tusks thickened. "I saw that. I more than saw that. But what I want to know is if he put something in you."

The way he said it. Like she was nothing. Like she didn't matter.

She longed to hurt him. "Yes."

Pest flinched. "What?"

The second drop of rain had her tearing up as well; was this really all he cared about?

"His dick, his finger, what!"

"Stop," Fanli begged. "Just please stop."

A gentle mist sprinkled over them. Once upon a time, she'd enjoyed the rain—and she'd enjoyed it with him more than once. Now? Now, she felt offended.

"What was it!"

The boom of his voice had the forest trembling. Fanli shivered as well.

For an instant, she feared him. And she wanted to injure him just as terribly as he hurt her now.

"His tongue."

One petal fell with the gentle rain. Then another cascaded from Pest's vice grip.

"You...."

At first staring through him, she met his gaze, daring him to tell her what she was.

The redness in his eyes and sorrow creased in his face wasn't nearly enough.

Fanli caught sight of the next flash of lightning. That was when she saw it—the dragon.

This was no ordinary rainstorm—it was conjured by a dragon. That meant the dragon would soon strike.

"Where?"

Fanli kept her eyes on the red creature flying in the distance. She told herself she needed to find safety, not stay here fighting and that was why she lied. "You know where."

The last stem of the flowers drifted to the ground and Fanli braced herself. He didn't have a club but with his body size alone, he could do more than enough damage. This would be her first time, but while human women looked to intimacy to usher in womanhood, all ogresses knew to prepare for the first beating.

It seemed only right it would come from Pest now.

Eyes closed, she braced herself and waited.

"I'll kill him."

Pest moved fast despite the downpour. By the time Fanli risked opening her eyes, he was gone. She barely caught sight of his hulking body as he charged down the path back to the house.

"No." Fanli's mouth dropped open. She finally remembered how to move and ran. "No. Pest!"

The growl was deep but powerful, resembling cascading boulders slamming against one another.

He gained speed but his large body wasn't hard for Fanli to overtake. She knew better than to get between a raging ogre and his prey, but she did just that, hands held out to him.

The large body darted around her.

"No," Fanli moaned. "No!" She at least needed to give Ved some warning. He still stood at the doorway, searching the rain for something—maybe her.

At Pest's size, his presence should have been obvious but instead, he was as stealth as death itself.

Ved noticed him but it was too late to even hold his hand up in defense. Pest was too fast.

A force snatched Pest up, tossing him into the sky. It shoved him down and he slammed into the dirt, sending debris in all directions despite the rain.

Pest didn't move. Fanli didn't either. It took some time for the shock to wear off enough for her feet to obey.

She rushed Pest but the source of his injury confused her.

The hunchback. He still held Pest by the throat.

When he was satisfied, he took a step back. His eyes scanned the unresponsive ogre for a moment before he raised his fist.

"No!" Fanli threw herself on Pest's back, guarding him. "Please no."

It was that action alone that made Wen's father realize why. "Pest?"

A shock of lightning tore through the sky, landing alarmingly close.

Pest's groans were music to Fanli's ears. She tried to at least pry his face from the dirt.

"Pest. Get up. You must get up. I can't carry you."

After a brief pause, Wen's father said, "I can carry him. Stand back."

Yet another lightning strike had them looking up as a shadow passed overhead.

The dragon.

"Come!" Wyrn called.

He reached for Pest's throat again, but Pest rose like the dead.

Fanli was afraid of that. She yelled out a warning. "He's too worked up."

Pest simply vanished from before her. That speed was beyond her imagination. Nothing could top it, she'd thought, until Wyrn faded as well, and a force slammed into the air.

Pest propelled up and fell unceremoniously.

The impact had Fanli fearing for his actual life.

When she reached them, Wyrn stood over Pest, warning, "Stay down."

Lightning seared the earth, traveling between them as the dragon passed overhead yet again.

This time, when Pest got to his feet, he shook off his confusion and set his sights back on the house.

His body flexed, fists balled, his tusks were biggest yet as he readied himself for another attack.

Fanli had bigger problems. The dragon flew low, barreling towards her. Something caught Fanli around the waist and dragged her to the ground before impact.

The dragon's scream tore through the night as it flew higher and higher still.

Fanli's body ached but two strong hands swooped her off her feet.

"Gotcha."

Ved.

The rescue alone was amazing. Coupled with the fact that he could pick her up, she was floored.

As the dragon soared higher, a crack of thunder and lightning went with it.

Fanli looked up at its path. When she stood on her own, she was greeted with a stunned face.

Pest no longer focused on Ved, but her, who he watched in betrayal and heartache.