Page 6 of Oh No, I Stole An Alien Furball And Kissed A Beastmaster

I drag Zoe back, shielding her soft body the best I can given the circumstances. I burst through the doorway before her and stop dead in my tracks at the utter madness unfolding before us.

The usually pristine kitchen looks like a war zone. Pots and pans litter the floor, their contents splattered across every surface. Clouds of white powder billow through the air.

With barely a thought I stab my finger against the door’s control panel to stop it from automatically sliding closed and squishing Zoe, who peers inside with wide eyes.

The cooks are shouting and swatting vainly at a horde of creatures overrunning their domain. Bright orange, with darker stripes across their thick fur.

“What’s… oh *beep*. Turmeric, is that you?” Zoe gapes.

Turmeric is no longer singular. Dozens of the small beasts run rampant through the kitchen. They’re devouring everything in sight, cramming food into their mouths before scurrying away. How did so many beasts find their way into our hotel?

Zoe slaps her forehead, and I jolt in shock and disbelief that she might hurt herself like this. “I didn’t close the door. I was so distracted when I bumped into you that he must have just run past us.”

“It’s eating everything!” Nolan, the newly hired head chef, shouts. “Grab it before it destroys my kitchen!”

Zoe presses against my side, gripping my arm tightly.

The Turmerics are clearly a threat to the hotel, in unpredictable ways. I wrap my arm around Zoe’s slender shoulders and pull her close. An overwhelming need to protect her, to shield her from all pain, surges through me.

“Get it out! Get it out!” The dark-haired Laura squeals as she jumps onto a counter laden with platters of food. She waves a spatula at one of the Turmerics as if it’s a sword, trying to discourage the animal from coming anywhere near her. It doesn’t seem to be effective.

I watch in horror as Nolan hefts a large fry pan, wielding it with as much ease as I once did my sword. If he hits a Turmeric with his makeshift weapon, he could seriously injure the beast. It might be a threat, but it’s still an animal; it’s not maliciously causing this damage, it’s just instinctively feeding. I have to get to the Turmeric before he does!

“We need to round them up before they destroy this whole kitchen,” I tell Zoe. My mind is already racing, calculating the best plan of attack. It only takes one moment for me to be dragged back into that mindset, that past that I’ve tried so hard to leave behind.

I dash towards the beast, only to find my feet sliding upon the smooth flooring. It’s slick with spilled food. I crash hard, slamming my shoulder into one of the metal cabinets. Above me, the Turmeric creature pauses in its gluttonous feast to fix me with its vacant stare. The creature opens its maw wide, showing rows of little teeth smeared with icing and crumbs. It actually looks pleased with itself and at my predicament.

Zoe sprints past me, chasing on the heels of a Turmeric, but it zips around the corner faster than she can. I barely shout a warning in time as Rist approaches from the other side, focusing on a Turmeric rather than where he’s running. They collide in a tangle of limbs.

Laura screams as a Turmeric rushes past her. She tucks her feet beneath her onto the metal countertop. Grabbing a platter of fruit close to her, she throws it at the beast.

The Turmeric simply launches itself at the scattering berries.

Breathing deep, I take stock of the situation. I begin to stalk my prey calmly. My claws lengthen as the familiar thrill of adrenaline pumps through my blood. I take a slow and measured step towards the Turmeric, indicating that Nolan—the Volscian chef—should retreat.

I will catch these monsters. Then I will take them back to my stables, and I will tell Rist not to bother me again. I will do my work in peace, and not deal with anyone. If no one bothers me, I can avoid chaos like this in my life.

I hesitate when the animal’s body begins to ripple and expand after each bite it takes.

“Umm, Turmeric? You feeling okay, buddy?” Zoe asks me, stepping close behind and leaning past me to watch as her pet convulses.

Suddenly, fur is flying everywhere. I throw my body over Zoe’s, forcing her toward the ground so I can best protect her from any attack. I have no idea what to expect, but I brace myself for the feeling of claws or acid searing the skin on my back.

Only, it never comes. The fur drifts down around us, floating slowly to the ground. I gape at where not one, but two, Turmerics gently sway.

Well, that explains why there are so many of the beasts now—the damn thing can basically clone itself.

Before I can even drag myself to my feet, the two beasts split direction.

One of the cooks grabs an entire pie from a counter and flings it with surprising force. I duck just in time, the pie sailing over my head to splatter wetly on the wall behind us. Zoe yelps as flecks of filling spray across our bodies.

This is bad.

My eyes meet Rist’s from across the room. His eyes scan our surroundings with an intensity that not many witness, tracking each beast. It’s easy to forget that this young male has seen more battle than most. He acts carefree, but there is a hardened ruler beneath his facade. He recognizes a dangerous situation just as well as I do.

We don’t need to speak to know what to do—we’ve fought on the battlefield together for years now. We move as one. We dodge servers carrying trays of exotic delicacies as we chase after the creatures.

“Turmeric! Bad boy!” Zoe shouts as she chases one of the beasts, it ducking between her legs with ease. “Ummm…Turmerics, plural? Cinnamon? Chocolate, Chili… I’m running out of names here, guys. Laura, stop cowering and help out here!” Zoe says between heaved breaths, resting her arm on the counter beside her friend.

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