"I know how things must seem to you. That I dated you only to get a freebie for my sister. I never meant to hide how bad her situation is from you, it’s just that it’s not something I like to talk about. "I wouldn’t have even bothered you with it if you weren’t the best Healer I know and now that I’m a Field Assistant Constable, I can afford the treatment. I can pay you, so nothing has to change between us. I’m not trying to exploit you." Kamila said. "Gods, my paranoia is really rubbing off on you. I never thought anything like that. I too hid a lot of things from you. I know all too well how difficult it is to speak about a painful past. Only those who want to garner pity from others would speak of such things on a first date. "I’m glad that you asked for my help, because it means you trust me enough to share your burden with me. I’m even more glad to hear about all the silly thoughts running through your head, because it means you are not taking me for granted." Lith gently caressed her hand. ’I wish I was that strong. I have yet to tell her about my hybrid nature. I can’t tell her about Awakening and true magic, but if things get really serious, I can’t make the same mistakes Protector did.’ He thought. "Thanks." Kamila sighed in relief, feeling her worries fading. "The thought that you might be doubting about my feelings was eating at me since yesterday. To be honest, it’s the reason I avoided to... you know." She said while the waitress brought them desserts. The conversation moved again to their respective day’s work and silly anecdotes about their lives. When they went to Kamila’s apartment, Lith was happy, relaxed, and most of all, sleepy. "I had too much wine. I’ll go take a quick shower to clear my head and I’ll join you as soon as I slip into something more comfortable." Kamila said. ’Tomorrow I have a full day and today I’ve used Invigoration so much that all my body aches. With a full stomach and considering how tired I am, I’d better avoid making advances. ’Besides, things with Kamila will be awkward for a while, at least until we solve Zinya’s problem. Heck, I’m too tired even for theory crafting magic.’ He thought as the Skinwalker shapeshifted into his pajama. Lith checked with Life Vision that nothing was out of order and that there was no unknown magical item before being able to relax. He fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. It didn’t last long, though. A sudden flash of light and a mildly amused voice woke him up after what seemed a second. "What are you doing?" There was a tinge of annoyance in Kamila’s voice. "Isn’t it obvious? I was sleeping." Lith shielded his eyes from the cruel light with a hand. "After how you kissed me when I returned home? After what I said earlier? What happened to your math skills?" She was tapping her foot, her hands on her hips. "What do you- Good gods!" Lith’s mind recalled her earlier words as his vision returned to normal. Kamila was standing in front of the door wearing only red lace lingerie. It made wonders emphasizing her pale skin and soft curves. During his time as Assistant Professor at the academy, Lith had used the White Griffon network to patent the underwear he had plagiarized from Earth. It hadn’t been the success he had hoped for, except for the women underwear, of course. Lith had gifted Kamila a few for their amorous plays and she was now wearing his favorite one. "But yesterday you said..." "Yesterday we had to talk, silly." She crawled on the bed on all four with deliberately slow, sensual movements, showing miles of cleavage. "Didn’t you miss me? Even one bit?" She said before giving him a peck that tasted like heaven. Lith turned off the lights with a snap of his fingers before taking her into his arms. They started to kiss while feeling each other’s body. Lith took his time to appreciate the feeling of the lace covering her skin before removing it slowly, one bit at the time. ’Thanks, math. I knew you wouldn’t relinquish me.’ *** The next morning, after they had breakfast together and Kamila left home, Lith went back to Lutia. He took Belius’s Warp Gate to leave a trace of his movements and then used Solus’s tower Warp to reach his destination and sleep. Kamila was fine because he had shared with her a bit of his life force, but they had slept too little and Invigoration’s effects had yet to reset. Four hours later, Lith was back at his full force and practiced Zinya’s procedure until it was lunchtime. His parents were very happy to have him with them for a while, even more when he chose to stay a bit longer after lunch. Lith told them about his latest mission everything that wasn’t a state secret. "I’m glad to hear that Friya is doing well." Elina said. "Yeah, too bad that girl is a workaholic just like you. You didn’t see each other since Jirni’s birthday and yet you spent the entire time practicing magic. You need to relax, son." Raaz said. "It’s what I’m doing now, right?" Lith used spirit magic to play with Aran, moving some of his toy soldiers and engaging him in a fierce battle. "Why did you pick the beanpole instead of aunt Friya? She’s a babe." Aran said with a pensive tone. Some words made little sense to him, so he had a hard time remembering them "Raaz!" "Dad!" Elina and Lith said in unison. The only way Aran could say such things was by hearing those words from someone else and often at that. "Guilty as charged." Raaz showed his hands, surrendering. "I’m sorry, but I never understood how you pick your girlfriends. Even when you two just met, Phloria was already very tall. Taller than me and even than you. Also, she’s too..." Raaz was almost too embarrassed to finish the sentence. "Strong?" Lith asked. He knew that his father was still shocked after losing to her in many strength contests. As far as Raaz knew, Phloria was stronger than Lith as well. "Yes. A woman shouldn’t be so intimidating. Now you have Kamila, she’s lovely sure, but she’s..." "Old?" Elina’s voice was so cold that it made the temperature in the room plummet. ’If Kamila is old, then what am I?’ She thought. "...er. Older than Lith, dear. Whereas Friya is about the right age, height, and is a wonderful woman. A father has all the right to worry about his eldest son." Raaz said, his voice became low and sour. "Eldest son? What about Trion?" Lith didn’t miss either Raaz’s tone nor Elina turning pale. "Dear, I told you it had to wait." She said. "Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to." He sighed. "Your brother came here a few days before Jirni’s birthday, when only your mother, Aran, and I were at home. Things didn’t go well. Our reunion started badly and things escalated quickly. Long story short, he disowned us and is no longer a member of our family."