"Oh gods, I need to sit down." Despite Solusās best efforts, Selia could feel her knees buckling. The golden hair, the luminous body, and the majestic aura that surrounded Solus made her look like someone out of a fairy tale.
"Oh gods, where does this thing come from?" Selia flinched when a comfortable armchair appeared out of thin air.
"Itās good to finally meet you in person, Solus." Ryman offered her his hand, but she hugged him instead.
Protector wasnāt just a business partner, he was their oldest friend.
"Same here. What do you think?" She said after taking a few steps back and turning around to let him see her full figure.
"Youāre a lovely young woman." Ryman nodded.
"Yeah, how old are you?" Selia asked.
"Centuries-old, but since Iāve forgotten almost everything about my past life, my mental age is around twenty." Solus said.
Lith had them move to the living room before starting to explain things properly.
"Let me get this straight." Selia said after the question and answer session was over. "You found her when you were four, but she didnāt get a body until last year, correct?"
"Yes." Lith nodded.
"Are you cheating on Kamila, young man? Because I like that girl and if after everything you went through together you hurt her, Awakened or not Iām going to kick your ass." Selia said.
"Iāve never cheated on anyone in my life." Lith was outraged by her accusation. "Solus and I work and live together, but we have separate rooms."
"Why donāt you explain to us in your own words how you feel about each other, then? Selia crossed her arms and legs, clearly unconvinced.
Lith opened his mouth and raised his forefinger, yet no word came out.
āIf I say sheās my moral compass, Iāll sound like a madman. Saying that sheās my better half or the fairy on my shoulder would be even worse.ā He thought.
āMy life companion? My other half? My most beloved person? By my maker, why do only expressions that make it sound like weāre married come to my mind?ā Solus thought.
"Itās complicated." They replied in unison.
"I can see that." Selia said. "If you donāt mind, Iād like to talk to Solus alone."
Lith and Protector left the living room, moving to the upper floor. Lith wanted to show him the Mirror Hall and take a look at the Trawn woods.
"I wonāt mess with your personal life because itās not my place. Yet from what I understand, your only friends are Nyka, Tista, Ryman, and Kalla. Correct?" Selia asked, receiving a nod in reply.
"No offense, but I think that a newborn vampire, a young woman with no life experience, an oaf that told his wife about being an Emperor Beast only after their first child was born, and a wannabe Lich donāt have much wisdom to offer you.
"I donāt know how much of what I experienced in our relationship so far was really Lith and how much it was actually you, but Iām willing to find out. We both donāt have many friends and we could use some company.
"If you ever need to talk about how it feels to be lonely, in love, or even just human, feel free to contact me." Selia shared with Solus her communication rune.
"Thank you very much." Solusās smile was gleaming, and not only that. "We have a monthās leave and I donāt hang out with Lith while he stays with his girlfriend. I would love to spend some time together.
"You have no idea how many questions Iāve got." Solus stared at the little bundle that was Fenrir, resting between Seliaās arms.
The huntress couldnāt bear the thought of being separated from her daughter, not after coming so close to losing her. Selia could entrust Lilia and Leran to Nalrond but not Fenrir.
It was the same feeling that Elina still had for Lith after all those years.
"Do you want to hold her?" Selia asked, noticing Solusās gaze.
"Yes, but actually no. Iām stronger than I look and quite clumsy." Solus replied.
"Donāt worry. Babies are stronger than they look, too. Especially hybrids." Selia stood up and slowly moved around the table, passing the child to Solus who froze in panic.
She treated the sleeping baby as if it was a ticking bomb wrapped around a priceless piece of art.
"Oh, gods. Sheās so small and beautiful." Solus said once she recovered from the shock. "I canāt believe Lith considers all children ugly and never hesitates to kill them."
"Lith what?" Selia instinctively moved her hand to the knife hidden inside her boot.
"Oh, sorry. Itās not like you think. We rarely kill human younglings. Most of the time itās just monsters, undead, or Abominations." Solus tried to fix her blunder, only making things worse.
"Sister, you have problems, but weāll talk about this another moment. I better get back home, itās late." Selia retrieved the baby, making Solus worry she had managed to make and lose a friend in less than one day.
Then, she looked at the sun coming from one of the windows and she realized they had lost track of time.
"Weāre going to be late for lunch!" Solus blurted out.
"Yeah and Iāve yet got to prepare ours. Nalrond is a great babysitter, but a terrible cook. Heās forbidden to use the stove except for warming non-explosive liquids." Seliaās remark made Solus really curious, but there was no time for questions.
Solus used the Warp Mirror to return the Fastarrows home and then Lith flew home as fast as he could.
āFuck Nalrond and his big mouth! I was supposed to check on Selia, talk with Faluel, and then spend the morning with Mom.ā He thought.
āWell, Iām happy that you introduced me to Selia. Now I have a place to stay while you speak with Faluel. It didnāt happen as you planned it but I think it could have been much worse. Did you ask Protector for help?ā Solus asked.
āYeah, he agreed to provide support for when I tell my family that Iām a hybrid and an Awakened. All I need is to set a date. I was thinking about my birthday.ā
āAre you serious?ā Solus was flabbergasted by the news.
āYes. Itās time to come clean about a few things. I donāt need to hide in the shadows anymore neither from them nor Kamila.ā Lith thought.
āDo you think I should invite Faluel as well? She has a weak spot for kids so knowing my little ones could make her reinforce her protection. Also, knowing her could smooth the transition for my family. Two birds with one stone.ā
āI donāt know. Your trump card is Selia and her kids. They know her quite well and she can provide them with all the support your parents might need. Iām afraid that crowding them with powerful creatures might backfire and scare them instead.ā Solus said.
āPoint taken.ā Lith flew at breakneck speed, yet arrived home only one hour before noon.
Just like Kamila, Lith had learned to announce his presence to avoid being accidentally shot down because someone mistook him for an enemy. He slowed down the moment his house was in sight and landed far away enough for people to recognize him.
The farmhands were well trained and most of them had their alarm whistle pressed against the lips, to signal their masters the necessity to activate the numerous arrays that Lith had placed around the house.