1903 The Monster You Feed (Part 1)

Solus nodded and rushed to the dining room. She was starving as well and couldn't wait for the delicious homemade food. Kamila saw there was no malice in her words, just a desperate need for affection.

"As soon as she leaves, you and I are going to talk. This is still our honeymoon. Maybe sleeping in the same bed with two women was funny for you, but not for me." She said while tapping her finger on Lith's chest.

"I thought you wanted to bring Trion to see Dad today." Lith tilted his head in confusion.

Seeing that there was no malice in his eyes either, only love for her and bewilderment for her accusation, Kamila decided that they indeed needed to talk.

'I may be a tad jealous, but Lith's way too dense. I'm okay with his bond with Solus, but we need to set boundaries.' She thought.

"Not today." A kind smile broke on her face. "I just went through a lot. I need time to recover from my sleepless night. We'll go tomorrow, if it's okay with you, Solus."

"Okay." She actually didn't like the idea of spending her precious time with Lith that way, but after what she had done and asked, it was the least she could do for the newlyweds. "I'm still hungry."

"Move that ass and make us something good." Kamila slapped Lith's buttock. "Make mine extra sweet. I had a troubled night and an even more troubled awakening."

***

The rest of the day passed uneventful, with Kamila giving Lith his first earful as a married man. She pointed out how mystical bond or not, Solus was still a stranger to her.

Kamila wanted to get acquainted with her husband's other half, but she also wanted to keep their own space. Especially during the honeymoon.

The following morning, they were fully rested and ready to help Raaz however he might need.

They went to Salaark's palace at sunrise, to pick up Solus and meet Lith's parents. Much to their surprise, the compass that the Overlord had given them on the first day of their honeymoon was no compass at all.

It opened a hidden wall, revealing a fully operational Warp Gate that led to any location in the Blood Desert, including the palace.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Kamila asked when she found Salaark waiting for them on the other side.

"Because I didn't want to bother you, sweetie." The Guardian said while embracing them both. "Now that you know that my palace is just a step away, you will feel tempted to come here just like your relatives will be tempted to visit you.

"I didn't want anyone or anything to disturb you two until you decided otherwise."

Suddenly, the thought of Aran and Leria bursting through the Gate at will sent a cold shiver down Lith's spine. The kids would have loved the beach, wouldn't mind their relatives in swimsuits, and getting rid of them would be nigh-impossible.

"Let's keep this between us, Grandma. If someone asks, Solus picked us up." Lith said.

"As you wish." Salaark chuckled. "When you feel ready for visitors, let me know. I could use a bit of sunbathing and company. Unless the sight of my swollen body bothers you, of course."

Lith looked at Kamila for the answer. He had no issue with other people hanging around in skimpy clothes nor letting them see him in trunks.

"You will be most welcome." Kamila replied.

She couldn't regard Salaark as anything but a loving parent. Even though Kamila was still embarrassed about wearing a bikini, she was certain that neither she nor her husband would be a novelty for someone like the Guardian who was millennia old.

After that, they went to greet Elina and Raaz who were already up for breakfast. Lith's father had dark bags under his bloodshot eyes, having been sleeping little and poorly. Whenever he closed his eyes, Raaz found himself trapped in the Hogum's household.

He would scream while trying to break free from the phantom chains at his legs and arms, readying to fight an enemy that wasn't there.

"Back already?" Raaz did his best to smile and act normal. "You should appreciate your life more. Back in the day, your mother and I couldn't afford a honeymoon."

Lith felt his father shivering as they touched. Instead of hugging him and checking that Lith was alright as usual, Raaz just hurriedly patted his shoulder and stepped back.

"You shouldn't have brought Lith back, Kamila. His mother will never let you go again." Raaz extended his hand that was sweaty and twitchy.

Panda Novel Kamila could see the sheer willpower that Raaz needed just to keep up appearances, but feigned ignorance.

"We both missed you guys. After a while, being alone on a beach becomes really boring." She replied.

"Do you want to stop for breakfast?" Elina's eyes were tired and teary as well.

She was relieved from seeing them again and having someone to share her burden with. She loved Raaz and seeing him slowly crumbling apart was killing her heart. He had shortly improved after the wedding, but it hadn't lasted long.

Most of all, it was the feeling of helplessness that ate at her from the inside. Elina would have done everything to help her husband, no matter the price, yet there was nothing she could do unless he let her in.

"Mom, Dad, sit down. We need to talk." Lith moved the chairs and projected the hologram of the events that Raaz still didn't know about.

Orpal had cut off the transmission in the interrogation room after the events had spiraled out of his control. He needed to keep his father on edge, not giving him hope.

Raaz had watched everything until the moment Trion had popped out of Lith's shadow and was still unaware of his presence.

Lith used words and holograms to lessen the emotional impact on his father, keeping him from reliving the emotions of that terrible day. Yet Raaz trembled every time Orpal appeared.

His face became green as his stomach churned, forcing him to puke more than once. Lith could have asked Salaark to be there, but he wanted his father to face that hurdle without the crutch of the Guardian's aura.

As Kamila had said, they had to stop treating him like a baby and Salaark was the closest thing to a mother that Raaz had after she had saved his life.

"Trion is alive?" Raaz said, half in anger and half in surprise.

"No, he's a Demon now, dear." Elina shook her head.

"You know what I mean!" He yelled at her, his voice filled with cold anger. "All of you knew for all of this time and yet you kept me in the dark."

"We did it for your own good, Dad." Rena said. "Accepting what happened to Trion was already hard for us. You weren't in the condition to-"

"What's to accept?" Raaz snarled. "He had it coming. Trion has always been an idiot and an asshole. I'm honestly surprised that he stuck around instead of bitching his way out. That's a first."

"Dear!" Elina turned pale at such cruel words.

"Dear my ass!" He turned towards her, his face twisted in anger. "You lied to me. All of you did. You treated me like an idiot for all this time."