180 Lyla and Mira at Arad’s house

Arad reached his house and put Lyla down. She stumbled forward and looked back at him. “Mira was right.” She panted, “I’m sure no human can move like that.”

Arad smiled, approaching the door and opening it. “Thank you.”

The door opened without noise. The hinges are nice and oiled.

Aella sat on the couch, wiping a vase as she tilted her head toward the door. “Arad? You brought Lyla with you?”.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Mira poked her head from the kitchen. “Wait? Mom?” She walked toward the front door with a smile.

“You two will be living here for a while.” Arad looked at Lyla as she walked inside. He extended his palm, and her stuff emerged on the ground.

“Why?” Mira could sense that something is happening.

Arad closed the door and sat on the couch. He explained what happened to Aella and Mira.

Everyone sat around the table, thinking. “I can’t understand. Why vampires? It’s rare to encounter one.” Mira scratched her head.

“It’s probably related to the elder wood. Someone is trying to set the lord’s wife up, or at least using her as a cover.” Arad sighed, “You two will remain here until the threat I find who sent the attackers.”

Arad and Mira stood. “There is an empty room in the back you can use.” Arad pointed toward the end of the hallway and Mira patted his back. “I built the place. You don’t have to tell me where the rooms are.” She smiled.

Mira walked a bit forward and stopped. Spinning and smiling. “There is a secret room in the house that I didn’t tell you about. I hope you can find it.”

Arad looked around.

~The walls between the kitchen, living room, and the right room are a bit wide. There is enough space to fit a standing human. You can only access them by crawling inside the stone oven~ Loci immediately found it.

“What would I get for finding it?” Arad smiled.

Lyla started moving their stuff to the room as Mira stared at Arad for a while. “I know how to massage well. Mom always needed some after a day of work. I’m sure you also could benefit from one.”

Mira approached Arad with a grin, “But if you didn’t find it by tomorrow…”

“The walls between the kitchen, the living room, and the right room.” Arad immediately spoke, stopping Mira mid-sentence.

Mira glared at Arad for a while. Her eyes slowly closed and opened as her head gently shook. “How did you?”

“Don’t underestimate a dragon.” Arad smiled.

Lyla walked by and looked at Arad’s face and then at Mira. “He knew before you made the bet. I saw his eyes lit.” She patted her back.

“You should have told me, Mom.” Mira cried, finding out that Arad tricked her.

“That’s your fault for not watching his eyes. You rarely trust people but you dropped your guard for him. You’re progressing well.” Lyla smiled and then looked at Arad. “You’re doing a great job. A month ago, I don’t believe anyone if they told me Mira would act like this with a man. Keep it up.” She patted Arad on the back as she took the rest of the items.

Mira glared at Arad, punching him in the stomach. Her face was bright red.

Arad laughed, and she punched him again and again. Her hits didn’t hurt him, but they tickled.

Mira didn’t feel like she was punching something hard or soft. Her fists felt no recoil hitting him as if they slowed down before the impact. That feeling exhausted her rapidly as if she was pushing against an invisible force.

Mira leaned on her knees, panting. “What are you made off of?”

Arad looked down at himself. “I’m made of myself.”

Mira gave Arad one last punch before turning around, “I going to help Mom.”

“Wait. When do I get my massage?” Arad called her.

Mira froze in place. Her head slowly turned to glance at Arad. “I will call you soon when I’m ready.” Her voice almost cracked as she took a deep breath. With a sigh, she turned and rushed after Lyla.

Aella approached Arad. “Aren’t you teasing her a bit too much?”

Arad turned and looked at Aella. “I was actually teasing you. I expected you will lung at me at any moment.”

“Why would I do that?” Aella tilted her head.

Arad froze, he turned to the side. ^Mom! It didn’t work, why?^

“Did you think I would get jealous or something?” Aella tilted her head.

“Yeah.”

Aella giggled with her hand at her mouth. “I have many reasons to not feel jealous.”

“Like what?”

Aella approached Arad, whispering in his ear. “If getting pregnant with a dragon egg takes a lot of time. It won’t be efficient for you to stick only to me. And I’m still technically a slave, remember.”

Arad grabbed her hand, glaring at her eyes, “I understand the first, but the second has nothing to do with it.”

Aella smiled, “It has a lot to do with it. It’s the things we don’t think about.” She turned around, heading to her and Arad’s room.

Arad stood alone in the living room, his hands on his hips as he glared forward. ^Is she still conscious about the slave part?^

Probably. We should make a trip to the slave market and ask them to remove the contract.

^But what about the part that she is scared of using her magic? Right now she basically uses it because of me.^

That isn’t something she should keep doing. Pushing responsibility at you is only a temporary solution. We have to get deep and fix why she’s scared of her magic.

^You’re right. But your plan to make her jealous failed.^

I was hoping it would get her a bit more active. At least she understands that you need more than one woman to get things moving.

“Arad, come here,” Lyla called Arad.

Arad turned and walked toward her. She smiled and pointed inside the room. “I have never seen her this focused before.”

Mira sat alone in the corner, glaring at a bottle of oil with a red sweaty face. Her eyes were red, almost falling from their sockets as she didn’t blink. Her mind is somewhere else as she didn’t even notice Arad walking into the room.