He followed Lilithana into a wooded area to finally reach a small cabin. Inside he found a large bed covered in brightly colored pillows. The walls were detailed in various carnal scenes carved in wood.

She activated the ball of silence around the building while he undressed. “I want you to understand that I am playing along with Jade because I think it is the most efficient method to teach her language and structure. But if you try to abuse the fact that she only trusts you, the situation will not end well for either of you.”

“I am under no delusions.” He said.

“Now explain how your power works. Are you a mind reader too? Cinder can only reach about a hundred meters. How can you reach so far?”

He sat at the end of the bed. “I can’t normally read thoughts. I can mind-speak with people. I just have to touch them and chose to set a link first. I have not found a maximum range.”

“Do you have links with anyone outside of this facility?”

“No.”

“I will have to accept your word on that.”

“I have been alone for a long time.”

She nodded. “Now tell me how are your able to hear Cinders thought?”

He shrugged. “I can hear her thoughts whenever she focuses them on me. It’s been that way since I woke up here. I guess it is our powers overlapping somehow.”

“You should have told her.”

“I have been feared and hated for my powers since I got them. I didn’t dare tell anyone.”

“Maybe there is some way I can tell her that will not set her off. I mean you haven’t really done anything to her.”

“No. Never. That must not happen. She cannot know.”

“What could you possibly have heard that is that bad?”

“I can hear whenever she focuses on me. Which happens … every few days … when she decides to rub one out …while, moaning, my, name.”

“She does what?!” Lilithana doubled over in laughter. Then fell over and rolled on the floor cackling. Every time it seemed like she would stop she would look up at him and begin again. Eventually she managed to contain herself and slowly stood.

“It’s not that funny.”

“You have no idea. She has always been a prude. Pretending she has no interest in sex. I find it absolutely hilarious. No wonder you couldn’t use the sex programs. Not with the horny Bug-Girl in your head.”

“Do you see my problem?”

“I agree. She absolutely cannot find out. So, we just won’t tell anyone and hope we get away with it.”

“Is that it?”

“Do you have a better plan?”

He shook his head.

“On a good note, I can keep our breeding sessions private so she can’t watch. Don’t you think a little release will help your stress levels?”

“Probably.” He nodded. “I wanted to take you up on your offers earlier, but I was worried about my power… about Cinder. I mean, I’m sorry for ignoring you, I…”

She put a finger on his lips. “Don’t do this. I forced myself on you. If anyone should apologize it’s me. But I cannot. So let’s choose our next move.”

He nodded.

“I can make legitimate excuses to force this on you. I can say I am testing how your powers work or collecting more samples but to be perfectly honest I just want to feel that again. I will not force this again today. If you want me to leave, I will.”

He gave a little chuckle. “You are as bad at romance as I am.”

She took a step back and glanced at the door.

I am such an idiot. She might be a super powered badass but she is clearly struggling here too. Just keep it simple. He stood and walked up to her, lifted her chin, “I want you too.” He softly kissed her lips.

She smiled. “I have a something special for this occasion.” She spawned a large bottle filled with a golden liquid and poured both of them a glass. “Remnants like you are such an interesting species. You have an insane tolerance for alcohol.” She dropped a tablet into one glass and stirred. “But that little tablet of hotspice will give you the same effect as it has on me.” She swirled the glass a few times, then handed it to him.

He stared at it.

“This drink was aged for half a century before it was put in a storage cube. It was last made before the fall of Endrala. In an open market, its value is beyond measure. Counting this one, I only have four bottles left. I want to share this one with you today.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to talk anymore. I want to get shitfaced and lick every inch of you as you do the same to me. Then we will fuck until neither of us can move. Indulge me, please.” She held out her glass.

Please? He ignored this strange behavior and let his body take over. He tapped his glass to hers. “Bottoms up.”

“In more ways than one.” She smiled.

He drank it in one gulp. He coughed and his throat was fire as a warming sensation flowed through his body.

She stripped slowly out of her cloak, turning and teasing. She had a cute patch of black fur running down her spine that ended in a little triangle tail. When the cloak hit the floor Lilithana fell onto him, smothering him in touches and kisses.

“So you aren’t going to attack me afterwards?” He tried to sound playful.

“I acted cold earlier, but I really, really didn’t want to stop. You are just too delicious. My rabbit instincts tell me to run from the big scary cat, but my rabbit instincts also want to breed with you, repeatedly.” She bit and sucked on his neck, sending shivers down his spine. “And if anyone’s fantasies drift into your head, just tell me and I will make them a reality.”

Time was lost to their lust. Lilithana kept chocolate and drinks supplied as they both sated their desires.

When they had finally stopped he lay with her head on his chest.

“Do you have any children?” Lilithana said.

“I don’t know. The risk of people discovering my mental powers always kept me moving.”

“Do you want children?”

“I promised you I would find the Cradle. After that, I don’t know. Why are you asking?”

She sighed. “I’m curious about you. Maybe it is because of the great sex. Or maybe it was watching you with Jade. Or maybe I am getting too sentimental in my old age.”

“Is there something you are trying to tell me about Jade?”

“No. I checked. You are not even from the same breeding program. Other than the species, you have no discernable relation.”

“Do you have children? Or are you trying to have them with me?”

“I never did and I can’t have them now. My eggs had been used to impregnate others. That was long ago, but my distant descendants are possibly out there. And I am responsible for tens of thousands of other pregnancies across the region. I could count myself as their parent as well.”

“Where did you come from? I’ve never even heard of rabbits or Guris in the Deep Dark.”

“I am from the surface. Most Guris lived on a large island to the south. But I was a slave to a cruel Guanting master in a different land. My owner fell on hard times and went to sell me. But he had brought me to a town where all slaves had to touch an Altar before they were sold. I touched it and the next thing I knew I was teleported here.”

He slowly stroked her long ear.

“I need you to remember that we are all test subjects here. This is good for relaxation but nothing can come of this. You will eventually have to leave to find the Cradle while Jade and I will have to stay.”

“I know. You don’t have to remind me.”

“Yes I do. It is easy for others to develop feelings. I can turn mine off like the flip of a switch, but you cannot.”

“You are the one talking about feelings, not me.”

She stood and wobbled a bit. “I’m not falling in love with you. I’m just a sappy ass drunk, ok? And this is the longest I have stayed in my alive form, in forever. I will be back to my normal cold hearted self in no time. Don’t you worry.”

He stood and the room spun.

She laughed as he fell back on the bed. “Yea. Serves you right you alcohol immune asshole. Feel the drunk-ness everyone else has to live with.”

He stood, slowly this time. “I can… handle this.”

She leaned against him and they landed on the bed together, laughing. She popped a piece of chocolate in her mouth.

He gently pushed her off. “Nope. No more. I’m done. You are going to have to take care of that yourself. I am spent.”

She giggled. “Chocolate only works on remnants. I love the stuff but it is usually reserved for test subjects. I just stole your next piece. So you will, unfortunately, have to perform without it next time.”

“Yes. Next time. After I sleep for ten days.”

“Since ‘loud time’ is over,” The color faded from her skin and he felt her presence vanish. She stood, completely sober. “I think we should go get a shower and food. Jade has been waiting outside for over half an hour. I don’t want to make her hate me again.” Lilithana stuck him in the leg with a syringe. “That will give you an hour or so of sobriety so Jade doesn’t think I have done something horrible to you.”

They got dressed and left the simulator.

Lilithana spoke as they neared his room, “I am giving Jade your room and you will get one across the hall. The new room is larger so you can fit a larger bed. I have had the golems working on cleaning and setting up that room since you fed her the second time. It’s finished now.”

He showed Jade his old room. “This is your room now. You sleep here. Ok?”

“YAY!” She spun, ran and dove onto the bed.

“I’m going to be across the hall.” He said and went to check out his new room.

*NO!* Jade threw her arms around him before he even got to the door.

He rubbed his throbbing head. The shot had let him walk straight but he had a quickly growing headache. “Lilithana. Do you have any toys for her to play with in her room?”

“The games on the eye-drones require at least a basic understanding of language. There are some children’s videos in the archives, but the language barrier still exists. I can’t think of anything that would work for her at the moment. We don’t normally have test subject like her. I can ask Cinder if she has any ideas.”

“Ok, do that. I am going to get a shower in my room. Will you help Jade take a shower?”

“That was my plan. But can you convince her?”

When did I become a parent? He took Jade her shower and explained how everything worked. After a familiar argument, with repeated assurances of absolutely, positively zero slimes coming out of the pipes, he went to his new room.

The bed, shower and table were bigger. But other than that the room it was as basic as before. His things had all been moved to similar locations. He showered and dressed. He had woken up early and had barely fallen asleep on the beach before Lilithana showed up. With everything else, he was completely exhausted. He showered.

They ate their late dinner in silence. Even Jade was worn down by the busy day. She let Lilithana fit her with a training collar and let him tuck her into her bed with no protest.

He went back to his room to find Lilithana in a long, soft-looking, shirt with a bright blue flower pattern on it. “What are you still doing here?”

“I want to sleep with you.”

He shook his head. “I told you, ten days.”

“If you take that long to recover, I have failed as your doctor.” She gave a soft smile. “But to be perfectly clear, I really mean sleep. My alive mode wants to curl up next to you.”

“Ok. That’s fine. Whatever you want.” He was too spent to argue.

“If you will let me, I want to say something while I am still in dead mode.”

“Go ahead.”

The ball of silence appeared in her hand and a bubble formed around them. “My alive mode holds most of my passions and emotions. It can be overwhelming for some people. It can be overwhelming for me at times. Your mental power to share feelings when we touch lets you feel it at full strength. I am guessing that is why you accidently made a connection with me.”

“It was surprising at first, but I can handle it.”

“Awake me only has limited periods of activity, so she lives every moment she can to its fullest. If something happened to you she would move on to the next thing that brings her joy. She does not have the time to mourn. To be perfectly honest, I am not sure if she is even capable of it.”

“It must be hard to live like that.”

“I do not know. I cannot feel strongly like she does. I smile and pretend when I feel it is appropriate.” She fidgeted a bit. “Earlier. I believe what she was trying to say, in her own drunken way, was that you are a kind man and she does not want to unintentionally hurt you.”

“I think I understand.”

“Will you still allow me to sleep here tonight?”

His head still throbbed, “Today, you have drugged me, repeatedly; you forced yourself on me and you swap my room without even a warning. Why would you bother to ask about sleeping in here? You have total control.”

“I do what I must as a test subject. I am asking now because she … because I, personally want this. Most test subjects hate being near me.”

“I don’t hate you. I…” He rubbed his throbbing temples.

She stood. “I am increasing your stress levels, I understand, I will leave.”

He caught her arm, “I hate sleeping alone. As long as you don’t randomly drug me, you can sleep in here anytime.”

She nodded. “I agree to your terms.”

They curled up together with her spooning behind him. Her hand slowly caressed his chest as he tried to sleep. The headache slowly eased off. He thought about asking for something to help with his head but he felt like too much of an ass after complaining about the drugs. This place used people up and spit them out but curled up next to her he felt more relaxed and safe than he could ever remember. Nothing was trying to eat him in his sleep. There was no desperate struggle for food. Just the cold calculated need for results at all costs.

Lilithana’s breathing became steady as she drifted off. Sleep remained elusive to him. A soft click caught his attention. The door, ever so slowly, cranked opened. A Jade sized shadowcat walked in through the crack. It silently hopped up on the table then walked up the wall and across the ceiling. She knows she can’t fool me so she is trying to be cute.

The slightly shimmering figure of the real, cloaked Jade crawled through the door and up to the bed as the fake cat chased invisible targets on the ceiling. Jade poked her head up at the edge of the bed.

“Go to bed.” He stared directly at her.

The illusions disappeared. Her glowing eyes peaking above the edge. She scowled. *No Fake-Girl. No loud time. Me time.*

“It’s sleep time. Go back to your room.”

*I sleep, you.*

“Your room is safe. Sleep in there.”

She pouted. *Room cold. Bad sound. Bad smell. I shake.*

“You are scared to sleep alone?”

She nodded. *I sleep, you.*

He surrendered and lifted the covers. The girl disappeared beneath them curling up against his chest.

“Is that better? Can I sleep now?”

*Cat man. Cat. Cat.* she poked at his chest.

He took the hint and morphed into his shadowcat form.

Jade curled up against his fur, *Warm. Fluffy.*

“This is nice.” Lilithana muttered, as she snuggled against his massive furry back. “I’m disappointed I didn’t think of it.”