Page 55 of I Dated a Retired Hero

“Oh, yeah.”

“I didn’t feel anything from her.” He was curious.

“No, you wouldn’t. When you have a moment and no one but myself is around, ask her. She will show you.”

“What is the secret?”

She sighed. “The Uraddans tried to coax either my fire or Nileth’s blades out of her using every means at their disposal. First, they had to cut out her wings.”

“You mean cut off.”

“No, cut out. Severed muscle and bone. Took them and ripped them apart to copy the material that her feathers were made of. They couldn’t duplicate it, but they tried to see if her hair or nails would produce the mineral. They did not. By the time Uradda was pried open, there was little left of her. She is recovering slowly and looks to regenerate fully in a few years, but she’s scarred.”

“I really want to rip Uradda apart right now.”

“It is already shattered. They are begging for their actives back. They can’t do the work of their bound army and are beginning to seek other more affluent countries.” She chuckled. “They are finding out that very few places want non-actives who are known for their discrimination against actives. Most countries value us. Even if the capitol tries to restrict and regulate the means by which we use our activations, they still don’t want us in chains, yet.”

He sighed. “Erradia has always fought to maintain independence from our hostile neighbours. I am regretting being stuck in a box while they were here throwing a fit.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry. While I was technically at work all day, I may have been seen taking fire from Uraddan heavy guns and destroying military vehicles.”

He glanced at her, and she smiled back at him. “If I was there, and I wasn’t, it was a very exciting day. After we got the actives and their families free, I flew escort on vehicles that got them to the waiting stations to record them as refugees, and when they were surrounded by others, I flew back to work.”

“You took on Uraddian heavy guns?”

“Sure. They tickle. They are just energy weapons. I eat that sort of thing.”

He chuckled. “My omas would have loved you. They were tough women.”

She smiled. “My parents would have been telling you that my attitude would temper over time.”

“I like your attitude. It is no-nonsense. Sometimes, I need someone to get my attention.” He chuckled. “But since I became a general, it is difficult to find people to hold me in line.”

“Aw. I think I can take you.”

“I am guessing yes.” He chuckled. “Since you can consume my energy manipulation, I would have to say yes.”

“Yeah. You are close to my energy class, but astral to nova is a bit of a stretch.”

He grinned. “It is. You were born to be you, and I was born to be me. And we both look far younger than our ages.”

She laughed. “Yeah, when your mom shared that one, I had to blink for a while.”

“Good thing Lid was sitting with more ice cream on standby. She uses our great oma’s recipes, and they are an excellent distraction.”

Litha said, “How long can we stay in bed before we have to start things?”

“I think we should get started and take a break midmorning.”

“That’s calculated.”

“Isn’t it just.” Sergei squeezed her. “It is also when my mother, sister, and possibly an auntie might arrive.”

“Auntie?”

“Dmitri’s mother. My half-sister.”

“Ah. Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. Does Dmitri cook?”

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