it over the last few weeks.
The problem was that Cin wasn’t sure what would happen during intimacy. For all he knew, his nanites and AI would see it as an opportunity to overrun Lanie and use her to control him. It was implausible, but irrational things had begun running through his mind when Cin realized he was in love with her.
Cin knew it was fear of the unknown that was bothering him the most. It was one thing to live a future by yourself when you were the only one you had to worry about it affecting. Everything had changed with Lanie’s arrival.
Now, Cin had a formal alliance with the elves and elementals, was actively working with LAW through Dar, and he’d been on half a dozen missions with the Dominion. More than Cin had done with the sect in decades.
Cin knew that the reason things were so chaotic right now was that the energy had shifted throughout the universe. Evil was being defeated all over, and those who fed on it were desperately flailing to get the balance back in their favor or more equal.
He was also well aware of the threat against the lives of those Cin loved by the Consortium. The price on each of their heads was outrageous and included lifetime protection from the raiders as well. It was a generous offer, and Cin was expecting someone to turn them in, so he kept a closer eye on his friends, Lanie, and himself.
Cin put Lanie’s plate at her spot at the breakfast bar when she came out of her bedroom dressed for training in nanite created clothes. She looked like the fierce warrior she was quickly becoming, and Cin smiled at how happy Lanie appeared to be the last few weeks.
“So, do we have any missions today, or are we just training?” Lanie sat down and took a sip of her coffee.
Cin sat across from her and shook his head. “Just training today.”
Cin saw Lanie’s face seem to fall, and he laughed. “Enjoy the break while you can. I’m sure we’ll be fighting somewhere soon enough.”
“You have a point,” Lanie had to agree with him.
In the last two weeks, they’d been in half a dozen battles against Consortium raiders and had captured four LAW officers hunting the iberaria on their homeworld.
Cin had installed nanite sensors around the planet that recorded all visitors. The systems had alerted on two separate occasions, intrusions by a pair of LAW craft. Once the officers had landed and Cin had proof they were illegally hunting, he’d created a portal, and he and Lanie arrested them.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Lanie said with a snort. “I spend more time eating than sleeping these days, but I don’t miss it. Between the forums, traitors to humanity, and other issues here on Earth and what we do in the universe, I’m not exhausted, and I should be. You don’t sleep at all, do you?”
Cin shook his head. “Rarely. Once I figured out how to use other forms of energy to fuel my body, I pretty much stopped sleeping. The only reason I even eat is that I enjoy cooking and the taste of the food after decades of colored paste.”
Cin expected Lanie to ask how to use alternative means of powering her body and was surprised when she didn’t. It was a handy ability to have, and he wondered if she was afraid of harming herself.
“It doesn’t hurt and is something you should probably know,” Cin stated off-handedly, hoping Lanie would bite.
Lanie toyed with her eggs. “Yeah, maybe down the road.”
“OK, spill it,” Cin sat back and took a sip of coffee. “What bothers you about learning how to power yourself differently? You may need it in battle one day.”
Lanie put down her fork and looked up at Cin. “I don’t think I’m responsible enough or even stable enough for that kind of power. I don’t want to become the kind of person who will turn into a raving lunatic that you have to put down. I’d rather wait on learning any of that.”
“Oh, honey.” Cin felt terrible. “You shouldn’t think that way! Besides, the bombs and trackers you can create, make you more dangerous than being able to fuel your body with energy.”
“Really?” Lanie was surprised.
“Yeah,” Cin said with a chuckle and refilled their coffee cups. “Without energy, you can’t do anything anyway. But Lanie, you don’t have to worry about what happened to Loquan happening to you. None of the mental markers that