Chapter 69: Tucked In, I Needed Extra Help

"WHY DID YOU INVITE HER! Nushi screamed at me as we walked up the stairs, but then Mary hissed dangerously at her.

"SSSS! You don't havesss to be ssso loud! He can hearsss you!" Mary warned, and Nushi stopped yelling.

"I asked her to come, and I know you are scared of her, but I told you that I would keep you safe from her. I don't plan on breaking that promise I made to you, so I need you to trust me," I said to Nushi and then added another thing that might help her see reason. "You can always just keep your book out, and you will know what she is thinking, right?"

Nushi paused and then looked up at me with an embarrassed look that made her horns start flapping. I smiled and patted the middle of her head, and then her horns stood back up to the full height.

"Okay, I will try, but don't mess around! Jilly has been complaining about you and Mary since the two of you have left, so I suggest you get some food to feed her! I am also starving, so please?" Nushi asked, and I nodded to her.

"Yes, beautiful. I will be down right away to cook, and I will try to make something that doesn't take too long, okay?" I said to Nushi, but the Lightning started to crackle from her horns, and she ran away with burning cheeks.

I couldn't help but smile as I turned back and made my way up to the fifth floor. When I reached the top of the building, there were two rooms, but Mex had already put a sign up. The paper looked like a child had drawn it, and it said, "Not Your Room," on his door to the right, so I opened the door to the left.

Inside was nothing special, and there was only a bed with a single dresser that had three draws in the room. I didn't need to check to see what was in the draws; there wouldn't be anything but shorts, my new standard wardrobe.

I walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back from the bed. Mary slid off me and into the bed and then got settled in.

After she was comfortable, I leaned in and gave her a kiss. Mary tried to pull me down with her, but I pulled away, then tucked her in.

"I will be back in a little bit, so wait for me, okay? I will bring some tasty treats for you and the snakes when I come back," I said, and Mary just nodded and smiled at me.

I paused for a second to enjoy that smile, but then I remembered what I was doing and turned to run back down the stairs. I would have time later to look at that adorable smile and maybe get a taste of Mary's sweets if she will let me!

Soon, I was back down in the living room area, but the girls were all gone from there, but Jilly. She still was lying on her bed, and I was going to go over to talk to her, but the look I got from her said that I better be handing her food and not opening my mouth to talk.

I turned and headed to the kitchen and sighed when I got there. I could see both Nushi and the Cerberus girls hiding behind Lidy, who was looking good, only wearing her apron, and I turned to find Nixi in the far corner of the room.

"Thank goodness you have finally got here!" Lidy said with a smile and a look that seemed to be designed to cut off my shorts.

Luckily these shorts were made of stern stuff, and I walked over to where Lidy and the girls were.

"I can take over now; thank you very much for getting this already for me," I said as I looked at the prepared meats on sheets.

I wished I had some kind of helper for this, or I could give Lidy some kind of skill to help me with the cooking. Mex was right, this was going to turn out to be a big job, but at the same time, I didn't need to make and feed them every meal.

"Lidy, if you don't mind, from now on, if I am going to be late, can you start cooking without me? I don't want the girls to all have to wait for me like this, and I also won't always be able to feed them when I am out," I said to Lidy, and she gave me a warm smile.

"Yes, I was hoping that you would ask me. Did you like the meal that I sent for you with Nushi?" Lidy asked, and I gave her a smile in return.

"If I said that it wasn't the best meal that I had ever had, I would be lying. The food was beyond great, and honestly, I don't think that my Systems cooking skill can even compare to the food you can make!" I said with a smile, but Lidy shook her head at me.

"Don't talk like that when other people are around, or I might ask you for something that I like! And I don't think that the girls want to see that," Lidy said, and that made me visibly gulp down some air.

This woman was a sexual beast, and even her simple warning made my heartbeat start to race. I looked away quickly, avoiding looking at the other girls, and started to put the meat in the oven.

Once I was done, I went over to where Nixi was sitting, took a chair that wasn't too far from her, and sat down. Nushi came over and crouched down behind my chair, but the Cerberus girls came to sit on the ground transformed beside my chair.

I scratched the girl's heads and then looked up to Nixi, but she wasn't looking at me. She was glaring at Nushi, and I could feel her shaking.

I was about to snap on Nixi, but she spoke up before me.

"Why can't I read her mind?!"