Adremedian Prince 38 Unsettling Changes

'I'm here James,' she replied, moving to his side.

His peered at her with his right eye. He still felt considerable pain. Pain that flared into anger. All he could see was red. He wasn't aware of his actions as he attacked Lilly. While the Gerrabella inside him beat her mercilessly. Fought harder when Lilly kissed him deeply. Stronger poisons started to flood his body. The poisons hadn't traveled far into James system before he was able to break away and move off the bed. His rage dissipated as he vomited. His vision returned to normal as he cleared the last of the poison from his mouth. James crawled back towards the bed. He laid his head on the edge for a moment then slowly looked up. When he saw Lilly's wounded flesh, he got up and checked on her.

'Lilly?'

The red streaks across her cheeks were nearly as black as the grooves were, but she smiled a little painfully. 'You came back.'

'I'm so sorry.' He wept on her shoulder until he slept.

His sleep now had the fits his days usually had as he battled to keep the Gerrabella subdued. Lilly slept as well, too weak to stay up and do anything. By the end of the fourth week, James' Human side got the upper hand and many of the non-mixed Gerrabella blood cells died. He slept for a full 24 hours before waking again. For some reason he felt different, changed somehow, but not because the Gerrabella inside had been subdued… it was something else.

Rolling over he woke Lilly. She still had some bruises from his beating and it was hard to look at her. She touched his cheek and he smiled. Then he kissed her and got out of bed. Lilly was still tired and fell asleep again. Dressed in the thicker clothes that Ponderosa had given him, James saddled a horse that wasn't Torta and went out for a long ride. By mid-afternoon he had returned to the forest trails. He stopped when an Adremedian stepped from the shadows. They stared at each other for a moment before the Adremedian spoke.

'James?… Where's Rosae Lilly?'

'Sapientiis? You recognize me?'

'It's your energy I recognize.… Where's Rosae Lilly?'

'She was asleep when I left this morning. It's been rough this last month.'

'Is she all right?'

'She has a few bruises, but other than that she's okay.'

'Bruises?… What from?'

'I was in a fight with a Gerrabella,' Lilly replied, appearing on a tree branch across from them.

Sapientiis turned and moved towards her. He saw the light bruises, but what disturbed him were the dark red streaks across her cheeks. Sapientiis reached up and Lilly bent forward. His fingers barely touched the lines before he pulled back as if he had been burned.

'Rosae Lilly, have you come to stay?'

'Just to work, Sapientiis. My place is with James right now.'

'I understand.' Then he left.

'Lilly?' James asked.

She climbed out of the tree and walked to his side. 'Something is bothering you. What is it?'

'I feel different after this internal battle.'

'Different how?'

'I don't know how to describe it.'

'Is it because of the Adremedian in you?' she asked, playing with part of the horse's reigns.

James climbed off the horse and pulled her against him. 'It has nothing to do with blood or race. It's different and… it scares me.'

Lilly closed her eyes and let her energy flow around them. It felt comforting to James and he tightened his hold. After a few minutes the energy faded.

'Thank you, Lilly.'

'You're welcome,' she said. She pulled away and James looked at her.

'How long do you plan on staying out here?'

'No more than a few days.'

'Okay. Be careful.'

'You too, Love.' She kissed him briefly and he returned it before climbing back on the horse and returning to the castle.

James was kept busy with General meetings and war planning. The Gerrabellas were still building their army both in terms of weaponry and soldiers. Before he knew it Lilly was back and looked refreshed. He was excited to see her, but the odd feeling he had, had slowly been increasing. He didn't know what to make of it. So much had happened since he met Lilly and the last thing he wanted was to change in a way that he would lose her. All else really didn't matter. He held her close and his smile faded. Lilly felt the change and pulled away.

'What's wrong, Love?' she asked.

'Nothing, Dear.' He smiled again and kissed her.

'Is it about the feeling?'

'What about it?' He studied her face, but no emotion betrayed her thoughts.

'Is it affecting your work?'

'No. Everything is fine.'

Then to stop her next question, he kissed her and filled her with Adremedian desire. Pulling her to the bed, he lay closer to her. The words he spoke kept the desire burning, but she felt no life stir within her and it confused her. The words were the same, why did life fail to stir? James words faded, but the feeling lingered. Lilly laid her head on his chest. Her ear lay over his heart. He felt her energy flow around and through him as it did while she was searching for wounds.

Lilly slid her hand a little higher on James chest and he held it. Her energy sharpened for just a moment and James gripped her hand tightly as he bit back a scream. He felt the change disappear, but felt bruised on his right side. When his grip on Lilly's hand relaxed he felt her hand move towards the bruised feeling. He caught her hand.

'Don't. It hurts.'
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'If it hurts, I need to see what it is.'

He released her hand and it moved under his shirt. Her hand covered the spot and he felt something wet be pulled away. Lilly left the bed. The speed with which she had gotten up made James feel that something was wrong.

'Lilly?' He sat up, but his side hurt and he lie back down. 'Lilly, are you okay?'

She didn't respond.

James painfully got up and saw her curled in a corner, her back to the room. His side ached, but he moved to her side and put his hands on her shoulders. 'Lilly?' He turned her slightly and saw her hand curled and held close to her chest. Gently he pulled her hand away and uncurled her fingers. He gasped. 'Did I...?'

'No, James,' she said.

He could hear the tears in her voice. 'What do I need to do?'

'I don't...' Her face scrunched in pain. 'I don't know that we can do anything.'

James looked at her burns and gently touched them. Her hand relaxed and confusion spread across her face. As his fingers moved across her hand, he was healing the burn. His fingers pa.s.sed over all of the burns and his own pain was subsiding. When all of her burns had been erased he held her close.

'Will you be okay now?'

'Yes. Thank you, James.'

He held her tightly and she relaxed in his grip. When he felt her hand move to his side, he caught it and held it. Lilly looked at him with a questioning look.

'I don't want you to get hurt again.'

She smiled. 'Will you at least let me look?'

'Just don't touch.'

Lilly nodded and lifted his shirt. On his side was a patch of red wrinkled skin—Gerrabella skin—the size and shape of the piece that she had energetically severed. James watched several emotions play across her face. Her other hand hesitated and he pulled away, standing. Her hand fell to her lap.

'I'm sorry, James.' She looked down.

'It's not your fault, Lilly.... Excuse me a moment? I need to see how things are going with Carthago.'

She nodded and James left.