Adonis.
I sat down in one of the plush couches in Lienna’s room, my eyes fixed on her peaceful form as she slept. The steady rise and fall of her chest, her steady breathing, seemed to echo in the room, a soothing melody that calmed my racing thoughts. But my mind was far from calm.
Ever since her display of the moon goddess’s power, I had been restless, unable to get a proper night’s sleep as I thought about the implications. The weight of our mistakes bore down on me like a physical force, making it hard to breathe. We had judged her falsely, without any prior investigation, and now we were faced with the consequences of our actions.
It’s no doubt that I’ve made a mistake concerning her, I thought, my mind replaying all the times we had doubted her, suspected her, and accused her. And just like the rest of us, we didn’t know where we would begin to atone for those sins. Well, even if we wanted to try, she would need to recover first.
I stood up and walked over to her bedside, gazing down at her serene face. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks still held a hint of color, her eyelashes fluttering gently as she slept. My fingers itched to touch her and for a moment I fought the urge till I eventually gave in. I reached out a hand, hesitating for a moment before gently brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She shuddered, taking a deep breath as she settled to sleep once more.
I didn’t know for how long I stood there, just watching her sleep, until she began to tense, struggling in her sleep. It looked like she was having a nightmare. She began to mutter unintelligible words, struggling against something. When she grew even more agitated, I held her hands, and her struggles stopped, the tension easing away from her body. She stayed that way for a while, and I was about to slip my hands away from her hold when her eyelids fluttered open, her unfocused gaze landing on me.
We stared at each other for a moment, and I watched as recognition grew in those turquoise eyes of hers. “Your Majesty?” she called out, her voice hoarse.
I nodded, trying to offer a reassuring smile. “I came to see you just now,” I told her, pulling my hands away from her grip.
She looked confused, her brow furrowed. “Oh…” She trailed off, then coughed slightly, wincing in pain. “I’m thirsty…” She groaned, her voice strained as she tried to sit up.
I looked around and saw a jar of water on the table next to her bed. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I poured some of the water into the cup that was next to it and passed it to her. “Here… Drink,” I said, stretching the cup towards her.
She stared at the outstretched cup for a moment, a bewildered expression on her face, before accepting the glass and drinking the water, some of it spilling from the sides of her mouth. She winced again, her eyes closing in discomfort.
Once I saw the glass was empty, I returned the cup back to the table. “How do you feel?” I asked, my voice a low rumble.
Her brows furrowed in thought before she shook her head, her face contorted in discomfort. “I don’t feel good. I feel hot,” she murmured.
That surprised me because the temperature in her room was quite cool, and the windows had been opened to let more air in. I glanced around, wondering if there was a draft or something that was making her feel warm, but everything seemed fine.
My eyes narrowed when I noticed the thin sheen of sweat covering her body. It was then that I realized she wasn’t just feeling hot, she was actually burning up with fever.
“Do you need me to call the Royal healer?” I asked, a bit of concern creeping into my voice.
She shook her head again, her eyes fluttering closed. “No… I just need to rest,” she whispered.
But she didn’t look like she was resting. She laid back down, but only ended up squirming and rolling her head to the side. It looked like she was getting worse by the second.
“Are you sure?” I pressed, my concern growing. “You don’t seem too well to me.”
She opened her eyes, gazing at me through a haze of fever. “I’m fine… I just feel cold,” she whispered, her teeth chattering.
I was taken aback by her reaction. Didn’t she just complain of heat? And why was she sweating so hard if she felt cold? Something wasn’t adding up here. I frowned, trying to make sense of it all.
I reached out to touch her forehead to see if it was a fever bothering her, but she just let out a big sigh of relief at the contact of my hand on her head. “That’s better. I like your touch,” she murmured, holding my hand in place, her face relaxing.
I grew more confused, but kept my hands on her skin, trying to comfort her. I began to venture to other parts of her face, and she’d let out a sigh as if she was enjoying it and wanted more. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into my touch, her body relaxing further.
But when I finally pulled my hands away from her, she squirmed bitterly, trying to bring my hands back to her body. “It hurts… It hurts so much. My body hurts. Keep touching me,” Lienna pleaded, sounding desperate as she caught my hands and pressed them to her chest, sounding mindless.
I was shocked by her behavior. Is any of the potions the Royal healer have been giving her making her act this way? Or did she consume another aphrodisiac? I didn’t know what to think.
“Guards!” I called out, and the door soon swung open, a soldier rushing in. “Get the Royal healer here as quickly as you can. Hurry,” I said, and he immediately rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him in a gentle bang.
I returned my attention back to Lienna, continuing to caress her body while we waited for the Royal healer. She seemed to relax a bit more with each touch, her breathing slowing down. But I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.
The Royal healer arrived, and I had to leave so he could check on her. Though Lienna didn’t seem entirely conscious, she still couldn’t stop complaining that I had left her alone. “Don’t leave me… please,” she murmured, her voice weak but urgent.
The healer soon gave her some medicine that seemed to relax her, and she finally fell into a fitful sleep. I watched her for a moment, making sure she was okay, before turning to the healer.
“What happened to her?” I asked, my voice low.
The Royal healer, Khal, stepped away from her bedside, his expression thoughtful. “She’s fine. It’s just her body that’s trying to recover from what she put it through. Plus, it’s also trying to adjust to the power running through her.”
I frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”
Khal hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “You know she’s a human, which means she’s incapable of handling the moon goddess’s power on her own. So, her body is actively seeking out people who are stronger than her to help her regulate.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And that means I need to constantly touch her?”
Khal looked embarrassed. “Well… sometimes, this regulating act can suffice as lust or intense desire, but it’s not necessary it happens that way.”
I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. “So, you’re telling me that her body is craving physical contact to regulate the power inside her?”
Khal nodded. “Yes, exactly. But like I said, it’s not always sexual. Sometimes, it’s just a need for physical comfort.”
I took a deep breath, trying to wrap my head around this new information. I had so many questions, but before I could ask any of them, Khal spoke up again.
“I have given her medications to help soothe her, and you can decide not to indulge if you don’t want to. But, I think it’ll help her tremendously,” Khal said, his eyes serious.
I fell silent, glancing at Lienna, who was fast asleep once more. Her peaceful expression was a stark contrast to the turmoil that had been brewing inside her just moments before.
“If that is all, I would like to take my leave,” Khal said, bowing his head.
I dismissed him with a wave of my hands, and he exited the room, leaving me alone with Lienna. I watched her for a long time as she slept, lost in my thoughts. I thought about the past, when she had to come to seek us out by herself, just days after she had been attacked. It must be what was playing out now.
But I didn’t want to take advantage of her now. Especially when she was in this state. It was a good thing she was sleeping peacefully now, and I needed to leave.
With a final glance at her, I turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I had barely made it anywhere when I began to hear screams. Freezing, I listened attentively for a while to realize it was coming from Lienna.
I turned around and rushed back to the room, my heart racing with concern. I met Lienna actively pulling at her clothes, desperate to get them off, tears streaming down her eyes.
“My body is burning. It hurts, it hurts so much. Someone help me, please. Why does my body hurt so much?” She cried out, her voice shaking.
I was taken aback by her distress. What the hell am I supposed to do now?