Star Crossed In Time

Bai Lei's groan has me trembling but he suddenly breaks the kiss and pulls my head to his shoulder. I blink in confusion as his deep voice says "I'm sorry, I need to control myself. You need to rest. I can feel how weak you are." 

I blink in surprise but then my heart warms at his words. What he says is true, I really am exhausted. I relax in his lap and rest my chin on his shoulder as the warm bath water soothes my aching muscles. I do my best to ignore the feel of him pressing against me but it's not long before my eyes grow heavy. 

~~~~~~~

Bai Lei holds Nova's small, soft body against him as he fights his inner demons. He wants nothing more than to take this woman in every way possible but he knows he can't. Not right now anyway. He grits his teeth as he tries to ignore the pain from his little brother.

When he thinks back to everything she's been through... his heart clenches in pain. What pisses him off even more? He knew he was no match for the King of the Under Realm. No one was... Knowing that sick bastard had forced Nova to drink his blood... Bai Lei's dark eyes begin to glow red as his anger rises. 

His arms instinctively tighten around Nova as he tries to figure out what to do. Was there somewhere he could hide her? He knows she won't agree to it but at this point, he's willing to lock her up against her will if it meant keeping her safe. He was turning into a fiend... his thoughts continue to spiral as his mood darkens.

~~~~~~~

I dose off a few times as I relax into Bai Lei's embrace but when I feel his arms tighten on me, I slowly open my eyes. What was this? Something... I turn my head and brush my nose against his shoulder as my nose slowly stops at the base of his neck.

I take a deep breath as I slowly lower my eyelids... why does he suddenly smell so good? I lean in even closer, causing Bai Lei to stiffen. He leans back with a dark chuckle as he says "If you keep doing that love, I'm not goi..." His words die off as his eyes land on me.    

What's this? The smell is suddenly gone... "Nova?" Bai Lei's deep voice pulls me out of the weird trance as I look up to him and blink. "What?" I ask in confusion. Bai Lei watches me for several seconds before asking "Do you feel okay? Does anything feel... off?" 

I frown at his words and shake my head saying "No, why?" His red eyes slowly fade back to their normal black color as he watches me closely. He gives me a small smile as he says "Let's get out and get dressed. You need to rest." I return the smile and nod my head in agreement. I was really tired. 

After we were dressed Bai Lei forces me to bed. As he pulls the sheets up to me he lifts his hand up to my forehead while saying "I want the physician to check you out one more time, okay?" I sigh and push his hand away as I say "I'm fiiine. Just let me sleep."

Bai Lei frowns at me and says "Just let him check you one last time. For my peace of mind." I give him a small smirk and agree to his request. Within five minutes, an old man comes in with a wooden box. He bows to Bai Lei before walking over to me. 

I give him my wrist as I try to keep my eyes open. He sits quietly for a while before letting me pull my arm back. He stands up and nods at Bai Lei before walking out of the room. Bai Lei walks over and places a kiss on my forehead before saying "Just get some sleep love. I'll be right outside." 

I just nod and roll over. I need a nap... I can tell that I'm stronger, a lot stronger but I was super tired. I had skipped over the third tier all together! I was now in the fourth tier, Inborn, and was nearly about to break through to the fifth tier! 

~~~~~~~

Bai Lei walks out of the room and finds the physician standing there waiting for him. He lifts his hand to silence the man before leading him outside. He didn't want Nova to overhear anything. Once outside, he turns to the physician and says "Speak." 

The physician bows and says "She is completely healthy, just exhausted but... the dark energy is still there. It's taken root." Bai Lei tries to remain calm as he asks "Is there a way to get rid of it?" The physician frowns before shaking his head and saying "I'm not sure... I don't know of any way myself. I will go back and see if I can find anything."   

Bai Lei takes a deep, calming breath before asking "What does that mean for her? How will it affect her?" The physician frown grows as he says "I'm sorry my King. This physician really does not know... I need to go back and do some research."  

Bai Lei waves the man off and slowly rubs the back of his neck as he turns back to look at the room with dark eyes. His heart shakes in worry for her and what might be happening to her. He felt the shift in her... it was like a dark aura slowly started seeping out of her but when he saw her eyes... his heart nearly stopped.

Even though they were half-closed, he could still see that her beautiful jade eyes were gone. What remained was black pools. After calling her name though, she snapped back. Her beautiful green eyes were back, looking at him in confusion. She didn't even realize what had happened... 

If she really is changing... he will do everything in his power to keep her safe. Even if that meant keeping her safe from herself.