She had remained in his arms all night, the vampires suddenly on high alert for any threat now that she was so easy to kill, and her death could possibly be permanent.
Even when she found herself with an uncomfortable pressure in her stomach and she learnt that she suddenly had a working bladder, Kai followed her to ensure she was safe.
When her stomach had begun to growl, Jaia had found her food and she tasted human food, finding it bland and revolting but she still ate it.
Everything felt strange, the air less sweet and her heart had begun to beat at a terrifying seventy-three beats per minute.
After she had eaten, she sat back in the couch and pulled her legs up to her chest, staring down at the plate that had held a variety of meat and vegetables between two slices of bread.
A pile of red berries had been delivered, but she ignored them for the time being.
A hand stroked her hair and she found it to be oddly cool compared to the warmth she normally felt from him, and he hesitated at the warmth of her as well.
Versalis hadn't so much as left her side unless it was to use the bathroom. She knew how it all worked theoretically, but actually experiencing it had been eye opening.
Then she had felt dirty and so she had taken a bath, quickly finding out that water when hot, was actually hot. Her hand was a bright red as she looked at it and Kai sighed, taking her by the arm and running her hand under the tap.
"Kai, I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, watching the water running over her burnt hand.
"You can," he breathed, and she looked up at him.
They had all suddenly seemed larger than life, unbelievably beautiful and hypnotic. She could understand how the humans must suffer when around their kinds, all that beauty unreachable.
Kai was gentle with her, having her remain at the sink while he pulled the plug out of the bath and topped it up with cold, his movements too fast for her to see.
"If I die, I might stay dead," she breathed, flexing her stinging fingers.
He was back at her side, and she jumped, looking up at his anger and fear.
"You aren't going to die, we will fix this," he said. She nodded, but she didn't believe him.
They had managed to hide out in the basement for three days before Alaric came looking for her, wanting his report and he blinked at her.
The sight of him, so incredibly huge and strong, ruggedly handsome and feral had her eyes going wide and she shrank back into the couch.
He stared at her, this small creature suddenly smaller and frailer.
"What happened?" he demanded, and she shivered at the sound of his voice in the air.
"Your brother" Jaia snapped
"What did he do now?" Alaric asked and moved forward.
His fingers were on her jaw, and she cried out as his gripped her, the normally fine touch leaving her jaw to aching terribly and she jerked back from him, his fingers leaving red marks on her skin.
"Don't touch her!" Kai yelled and his arms went around her protectively.
Alaric took a step back, horrified and staring at the marks, then his fingers and back.
"I'm not wearing iron," he said, feeling the tension and the fear.
"Your brother! That bastard made her human!" Jaia screamed, his anger and fear bursting out of him.
Alaric looked at him and then down at her, small and frail in the arms of the protective vampire.
"How is that possible?" Alaric demanded, taking another step back from her as though she were going to bite him.
"I can only assume he tapped into the lich aspects of her and used it. She's entirely human."
There was a long, terrified silence
"I will get him to reverse it. She's no good to any of us like this," Alaric said.
She knew he didn't mean to sound like that, but his words cut her and she whimpered as tears filled her eyes.
She hated being weak and she had no control over her emotions anymore. Kai glared as Alaric stalked from the room and they fell into an uneasy silence.
No one knew what to do with her, they were as lost as she was.
They did their best to keep her safe and comfortable, but she could feel her body dying around her, feel it aging and growing frail. She hated it and couldn't understand at all how the humans managed to survive like that.
Looking up into the devastatingly handsome face of Versalis, her heart skipped a beat as he smiled at her, and they all heard it.
Flushing, she dropped her eyes to his chest and extended her hand to touch the gem.
Without a word, he pulled it free of his shirt and she felt the cool, dead stone. It had no power without her power and her power had gone. It was just a pretty stone now.
Letting it go, she sighed as her stomach began to growl and she picked up the bowl of berries, glaring down at them and their weird shape, the seeds on the outside to make it look ill.
Making a face, she popped it into her mouth and then froze, her eyes huge as she chewed it and the divine taste of it flooded her mouth and throat.
Making a happy sound, she picked out another and popped it into her mouth, looking up at the three vampires. They were talking so quietly that her human hearing couldn't pick it up and she frowned at them, popping a third berry into her mouth.
She didn't like that they were talking about her in a way that meant she couldn't hear, and she took aim, throwing a berry at the trio.
It bounced off Kai's head and he caught it, looking around at her.
"Stop talking about me," she snapped, glaring at them all. "I'm human, not stupid."
They all looked rather guilty, and she found her breath hitching. Vampires had a very particular charm about them, an ability to enchant humans into being willing to surrender their blood and bodies. It was working spectacularly on her.
Shaking her head, she demanded the berry back as they returned and she chewed it, glaring at the three like naughty children.
Feeling the bowl, she found only two left and looked down, horrified.
"Where?" she asked, looking at the floor and then touching her lips, realising she had eaten them all.
"I'll get more," Kai said and kissed the top of her head as he left.
Watching him go, she bit into the second last berry and then turned her attention to the two remaining vampires.
"What are you thinking?" she demanded.
"We are trying to come up with a plan, but nothing is surfacing yet. We don't want to worry you," Jaia said gently.
She held the berry out in a threat. "Worry me, just keep me informed. I need to know."
He nodded and they exchanged a look as she chewed silently and moodily on the last berry.