"The burning will get stronger before it gets better," he says carefully, his voice rough in a way that sends shivers down my spine. "Your body is awakening to powers it's never channeled before. Fighting the sensations will only make them worse."
"Then what should I do?"
"Trust me to guide you through it." His hands slide down my arms, leaving trails of heat that make me shiver. "The magical work requires you to stop fighting what your body wants," he says carefully. "Fighting how you feel will only make it take longer."
Complete surrender. The words should scare me, but instead they send a thrill through my oversensitive system.
"I trust you," I whisper, meaning it completely.
Something flickers across his expression—too quick for me to interpret. "Good girl."
The praise hits me like a physical caress, making me lean toward him unconsciously. When did earning his approval become more important than breathing?
"The next part of your training will be more intense," he continues, his hands still moving in gentle patterns along my arms. "Daily sessions, closer watching, more hands-on guidance. Are you ready for that much... involvement?"
Personal guidance. The phrase makes my pulse jump with anticipation I don't fully understand.
"Yes," I say immediately. "Whatever the research requires."
"It's not just research anymore, Maya." His voice drops to that honey-warm tone that makes my knees weak. "What's happening to you is real change. Permanent change that will affect every part of your body."
"Good," I breathe, surprising myself with how much I mean it. "I want to change. I want to become whatever you need me to be."
The words hang between us, heavier with meaning than I intended. But looking into his eyes, feeling the way his presence calms the chaotic energy racing through me, I realize I mean every word.
I don't want to go back to being ordinary Maya, invisible in her cramped laboratory, always second-best to someone more worthy. Here, with Thorian, I'm becoming something extraordinary. Something irreplaceable.
Even if I don't fully understand what that something is.
"Then we'll start the next part tomorrow," he says, though he doesn't move away from my chair. If anything, he seems reluctant to break the connection between us.
"What will that be like?"
"Stronger magic. More fertility power flowing through your body. And..." He pauses, thumb brushing across my wrist in a gesture that sends sparks up my arm. "More touching. The energy works better when I can feel your skin."
More physical contact. The thought makes my mouth go dry and that ache between my legs pulse stronger.
"Will it help with the dreams? The burning?"
"Eventually." His eyes search my face like he's memorizing every detail. "But it might get worse before it gets better. Your body is learning to handle magical power it was never meant to process."
"Worse how?"
"More heat. More sensitivity. Dreams that feel so real you wake up aching." His voice drops even lower, almost a whisper. "Desperate need for contact, for touch, for things you've never wanted before."
The way he describes it makes those exact symptoms sound less like side effects and more like promises.
"I can handle it," I say, though my voice shakes slightly.
"I know you can." His smile is warm and proud and tinged with something that might be possession. "You're stronger than you realize, Maya. Strong enough to become everything this process will make you."
Everything this process will make me. Not just enhanced or improved, but fundamentally changed into something new.
"Will I still be me?"
The question slips out before I can stop it, carrying fears I didn't know I had.
"You'll be the best version of yourself," he says gently. "Enhanced, fulfilled, finally valued for your true worth."
