Chapter 21

Changes

"Hey."

Amelia's sleepy voice broke the uneasy silence in the clinic. To her side sat Kaz who was intensely focused on sharping his already finely honed wrist blades. His attention immediately snapped to the patient in the bed once he heard her voice.

"You are not scheduled to wake yet," was the terse reply to her gentle greeting.

Amelia slowly dragged herself into a sitting position, face grimacing as her bones ached.

"Are you in discomfort?" Kaz asked as he left his seat and stood closer to the bed in order to help if needed.

"No. Just tired. Feel so old," Amelia sighed. She blinked her bleary eyes until she had some focus before setting on Kaz. "Why are you here?"

"Why are you?"

"Kaz..."

The yautja snorted. "You could have spoken with me. Instead you divulged your desires to my sire."

"It wasn't like that."

Kaz huffed. "I know he has used you as a pawn to force my hand."

"I don't understand..." Amelia replied in a shaky voice.

"He wished me to abandon the idea of the new clan. Go and train instead with his litter mate, Mir'ok. Now... I'm here even after refusing him because of you."

Amelia set her jaw, letting her anger bubble up at that remark. "You didn't need to come here!" she barked back. "I didn't force you to!"

"Oh? You think I should have let you abscond with my sire with no idea of where you were going?!"

"Yes actually! You said it before! I'm blooded now. The choice was mine! I mean..." Amelia suddenly deflated. "... I had wanted to tell you myself. But Jul'uk wouldn't allow it."

"You could have spoken with me. About this," Kaz replied with a gesture towards her new and still developing body.

"It only really struck me when I was speaking with Hil'rak while you and Gur were in that meeting with your sires. She wasn't receptive to the idea at all. Jul'uk found me after and he made the offer. If I didn't go with him immediately I would have lost the chance."

Amelia risked a glance up at Kaz's face and found her blue eyes met by his piercing amber. "I'm sorry I had to go so suddenly without saying a word for what it is worth."

"You speak as though I would have rejected your request. As it was, it took time to catch up with you," Kaz remarked sullenly. "Now we are both tied to trainig with Mir'ok."

"You too?"

"My sire refused to let me board unless I gave my word," Kaz huffed out. "Come. On your feet. You need to keep moving."

She had get new clothes. More yautja-like which bared a lot of flesh that she was not exactly comfortable with. It barely covered her breasts and crotch, leaving her feel extremely exposed. Apparently she could wear more eventually but due to the changes still going on, it would be better to wear this.

Amelia wasn't convinced but she finally got a chance to see herself in a mirror while changing into the wispy garments..

Her face and hair was mostly unchanged. Well, if you discounted the thin yautja tendrils that were sporadic among her own more human hair. From her neck down the change was far starker. The skin changes she had spotted earlier were the most visible aspect but now she could really see that her curves were now swaddled in more muscle then she had ever dreamed of.

"I'm glad I could keep my face at least," she mused.

Kaz who was watching her with an unusual intensity replied, "Necessary for mental health. Many other species have undergone this process and the same problem emerged... the body changes were tolerated but change of the facial identifiers caused psychological breakdown shortly after the morphing was completed. It was removed early in the process."

"Jesus... I'm more than happy to hold on to this face then."

She started completing the last adjustments to the scraps of fabric that covered her more private areas when she heard a low growl. She glanced at Kaz, noting his eyes focused on her hands and where they lingered on her body. Amelia had never seen him like this, at least not looking at her with this... hunger. She quickly completed her task before she broached the subject.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"Just... you were growling. And staring."

Kaz chuffed. "You are attractive. More so now with the changes. Your scent is very alluring."

Amelia blanched white. "Did that just happen..," she muttered softly with eyes fixed on Kaz who suddenly advanced on her. She took more than a few steps back until she reached a solid cold wall. Kaz didn't stop until he had her pinned between that wall and the solid mass that was his broad muscular frame.

His mandibles flared open and closed as he inhaled her scent.

"Kaz, I- ahem."

"You find me attractive. I am aware. Have always been aware. Can smell it," the yautja rumbled as he pressed slightly closer. Close enough that Amelia found herself flush against his body. The dull pain that had been there disappeared under familiar tingles and shivers that racked her.

"But... that can wait for later," Kaz rumbled before stepping back. "We must go to Jul'uk."

Kaz led the way through the imposing hallways with Amelia not too far behind.

Her mind however was not on the task at hand, instead it was stuck replaying what happened in the medical bay. She shivered even though she was not cold. He knew. He'd known what she'd tried to keep to herself. All those lies she told herself was for nothing. He knew. And he found her attractive in return. Her brain and heart was caught in a loop, and she barely noticed when Kaz finally came to a stop outside a large imposing door.

"We are here. Are you ready?"

"Y-yeah," Amelia answered practically instantly.

Kaz nodded before he stepped inside. Amelia followed at his heels.

"He said he would be here," Kaz growled when he realized that the room was empty.

"A hairbrush?" Amelia couldn't stop the words from erupting from her mouth as soon as she spotted it.

The wooden handled bristle brush was placed neatly on a table, displayed along with some other human items with almost as much reverence as the trophy skulls that adorned the walls.

Amelia looked over them eagerly. Framed photos, jewellery, a toothbrush and a number of perfumes. She picked up one of the framed pictures and immediately identified Kaz's mother, Clara.

"He's kept some of her things?"

"All of her things," Kaz rumbled behind her.

She spun around on her heel. "He cared about her! He must have when he kept all of these things!"

Kaz stared at her oddly. "What did you believe before today?" he queried.

"Forgive my delay," Jul'uk barked, striding in before Amelia could reply to Kaz.

"We will meet with Mir'ok shortly. To that end, we have much to discuss."