"...okay," she says. "Will I be - human the whole time?"

Shrug. "D'you want to be?"

Tentative nod.

"Then sure. Do you care where—?"

"...The room under the lake," she decides after a moment's thought.

"Okay."

He turns himself into a breeze, and her a moment later, and they flow down to the lake and then through it as water, all the way to the deepest part where a huge shimmering bubble of air rests on the bottom. Inside the silvery dome, he materializes sitting on the edge of the bed with Luar held in his lap.

"Do you have - opinions about what I do to you specifically," he murmurs.

She shakes her head, leaning on him with a silent shiver.

"All right."

He vanishes her clothes, and makes the change that will keep her human until he reverses it, and pets her hair and wraps his arms around her and thinks about what kind of pain he'd like to leave her in for a week.

As things to think about go, it's... well, really hot.

It had better be something she can't get out of easily; if he leaves her in it for a week she might end up getting out by accident even if she doesn't try. So nothing as simple as 'lying in bed with a knife through her lung'. But maybe...

He stands up, scooping her into his arms, and conjures a beautiful chair in the form of a tangle of black iron vines, twining together so their curling leaves form a comfortable seat. He sets Luar down in it, gently. He makes the vines wrap around her to hold her securely in place, curling around her legs and spiraling down her arms.

And then he gives it thorns.

She flinches sharply at the sudden piercing pain. The thorns bite deep, sinking into her thighs, slipping between her ribs and the bones of her wrists. The only part of her left free is her head; if she moves anything else, she jars against a thorn. Even a twitch of her fingers makes the tendons slide unsettlingly against the thorns hooked through her palms.

Against her better judgment, she shudders. Tears of pain spill down her cheeks.

But this can't be the end of it. It doesn't hurt enough yet.

He smiles down at her, running his fingers through her hair. "All right so far?"

Shallow nod.

"Good." He kisses her forehead. "Now the fun part."

He pulls a bit of power and wraps a spell around the vines. The metal starts to glow with heat.

Flesh blisters and sizzles everywhere the vine-chair touches her. It's a lot of places. She closes her eyes and swallows a sob.

He pets her hair some more. "Still with me?" he murmurs.

She whimpers, and nods shakily.

"I can give you a way to get out," he says, "in case you want to before I'm done. It's not a big risk; I can handle the mountain even if it gets nothing from now until I'm done with the spell. It'll mean I'm in a hurry to hurt somebody afterward, though."

...she hesitates.

But then she shakes her head.

"Don't," she manages, in a soft pained wavering voice. "Better without."

"Okay." He kisses her forehead again, then straightens. "See you in a week."

And he turns to air and flows back out of the lake and all the way to Elodea's room, where he curls up and goes to sleep.

She snuggles him when she wakes up.

Mmmmmm, snuggles.

"Okay, breakfast, then I'll disappear," he says. He conjures food.

Breakfast! And being really really excited!!!

"I love you." He hugs her.

"I love you."

And a last bite of breakfast and a last kiss, and, "See you in a week."

He vanishes.

It's a little disappointing that he's gone, but far more importantly, she's! Going to get!! Her baby back!!!

...But now she needs to figure out how to kill the next week. Well. Library should help.