Page 27 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope (The Children Of The Gods #100)

LOKAN

L okan stood outside Jeremy's bedroom, watching through the open door as Julian checked the man's temperature.

Jeremy lay propped against a pile of pillows, his face flushed and glistening with sweat, but his eyes were alert and excited. Sitting beside him on the bed, Naomi held his hand, her thumb stroking across his knuckles.

This morning, when Jeremy woke with a headache, no one was sure it was a sign, but by noon the fever had started and everyone's hopes had gone up.

"This is good, right?" Jeremy sounded hopeful and scared simultaneously. "The fever could mean that I'm transitioning, right?"

It had been just one day since the induction ceremony and Anandur's venom bite, but Jeremy was acting as if he'd been waiting forever for the transition to start. Then again, this hadn't been his first time, so he might have counted the days after the previous attempt.

"It's most likely the start of your transition," Julian said. "But we need to give it more time. Sometimes a simple flu or cold can manifest in the same way."

Lokan shook his head in disbelief. Why had it worked with Anandur's bite and not his?

Anandur was just a simple immortal, several generations removed from the source, while Lokan was a three-quarters god.

Was it really the ceremony that had made all the difference?

Or was there something wrong with his venom?

"Can't you check?" Naomi asked Julian. "I mean to rule out a cold or flu. Can't you measure antibodies or something like that?"

Julian cast her a smile. "There will be antibodies in either case. It's the body's first line of defense."

She nodded even though she wasn't happy with the explanation. "How long until we know?"

"If it follows the typical pattern, the fever will build for another day or two, and other symptoms will start to manifest. Losing consciousness is the best sign."

Jeremy grimaced. "I've heard that, and I can't believe that I am actually looking forward to it."

"Sometimes it doesn't happen." Julian looked at something on his tablet.

"You are twenty-five and in good health, which means that the transition shouldn't be dangerous or too difficult for you.

You may or may not lose consciousness." The physician put the tablet aside and turned to look at the large group of people assembled in the living room of Jeremy and Naomi's apartment.

"This is good news. Let's hope that Spencer and Dylan will soon follow. "

Spencer perhaps had a chance, but since Lokan had been the one to induce Dylan again, he doubted it would turn out differently than it had in the two previous attempts just because Kian had performed the proper ceremony. On the other hand, if it worked for Jeremy, it might work for Spencer.

"Can I come in?" Carol asked.

Jeremy nodded. "Of course."

"I'll get out of your way." Julian rose to his feet and collected his things. "You know where to find me in case you need me."

"Thank you, doc," Jeremy said. "Do I need to stay in bed?"

"Not if you don't feel you have to." Julian paused at the door. "But you need to listen to your body and be careful not to exert yourself. Also, don't take anything for the fever. Let your body fight it naturally."

"Yes, doc." Jeremy saluted.

Once Julian left, Carol sat on the chair he had vacated. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Achy and feverish like I've got a nasty flu just without the sore throat and runny nose." Jeremy attempted a smile. "I hate being sick."

"You are not sick. At least I hope you're not. We all hope that this is the start of your transformation, and that your dormant genes are activating, rewriting your biology. Immortality is worth a little discomfort."

Spencer entered the room, leaned against the dresser, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I heard you were showing signs," he said. "I came to investigate."

"Can we come in?" Mollie asked.

"The more the merrier." Jeremy motioned for her and James to enter. "This bedroom is big enough for everyone to join, and you all know how much I love attention."

Naomi chuckled. "We do."

"Still nothing for me," Spencer said, trying for casual and missing by a mile.

"Don't give up yet," Carol said. "Everyone's timeline is different. It has only been one day."

"It might never happen," Spencer said. "We need to face that possibility."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. They all knew that not every suspected Dormant carried the godly genes.

"Are congratulations in order?" Onegus asked from the doorway.

"Onegus," Carol said. "I didn't know you were at the keep."

"I was down in the lower levels and heard that good things were happening up here." He walked in and stood next to Jeremy's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Hopeful," Jeremy said. "The rest is irrelevant."

The chief had probably come from the dungeon, but the paranormals weren't supposed to know about that level of the keep and what was going on in there.

"It might be just a bug," Lokan said.

"Or not," Spencer muttered under his breath.

Onegus cast him a consoling glance. "If anyone wants to go for another round, I'm volunteering my services."

"I've gone through the induction three times." Spencer shook his head. "I don't think there is any point in trying again."

"Roni had five different inducers," Onegus said.

"And that included me, Anandur, and Brundar.

The one who finally succeeded was Kian, but it was more thanks to Roni's improved health than the quality of Kian's venom.

I know that all of you have gone through health screening, but you never know what else could be preventing the transition from starting.

If it doesn't happen for you in the next couple of days, I suggest that you wait a week or two and try again. "

Carol shifted in the chair. "Maybe it's not just about the health of the inductee or the potency of the inductor. Maybe it's also about compatibility."

Lokan tried not to glare at his mate. It was sweet of her to try to protect his ego, but her attempt at shifting blame away from him was so transparent that it was embarrassing.

"Is that a thing?" Dylan asked. "Compatibility between venom and recipient? Julian never mentioned it."

"We don't know," Carol said. "But what we do know is that some Dormants who don't respond to one immortal's venom transition successfully with another's."

Spencer glanced between Onegus and Lokan, looking skeptical.

"It's worth trying," Lokan said, pushing down his pride. "What matters is the result, not whose venom achieves it."

Carol cast him an encouraging smile that further annoyed him. He didn't want her pity or her protection. He wasn't a fragile teen who needed his ego stroked by his girlfriend. He was a millennia-old immortal who'd fought in more battles than the chief of Guardians had read about.

Spencer walked over to Jeremy's bedside. "I'm counting on you. Show us it can be done."

Jeremy clasped Spencer's offered hand. "You're next. I can feel it."

It was the kind of baseless optimism that should have annoyed Lokan, but somehow it didn't. This was different than Carol's attempts at protecting his ego. This was about providing hope, even if it wasn't grounded in realistic probability.