Page 37 of Dark Gambit Reliance

There was no dress code in the lab, and no one cared whether she looked professional or frumpy. She dressed up mainly to please herself, but today, being comfortable would please her more.

The tiredness was not surprising, given Eric's stamina since his transition.

Darlene chuckled softly. Her guy's new alter ego was a gorilla, but a rabbit in heat was more fitting. What was surprising, however, was that she wasn't sore. Given that Eric didn't have the healing venom yet, that she was still human, and that her lady parts had never been particularly resilient, the miracle could be attributed either to the composition of Eric's immortal semen or his saliva.

She needed more sleep, though. Five hours a night might be enough for Eric, but it wasn't for her.

With a sigh, Darlene hung the outfit she'd chosen back in the closet, pulled on a pair of black leggings, and finished with a colorful blouse. Makeup seemed like too much trouble as well, so she decided to skip it. Thankfully, the hair treatment she’d gotten guaranteed a perfect hairdo each morning, so she didn't need to worry about that.

"Breakfast is ready!" Eric called from the kitchen.

"Coming." She slid her feet into a pair of low-heeled mules and walked into the living room.

Eric lifted a brow. "Are you staying home with me today?"

"I'm not." She pulled out a stool next to the counter and sat down. "I just didn't have the energy to dress up this morning. You exhausted me." She lifted a hand to stop his pouting. "In the best possible way. I just need to catch up on some sleep."

Worry clouding his eyes, he finished scooping the scrambled eggs onto two plates, put the pan aside, and walked over to her. "You look a little pale. Are you feeling alright?" He put his hand on her forehead. "You're a little warm."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Could it be the transition?"

"Fever is one of the first signs. We should go to the clinic." He untied the apron and pulled it over his head. "Let's go."

Darlene chuckled. "Relax. It might be allergies, or I might have caught something in the supermarket yesterday. Remember that woman who kept sneezing? She didn't use her elbow and sprayed the entire aisle with viruses."

"She said it was allergies."

"She probably lied. I'll just pop a couple of vitamin C pills. Can you hand me the bottle?"

Looking skeptical, Eric did as she asked. "We will go after breakfast." He put the plates on the counter, poured coffee into two mugs, and joined her.

"I'll feel better after I have some caffeine in me." She took a sip from the mug. "You make great coffee."

He smirked. "As opposed to my cooking?"

"Are you fishing for compliments?"

"Yes."

"Your cooking has improved significantly." She took a piece of toast and smeared it with butter.

"Yeah, I can make toast." He sighed. "But seriously. It's the perfect timing for you to start transitioning. Two and a half days passed since we did it, which is when it usually starts if it worked."

"If it worked." She took another sip. "Let's see how I feel during the day. If it gets worse, I'll call you, and we can meet at the clinic."

"What if you lose consciousness in that tiny office of yours? No one would know."

"I'll leave the door open and ask Kaia to keep an eye on me. She's at William's desk all day."

27

ERIC

Eric pulled a noodle out of the pot and put it in his mouth.

"Still too hard." He stood next to the pot and waited two more minutes before pulling out another one. "You'd better be ready now." He dipped the fork in the water and fished out another noodle.

It was almost perfect, but he didn't have the patience to keep checking. The noodles would soften in the sauce. Turning the burner off, he took the pot to the sink and drained the water.