Page 40 of Dark Gambit Reliance

When his phone rang, Toven wasn't surprised to see it was Kian.

"Hello," he answered. "Are there any changes to the timeline?"

"Darlene is transitioning," Kian said. "Kaia called Bridget to let her know that Darlene and Eric are heading to the clinic, and Bridget told me on her way out."

Toven tensed. That was such inconvenient timing. He was leaving, and he wouldn't be there to help Darlene with his blood.

"The timing could have been better, but it is what it is. Thank you for letting me know."

"You're welcome. I thought that you might want to visit her before you leave and give her your blessing."

"That is a good idea. I will need to ask your mother to continue the blessings in my absence."

"Indeed. Good luck and congratulations."

"Thanks." He turned to Mia. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course." She dropped an article of clothing into her suitcase. "I'll race you there."

He could run much faster than she could drive her chair, and when they'd played the racing game before, he hadn't used his full speed.

"We don't have time. I'll run ahead."

"I knew it." She wagged her finger at him. "You were holding back."

"Naturally." He leaned and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you in the clinic."

As Toven ran, he was a blur of motion, and the immortals he passed gaped, trying to figure out what they were seeing. Annani never ran, so they had never seen a god running at full speed.

When he reached the clinic, he found Eric pacing in the small waiting room. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with Darlene?"

"Bridget and Hildegard are hooking her up to the monitoring equipment, and they kicked me out."

"I see. What are her symptoms?"

"It started with fatigue, but Darlene went to work anyway. I called every half an hour, and she was fine, but when I came to visit her at lunch, she told me that she was feeling worse. She couldn't even stand up, so I carried her, and in the five minutes it took me to get from her office in the lab to the clinic, she lost consciousness."

Toven put a hand on Eric's shoulder. "I know how stressful it is. I came to give Darlene a blessing before I leave, and Annani will take over while I'm gone."

"Thank you." Eric let out a breath. "I was worried because you were leaving, and I know how important your blessing was to my transition."

"How did you know that I was leaving?"

"I was in Onegus's office this morning about piloting for the clan, and he told me that he could've used me for this mission, but that I needed to go through training with the Guardians first. I told him that I didn't need to train to fly a plane from one point to the next, but that was before Darlene started transitioning. Now, I'm not going anywhere."

When a knock sounded on the front door, Toven rushed to open it for Mia, who couldn't pull the heavy glass open while sitting in her chair. They should automate the thing for handicapped access.

"You're incredible." Mia drove in. "You can outrun a cheetah."

"I can."

"And you're not even sweaty."

He smiled. "When we are in Karelia, and you are on my back, I'll treat you to a speedy run."

She scrunched her nose. "I don't know if I want to try it. It's probably scary."

Eric shook his head. "Should I even ask what you are talking about?"