Page 9 of Dark Rebel's Mystery

5

ROB

Rob sat at a back table in the village café, holding his coffee cup between two fingers. His newly acquired immortal strength had already crushed two cups this morning, which resulted in coffee stains on his jeans and ceramic shards on Gertrude's kitchen floor.

After the disastrous morning, he'd changed pants, cleaned the floor, and headed to the café. A paper cup was much more fragile than ceramic, but it was also more flexible, so as long as he paid attention, he had visual cues about the force he was applying.

The transition had left him with enhanced everything—sight, hearing, strength—but apparently not enhanced grace or coordination. He felt like a teenager going through a growth spurt, constantly misjudging what his body was capable of. He hadn't been to the gym yet, though, and he expected to be impressed with his performance.

When Margo walked in, her eyes immediately located him, and she wove between the tables with a smile on her face. "You look good," she said, settling into the chair across from him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I could bench press a car but might accidentally crush the steering wheel." He managed a wry smile. "How are you?"

"Excellent. Frankie and I are working on an idea for a new Perfect Match adventure. It will be so exciting if our idea gets accepted."

"That's great." He lifted the cup gently and took a sip.

She pouted. "Aren't you going to ask me about it?"

He sighed. "Maybe another time. Right now, we need to talk about how to deal with our parents and Mom's potential to become immortal."

"Did Gertrude talk to Bridget about what we discussed?" Margo asked. "You know, all the aspects of inducing a female Dormant."

He winced. "Yes. In fact, she arranged for Bridget to come and explain it to us." He preferred that his sister be the one to ask the doctor all the relevant questions.

Margo rolled her eyes. "You're immortal now. Maybe it's time to get over this silly squeamishness. Our parents are healthy adults who enjoy sex. At least, I hope they enjoy it."

"No, they don't. We are the product of immaculate conceptions, and our parents have a platonic relationship."

Bridget's throaty laugh made them both jump. "Males and their mothers." The doctor pulled out a chair and joined them, looking amused. "For some reason, daughters seem much more open to the idea of their mothers enjoying a healthy sexual relationship with their fathers, but sons like to pretend that it never happens."

"Is Julian like that?" Margo asked.

"A little bit," Bridget admitted. "He wasn't comfortable with me and Turner, and I understood that." She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her fist. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Rob's face felt like it was on fire. "Didn't Gertrude explain? I'd rather not repeat the questions."

Bridget's expression turned professional. "She said that you were looking for alternatives to the traditional method of inducing transition for your mother."

"That's right," Margo said. "I don't think our parents will be open to my mother having sex with an immortal to induce her transition."

"I understand." Bridget lifted her hand to wave Aliya over. "There is another possible option, but I'm not sure it will work."

They waited patiently for the doctor to order a coffee and a pastry.

When Aliya left, Bridget continued. "We can collect and store semen from a willing donor, but venom can't be harvested. The production of venom has to be triggered by arousal, same as semen, but even if harvesting it was an option, which it's not, I'm pretty sure that it has to be injected directly into a receptive body to be viable."

Rob had thought a lot about that since the idea had been floated, and he'd come to the same conclusion. Immortal males weren't snakes, and it was impossible to milk their venom glands. The moment the situation became clinical and the arousal waned, the production of venom stopped.

"So, Mom would still need an immortal to bite her, but she could be artificially inseminated?" Margo asked.

"Yes," Bridget confirmed. "You would need to find an unmated volunteer because mated immortals can't bite anyone other than their mate." She pursed her lips. "Well, that's only true for bonded mates, not for regular couples, but the vast majority of couples in the village are bonded. Finding a bachelor shouldn't be a problem, though. There are plenty of unattached males, and most will gladly assist. The caveat is that the donor would need to self-stimulate until the urge to bite manifests, and some might not be comfortable with that."

"Oh God," Rob muttered. "I really don't want to have this conversation."

Bridget continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Ideally, the same immortal would provide both the bite and the semen donation for artificial insemination. We've never tried to do this that way, but I have a feeling that using the same source for both will increase the chances of success."

"That's sounds doable," Margo said. "It's almost clinical."

---