Page 69 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"Ready?" Tamira asked.
"No," he admitted. "I'm never ready to let you go."
She squeezed his hand once, then released it. "I know. But we'll have another night soon."
They emerged into the hallway, blinking in the brighter light. The butler appeared almost immediately, as if he'd been waiting nearby.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Lady Tamira?" he asked, his tone perfectly neutral though his eyes seemed to take in every detail of their appearance.
"We did," she said, holding up the stone cat. "These will be perfect for my room. Though the dust down there is terrible. I couldn't stop sneezing."
"I'll have them cleaned for you," the butler offered, reaching for the statue.
"No need," Tamira said quickly. "I'll do that later."
"Lord Navuh has asked that the gentlemen depart by nine," the butler said. "The car is already waiting outside."
Eluheed glanced at the grandfather clock. It was eight forty-five. Fifteen more minutes, but they couldn't spend them together. Not with the butler waiting for him to depart.
"Thank you for your help tonight, Elias," Tamira said formally. "Those boxes were far too heavy for me to move alone."
"It was my pleasure, Lady Tamira," he replied, matching her formal tone while his eyes said everything he couldn't voice.
Tony appeared from wherever he'd been watching a movie with Tula.
"Ready to go?" Tony asked.
Eluheed nodded, though every fiber of his being wanted to stay. He followed Tony toward the front door, turning back once to see Tamira climbing the stairs to her room, the stone cats cradled in her arms.
23
TIM
Tim was attempting to fold a t-shirt with all the skill of a drunk octopus when Andrew walked into his hospital room.
"You look like you're wrestling with that shirt and losing." Andrew closed the door behind him.
"These arms feel like they don't even belong to me," Tim complained. "They are too long." He held up the shirt that he'd somehow managed to twist into a pretzel.
"You'll get used to your new body. Eventually." Andrew's grin suggested he was enjoying Tim's struggles. "So, it's a big day for you. You're finally getting out of here."
Tim gave up on the shirt and tossed it onto the bed. "Hildegard says I'm stable enough for outpatient care, which I think is code for 'the clinic needs the bed and you're not dying anymore.'" He grimaced. "Or maybe she's just sick of my company and needs a break. God knows she deserves it."
She wasn't acting like she couldn't stand him anymore, but no one had ever tolerated him for that long without getting tired of his remarks and his twisted sense of humor starting to grate on them.
"What about the ceremony?" Andrew asked.
Tim looked up from contemplating the logistics of socks. "What ceremony?"
"The successful transition ceremony that confirms you are indeed an immortal now. Didn't anyone tell you?"
"No." Tim gave up on the socks and sat back on the bed. He was already winded just from trying to dress himself. "Is it some kind of immortal hazing ritual? Because I'm barely able to keep myself vertical. I can't do trust falls or keg stands or whatever you people do."
Andrew laughed. "It's nothing like that. Your family and friends are invited to witness as the doctor makes a small cut on your hand, and when it heals instantly, it's official confirmation of your immortality."
Tim frowned. "That's the big ceremony?"
"It started as just a confirmation of immortality, but it has slowly morphed into a ceremony. You don't have to do it. There is no doubt that you've transitioned. It's more appropriate for people who don't change much during their transition and need the proof."
