Page 11 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"What's the status with that?"
He hadn't heard of any transitioning paranormals, and if they hadn't after over two weeks, it wasn't going to happen.
"That's less encouraging." Carol set down her coffee cup with a soft clink and met his eyes directly, the way she always did when delivering news, whether disappointing or encouraging. "None of the males Lokan induced have transitioned. It's been over two weeks, and Jeremy, Spencer, and Dylan are still disappointingly human." She sighed. "Lokan is taking it hard. He thinks thatthere is something wrong with his venom, but that's ridiculous. As a three-quarter god, his venom should be among the most potent. Only Toven could deliver anything better."
Kian frowned. "It can't be about the venom quality. Perhaps he's not injecting enough of it. It's a delicate balance between injecting too little or too much. But the more likely possibility is that these males simply aren't Dormants."
Carol nodded, looking relieved that he'd said it first. "That's what I've been thinking. We've always known this was a long shot. Just because someone has paranormal abilities doesn't mean they carry the Dormant gene."
"How are the men handling the situation?"
"They're frustrated," Carol admitted. "They're obviously comfortable at the keep, but they have nothing to do. Jeremy keeps asking if we can try again. Naomi is growing increasingly anxious and is trying to convince him to give up, get thralled to forget the entire thing, and start their normal life."
"We can't keep them in limbo indefinitely," Kian said. "It's not fair to them."
"I agree." Carol tucked a curl behind her ear. "Lokan says we need to try again."
A loud knock on the door was followed by it bursting open, but Kian wasn't startled or surprised since he knew who was coming and recognized Anandur's style of entry. The brothers were supposed to escort him to his meeting in town later.
"Carol! I didn't know you were here." Anandur grinned. "How have you been? Enjoying the penthouse life?"
"I am, but I don't have time to enjoy the good life. I've been running around between the keep and the village, trying to head two programs that are supposed to eventually merge into one."
"I've heard." Anandur pulled out a chair and sat down. "Anything I can do to help?"
Her eyes brightened. "In fact, there is." She shifted her gaze to Brundar, who remained standing by the door. "Would you like to join us? I might need your help as well."
Brundar didn't move. "We are supposed to escort Kian to a meeting in town."
"That's okay." Kian glanced at his watch. "We have time. Sit down, Brundar."
Carol waited until the Guardian relented and pulled out a chair on the other side of the conference table. "Lokan failed to induce any of the three males he injected with his venom, and we want to give them another try before we give up. The two of you could do the second round. I doubt your venom will do any better than Lokan's, but it wouldn't hurt to try."
Anandur chuckled. "Yeah, it would. Those poor men will hurt a lot, but hey, immortality is worth a little ouchie. Even if it's just a remote chance." He glanced at his brother, who gave one of his characteristic single nods, condensing an entire conversation into a single gesture.
"When do you want us to do it?" Anandur asked.
"We have a meeting in the city." Kian opened his daily planner. "But I don't have anything scheduled after that. We can stop by the keep, and each of you will induce a guy."
Carol shook her head. "They need to prepare mentally for another round. They've been through the process once already—the fighting, the biting, the waiting. I should talk to them first, make sure they're even willing to try again."
"Fine." Anandur shrugged. "Just tell us when and we will do our best to be available."
"Perfect." Carol gave him one of her charming smiles. "You two are the best."
"What about the others?" Anandur asked. "There are more paranormals in the group. Perhaps we should start with them."
"We have five men and four women," Carol confirmed. "But we decided to induce the men first and see if they transition because all the ladies are in committed relationships with the men in the program. If the men prove not to be Dormants, the women will have to decide if they are willing to have sex with immortal males to attempt transition."
Anandur turned to Kian. "What will you do with them if they are not Dormants?"
"Send them home. They are under compulsion not to reveal us. Naturally, we will need to keep in touch with them and reinforce the compulsion from time to time."
"Naturally," Anandur repeated while rubbing the back of his neck. "Can they be useful to us in other ways?"
"Some of them might still work with us in other capacities," Carol said.
"Such as?" Anandur asked.
