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"I hope I'm not interrupting." Gilbert's eyes shifted from Karen to Negal.
"You're not," Negal assured him. "We were discussing moving our plans to tonight instead of tomorrow because of the change in scheduling for the mission."
As Karen stepped closer to Gilbert and took his hand, her gesture seemed to calm him somewhat, but the underlying tension was still palpable. "Negal made a good point about my anxiety building with every passing hour. He said that it's better to just rip the Band-Aid off and be done with it."
Gilbert hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "I only want what's best for you, and if you want to do it tonight, that's fine with me."
"We'll need to ask Kaia to take the kids to her and William's cabin for the night," Karen said with a slight tremble in her voice.
Negal contemplated reaching into her head and calming her nerves, but he then remembered that human minds were fragile, and he should keep the thralling to a minimum. "Let me know when you're ready." He pushed away from the railing. "I'm going to ask one of those lovely ladies to dance, but I'll be immediately at your disposal whenever you call for me."
"Thank you." Karen offered him a tight smile. "I greatly appreciate your help."
Karen
As they returned to the dining hall, the loud music hit Karen like a physical wall, making any attempts at conversation difficult.
Talking with Negal outside had been surprisingly calming and reassuring, in part because he was so nice and considerate but mainly because he wasn't even slightly attracted to her. His willingness to contribute his venom to her transition was purely altruistic, and he had absolutely no interest in her.
Karen sighed.
Getting old and becoming invisible to young men and gods didn't feel good. It wasn't that she was interested in anyone other than Gilbert, but feeling desirable was a big part of her identity as a woman, and lately, she'd been losing that part of herself.
It was good that she was about to transition and regain her youthful attractiveness.
As Negal walked over to one of the tables and asked an immortal female to dance, Karen sat down and scanned the tables for Kaia and William, finding them on the dance floor.
It was amusing to watch their mismatched dancing moves, with Kaia waving her arms over her head as if she was in a rock concert, and William swaying in place like a scarecrow in the wind.
Following her gaze, Gilbert saw them, too. "I'll go talk to Kaia."
Karen caught his arm as he started to get up. "Let them have fun. I'll go to the cabin and tell Cheryl to move the kids to Kaia and William's cabin. I'm sure they won't mind, given the reason for the sleepover. Wait until they sit back down and just let them know what's going on. I want them to enjoy themselves for as long as they wish, and Cheryl and the kids will probably be asleep by the time they get back."
Gilbert let out a breath. "Do you want to get something to eat? The line at the buffet is not long."
She put a hand over her belly. "I don't think I could take a single bite, but you go ahead. I'll be waiting in our cabin."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." She patted his arm. "I need to organize the kids, tidy up a bit, and then take a few moments to myself." She gave him a peck on the cheek, noting how hard he was clenching his jaw. "Relax. It's going to be okay. Negal finds me about as attractive as this chair, so you don't need to be jealous."
"That's absurd." Gilbert looked at her with incredulity in his eyes. "Any healthy heterosexual male would find you attractive."
"Thank you." She smiled. "That's sweet of you to say, but I'm no spring chicken, and I'm a mother of five children." She gave him a slight push. "Go, get something to eat. You'll need your energy tonight."
As he finally did as she asked, Karen let out a breath and refilled her glass with white wine.
It was a scary step, but she'd been preparing for it for weeks.
She had already spoken to Bridget, ensuring that the clinic was adequately equipped to monitor her in case it was needed.
Bridget and the nurses were busy tending to the victims who needed more medical attention than anyone had anticipated, and Karen didn't wish to add to their burden, but it was what it was.
Bridget understood and approved.
Glancing around at the joyous celebrations, Karen felt a pang of regret at the thought of missing some of the weddings. Each ceremony was a beautiful testament to love and commitment, something she had always cherished, but her successful transition took precedence.
Downing the glass of liquid courage, Karen pushed to her feet and looked at her mate, who stood in line at the buffet. She smiled and waved and then turned around and walked toward the exit doors.
