Dark Queen’s Army

by I. T. Lucas

  “She’s probably right. I just wish that it could put me to sleep so I could wake up after this was all over. The Dormants who passed out were the lucky ones.”

  “Don’t say that.” He walked to the sink and filled a large cup with water. “Going through it without passing out means that you are doing well and that your body is strong. It can handle the transition without slowing down your other functions.”

  She snorted. “I’m lying in bed. Not running a marathon. I wouldn’t call it functioning as normal.” She waved a hand. “Ignore me. I’m just a lousy patient. I don’t like being sick.”

  “You are not sick. You are on the road to immortality.” He handed her the water and the Motrin.

  “You are absolutely right. That’s how I should think about it.” She popped the pills into her mouth and washed them down with the water.

  “So, what’s new? Distract me with some interesting news.”

  “I’ve already told you about the ski vacation. Nothing new has come up since then.”

  “You said that Alena and the team are back home. Do you think she would come to visit me? I miss her.”

  “I’m sure she will. She’s probably still sleeping.”

  It was early morning, but since Mey had spent most of yesterday sleeping, her schedule had gotten all out of whack.

  Yamanu took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Try to get a little sleep. You need as much rest as possible.”

  He was always so attuned to her that it was like he was reading her mind.

  “I’ll try.” Mey turned on her side and tucked one of her hands under the pillow.

  The other had a monitor attached to a finger, so doing the same was not going to work. Then there were all the wires attached to her chest. It would have been easier if she were a back sleeper, but Mey could only sleep on her side or on her tummy.

  Thankfully, she didn’t have a catheter or an IV drip and was allowed to get off the bed to go to the bathroom. That was the upside.

  As the Motrin finally started working, her aches and pains subsided, and she was thankfully able to drift off.

  Hours must have passed because when Mey opened her eyes next, everything hurt more than it had before. The Motrin must have worn off.

  “Yamanu?” she rasped.

  “I’m here.” He took her hand.

  “Can you get me more Motrin? And water?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

  He returned together with Bridget.

  “I hear that you are in a lot of pain,” the doctor said.

  “It’s not so bad.” Mey turned on her back.

  Bridget pressed the pedal and lifted the back of the bed. “From the way Yamanu described it, you were suffering.”

  “I am. Everything hurts, but it’s more of a discomfort than severe pain. Except for my gums. I don’t know what the deal with those is. I usually get tingly gums when I have a fever, but this is worse than ever.”

  Bridget frowned. “That’s odd. You are the first female Dormant to complain of that.”

  “Why? Do the male Dormants suffer from tingly gums?”

  “Of course, and sore throat. I told you that yesterday. They are growing fangs and venom glands.”

  “Oh, right, you did. The fever is messing with my brain.”

  “I checked your stats before I came in. Your fever is not that bad.”

  Mey pouted. “It feels bad.”

  The doctor smiled indulgently. “I bet it does.” She pulled out a thermometer from her coat pocket, moved Mey’s hair away from her ear, and touched the tip to it.

  “A hundred and two,” Bridget said after looking at the display.

  “Let’s look at those gums, shall we?” She walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a tongue depressor and a pair of gloves.

  Snapping them on, she pulled a slim flashlight out of her coat pocket and turned it on. “Open wide.”

  “Ahh…”

  Bridget looked, patted her gums, and frowned. “They are swollen over the canines.” She pulled back and looked at Mey as if she was a strange creature. “I’ve never seen that happen before to a transitioning female.”

  Great. I’m a freak even among immortals.

  “What can it mean?” Yamanu asked.

  Yeah, Mey wanted to know that too.

  Bridget rubbed her hand over her chin. “It might be similar to what happens to pubescent boys when their nipples swell up and hurt. They are not going to grow breasts, but the hormones affect them. Maybe your body is confused by all the changes and is mimicking the pubescent stage of growth because of the hormonal upheaval. I doubt that you are growing fangs. Once you stabilize, the swelling will probably go down. Let’s wait a couple more days and see what happens.”

  “Does it happen to the girls born in the clan? Do they get phantom growing fangs pains in puberty?”

  Bridget shook her head. “The clan girls transition as babies or toddlers by being with Annani. I don’t know how it works, but it does. The mothers either travel to the sanctuary and give birth there or take their daughters there a little later. The girls spend time with the goddess and usually transition within a week or two.”

  “So, you don’t have any experience with pubescent girls transitioning?”

  “I don’t. But in ancient times, the girls transitioned at the same age as boys, so they might have experienced your symptoms. I’ll ask Annani about it.”

  “Maybe Wonder knows,” Mey offered. “She transitioned as a pubescent girl.”

  “That’s an even better idea.”

  “Can you hand me my phone?” Mey asked Yamanu. “I want to text Wonder.”

  Bridget smiled. “I like your attitude. Why wait when something can be done right away?”

  Mey took the device. “Wouldn’t you want to know if you were growing fangs?”

  Bridget nodded. “Naturally.”

  Mey opened the phone and texted. Did any of the girls you knew in your adolescence experience phantom growing fangs pains when they transitioned?

  Several minutes passed before her phone pinged with a return message. No, why?

  Because I am.

  The next text came right away. If they did, they might have been embarrassed to admit it. No girl wanted to be thought of as manly.

  Mey answered. Makes sense. Thank you.

  “What did she say?” Yamanu asked.

  “She never heard of phantom growing fangs pains. Wonder thinks that girls might have been experiencing them but were embarrassed to mention it because they didn’t want to appear masculine.”

  Bridget nodded. “That’s a reasonable assumption.”

  It was, but Mey wasn’t convinced.

  What if she was a mutation?

  After all, her and Jin’s talents were very different from those of other clan members. But since Mey was transitioning, she had to have the godly genes. Except, they might have mutated somehow.

  Mey and Jin the mutants.

  As much as some things had changed, others had not.

  34

  Yamanu

  As Yamanu listened to the exchange between Bridget and Mey, he wondered whether he should say something.

  Mey was distraught by the possibility of growing fangs, and Bridget seemed puzzled by it, but he found the idea super-hot.

  Still, how was it even possible?

  None of the other Dormants had grown new teeth, but the clan females had slightly elongated canines that could pass for human. Evidently, those who had been turned as young girls simply grew them from the get-go, but those who already had all their adult teeth hadn’t gotten new ones.

  How come no one ever wondered about that?

  “Can I say something?”

  Mey and the doctor looked his way. “Of course,” Bridget said. “What’s on your mind?”

  “The clan females have tiny fangs. Only the Dormants who turn in adulthood don’t. They just keep the teeth they already have. What Mey is experiencing might be just a slight deviation
from that, not an anomaly.”

  Bridget nodded. “I haven’t considered it, but you might be right.” She smiled. “Phoenix’s tiny fangs are adorable.”

  Mey slumped against the pillows and let out a relieved breath. “So, I’m just a little bit of a freak. Not a major one.”

  Bridget patted her arm. “You’re not a freak in either case, but who knows? You might be the next step in our evolution.”

  Once the doctor had left, Yamanu sat on the edge of the bed and took Mey’s hand. “I know you’re not ecstatic about growing fangs, but I think it’s hot as hell. I find the prospect of you biting me extremely erotic.”

  “Why? Even if I’m going to have fangs, which I hope I don’t, I’m not going to grow venom glands, which means that my bite will deliver only pain and no pleasure.”

  He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “I don’t know if it’s an immortal thing or just a fetish of mine, but I find the idea arousing, and if you don’t believe me, I can show you proof.” He put her hand over the straining bulge in his pants.

  That wrested a giggle out of her. “Stop it. Bridget could walk in at any moment.”

  “I’ll hear her opening the door.”

  A mischievous gleam brightening her eyes, Mey caressed him through his pants. “Do you think we can lock the door?”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “A moment ago, you were concerned about Bridget walking in on basically nothing.”

  “Yeah, but she can’t walk in if the door is locked.”

  As if on cue, the door opened, and Bridget walked in.

  Since his back was turned to her, she couldn’t see where Mey’s hand was, and he quickly snatched it back up and kissed it again.

  “I brought you more meds. These are a little stronger than Motrin and will help you sleep.” She handed Mey one paper cup with pills and another one with water.

  Blushing, Mey took the two cups. “Thank you.”

  If Bridget guessed that they had been fooling around, she made a valiant effort not to show it. Still, Yamanu could see a ghost of a smile hovering over her lips.

  “Try to get some sleep,” she said before leaving the room.

  “That was close.” Mey puffed out a breath.

  “I was blocking her view. She couldn’t see anything. But your blush gave you away.”

  Mey shrugged. “I could’ve been flushed because of the fever.” She popped the pills into her mouth and washed them down with the water.

  Several minutes later, when Mey’s eyes closed, Yamanu lowered the bed’s back, tucked the blanket around her, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Sleep well.”

  “Don’t leave me,” she murmured.

  “I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here next to you.” He lifted the chair and brought it closer to the bed.

  “Thank you.” She drifted off.

  With a sigh, Yamanu pulled out his phone and went through his emails and text messages.

  There were many congratulations, with people wanting to know how Mey was feeling, and he answered all of them with a couple of short sentences.

  The one response he needed to put more thought into was the one to Arwel’s text.

  He didn’t want to bring up housing arrangements. Arwel had been his roommate since they’d moved into the village, and they’d become even closer friends than they’d been before that. How could he ask the guy to move out?

  Simple. He wasn’t going to. If Arwel decided to leave on his own, so be it, but Yamanu wasn’t going to suggest it.

  He must have typed and retyped the message five times before finally sending it. Thank you. Mey is doing well. She has a fever and is aching all over, but she didn’t pass out, so that’s a good sign. She would probably like to see you and Alena, and perhaps Eva and Ethan too. She is sleeping now, so there is no rush, but try to pop in for a short visit later.

  The return text from Arwel arrived a moment later.

  I’m moving my stuff to Ben’s place. I’ll come when I’m done.

  Yamanu typed back. Why are you moving? Mey and I want you to stay. It’s your home as much as it is mine and now hers.

  It’s not going to be comfortable for any of us, and Ben is lonely since Carol moved in with Lokan. He’s very happy about me rooming with him.

  Clever guy. Making it about Ben ensured that Yamanu couldn’t insist.

  As you wish. I just don’t want you to feel as if you have to.

  Noted. Let me know when Mey wakes up. But first, ask her if she is in the mood to receive guests.

  I will. Glad to have you back.

  Same here. New York was tough.

  Yamanu could imagine. For an empath, living in the center of a densely populated metropolis must have been hell.

  35

  Mey

  Mey dreamt that she was at the dentist’s, having her teeth cleaned. As the dental hygienist moved her soft drill thing back and forth over her teeth, Mey couldn’t wait for it to be over. For some reason, it was painful this time, and not just tingly.

  She wanted to tell the woman to stop and give her a breather, but she couldn’t talk, and her arms felt too heavy to lift and tug on the hygienist’s sleeve.

  As it went on and on, Mey grew desperate. She groaned, hoping to get the woman’s attention, but instead of stopping, she cast her an angry look and shook Mey’s shoulder.

  “Are you in pain?” the hygienist asked, but her voice came out sounding deep and masculine.

  It was a voice that Mey recognized.

  Slowly, as the cobwebs of sleep parted, she realized that she was dreaming and opened her eyes. Yamanu’s face was hovering a few scant inches above hers.

  “What’s wrong? Do you need more pain meds?”

  She nodded. “My mouth is on fire.” It was only a slight exaggeration.

  “I’ll get Bridget.” Yamanu rushed out of the room, returning a moment later with the doctor.

  She sat on the bed next to Mey. “Let me see what’s going on. Open wide.” Bridget shined a flashlight into Mey’s mouth and then gently touched her left canine with a gloved finger. “It’s wiggling.” She frowned and did the same to the other one. “This one wiggles as well.”

  Bridget leaned away and pulled the gloves off. “There is no more doubt. Your canines are about to fall out, and you are growing new ones. Rapidly. It’s happening faster than it does for the men.”

  At this point, Mey didn’t care if she were growing fangs the size of a saber-toothed tiger. All she wanted was for the pain to go away. “It hurts.”

  “I bet. I’ll get you something stronger this time.”

  “Thank you.”

  Yamanu clasped her hand. “Everything is going to be okay. Fangs or no fangs, you will always be my beauty queen.”

  Mey tried to smile. “I can be a vampire on Halloween.”

  “The sexiest vampire ever.”

  Gertrude walked in and handed Mey the pills. “These should knock you out.”

  “Great. More sleep.” Mey swallowed the pills.

  “Those shouldn’t make you as sleepy,” the nurse said.

  Mey waited for Gertrude to leave before turning to Yamanu. “I need your help to get up. I have to pee.”

  “I’m on it.” He unclamped the finger monitor and then started removing the sticky pads holding the wires attached to her body.

  She chuckled. “Once this is over, you can be a nurse.”

  “No, thank you. I’m very happy to still have my old job.” He helped her out of bed.

  The meds and the long sleep made her woozy, and Mey had to lean on Yamanu for support.

  The medication Gertrude had given her was fast-acting, and by the time she was back in bed, the pain had subsided to a distant throb.

  “Callie was here earlier, and she left soup for you.” Yamanu pointed at the thermos. “Would you like some?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you tell her about the fangs?”

  “I didn’t. Bridget told her that you should only
have clear liquids. She made you chicken soup.”

  Sinking into the pillows, Mey nodded. “I’m not hungry, but I guess I should have something to keep my strength up. Although ice cream would have been better.”

  “Ice cream is not a clear liquid, but I can get you popsicles.”

  “That would be awesome.”

  “After you eat the soup.”

  She had no idea where Yamanu was going to get popsicles from, but he sounded confident that he could. Perhaps Bridget stocked them for the transitioning guys.

  Ugh. Why did she have to be the odd female who transitioned like a male?

  Yamanu poured soup into the thermos’s cover, which served as a bowl. “Open wide,” he sing-songed.

  “You have a beautiful voice. Did I tell you that?” She sipped from the spoon.

  “Thank you. Would you like me to sing for you?” He offered her another spoonful.

  “That would be wonderful. Your voice is so soothing.”

  He started a soft tune and kept feeding her soup until there was nothing left in the thermos.

  When he was done, her eyelids started drooping again. “These meds are miracle workers. Almost nothing hurts. I just feel sleepy.”

  “Then sleep. That’s what you are supposed to do during the first stage of your transition. Your body needs all of your energy to change.”

  She started drifting off when the door opened a crack, and she heard Alena whisper, “Is Mey sleeping?”

  “Not yet. Come in and give me a hug.”

  Alena rushed in, then slowed down as she reached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like crap.”

  Alena bent down and gave her the gentlest of hugs. “It’s going to be over soon, and then you’ll be immortal. I say it’s worth it.”

  “It definitely is.” Mey felt a tear slide down her cheek. “I’m growing freaking fangs.”

  Shock registering in her eyes, Alena pulled back. “What are you talking about?”

  “You heard right. My canines are both loose and about to fall out, and new teeth are growing in their place. I was a freak as a human, and now I’m going to be a freak as an immortal too.”