“I want a steak.” Roni grimaced at the bowl of clear chicken soup Sylvia handed him. He was so fucking hungry he could eat five steaks, and it wouldn’t fill him up.

“Bridget said you should only have clear liquids for the first day.” She held up the spoon, waiting for him to take it.

“I don’t give a fuck about her instructions. I’m hungry and I want to eat something that will fill me up. Steaks, potatoes, and more steaks.”

Sylvia put her hand on her hips and struck a pose. “She said you’re going to throw up if you eat solids.”

“I’m willing to chance it.”

Ruth pushed up from the couch. “I’ll make you a steak.”

Sylvia turned her ire on her timid mother, who was a much easier target than Roni. “Mom! It’s going to make him sick!”

“So what? If he wants to eat it, let him. What’s the worst that could happen? He is going to throw up? Not a big deal.”

“Thank you, Ruth.” Roni wanted to kiss the woman on both cheeks.

“You’re welcome.” She walked to the kitchen and opened the freezer which was fortunately stocked with enough meat to last him a month.

Well, not really. It would’ve lasted the old Roni that long or even longer. The new Roni was going to go through it in less than a week. Bridget had told him that once the queasiness passed in a day or two, he needed to eat a lot to provide his body with enough fuel to grow stronger and better.

Hopefully, he was going to grow some muscle over those protruding bones. He looked like a walking skeleton.

“I’ll make you a smoothie,” Sylvia offered with a resigned expression on her beautiful face. “I’ll stuff it with berries and veggies and nuts.”

Roni leaned forward and caught her hand, pulling her into his lap. His new strength, although expected, was surprising given his lack of muscles. During the transition, he'd lost inches instead of gaining them. “A smoothie is still made of solids. It’s not a juice. You can make a smoothie out of the steak, but it won’t change how it affects my stomach.”

She leaned into him, putting her head on his bony chest. “It might. But maybe a liquid is easier to digest.”

His fingers brushed through her thick hair, playing with the long locks. “Thank you for taking care of me. Again.”

She’d been so good to him, his Sylvia.

The girl had a heart of gold and apparently poor eyesight.

He was a skinny, pimply teenager with a bad attitude when she’d come to him and taken his virginity. She had done it as a favor to Andrew in exchange for Roni’s hacking skills, but she could’ve thralled him to believe they’d had sex instead of actually giving him such an incredible gift.

This beautiful, smart girl had seen in him something that had touched her heart, and Roni would forever be grateful for that. Even though he was a grumpy patient and didn’t act as grateful as he should, she’d taken care of him when he was sick with pneumonia, and now she was doing the same after his transition.

Stretching up, she kissed his cheek. “You’re welcome.”

“I need to thank your mom too. It’s so nice of her to come and cook for us.”

Sylvia snorted. “Yeah, if you had to survive on my cooking, you would’ve starved.”

Roni suspected that Ruth’s motivation for coming to stay with them had little to do with her eagerness to cook for her daughter’s boyfriend. Lately, Sylvia was spending more and more time at his apartment, and her mother didn’t want to be left home alone.

He didn’t mind. Ruth was an odd bird, but a good person. The only problem he had with the arrangement was keeping quiet during sex.

Immortals were supposed to be open-minded about that, but still. Having the mother of your girlfriend sleeping in the next room while the said girlfriend was moaning and screaming was not something he was comfortable with—especially since those bloody immortals had such a good hearing.

Hell, he was one of those bloody immortals now. Thank God, hallelujah. Gone was the constant worry over whether he was a Dormant or not, and whether he was going to transition.

Roni felt twenty pounds lighter, and only five of those was actual weight loss from his three-day coma.

The delicious smell of cooking meat wafting from the kitchen made his stomach rumble, the pangs of hunger twisting his gut getting worse by the second. “I need to chew on something right now.”

He lifted Sylvia off his lap and held her up until she had her feet firmly on the floor. It didn’t require any effort. The old Roni would’ve not been able to pull that off without huffing and puffing from exertion.

“Sit down.” Ruth motioned to the barstools next to the counter.

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Do you want anything with your steak?”

“Another steak would do.”

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “You are so going to barf.”

“I don’t care.”

Ruth took the two steaks off the frying pan, dropped them on a plate, and put it in front of Roni. “Enjoy.” She looked at Sylvia. “Do you want one too?”

“Sure. How does the saying go? If you can’t beat them, join them?”

Roni felt like an ass. “Here, take this one.” He forked one steak and transferred it to her plate.

“I thought you were hungry?”

“I am, but I can wait for the next one. I can’t eat while you have nothing on your plate.”

Sylvia arched a brow. “Since when?”

He had a fast metabolism and a limited stomach capacity. Roni liked to eat small meals several times a day. His girl, on the other hand, wasn’t a big eater and often joined him just to keep him company.

“Since I know you want one too.”

“Only because you’re eating.”

He pointed at her plate. “Stop arguing and eat.”

“Yes, sir!” Sylvia saluted and lifted her utensils.

Her back to them, Ruth snorted softly, dropping two more steaks onto the sizzling pan. “There is a first time for everything.”

Sylvia was busy chewing, which was a perfect opportunity to learn more about his girl. “What do you mean?” Roni asked.

Ruth waved the spatula. “Usually, my Sylvia argues until she wins.”

“Mom! That’s not true. I only argue when I’m right.”

“But you always think you’re right.”

As mother and daughter went on and on, Roni finished demolishing his steak. “I think those are ready.” He pointed at the smoking pan.

“Oh, dear.” Ruth turned around, grabbed the pan by the handle and took it off the burner. “I’m afraid these two are no longer edible.”

Roni cast a questioning glance at Ruth. “If you don't want them, I’ll eat them. I don’t mind that they are overdone.”

Shaking her head, Ruth put both on his plate. “I’ll make myself a new one. Do you think you’ll want more after you’re done with these two?”

“I might.”

Sylvia shook her head. “When you puke your guts out, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”