59. Jasmine

59

JASMINE

E ll-rom seemed pensive while they were getting ready for the day, his brow furrowed as if he was wrestling with some internal conflict. Her prince certainly didn't have a poker face, and when he tried to lie or hide something, it was written all over it.

There had been more to that dream than he had admitted to, but she didn't want to pressure him into talking about it if he wasn't ready.

"You said you've had nightmares," he suddenly said. "What were they about?"

The question caught her off guard, and she hesitated for a moment, memories of countless restless nights flashing through her mind. "They're mostly about my mother." Jasmine sat on one of the chairs flanking the bedside table that they had turned into their dining table. "She died when I was a little girl, and I don't know exactly what happened to her. I can barely remember her, and my father refuses to talk about her. He claims that the less I know, the better it is for me. So, I keep dreaming about her dying in hundreds of different ways, and sometimes it is me who is dying instead of her. I haven't had them lately, but I know they'll come back. They always do."

Ell-rom sat on the other chair and leaned forward to take her hand. "I feel so guilty for not asking you about your family before. I was projecting my situation onto you, so if I had no past because I couldn't remember it, you didn't have a past either. It was like our lives started in this room. I'm so sorry for being so self-absorbed."

"Don't apologize." She gave his hand a light squeeze. "It's not like I encouraged a conversation about my dysfunctional family. It's not something that I like to talk about."

"Good or bad, your family is still a part of you, and it shaped who you are as a person, even if their contribution was showing you how not to be like them."

She laughed. "You are very astute for a newborn."

Thankfully, he got the reference and smiled. "I was born with preexisting programming."

"That's not a joke. I think people are born with genetic memory. Like fear of snakes. Even those who have never seen a snake are afraid of them."

"You are diverting the conversation away from your family. Tell me about them."

"There's not much to tell," she said with a shrug. "I don't remember much about my mother, and after she died, my father married a woman with two sons who hated me and made my life miserable."

"Why?"

"They'd gotten into their stupid little heads that my father stole their mother from their dad, and they resented us both for it. They should have stayed with their father if they loved him so much."

"Did they?" he asked quietly. "Love their father?"

"They hardly saw him. Their mother got full custody of them, so the father had either washed his hands of them or was so bad that the court decided he wasn't a fit parent. I think it was the second one, and they inherited their bullishness from him. They were nasty punks who picked on a little girl who had lost her mother because she was an easy target. By giving it the spin of blaming my father for their parents' divorce, they avoided being punished for how they treated me, because my father and their mother felt sorry for them or guilty or whatever."

Ell-rom's eyes started glowing, and his fangs descended over his lip. "What is the Earthly custom for avenging a female mistreated by the males whose duty it was to protect her?"

Jasmine loved that question for multiple reasons.

The first one was that Ell-rom felt compelled to avenge the wrongs inflicted upon her, and the second was that he was asking what the proper way to do that was according to local custom. He didn't just assume that it was to inflict bodily harm, as it would have been in his old world, but his elongated fangs suggested that was precisely what he would like to do.

"Earth's population has many different cultures, and each has its own customs. In the West, most people will say that as long as my brothers didn't physically harm me, I should just let it go. And that was what I did. Now that we are adults, I only have to suffer their presence for a few hours once a year, and I forget about them the rest of the time."

He shook his head. "I don't understand people like that. Even though they are not your brothers by blood, it is their duty to protect you, not to torment you."

Jasmine shrugged. "Not all people are good, Ell-rom. But don't take it to heart. My life got much better after I left home. I loved acting, and I found a community of people who were like me. I met many good people in the productions I was in."

While she had enjoyed the camaraderie of her fellow actors, none of those relationships had been particularly deep or lasting. She had tried to keep in touch with people after the productions, but it had never lasted long. People drifted apart.

The friendships she had formed with Margo, Frankie, Gabi, and Ella felt more genuine and meaningful than any she'd had before. And then there were the gods, Julian, and yes, even Edgar, who had become an unexpected but welcome part of her life.

"Do you miss them?" Ell-rom asked. "Your friends from your acting days?"

"Not really," she admitted. "I like the new friends I've found here. They feel more real, somehow." Her eyes widened. "It's the affinity Amanda talked about. Immortals, gods, and Dormants feel a special affinity for one another. That's why these friendships feel more meaningful to me."

"I'm glad that you've found people you can connect with. I hope they will accept Morelle and me as well."

"They will." Jasmine patted his hand. "You are adorable."

He grimaced. "I am no such thing."

She rolled her eyes. "It's amazing how males are the same no matter what species they are. You want people to think of you as powerful and dangerous, and you are embarrassed to show your sensitive side."

"For all we know, I might be dangerous. I need to regain my memories to know who I really am."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, announcing Gertrude carrying a tray laden with their breakfast.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "I hope you're both hungry because the service sent a lot of food." She put the tray down on the table. "Also, Dr. Julian wanted me to tell you that he wants Ell-rom to do another pool session before you two head up to the penthouse. He knows that after you go, there is no chance you'll be back today." Gertrude winked at Jasmine from behind Ell-rom's back.

Julian knew about the surprise welcome party, and that was why he didn't expect them to return for the rehab session later today, but Jasmine reconsidered her decision to keep it a surprise. Given Ell-rom's unsettling dream and his comments about it, perhaps he was still too emotionally fragile for surprises.

"I'm looking forward to it," Ell-rom said. "The hardest part for me is actually walking all the way to the pool and then back to the clinic. I will probably need to rest before I'm ready to move to the penthouse."

That meant that the lunch party would have to become a dinner party, and Jasmine needed to let Margo know right away.

As Gertrude and Ell-rom continued talking about the pool exercises Julian had planned, Jasmine pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Margo. Need to move the welcome party to dinner. Ell-rom has a pool rehab session this morning and will need to rest before coming up.

Margo's reply came almost instantly. No problem! It'll work even better. I'll order delivery from the Golden Dragon . Does Ell-rom have special preferences?

Jasmine typed back. He's strictly vegan, but even though they have some vegan dishes at the Golden Dragon, they are too rich for him at this stage of his recovery. I'll get his custom-delivered dinner from the clinic . She sent the text and then typed up another. Thank you for being an awesome friend and organizing this for him .

As she put the phone down, Jasmine made a mental note to speak with Bridget about arranging food deliveries to the penthouse for Ell-rom.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

Jasmine smiled. "Everything's fine. I was texting Margo about arranging a little get-together at the penthouse. It's going to be us, the three gods, and their mates. Nothing too fancy, just a welcome dinner to help you feel at home in the new place."

To her relief, a smile spread across Ell-rom's face. "That sounds lovely. I'm eager to meet your friends and thank them in person for their contribution to rescuing Morelle and me."