21. Morelle

21

MORELLE

M orelle felt the sun on her face, a feeling of warmth and contentment spreading through her. Then again, that pleasant feeling might have come from the inside rather than the sun because she was still basking in the afterglow of the venom trip.

She was no longer dazed, and the euphoria had subsided to manageable levels, but it was still there long hours after it should have completely dissipated. Still, she wasn't overly worried about her mind feeling like it was stuffed with fluffy, colorful clouds or about smiling like a fool.

Brandon said that some reacted to the venom more strongly than others and that the first few times were the most potent.

It would pass, and when it did, she was going to miss it .

She felt relaxed, happy, and loving toward everyone around her.

It would be nice if that was the new her. It felt good to radiate love instead of mistrust, suspicion, and nihilism. Although to be honest, she hadn't felt nihilistic since she'd made the choice to wake up and join the world of the living, and it was all thanks to Brandon.

Well, her mother had been the catalyst, but that wouldn't have been enough to wake her if Brandon hadn't been there to tell her stories and make her curious enough to listen and want to hear more.

He was holding her hand in his lap as he sipped on his coffee, and she gave his hand a little squeeze accompanied by a loving smile.

Naturally, he smiled back, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners and his lush lips curving up. He was such an incredibly handsome male.

All over.

Morelle felt a blush creeping up her cheeks at the memory of what they had done last night. It had been so wicked. She could never have imagined such a thing. Humans had a special name for that particular arrangement, a number, but Morelle hadn't understood why until Brandon wrote it on a piece of paper and then added embellishments to the digits to clarify the symbolism.

She'd laughed so hard that her sides had ached.

"I was so happy to see so many people show up for Rob's ceremony," Jasmine said, gesturing with her fork. "The energy in that room when everyone started singing was magical." She sighed. "I had forgotten how good it felt to perform. I need to do it more often."

Morelle nodded, only half listening. She was too focused on the way Brandon's fingers intertwined with hers and how his knee pressed against her thigh under the table. The contact points felt electric.

"You were amazing," Ell-rom told his mate. "You enthralled the audience, my love."

"Thank you." Jasmine beamed at him. "I hadn't realized how much I missed it until I was up there." She turned to Brandon. "I'm also going to sing at the wedding, and Jackson and Vlad are going to accompany me on guitar."

"That's wonderful." Brandon squeezed Morelle's hand. "What songs are you planning for the event?"

"Just a couple. 'Can't Help Falling in Love' for their first dance, and 'Make You Feel My Love' during the ceremony." Jasmine's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "The rest will be broadcast through the loudspeakers from Peter's playlist—it was literally his only contribution to the planning, but at least he has good taste. He included classics like 'All of Me' and 'Perfect,' plus some more upbeat numbers for dancing. "

"Amanda must be pleased to have such a hands-off groom," Brandon said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I don't think she would have minded some additional input, but I suspect that she prefers to have total control. The less the bride and groom interfere with her plans, the better. She has a certain vision for the party and she's having a blast planning everything down to the last detail." Jasmine took a sip of her coffee. "She loved that Marina left everything to her. The poor girl feels overwhelmed, so having Amanda do it for her relieves a lot of the pressure."

Morelle barely registered their words. The venom's incredible effects were still coursing through her, but the deep sense of connection she felt with Brandon was even better. Every time she looked at him, her heart swelled with emotion.

They hadn't completed their bond last night, but she wasn't disappointed. It would happen soon, and in the meantime, Brandon was teaching her all these wonderful ways to enjoy each other.

"Speaking of planning," Ell-rom said, drawing Morelle's attention back to the conversation even though he was addressing Jasmine, "you should call your father and find out when he's going hunting next. Catching him alone at the cabin is our best option."

Jasmine's smile faded. "I know I need to do that, but I'm deliberately avoiding it because I hate talking to him." She pushed her food around her plate. "He manages to turn every conversation into a confrontation. Nothing I do is worthwhile. I'm wasting my time on pursuing a career in acting, I'm getting too old to be given any good roles, and I only date losers instead of finding a man to settle down with and start a family. After talking to him, I always feel depressed."

"Not this time." Ell-rom clasped her hand. "None of that is even remotely true."

His words didn't seem to have an effect on her. "Yeah, but I can't tell him that, now, can I?"

"You can when we are alone with him in the cabin," Ell-rom said. "You can throw in his face that you will never be too old for anything and that you are mated to a demigod." He chuckled. "Never mind that said demigod has no job, so he is technically a loser, but your father doesn't need to know that. We are going to thrall him to forget that anyway."

That seemed to do the trick and improve Jasmine's mood.

She smiled brightly. "Now you've given me an incentive to call him. I can't wait to see his face when we tell him that."

"Can Brandon and I come?" Morelle asked. "I would love to see more of this world and leave the village for a day?—"

She cut herself off as Jasmine winced, and understanding dawned. Of course, Jasmine wouldn't want an audience for what was likely to be an emotional and potentially devastating confrontation with her father. The reason she needed to talk to him was to find out what he knew about her mother, and she wouldn't want witnesses for that.

To cover the awkward moment, Morelle turned to Brandon. "Speaking of seeing the world, have you reconsidered joining me for a Perfect Match world tour adventure?"

His eyes met hers, and something in his expression made her heart skip. "Actually, I've been thinking about it, especially last night."

She arched a brow. "Really? What were you thinking?"