12. Morelle

12

MORELLE

T he Odus were just clearing away the dinner dishes when Annani's phone rang.

Her sister's face lit up as she checked the screen. "Ell-rom," she said, tapping the speaker button and placing the phone on the table. "I have Morelle and Brandon with me, and I activated the speaker function so they can hear you clearly. How are things over in the clinic?"

"Jasmine is awake!" Ell-rom's voice carried both joy and exhaustion. "Well, she was, and she is asleep once again, but Bridget says that it's a normal sleep, not a transitional unconsciousness. Jasmine was conscious and perfectly coherent, just very weak."

Morelle's heart leaped. Annani had told her about Ell-rom's choice to remain by Jasmine's side because he'd had a feeling she would wake up today. "Congratulations, Ell-rom," she said with as much cheer as her tone could carry. "That is wonderful news. I'm starting to think that you have a precognition talent. You had a feeling it would happen today, and it did."

Annani smiled smugly. "It runs in the family. I also get gut feelings, and they are never wrong."

Morelle cast her sister a smile. "I can't claim to have experienced the same, so it must be just you and Ell-rom."

She wondered what talent their other half-sister had. Annani had revealed during dinner that their father had sired another daughter with a goddess before he had met Annani's mother. The revelation was startling enough but not as shocking as the fact that Areana was mated to the clan's archenemy. Contact with her was limited to clandestine phone calls that her mate didn't know about, and that put her at great risk.

Ell-rom didn't know about that yet, and Morelle couldn't wait to tell him.

"Can I come over and see Jasmine?" Morelle asked. "I'll gladly sit with you until the next time she wakes up."

"Of course," Ell-rom said. "She asked about you, and I told her about your nullification ability. I can't wait to hear how the testing went."

"I'll tell you all about it when I get there."

"I'll arrange for a golf cart." Brandon turned to Annani. "Would you like to join us?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to distract anyone from Morelle and Jasmine's first meeting. I'll wait for the ceremony tomorrow."

"Ceremony?" Morelle asked. "What kind of ceremony?"

"When a Dormant completes the first stage of transition, the doctors perform a simple test to verify that they are indeed immortal. They make a small cut on the Dormant's palm and time how quickly it heals."

Morelle frowned. "That seems kind of crude. I'm sure that there must be better ways to test it."

Annani shrugged. "It is quick, practical, and decisive. Even those with the most diluted immortal blood heal significantly faster than humans. Over time, it has become more than just a test, though. It was made into a ceremony, and a celebration with family and friends present to witness and welcome new immortals into their everlasting lives."

"Jasmine will love it," Ell-rom said. "She heard about the ceremony from Margo, Frankie, and Gabi, and I know that she will want to have the same experience."

Ell-rom had told her about his and Jasmine's time in the clan's keep, and the three gods and their mates who had helped find their pods and had also become good friends. He was excited by the possibility of them moving into the village, but there was something that the gods needed to take care of first. Something about trackers that had to come out of them and get implanted in human volunteers.

"The cart is here," Brandon announced. "Are you ready to go?"

Morelle stood quickly, smoothing the fabric of her trousers. "Yes." She turned to Annani. "Thank you for dinner and lunch and everything else."

"Stop thanking me, Morelle." Annani waved a hand in dismissal. "It is my pleasure. Give my love to Jasmine and tell her that I will come to see her tomorrow."

Brandon said his thanks as well and got the same answer from Annani. They headed outside, where a Guardian was waiting with a cart.

"Good news." He beamed at them. "It's always a good day when a Dormant transitions."

"Thank you, I think." She looked at Brandon. "Is that what I'm supposed to say?"

"You could also say something like 'good news indeed' as an affirmation." Brandon helped her into the cart even though she was steady enough on her feet now and didn't need assistance.

She'd noticed that he loved to find excuses to touch her, and she was more than happy to oblige him. The contact sent pleasant shivers through her body.

"Your customs are confusing," she said as he climbed in behind her.

"The clan believes in marking important moments," he said. "As Kian says, every reason for celebration should be taken advantage of. Life is full of hardships, so when there is an opportunity to rejoice and celebrate, it should be taken."

"Indeed," she said, following his advice from before.

Her comment had referred to speech conventions, but she liked his answer about celebrations.

"Can I tell Ell-rom everything about the tests today?" she asked. "Or are some things supposed to remain confidential?"

"You can tell him everything."

"Good." Morelle let out a breath. "I don't like keeping secrets from Ell-rom."

She also didn't like keeping secrets from Brandon, but she had no choice. Kian and Annani wanted Ell-rom's ability to remain a secret for now, and she couldn't go against their wishes.