16. Jasmine

16

JASMINE

J asmine smoothed the fabric of her new nightgown—one of several that Ell-rom had brought for her to choose from—and tried not to fidget as she waited for the ceremony to begin. The decision hadn't been easy. She had very nice nightgowns that were meant to entice but were not appropriate for the occasion, and she had simple ones that were just oversized T-shirts, and those were not appropriate either.

Not only was this the start of her new life as an immortal, but the ceremony would also be recorded, and she wanted to be able to show it to her children one day and not be embarrassed by how she looked and what she wore on this most important occasion.

In the end, she chose one of the silk nightgowns. It was a bit much, but it worked with the matching robe over it.

Margo had arrived earlier armed with a curling iron and a cosmetics bag and had done a great job with her hair and makeup. She did not go overboard but made sure that Jasmine would look great in the video.

It was quite silly to put so much thought and effort into her appearance, given that she didn't even need the test to prove that she had turned immortal.

Jasmine had grown taller by over two inches during the ten days she'd been unconscious, so there was no doubt that she had transitioned into immortality. The ceremony was purely for show, but then she thrived on those. After all, she was a professional actress, and she loved the attention.

Ell-rom, on the other hand, looked stressed. "Are you comfortable?" he asked. "Do you need another pillow?"

"I'm perfect," she assured him, reaching for his hand. "More than fine. I feel amazing." It was true. Despite having been unconscious for many days, she felt stronger and more vital than she ever had before. Colors seemed brighter, sounds clearer, and even her sense of touch was enhanced. The texture of the sheets against her skin, the warmth of Ell-rom's hand in hers—everything felt more vivid.

Through the open door, she could hear the excited chatter of her friends in the waiting room, and the thought of them all gathering to witness this moment filled her with warmth.

"The camera feed is working perfectly," Julian announced, making one final adjustment. "I should have done this a long time ago." He stepped down from the ladder and folded it. "The camera is trained on you, and everyone outside will be able to watch the ceremony on the screen in the waiting room."

"Thank you," Jasmine said. "I wish they could all be in here with me."

"The room would burst," Julian chuckled. "You can have up to four people in here. Ell-rom is one, the Clan Mother is two, and you can have two more."

"Morelle," Ell-rom said. "I want her to be here."

Jasmine nodded. "And Margo. We started this journey together."

They had been abducted together by Alberto the scumbag and then rescued together by the clan.

"No problem." Julian lifted the step ladder. "I'll watch it on the screen." He did a little head tilt and strode out of the room.

Was he really offended at not being invited to be in the room? Or was he goofing around?

A moment later, Margo burst into the room, the excitement practically radiating off her. "I'm so glad you picked me. Thank you. By the way, the Clan Mother has just arrived, so we can start as soon as you are ready."

"I'm ready. I just wish that the rest of the girls could be here with me."

"Don't worry about it. We will celebrate tomorrow at Ella's." She leaned over and pretended to whisper. "Are you allowed to drink? Because we are planning on lots of margaritas."

Jasmine chuckled. "I don't know. I'm on a clear liquids diet for now, so I can play dumb and say that I thought margaritas qualify."

Margo laughed, and Ell-rom looked horrified, but when Jasmine was about to tell him that she'd been joking, Annani entered with Morelle.

"What a joyous occasion," Annani said as she approached the bed and kissed Jasmine's cheek. "I know that I am supposed to wait for after the test, but since it is just ceremonial, I will say it now. Congratulations, and welcome to the clan."

"Thank you, Clan Mother."

"It is Annani to you, my dear. We are family." The goddess floated over to the one chair that remained in the room but then stopped and looked at Morelle. "I should stand, or I won't be able to see anything. You should sit down."

Morelle looked aghast. "It is not proper for me to sit while you are standing."

"Oh, such nonsense." Annani waved her sister over. "We are sisters, and you are still recovering. I can see how difficult it is for you to stand. Do not try to deny it."

Morelle hesitated for a moment, looking unsure about how to deal with her stubborn and forceful sibling.

"I'll sit for a few moments until the ceremony starts." She smiled at Jasmine. "But first, how are you feeling this morning?"

Jasmine studied Morelle, still struck by how different the siblings looked despite sharing the same striking blue eyes. Where Ell-rom's expressions were soft and gentle, Morelle looked like a beautiful and deadly blade.

Not that it made any sense. Ell-rom was the one with the deadly power, while Morelle's special ability was stopping others from using their gifts.

Jasmine put on her friendliest smile. "Excited. A little nervous. But mostly just ready to get out of here."

"I understand perfectly." Morelle returned her smile, which was a little more reserved but appeared genuine.

"No need to be nervous," Annani said. "We know what the test results will be."

Well, she was not the one who was going to have her palm cut with a knife, but Jasmine had a feeling that the fierce Clan Mother wouldn't have batted an eyelid.

When Bridget entered with her ceremonial tray, Jasmine gulped as she saw the small surgical blade gleaming under the fluorescent lights. She was not a fan of knives, or needles for that matter.

"Alright, everyone, quiet down," Bridget commanded the crowd outside the door. "Who will be filming the ceremony?"

Kian filled the doorway, holding up his phone. "I will."

That was an unexpected honor. "Thank you," Jasmine said. "That's very gracious of you."

He smiled. "It's not every day that we welcome a new immortal into the family."

Family. The word echoed in her mind. She was not just any member of the clan. As Ell-rom's mate, she was part of the clan's royal family, so to speak.

"Okay," Bridget said. "I also need someone to time it."

"I will." Margo held up her phone, the stopwatch app open.

"Kian?"

He raised his phone in response, the camera already recording.

Bridget turned to Jasmine. "Your left hand, please."

Ell-rom's grip on her right hand tightened almost imperceptibly as Jasmine extended her other hand to Bridget. The doctor's fingers were cool and steady as she positioned Jasmine's palm upward.

"This will sting," Bridget warned, though Jasmine already knew that from Margo and her other friends who had all transitioned recently.

"Now," Bridget said as she struck.

The knife's edge was sharp enough that the initial cut barely hurt, but then the pain bloomed bright and sharp.

Jasmine stifled the urge to wince and forced herself to watch.

The blood welled in the shallow cut, and as Bridget wiped it off, the edges of the wound started knitting together. The healing was so rapid that they could all see it happening before their eyes.

"Thirty-three seconds," Margo announced when the incision closed, and Jasmine's palm looked unmarked save for a faint pink line that was already fading. "That's incredibly fast, right?" She looked at Bridget.

The doctor frowned as she examined Jasmine's palm. "Very fast, especially given how long the transition took. Usually, the closer to the source the Dormant is, the easier the transition and the faster the healing time. But you have two contradicting indicators."

"What do you mean by close to the source?" Jasmine asked although she had guessed what the doctor had implied.

"The closer you are to pure god blood, the faster you heal. It means that there aren't many generations separating you from your godly ancestor."

A heavy silence fell over the room as the implications of this settled in.

Jasmine felt Ell-rom's fingers tighten around hers.

Annani put her hand on her shoulder. "Your mother must have been more than she appeared, my dear girl."

"This is definitely something we need to investigate," Kian said, lowering his phone. "But perhaps we should save that discussion for another time? This is a celebration. Welcome to immortality, Jasmine."

As if on cue, a cheer erupted from the waiting room where the others had been watching the ceremony either through the open door or on screen, and people repeated Kian's welcoming.

Tears stung the back of Jasmine's eyes, and then some spilled out the corners.

She quickly wiped them off. "Thank you, everyone. I can't express how grateful I am for this incredibly warm welcome into your wonderful community."