3. Jasmine

3

JASMINE

J asmine squirmed in her seat as the bus driver navigated the spiral drive's sharp turns down into the keep's bowels.

How deep was it?

They had already passed several parking levels, and there still seemed to be no end to the downward drive. The bus was air-conditioned, yet she could feel it getting colder the deeper they went.

Imagining the layers of earth above them made her feel claustrophobic, and she instinctively lifted her hand to reach for Edgar's, but she fought the urge and put her hand back in her lap. He wouldn't deny her, but it would be cruel for her to do that.

They were no longer together as a couple, and she needed to respect the new boundaries of their tenuous friendship.

Behind them, the large truck that carried the eighteen Kra-ell stasis chambers trundled along, forced to make the same sharp turns as the bus while somehow avoiding scraping against the concrete walls.

Thankfully, the twins' stasis chambers were on the bus, secured with ropes in the back, with Julian and Ella watching over them.

When they finally reached the bottom, the bus driver stopped in front of a gate, and as it slid to the side, he drove through and parked.

The place was nearly empty, with only a few cars parked in a row. The truck followed inside and stopped next to the bus.

"Have you been here before?" Jasmine asked Edgar.

"Of course. This is the clan's private parking level."

Despite the breakup, Edgar was doing his best to be not only cordial to her but also friendly, and she appreciated his effort.

It had been a difficult conversation, a painful admission of the truth that had been staring them both in the face for longer than either cared to admit. Their relationship had run its course. The spark that had once burned between them had faded, leaving behind only the dying embers of what might have been.

They still cared for each other, but they both knew that they were not meant to be. They had been good together, but it was more of a friends-with-benefits arrangement than the love she'd witnessed between Margo and Negal and the other couples who had accompanied them to Tibet.

After witnessing their eternal and all-consuming love, Jasmine wasn't willing to settle for anything less.

Still, Edgar had been hurt by her words, and the pain she'd seen in his eyes had made her heart ache, but to his credit, he had been more gracious and understanding than she had thought he would be.

"I'm not going to pretend that I'm not disappointed," he had told her. "But I get it. We had a good run, and I don't regret it." He'd offered her his hand. "I'm all for staying friends if you are up for it."

Jasmine had felt a rush of relief at his words. She would love for them to move forward as friends without bitterness or resentment.

"Of course, I am." She'd put her hand in his. "You are a great guy, and I care about you. I will keep my fingers crossed and light candles to hasten your truelove mate's arrival."

Edgar had chuckled at that, a glimmer of his old humor returning to his eyes. "I hope you will do that in reverse order. Light the candles first and cross your fingers later."

When she'd laughed, he'd continued, "And what about you? Is Prince Charming your truelove mate, the other half of your eternal soul?"

Jasmine had shrugged, a flutter of uncertainty and anticipation mingling in her gut. "Maybe. It's also possible that he'll take one look at me and run screaming in the other direction."

Edgar had laughed and shaken his head. "That's very unlikely. You are a beautiful and desirable woman."

Jasmine knew she was attractive, but the prince was not from Earth, and what he considered desirable might be very different from who and what she was. Maybe he was into Amazonian warrior women who could wield a sword and jump forty feet in the air.

In her fantasies, though, the prince opened his eyes for the first time after seven thousand years, took one look at her, and fell in love with her on the spot. But that was so silly that she felt embarrassed even thinking it.

The poor guy was barely alive, and if he managed to open his eyes at all, the first person he'd see would be the doctor, and the first thought that would cross his mind was to try to understand where he was and when.

She felt sorry for all he had lost while asleep in stasis.

"You know…" Edgar had leaned closer to her. "There is a chance that the prince isn't into women. In which case, I'd say you dodged a bullet."

Jasmine had laughed at that, but it wasn't all that funny.

The prince had been consecrated into the priesthood, and Kra-ell priests were celibate. He might not be into anyone other than the deity he worshiped.