77. The Prince

77

THE PRINCE

E ll-rom lay against the pillows, contemplating all that he had learned and all that he still did not know and had not gotten around to asking.

Like, what time of day was it?

How long had it been since he had awakened for the first time in this bed?

So much had happened every time he opened his eyes that it felt like each awakening was a new day.

Regardless of the actual passage of time, a lot had happened since his first awakening.

He knew his own name now, his sister's name, and today, Annani had told him that she was their sister and that the two of them had a welcoming family and a community waiting for them when they got better.

Ell-rom was so glad he'd gotten to see Morelle with his own eyes. She was still painfully thin and pale, and most of her hair was missing, but she was beautiful to look at, warm to the touch, and, most importantly, getting better.

He owed it all to Jasmine.

If not for her, he and his sister would have perished, their bodies withering away to dust in the sealed stasis chambers.

The thought made his stomach churn and his heart ache for the others who had not been so fortunate, the ones their mother had chosen to accompany them on their journey to their father. He was sure she hadn't chosen randomly and that each of those Kra-ell had been selected for a reason, but even if they had not been, he still mourned their deaths.

Ell-rom found it frustrating that his faulty mind had forgotten basic knowledge, like the physiological differences between the Kra-ell and the gods.

Why could gods enter stasis unaided while the Kra-ell could not? Why were gods immortal while the Kra-ell were only long-lived?

Why did the Kra-ell consume only blood for sustenance while the gods could eat a variety of things but not blood?

That was only a tiny sample, and he was sure there were many more differences. Je-Kara, or Jade as she preferred to be called now, could explain everything to him, but he didn't want to talk to her. He knew Jade thought him weak and overly emotional. She had no respect for him.

He preferred for those memories to return on their own, even if he had to wait for them a little longer.

"Good morning." Jasmine rose to her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Is it morning, though? How long has it been since Annani left?"

"It's late afternoon, and you slept about four hours since she left." She smiled. "It was a very exciting visit, and you learned a lot. You hung on the goddess's every word until you lost the fight with your eyelids. No wonder that you slept for so long."

Ell-rom let out a breath. "It's so confusing not even knowing the passage of time down here."

"You can always ask me." She took his hand.

"I have so many more questions that no one can answer. Was I a learned male before I was put on the settler ship? Are Kra-ell priests taught about science and technology?"

"Perhaps Jade knows the answers to those questions. She served in the queen's guard."

He did not want to tell Jasmine why he preferred not to speak to Jade.

"She might not know my particular circumstances. She only saw me from afar. I do not know who I was as a person."

Jasmine smiled. "I don't know who you were before, but I know who you are now. You are kind, loving, loyal, and compassionate."

"Are those good things? Jade thought that I was acting like a little boy. She did not know I could hear her murmuring behind Kian's back."

"Ugh. That's nasty." Jasmine's eyes glinted with anger. "She's lucky that I didn't hear her, or I would have put her in her place, no matter how intimidating she is."

The ferociousness with which Jasmine defended his honor warmed his heart. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you don't share her opinion, but her words hurt because they are at least partially true."

Jasmine's eyes blazed with anger. "They are not. Do not listen to her." She put a warm hand on his cheek. "Love, kindness, compassion, and loyalty are wonderful qualities. Jade is a soldier who thinks that all civilians are soft."

"Maybe she is right?"

"She is not. It takes strength to show compassion, courage to love, and a good moral compass to be loyal." She leaned closer, her breath fanning over his face. "I want to kiss you so badly. May I?"

The request caught him unprepared, stunned even. His breath caught in his throat, and his pulse quickened with a sudden, fierce anticipation. He wanted to answer with an enthusiastic yes, but all he managed was a slight nod.

"Good answer." Jasmine leaned forward and captured his lips with her own.

At first, the kiss was soft and tentative, but when he moaned and wrapped his palm around the back of her neck, she deepened the kiss, her mouth hot and hungry with a desire that equaled his.

The kiss washed over him like a wild storm, transforming him from the outside in or the inside out, he wasn't sure.

He responded instinctively, his lips parting to welcome her and his fingers tightening around the back of her neck to pull her closer to him, closer and deeper into the heat and the hunger of their embrace.

As the world fell away, there was nothing but the two of them, lost in the fire and the fury of their passion.

He knew that he would never be the same after this kiss because he had found something precious, something rare and beautiful and infinitely valuable.

Hope.

Fate.

He and Jasmine were destined to be together.

In her arms, Ell-rom had found a sanctuary from the raging storm, and he knew, with a certainty that defied explanation, that he would never let her go.