17. Jasmine

Jasmine followed Edgar into their bedroom, her arms laden with shopping bags filled with the clothing and footwear they"d purchased for the expedition to Tibet, and that was just a small portion of what they had gotten. Edgar was carrying the lion"s share of their loot.

It had been nice to shop with the credit card Kian had given her without worrying about card limits or having to pay the bill once the statement became due.

Edgar put the bags in the walk-in closet, lining them up against the wall, and then took hers and added them to the neat line.

The speed and ease with which he did things still amazed her, and as he straightened and turned around, he must have liked the awed expression on her face because a smirk tugged on his lips.

Reaching for her waist, he pulled her to him and nuzzled her neck. "We have some time before we need to reconvene with the others. What say you we put it to good use?"

It was tempting, but before she allowed herself to get lost in Edgar"s sinful touch, she had to confirm her previous findings.

Leaning away, she cupped his cheek. "As much as I"d love to, I need to scry again to confirm the location I marked earlier and confirm the result before I can share it with the others. I didn"t want to tell Kian about Mount Kailash because I wanted to double-check that I got it right before he made travel arrangements based on that."

Disappointment flickered in Edgar"s eyes, but then he smiled. "We have over two hours. I"m sure that we can do both."

Jasmine laughed. "I"ll tell you what. If we have any time left after I"m done, I"m game, even if it"s only fifteen minutes."

He"d bitten her last night, so he could refrain from biting her now. It wouldn"t do if she blacked out for hours and missed the meeting.

"You"ve got yourself a deal." Edgar leaned down and kissed her.

When he finally let her come up for air, they were both panting, and Edgar had to adjust the massive erection that was pressing against the zipper of his jeans. "Do you want me to leave you alone so you can focus?"

Jasmine chuckled. "The only place you can go right now is the bathroom." She lowered her gaze to his crotch. "You can"t show up like that in the living room."

He followed her gaze and snorted. "Yeah, I need to cool down for a few minutes."

"You can stay here and watch, but you need to be very quiet. Can you do that?"

"Of course. But are you sure my presence won"t interfere with your energy flow or whatever you summon into your stick?"

Jasmine shrugged. "I"m not sure about anything, but I must get used to scrying in company. I won"t have the luxury of a private room while trekking through the Tibetan frozen tundra and snowy peaks."

"In that case, I"m happy to stay and watch you do your thing." He reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I"ll be on the bed and keep very quiet. You won"t even hear me breathe."

"Thank you."

Jasmine cast him a grateful smile before retrieving her scrying stick and the map of Tibet from where she"d left them.

Arranging everything the way she"d done before, she lit the candles and settled cross-legged on the floor.

It was harder to concentrate, knowing that Edgar was watching her. Still, as she closed her eyes and took a deep, centering breath, she looked inward and let her surroundings dissipate into the mist she pictured covering a mountain peak in Tibet.

When her mind was clear, she focused on the energy of the scrying stick in her hands and the tingle of power that danced across her skin as she ran her fingers over the smooth wood.

Slowly, she began to pass the stick over the map, moving her hand in small, deliberate circles. She could feel the energy shift as she moved from one area to another, a subtle pull drawing her toward a particular spot. When she opened her eyes, she was relieved to see that it was the exact location she"d marked before—the area of Mount Kailash.

The mountain was located in western Tibet, and many other jagged peaks surrounded it. Rivers snaked out from its slopes, carving deep valleys through the landscape. The map also showed two large bodies of water and several glaciers and snowfields.

Just thinking about how cold it would be there, Jasmine shivered.

"What"s wrong?" Edgar asked.

"Nothing." She turned to look at him. "I got the same location as before, but I took a closer look at the map this time. The whole area looks like it is permanently frozen. I don"t like the cold."

He turned on his side and propped his elbow on the mattress and his chin on his fist. "Well, the good news is that you got your confirmation. And as for the cold, I promise to keep you warm."

"That"s very sweet of you." She blew him a kiss. "I think having a more detailed map of this area would be helpful." She tapped the spot with the scrying stick. "Do you think you can have one printed for me?"

"Absolutely. Do you need it now?"

Perhaps she needed to scry again before sending him on an unnecessary quest.

"Before you go, I want to try one more time, but since I know where it is even with my eyes closed, I need you to turn this map around when I"m not watching."

"I can do that." He slid off the bed. "Close your eyes, beautiful."

When she did, he kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth and scrambling her brain, so when he pulled back, she had no idea which side was up and which was down.

"It"s ready for you." He kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you. Kissing me was a great way to distract me from noticing you turning it."

"You"re welcome."

Jasmine let her mind wander for a moment, trying to imagine what they might find when they finally reached the mountaintop that Syssi had seen in her vision. It wasn"t Mount Kailash itself because it didn"t have a crater at its top, but it could be one of the peaks in its vicinity or maybe somewhere else entirely.

Would the royal twins even be alive after all these years? Or would they find only their remains?

In either case, it would be better than not finding them. Their family, if they had any, would at least have closure, knowing where their final resting place was.

It was more than she had.

Jasmine didn"t know where her mother was buried, and her father refused to tell her. Sometimes, she fantasized that her mother wasn"t dead at all. That she had run away for some reason.

Maybe she"d found love in the arms of another man?

It was painful to think that her mother could have left her behind to pursue her own happiness, but Jasmine preferred that to the finality of death. If her mother was still alive somewhere, there was still a chance that they could be reunited.

Perhaps she could scry for her? Even finding her grave would be better than not knowing for sure what had befallen her.

Shaking off the morbid thoughts, Jasmine took a deep breath and centered herself once more, emptying her mind of all thoughts while passing the scrying stick over the map.

When her hand was drawn to a particular spot, she opened her eyes and was amazed that it had settled on the same spot, even though the map was turned upside down.

She turned to look at Edgar, who was watching her with an amused grin. "My talented witch. Would you like me to get you a map of the Mount Kailash area?" He glanced down at his watch. "If I hurry, we might still have enough time left for a quickie."

She nodded. "Yes, please. To both offers."