33. Edgar

Edgar maneuvered the helicopter into its designated landing spot just outside the small town, the whirring blades kicking up dust and debris as he set the craft down. Powering down the engines, he glanced over at Jasmine, who was slumped in the seat beside him, looking pale and in pain.

She had managed to doze off for a few minutes during the flight but had woken up when he started the descent.

With a nod to the other pilot, who had come over to take charge of the helicopter, he carefully lifted Jasmine into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he carried her toward the hotel.

Julian was waiting for them outside their room and opened the door for Edgar to carry her inside.

"The bed or the chair?" Edgar asked.

"The chair," Jasmine said. "I"m dirty."

He cast a glance at the doctor, who nodded.

"The chair is fine."

"Let"s see what we got here." Julian knelt beside Jasmine.

When he gently removed her boot, she cried out in pain and then bit on her lower lip to stop herself from making more distressing sounds, but her face twisted in agony as the doctor gently palpated the tender flesh.

"I don"t think anything is broken," Julian said. "Rest, ice, compression, and elevation are all I can recommend for reducing the swelling and promoting healing." He turned to Edgar. "Can you please get me a wet washcloth and a towel? I would like to clean the area before I bandage it."

"Of course." Glad he could do something to help, Edgar rushed to the tiny adjoining bathroom.

Jasmine winced when the doctor cleaned her foot and her leg, but she didn"t cry out, so Edgar let out a breath.

When he finished with the washcloth, Julian pulled a roll of elastic from his bag and started wrapping it around Jasmine"s toes, methodically working up her leg.

"Compression helps to reduce swelling by applying gentle pressure to the area," the doctor said, overlapping each layer and smoothing the bandage into place. "This pressure decreases the space available for swelling and promotes the fluid return to the circulatory system. It also helps stabilize your ankle, providing support to alleviate pain and prevent further injury as you move."

When he was done, Julian double-checked to ensure the wrap was snug but not too tight, explaining that it was essential to avoid cutting off circulation. He then checked that it didn"t pinch or slip and advised Jasmine to adjust the bandage if it became uncomfortable or too loose. He emphasized the importance of keeping it clean and dry and instructed her to remove it periodically to check for any changes in skin condition and to allow the skin to breathe.

"Ice is good for managing pain and reducing inflammation," Julian said. "You can also take pain relief medication." He pulled out a container and handed it to Jasmine. "You can take two pills every four hours."

Edgar tried to memorize all the instructions, but there were so many that he wasn"t sure he would know what to do. Taking care of a human was complicated.

"Thank you." Jasmine let out a breath. "I feel better already."

"I"m glad." Julian pushed to his feet. "I"ll see if I can get you crutches. They have a clinic here, so they should have some. You should stay off your foot for at least a couple of weeks, but I know that"s not feasible given our current situation."

Edgar nodded. "She"ll need to be carried."

He wasn"t thrilled about the gods carrying her on their backs the way he"d seen Negal do. It was too intimate for his liking. But there was no other way.

For a moment, Jasmine looked like she wanted to protest, but then she nodded. "I hate being transported like a piece of luggage, but it"s not like I have any other choice."

Julian put a hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate that this is not easy, and yet you are doing your best and being reasonable about it. I am sure that everyone shares this sentiment both here and back home. I"ll look for crutches for you."

After he left, Edgar helped Jasmine wash the rest of her body, change clothes, and lie down on the bed with her leg propped on a pillow to elevate it. He then brought some ice and packed it carefully around the bandaged ankle while she relaxed by scrolling through the content that William had loaded on her phone.

It had been a struggle to touch her so intimately and not make it sexual, but she was hurting and tired, and the last thing she needed was for him to turn this into sex.

Jasmine was so brave and resilient, and he was falling in love with her, but deep down, he knew that she didn"t feel the same for him. The question was whether she was waiting to find the damned prince and then choose who she wanted, or the reason for her reserve was that they were simply not meant to be together.

He sat beside her on the bed and smoothed a few stray strands of hair away from her cheek. "Are you well enough to get some dinner?"

She put down the phone and nodded. "I"m hungry, but I"m also enjoying the rest and the reduction in pain. I dread moving."

"I can bring you a plate here."

"Nah, I want to see the girls. How come none of them came to visit poor injured me?"

He chuckled. "I told them that you were resting and not to bother you."

She frowned. "When? I didn"t notice you leaving the room."

"I didn"t. I texted them. I thought you were going to nap."

"Oh." Her expression was a curious mix of disappointment and relief. "I almost did, but I couldn"t fall asleep, and then I thought that reading always helped me sleep, and I started to look for books online, and before I knew it, you were asking me if I was ready for dinner." She looked around the room. "What am I going to do about my foot? I can"t put the boot back on."

"You are not supposed to step on it, so a sock is good enough. Can I put it on for you?"

She nodded. "Please. But be careful."

"Of course." He took a fluffy pink sock from her suitcase, rolled it, stretched it as wide as it would go, and slipped it over her toes. "Good so far?"

"Yes." She gave him an encouraging smile.

He continued rolling the sock up until it covered most of the bandage. Bending over her, he snaked his arms under her and picked her up.

Jasmine wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Always." He kissed her lightly.

As they entered the hotel"s dining room, aka the big tent as they all called it, everyone was already there except for Aru and Gabi.

The moment Edgar set Jasmine down, Margo and Frankie hovered over her like two mother hens, forcing him to sit across the table with the two gods.

"Where are Aru and Gabi?" he asked to start a conversation.

"Aru needed to make a phone call," Negal said. "The Clan Mother insists on him calling her every day at one o"clock in the morning, her time, to tell her about our history."

Edgar frowned. Everyone knew that Annani was a diva, but this was eccentric even for her. "Why one o"clock in the morning?"

Dagor shrugged. "Maybe she has trouble falling asleep and Aru"s stories help her relax."

That actually made sense.

Things weren"t going well in the world, and with how much Annani cared about the humans, she was probably too perturbed to fall asleep.

Edgar didn"t care as much, but even he often lay awake at night, worrying about what would happen to all the work the clan had invested in advancing human society.

He had a bad feeling that humans were being pushed into another dark age, regressing to the tyranny of theocracy and barbarism or, conversely, anarchy and brutality. Both extremes were bad, and both were fueled by religious fervor but of different flavors. Anarchists were usually atheists, but their rejection of God did not mean that they had no religion.

Their ideology was their creed.