Page 13 of Dark Witch Resurrection
The three gods followed as he led the woman out of the clinic and toward the elevators.
He stopped outside the clinic door and waited for the hybrid Kra-ell, Anandur, and Brundar to join them.
"I'm going to escort Jasmine to the penthouse," he told his bodyguards. "Can you take these men to the kitchen for a bite to eat? You can order a delivery from one of the local restaurants."
Brundar grimaced, but Anandur spoke up. "We are not supposed to leave your side. We should accompany you to the penthouse."
Kian let out a long sigh. "I'm only going to be gone a minute, and then I'll join you in the kitchen."
Anandur still didn't look happy, but he nodded. "If you are not back in five minutes, we are coming up."
As the two groups continued in opposite directions, Aru fell in step with Jasmine. "Good call about the clothing," he said. "I should have thought about that."
She seemed embarrassed by the compliment. "Did you wear the same uniform during your interstellar travels?"
He nodded, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Very similar, but not the same. The gods supplied the settler ship, the pods, the stasis chambers, and everything else. The Kra-ell were not technologically advanced back then and are still not today. It's just not in their culture. They are what humans would call naturalists. They prefer a nomadic lifestyle and keeping things simple. The ship that brought me here was much more advanced, and our uniforms were made from a material different from what the prince was wearing. I wonder if everyone wore that back then or if it was chosen specifically for the Kra-ell."
As the elevator doors opened and they all stepped inside, Jasmine leaned against the mirrored wall. "Why don't the Kra-ell embrace technology?"
Aru shrugged. "There are many reasons, but the most important is cultural."
Kian knew that the explanation was more complex than that, but Aru probably reasoned that this wasn't a good time for Jasmine to get a lesson about Anumati politics and the class system.
11
JASMINE
As Jasmine walked into the penthouse, her heart was still racing with the adrenaline and emotion of the past few hours. The prince's awakening had been fleeting but still left her shaken.
She couldn't believe that she had been the only one who had thought about the clothing being a problem. It should have made her feel smart, and it did, but only a little. Sometimes, an uninformed outsider saw things more clearly than the experts.
Thankfully, Kian parted with Aru and the other gods at the door and headed back down to the clinic, or rather the kitchen where his bodyguards and Jade's crew were waiting. She needed a respite, and he wasn't an easy guy to relax around.
"You are just in time." Margo waved them over to the massive coffee table that was covered with boxes from their favorite Chinese restaurant. "The delivery arrived a few minutes ago, and everything is still hot. Come and dig in."
"We really should move to the dining room," Jasmine grumbled before finding a spot on the carpet beside Ella. "And I need to shower, but I'm hungry, and I also need to talk to you." She glared at Ella.
"What did I do?"
Frankie lifted a hand. "Before anyone says another word, I need to know what's happening with the twins. Were they revived?"
"Bridget is working on the prince," Aru said. "He opened his eyes briefly, tried to say something, and went under again. Bridget won't start on the princess until she has him stabilized."
Everyone's mood seemed to plummet at the news.
"Is he going to be okay?" Margo asked.
Jasmine's throat felt too tight to answer, so all she could do was shrug and fold in upon herself.
"He will be," Aru said with more conviction than Jasmine felt. "Bridget and Julian are cutting away his clothing so the water can touch all of his skin. Bridget kicked us out to preserve his privacy, and she will let us know when and if he wakes up."
"Jade stayed in the clinic in case she was needed," Jasmine said quietly. "Being a Kra-ell, she would look familiar to him and can speak his language." She cast Ella another baleful look.
"What?" Ella asked.
"Never mind." Jasmine took the paper plate Margo was handing her and a pair of chopsticks. "I'm hungry." She reached for one of the boxes and opened it.
"The doctors might decide to put him in an induced coma to help him heal," Margo said. "When Mia's heart gave out and the doctors were fighting for her life, that was what they did."