Page 16 of Dark Witch Resurrection

"It's time to go, love," he said.

Marina nodded and turned back to Larissa. "I'll come visit as often as I can. I don't know the rules in the village, but I'm sure I can come back here with Peter. And maybe you'll change your mind and stay with me for a while."

Larissa smiled. "Come back as soon as you can. And call me when your plane lands so I know you are safe and call me again when you get to the village. I want to hear all about it in detail."

With one last fierce hug, Marina followed Peter to the waiting SUV. The three other Guardians returning to the village with them were already seated, two in the front and one in the back, leaving the middle seat for her and Peter.

After he'd loaded their things into the trunk, he got in, sat down, and wrapped his arm around her. "Have you ever flown in a private jet?"

"Yes. We were picked up from Greenland by private charter planes."

"That's not the same as flying in a luxury executive jet. You are in for a treat." He smiled. "Usually, Charlie flies the teams to and from Safe Haven in the larger and less fancy plane, but he and that plane were needed for another mission, so the jet is being piloted by Eric, the clan's standby pilot."

Marina felt a twinge of apprehension. "Is he any good?"

"He's excellent. Eric served in the Air Force for many years. After getting discharged, he started a private charter-jet business and did that for a while, so he has thousands of flight hours under his belt. You have nothing to worry about."

13

JASMINE

The meal was over, the table was clean, and the leftovers were stored in the fridge, but there was still no sign of Edgar.

Jasmine had thought about calling him, but that wasn't smart. She shouldn't cling to their relationship and rely on him when she'd been the one who had ended things between them.

It wasn't fair to Edgar; she wasn't the type of woman who took advantage of a man's attraction to her.

A small, insidious voice in the back of her head whispered, why not? Women did that all the time, especially those the goddess had gifted with good looks and charm.

The truth was that Jasmine wasn't a saint, and she'd used her assets to her advantage in the past, but it had always been with men who saw her as an object of desire, not those who had genuine feelings for her.

Like Edgar.

"Coffee is served, mesdames et messieurs." Frankie put the tray down on the coffee table. "Help yourselves."

Gabi leaned back against the plush cushions of the couch, her expression thoughtful as she gazed out the window at the sprawling city below. "Aru and I will probably stay here for a while. My clients are okay with me working remotely, and I even did that from Tibet, but it was a hassle because of the time difference. It's going to be a breeze doing it from here."

"What about you?" Jasmine asked Aru. "What are you going to do now?"

The god looked unsure. "We need to evaluate the equipment we salvaged from the pod. I hope William can help us with that. I also need to figure out our next move." He sighed. "Given the state of the pod we found, I don't have much hope of finding any other pods with living Kra-ell inside. Still, we need to find them and ensure that they don't fall into the hands of humans."

Jasmine felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of all the lives that had been lost and all the hopes and dreams that had been lost with them.

Gabi smiled with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she turned to Frankie and Margo. "You two can finally come to the village and start working as beta testers for Perfect Match."

"That's right." Frankie clapped her hands. "By the way, Mia and Toven are coming over, and they are picking up champagne to celebrate with us. Mia is over the moon that we are back so soon. She expected this to take months."

Jasmine envied what they had so much.

They had all already found their forever mates, had transitioned into immortality, and knew what their future held. At the same time, she was stuck in limbo with nothing more than vague readings from her tarot cards and promises that might or might not come true.

"Do you think I could come see the village?" she asked. "I'd love to see it, and maybe they can find a spot for me on the Perfect Match team."

"I'm not sure," Gabi admitted. "It's not really up to me. Kian will have to make that call." She glanced at the others, a shadow of uncertainty passing over her face. "I hope Kian will be okay with us staying in his penthouse. If not, we will have to look for a place to rent."

"I'm sure Kian will let you stay here," Ella said.

"Yeah, I think he will, but we should ask and not just assume that we can stay." Gabi cocked her head to the side, a curious expression stealing over her features. "Speaking of decisions…" She pinned Jasmine with a questioning look. "I understand that you and Edgar have shifted into the friend zone. Is it friends with benefits?"