Page 35 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Her eyes rolled back in her head. "It's so fresh and delicious."

Edgar watched her mouth as if he wanted to lick the chocolate off her lips. "They are made fresh every night and delivered in the early morning hours. One of our clan members runs a large bakery and kitchen. The sandwiches come from the same place."

"Give him my compliments."

Edgar was quiet for a moment, regarding her with an intense look. "Come to the village with me, and you can compliment Jackson yourself. I'll also introduce you to him and everyone else." He smiled tightly. "We don't have to be together, but you are welcome to stay at my place until your situation clears. Not that I would be averse to us being together again, but that's obviously up to you."

It was so damn tempting to accept Edgar's invitation and leave all the uncertainty behind.

Well, nothing in life was certain, but having a roof over her head, food in her fridge, and a handsome man in her bed was a good start.

"I wish I could, believe me, I do. But I can't." She reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "We had a good time together, and we probably could enjoy being together for a little longer, but in the end, it would have fizzled out because the Fates have different plans for us."

Edgar nodded, his face a mask of resignation. "I know, but it's so hard to let go. Especially when I see you sitting here all alone and looking dejected. I miss seeing the vibrant and upbeat Jasmine who stole my heart."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Perhaps she borrowed your heart for a bit, but she certainly didn't steal it. Your heart still belongs to you, waiting for the female you will gift it to. And as for me, I hope things will get better." She sighed. "I don't like the limbo I'm in. I want to know what's in store for me tomorrow and the day after that, but Kian rushed out yesterday before I could ask him his plans for me."

"Kian is here in the keep," Edgar said, his voice a little strained. "I think he went to see what Aru and his team are doing with the equipment from the pod. I'm sure he will stop by the clinic later."

"That's good to know." She lifted her cup and took several long sips. "I hope you will come to visit me again." She cast him a sidelong glance. "I was serious about staying friends."

He chuckled. "You just want me for the cappuccino and the croissants."

She was glad he was joking again. Seeing him suffering was paining her.

"I just want you in my life." She reached out, pulling him into a fierce hug. "Thank you." She leaned back and smiled teasingly. "For the coffee and the croissants and everything else."

27

KIAN

Kian strode through the keep halls, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls as he made his way toward the underground chambers he'd dedicated to storing the equipment from the pod. Beside him William kept pace, his face alight with excitement at the prospect of getting his hands on the advanced technology the gods had salvaged.

"Don't look so excited." Kian cast him a sidelong glance. "I talked with Aru earlier, and he said they hadn't been able to crack anything open."

The sparkle in William's eyes didn't diminish. "Even if we can't get anything open, we can probably connect it to a power source and see how it works. I would be happier if I could take every bit of equipment apart and reverse engineer it, but if I can't do that, I'll make do with figuring out what it can do."

"Fair enough," Kian said. "My main impetus is finding clues to the whereabouts of the other missing pods, but since I don't expect to find any more survivors, it's more out of curiosity and the need to prevent humans from finding them than the urgency to save people. All the Kra-ell are likely dead."

William arched a brow. "I'm not so sure about that. We didn't solve the mystery of Mey and Jin's parents, and we know for sure that their father must have been a hybrid Kra-ell, and we also know that he didn't come from Jade's tribe."

Kian used his phone to open the door to the suite of chambers the gods were using to work on the equipment. "Their father could have come from one of the other tribes that Igor found and subjugated. I don't know if the leaders of the other tribes kept their males on such a short leash as Jade. One might have fathered a hybrid boy outside his tribe, and that boy later became Mey and Jin's father."

William nodded. "That's possible."

As Kian opened one of the interior doors, they were greeted by Aru and his team hunched over a table littered with scraps of components.

"Any progress?" Kian asked.

Aru shook his head. "We've managed to power up some of the devices, but everything is solid state."

"That's great progress." William leaned over the table. "Can you show me what works and how?"

"I'll leave you to it." Kian clapped William on his back. "I'm going to check on our royal guests, and I'll let you know when I'm ready to head back to the village."

Waving Kian away, William didn't even lift his head.

"Evidently I'm no longer needed," Kian murmured as he stepped out of the room.