Page 8 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Kian smiled. "Carol. Lokan's mate."

The god gasped. "That sweet little angel infiltrated the Doomers' island alone?"

"She did," Kian said. "Don't let her delicate appearance fool you. She's the gutsiest and most resilient person I know."

They strode down the hall together, their footsteps echoing off the concrete walls.

As they entered the clinic, Kian caught sight of Bridget, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She stood still next to the prince's open stasis chamber, partially obscuring Merlin while observing him scanning the prince.

"I need a word with you," Kian said. "Can we talk in your office?"

"Of course." She cast one last look at the emaciated figure and then at Merlin. "If you need my help to maneuver the prince carefully, let me know."

Merlin remained focused on the prince. "I think I got it, but thank you, I will." Kian walked toward the doctor's office. "Merlin seems to have it in hand; I just hope there are no trackers we need to cut out of them in their condition."

"Why haven't you sent Jasmine away?" Bridget grumbled, redirecting her frustration to another subject. "There is no need for her to be hanging around the clinic."

"I owe her." Kian opened the door. "Without her, we would have never found them. Besides, do you really want to stand in the way of the Fates' plan?"

"Good point." Bridget walked around the desk and sat behind it. "So, what's going on? What did you want to talk to me about?"

After Kian explained his idea, she was silent for a long moment, her lips pursed in thought.

"Carol was an immortal," she said at last. "I knew her physiology inside and out. But these twins are half Kra-ell, half god, and I'm not as sure that I can predict how their bodies will react to the drugs. The Kra-ell get tipsy from painkillers, so obviously, their chemistry is a little different than ours. Also, it will take a long time for the twins to regain their health, and I won't be able to experiment on them until they are back to full strength."

Kian turned to Aru. "It's your call. How long can you wait before reporting to your commander?"

The god closed his eyes for a moment. "As long as I want, but within reason. I can tell him that the mission to Tibet failed, and that we are back in Los Angeles to investigate another lead. Once we have a good plan, I will schedule another expedition to Tibet and report my findings then." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I need to tell Dagor to erase his recordings. Thankfully, we had the foresight to record with an offline device."

Kian canted his head. "You must have subconsciously known that you would need to delay the report."

"I guess I did." Aru turned to Bridget. "So, what's next, doctor?"

"As soon as Merlin is done, we will start reviving one of them and then the other. I don't want to risk doing it to them both at once."

7

JASMINE

"Ineed to get back." Jasmine pushed to her feet.

Gabi looked at her. "What's your rush?"

"I'm afraid they will start without me. I want to be there when the prince opens his eyes."

Jasmine wanted to be the first one he saw when he opened his eyes and for the connection between them to be powerful and immediate. It was a silly fantasy that was as anchored in reality as driftwood on a stormy sea, but she didn't want to miss the prince's resurrection on the one-in-a-million chance that it might happen.

Ella put her coffee mug down on the industrial kitchen counter. "Perhaps it's better that they do that without you. When you see what he looks like, you might faint, and they will need to attend to you instead of focusing on the prince."

As her imagination supplied vivid images of what the prince might look like, bile rose in Jasmine's throat. Zombies and ghosts looked better, but whatever. She would hold it together, and if she felt faint, she would walk away so no one would have to take care of her.

"I'll be fine." She took her empty coffee mug, carried it to the sink, and rinsed it. "Are you going to be here?" she asked.

Margo regarded her with worried eyes. "I wanted to go up to the penthouse and shower, but I'm afraid to leave you here alone. You might need someone to hold your hand during the resurrection."

Tears stung the back of Jasmine's eyes as the full impact of Margo's words hit her. She no longer had Edgar to lean on in a time of need, so Margo was offering herself.

With a sigh, she walked over to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. "You are a good friend, Margo. Thank you for having my back, but have you seen the clinic? There is not enough room for everyone who needs to be there to stand, and Kian is doing me a favor by allowing me to witness the revival. As much as I would love to have you there to hold my hand, you can't be there. It would be best if you went up, got a decent shower, and ate something. Come to think of it, you can order delivery from that Chinese restaurant we all love."