Page 50 of Dark Awakening: New World

Jasmine laughed. "That's one hell of a challenge, and now I have to find a solution for you." She mulled over the problem for a long moment when, suddenly, the solution presented itself in a visual scene. "I know what you can do."

Margo lifted her head. "What?"

"You are monitoring Lynda in real time, right?"

"I'm not watching the feed twenty-four-seven, but I can rewind it to see what happened before."

"Can you find out when she's meeting her ex again?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Get Rob to meet you for lunch in the same place. Let him see Lynda with that guy for himself."

Margo grimaced. "She will just tell him that she's meeting her old friend for lunch. It's not like she's going to kiss her ex in front of Rob."

"She doesn't have to. Did she tell Rob that she was meeting the guy?"

"Of course not."

"Then that will be enough, and if it's not, well, then you will have to tell your brother that you were spying on his fiancée and saw her kissing the guy."

31

ELL-ROM

Ell-rom sat on the edge of his bed as Jasmine unpacked the bags she had brought. Soft shirts in various colors, comfortable pants, underwear, socks, shoes for various activities, and items for grooming in addition to what the clinic provided. There was also the swimming outfit, which turned out to be a pair of short pants with an inner liner.

The trunks were dark blue, with something written on the bottom of the right side. "What is that?" He smoothed his finger over the embossed lettering.

"It's the name of the manufacturer," Jasmine explained.

"Is it important to know who the manufacturer of a piece of clothing is?"

She nodded. "If the brand is well known, prominently featuring the name adds to the appeal and perceived value of the article. But don't worry, this one is not pricy. Athletic manufacturers also like to display their names on their products."

It seemed a strange practice to him, but perhaps something similar happened on Anumati. He needed to talk to Jade or one of the gods who had come from there more recently and find out more about the place he had come from.

It was strange that only Aru had visited him, and then only once. Weren't the others curious about him?

And what about Annani? Why hadn't she come yesterday?

Would she come today?

He should have asked Julian about it, but he had been too flustered after asking all those questions about intimacy and getting more answers than he had expected.

"Ell-rom?" Jasmine hooked a finger under his chin. "What were you thinking about just now?"

"Why?"

"You suddenly got red in the face. I don't know if I should call Bridget or Julian, or were you just thinking carnal thoughts about me, and then no medical intervention is needed?"

Before talking to Julian, Ell-rom might have tried to avoid answering, but the medic's advice had been to be honest and open with Jasmine.

"I followed your advice and asked Julian about intimacy. He was very forthcoming with information. He wasn't sure about my venom and how potent it was, but he speculated that it was at least as potent as an immortal male's. He said that the venom provides intense pleasure to the female and other benefits, but I already knew that because Bridget explained it to me."

Jasmine nodded. "It's intensely pleasurable."

How did she know? Had she enjoyed immortal partners? Or maybe she'd heard it from her friends?