Page 79 of Dark Awakening: New World

Leaning over, she reached for his hand. "Tomorrow, I have family obligations, but I will come on Saturday. Kian will coordinate the exact time with you. This will give you time to process what you have learned before we continue."

"I will miss you," Ell-rom blurted out. "I enjoy your company."

Smiling, Annani patted his hand. "And I enjoy yours, brother of mine." Her smile grew wider. "I do not tire of hearing myself say the word brother. It is such a delight."

Jasmine cleared her throat. "About the location of the next visit. Tomorrow, Ell-rom is moving in with me to my room in Kian's penthouse. So, we should probably meet there."

"Congratulations," Kian said. "That's one more marker in your journey to full recovery."

53

JASMINE

As they left Kian's office, Ell-rom's steps were slower, more deliberate. The long meeting had clearly taken its toll on him, and now that the adrenaline rush was over, exhaustion seemed to descend on him all at once.

Nevertheless, Jasmine was proud of him for lasting as long as he had, sitting up straight and keeping his head up. He was naturally dignified as if it was encoded in his DNA.

Heck, maybe it was. He was the Eternal King's grandson, the son of the unwanted heir to the throne. She wondered what happened to Ahn's mother, the king's official wife. She must have been devastated when her son died.

Oh, well. Misery apparently wasn't restricted to humans. Even the gods experienced it.

Ell-rom managed not to shuffle and stoop until the last stretch of the corridor leading to the clinic, but eventually, he gave up the fight and leaned heavily on the walker.

"They should provide scooters for people working here," Jasmine joked. "These corridors are endless."

Ell-rom smiled tiredly. "It's not difficult for the immortals, and I doubt they entertain many humans down here."

"You are probably right." She opened the clinic door for him. "I wonder how many humans have ever seen this place and lived to tell the tale."

Ell-rom turned a pair of horrified eyes on her. "Do they kill humans to preserve their secret?"

She laughed. "It's just another expression, Ell-rom. They can thrall humans to forget whatever they don't want them to remember. They don't need to kill anyone for that."

"That's good to know." He slumped against the walker. "I want to sit with Morelle for a little bit before I get into bed. Do you want to come with me?"

Jasmine hesitated, not sure whether he really wanted her there or was inviting her to join him because it was the polite thing to do.

There was only one way to find out, and that was to be upfront about it and ask. "Only if you want me to. If you want to be alone with her, that's fine with me."

"Of course, I want you there." He continued shuffling to the door and leaned over his walker to open it. "Maybe you could sing something for Morelle?" He smiled. "And for me. I want to test these new devices. Perhaps they are better at transmitting melody and translating poems."

He probably meant lyrics, but perhaps there was no word for that in Kra-ell. Maybe they called all songs poems.

"Let's do it." She followed him into the room.

As they sat on the two chairs Julian had thoughtfully left in the room, Jasmine thought of a song she should sing, and the first one that popped into her mind was 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.'

As she began singing the first verse, Ell-rom looked at her with awe. "That's beautiful, and I can hear you singing perfectly. These devices must be much more sophisticated than the teardrops."

Jasmine's eyes widened as a realization hit her. "Oh! Why am I so dumb? If I could hear myself singing through the earpieces, then, of course, you could hear me too."

Ell-rom's expression shifted from wonder to concern. "Don't say that about yourself. You're incredibly smart, Jasmine."

"I'm not." She rolled her eyes. "But thanks for saying that."

"I mean it. You come up with observations and suggestions that no one else does. It's like your mind is not constricted by preconceived notions. You are a free thinker."

Touched by his words, Jasmine leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you."