Page 97 of Dark Awakening: New World

As the god described the Kra-ell, Ell-rom thought of Jade and how powerful and proud she'd seemed. She embodied her people.

Aru continued. "Throughout much of their history, tribal wars were a way of life, effectively regulating population growth, but when these were stopped many millennia ago by their then queen, the population exploded, and relying on hunting alone was not enough, especially after a disease killed many of the larger animals on Anumati. They had to come to the gods for help. The gods produced synthetic blood for the Kra-ell to consume." Aru smiled. "I could go on for hours, talking about how that event led to the conflict between the gods and the Kra-ell, but I don't want to bore you."

Ell-rom shook his head. "It's fascinating to me. I wonder how much of this I was told in the temple."

"Religion is also a catalyst," Jasmine said. "I mean for shaping a society in a certain way. I'm sure you were taught a lot about that."

The concept of religion as a societal catalyst intrigued Ell-rom, and he wondered about the teachings he'd received in the temple. Those memories remained frustratingly out of reach, and the one teaching he knew for sure he'd been given was celibacy, which he wasn't going to adhere to.

"You're right," he said to Jasmine. "I'm sure I was taught a great deal about the role of religion in our society. I just wish I could remember it."

On the other hand, maybe it was good that he didn't remember the teachings because he didn't want anything to stand in the way of the life he wanted with Jasmine.

Glancing at her, he took a long moment to admire the way her eyes lit up as she laughed at something Margo had said. She was beautiful and kind, and he felt incredibly lucky to have her in his life, but with that feeling came a sense of pressure.

What if he disappointed her?

What if his lack of experience and his still-recovering body made him inadequate for her?

That wasn't an if but rather a given. He was inadequate, and the real question was how much Jasmine was willing to compromise.

65

JASMINE

The conversation around the table ebbed and flowed, touching on Earth customs, Anumati technology, history, and their different colonies, which Jasmine found the most fascinating. She'd heard some of it before during the trip to Tibet, but it was always fun to hear those wondrous tales again.

By now most of the takeout boxes were empty, and the guys were scraping the leftovers onto their plates, and the gals were watching them fondly. Ell-rom had eaten his custom-made meal and even tasted a couple of the vegetable dishes. He'd loved the eggplant but hadn't been too impressed by the green beans with cashews and tofu.

Jasmine couldn't blame him. It was the one dish she didn't like either.

What surprised her was how well Ell-rom was doing in a social setting. She'd been anxious about this gathering being overwhelming for him, but he seemed fine, and her friends liked him.

The gods had been a little suspicious at the beginning of the meal, but they had gotten over it pretty quickly, each of them contributing information that Ell-rom was drinking in.

Aru knew a lot about Anumatian politics and history, Dagor knew a lot about the tech, but Negal had the best stories. He was the oldest of the three, and he had served on several vessels in the fleet long before Aru and Dagor were born. She could listen all night to his stories about the planets he had visited and the adventures he had experienced, but Ell-rom was getting tired. The excitement of the day was clearly catching up to him.

When he tried to stifle a yawn, Margo noticed. "Well, this has been lovely," she said, standing and beginning to gather plates. "But I think Ell-rom needs to get in bed." She smiled at him. "You've been a trooper, but you need to conserve your energy to heal faster."

Jasmine let out a breath. For a moment there, she'd been afraid that Margo was about to tell Ell-rom that he needed to conserve his energy for other things. He would have been so embarrassed.

Although, given how tired he looked, Jasmine was pretty sure that he would be asleep before his head hit the pillow. Then again, it wasn't late, so he might take a nap and wake up invigorated.

Yeah, that sounded like a plan.

Their first time together should be when Ell-rom was in top shape.

Right. So maybe tonight wasn't a good idea at all, or the next week, or maybe even longer.

Damn, she wanted him now.

That was selfish of her. She needed to let him decide when he was ready and not pressure him into anything.

When Jasmine rose to her feet to help Margo, her friend shooed her away. "We've got it. Take your man to bed. Or better yet, draw him a nice bath." She winked.

Jasmine chuckled. "We shall see." She walked over to where Ell-rom had left his walker and brought it closer to him so he could use it to get up.

"Thank you." He gripped the handles and pulled himself to a standing position. "Thank you all for a lovely dinner. I enjoyed the company and the food."