Page 11 of Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents

Excitement bubbled up in Ell-rom's chest, tempered with a touch of disbelief. "I wasn't even trying to shroud," he said. "I was just letting go."

"Maybe that's the key." She leaned towards him and took his hand. "Maybe you were trying too hard before."

Ell-rom nodded. "When I practiced with Aru, I was stressed, and I had all these thoughts swirling in my head. I had a feeling that my overactive mind was an obstacle." He squeezed her hand. "I want to try again to see if I can hold on to the shroud longer this time."

"Of course. Let's start with the breathing again. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Slow and steady."

He managed to shroud himself in invisibility two more times and even to hold it for a minute or so, but when he tried to cast an illusion over himself, to appear as someone else, choosing Kian to model himself on, it didn't work.

Still, it was great progress, given that he had only just started.

"Thank you." He leaned toward Jasmine and wrapped his arms around her. "What would I do without you?"

She chuckled. "That's what mates are for, right? To help each other." She pulled away first and lifted her hand to look at her watch. "We should head down for your physical rehabilitation session."

"Yes, we should."

The truth was that Aru had been right, and Ell-rom was experiencing a severe energy drop. He would have loved a nap before heading to the pool, but Julian was waiting for him.

Besides, unlike the shrouding, pushing himself physically was precisely what he needed to do to get better sooner.

8

ELL-ROM

After Ell-rom had changed into his swimming shorts and put on his robe, he walked out of the large closet and knocked on the bathroom door. "Ready?"

"In a moment."

He was grateful for Jasmine's offer to change into her swimming suit in a different room.

Jasmine wasn't shy and had no qualms about undressing in front of him. She had done it so he wouldn't feel embarrassed while getting naked in front of her.

They had already seen everything there was of each other, but it was so new, so fresh, that he still felt awkward. Hopefully, that would pass once he filled out a bit and didn't look starved.

When he looked more like Julian.

Now, that was something to strive for.

When Jasmine opened the door, wearing similar attire to his, with her lush hair gathered in a knot on top of her head, she was so beautiful to him that she took his breath away.

"What?" She tucked a stray strand into the knot. "Do I have toothpaste on my nose?"

"You are just so unbelievably beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. "Given that I have seen what immortal females look like, I know that I'm nothing special in comparison. But thank you for the compliment." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It's always nice to hear."

"It's the truth. Every time I see you, the first moment is like a revelation. My heart feels like it's expanding. Is that what love feels like?"

"Maybe." She took his hand. "Probably."

Jasmine had told him that it was too early for them to fall in love and that they should take their time getting to know each other, but she was calling him her mate, and he was doing the same, and mates were supposed to love each other, so what was the point of waiting?

"What were you thinking when you were practicing with Aru?"

The question took him by surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"If you have a problem with intrusive thoughts, you should address them, or they will keep interfering with your training."