Page 16 of Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents

Sometimes, it seemed that the manifestation of evil was not only present, but it was thriving and gaining the upper hand in the war against good.

Shaking her head, she looked at Ell-rom's peaceful face and remembered all the good Annani was trying to do.

In the end, good always triumphed over evil, but if there was anything she'd remembered from history lessons in high school, it was that by the time things reached the tipping point wheregood people finally rose from their stupor to fight the forces of darkness, the loss of life was tremendous.

Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

Then again, given the threat of the Eternal King, the odds were not in Earth's favor, and Jasmine was finding it challenging to retain her optimism.

"I'd better stop this thought before it pulls me under." She walked over to the bed and kissed Ell-rom's cheek.

It was like getting a whiff of hope, even if it still smelled a little like pool water.

"I'm going down to the clinic to get your meals," she told him, even though he couldn't hear her.

Leaving him a note was also impossible because he couldn't read English and she didn't know Kra-ell.

The clinic was quiet when she arrived, with Julian sitting behind the desk. He lifted his head. "How is Ell-rom doing?"

"Exhausted. He fell asleep as soon as we got back."

"Good." Julian grinned. "The harder he works, the faster he recovers. There is no need to coddle a male of Ell-rom's pedigree. Being a half god and half Kra-ell, his genetics make him super resilient. Just ensure he eats enough to provide his body with the fuel it needs."

"That's why I'm here. I came to pick up his meals. Perhaps you should start sending them up to the penthouse."

"I should." Julian bent down and lifted an insulated bag off the floor. "Here you go. Two lunches and two dinners."

"Thank you, but you don't need to order for me anymore. I can make my own meals now."

With all the work she needed to do with Ell-rom, she might not have time to cook, but as long as there were ingredients for a sandwich in the fridge, she was good.

When her phone rang in her pocket, Jasmine thought it was Ell-rom looking for her, but then she remembered that he didn't have a phone, and even if he'd figured out how to use the landline in their bedroom, he didn't have her number.

Could it be her father?

He never called her unless it was an emergency.

Fishing it out, she was relieved and surprised to see Kian's name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon." Kian's voice came through, formal as always. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all," she replied.

"I wanted to give you a heads-up. We're planning a family gathering tomorrow to introduce Ell-rom to the rest of the family. A couple of Odus will arrive around ten o'clock in the morning with groceries to prepare lunch, and the family will arrive around one in the afternoon."

Tension and excitement twisted Jasmine's gut. Normally, she had no trouble dealing with an audience of any size, but dining with a goddess and her children was like dining with the royal family.

"That's wonderful. Ell-rom would love to meet everyone."

She had no doubt that he would, but he would also be apprehensive about meeting the rest of the family, and he might get overwhelmed if there were too many new faces all at once.

"My mother is looking forward to introducing Ell-rom to my sisters, their mates, and their children. My uncle and his mate are coming as well."

That sounded like a much larger gathering than Jasmine had imagined. "How many people should we expect?"

"Let's see." Kian paused, and she could almost picture him ticking off names on his fingers. "Amanda and Dalhu, Alena and Orion, Toven and Mia, Syssi and myself, and of course, my mother. We'll be bringing the children along as well, but all three are still babies. Well, our Allegra is eleven months going on eleven years old, and she has a way of communicating her wishes with perfect clarity despite her young age and limited vocabulary."