Page 27 of Dark Princess Emerging
The blood welled in the shallow cut, and as Bridget wiped it off, the edges of the wound started knitting together. The healing was so rapid that they could all see it happening before their eyes.
"Thirty-three seconds," Margo announced when the incision closed, and Jasmine's palm looked unmarked save for a faint pink line that was already fading. "That's incredibly fast, right?" She looked at Bridget.
The doctor frowned as she examined Jasmine's palm. "Very fast, especially given how long the transition took. Usually, the closer to the source the Dormant is, the easier the transition and the faster the healing time. But you have two contradicting indicators."
"What do you mean by close to the source?" Jasmine asked although she had guessed what the doctor had implied.
"The closer you are to pure god blood, the faster you heal. It means that there aren't many generations separating you from your godly ancestor."
A heavy silence fell over the room as the implications of this settled in.
Jasmine felt Ell-rom's fingers tighten around hers.
Annani put her hand on her shoulder. "Your mother must have been more than she appeared, my dear girl."
"This is definitely something we need to investigate," Kian said, lowering his phone. "But perhaps we should save that discussion for another time? This is a celebration. Welcome to immortality, Jasmine."
As if on cue, a cheer erupted from the waiting room where the others had been watching the ceremony either through the open door or on screen, and people repeated Kian's welcoming.
Tears stung the back of Jasmine's eyes, and then some spilled out the corners.
She quickly wiped them off. "Thank you, everyone. I can't express how grateful I am for this incredibly warm welcome into your wonderful community."
17
ARU
Aru leaned against the desk in the underground clinic, listening to Merlin explaining the procedure in clinical detail to the three humans.
Marcus, the oldest of them, paid little attention to the explanations and seemed much more interested in exchanging smiles with Hildegard than concerning himself with the upcoming surgery.
"Any questions?" Merlin asked.
Jake shook his head. "It's all pretty straightforward. Let's get it done. Who's going first?"
"I will." Marcus pushed to his feet. "I can't wait to get in bed and have this beauty take care of me."
Hildegard giggled. "You are such a flirt," she said. "Come on. I'll get you ready."
Aru followed them to the operating room, while Merlin went into one of the rooms where the trafficker had been placed, the patient sedated and waiting for the tracker to be removed.
Jake and Wade had remained in the waiting room with Dagor and Negal.
After Marcus changed into a surgical gown behind the screen, he walked to the bed and laid down, with Hildegard admiring his physique unabashedly.
The guy was still young and in great shape, and he exuded confidence. No wonder the nurse was taken with him.
"Do your worst, Hildy," Marcus said. "Is it okay if I call you Hildy?"
She chuckled. "Since you already did, go ahead." She prepared his arm with a local anesthetic.
"Do you always work in secret underground facilities?" he asked.
She smiled while inserting the needle with practiced precision. "No, not always. I work wherever I'm needed."
"And where might you be needed tonight?"
"Tonight?" Hildegard's smile turned playful. "I'll be monitoring your recovery in the fancy hotel suite we booked for the three of you. Depending on how well you handle this procedure, we will figure out what to do with the rest of the time."