69. Jasmine
69
JASMINE
J asmine flipped through the magazine pages, looking at the photos of glamorous people and not reading any of the articles.
There was no point.
The magazine was at least two years old, and everything written in it was no longer true. Heck, it had been untrue even then. Hollywood couples hooked up to promote their movies, not because they were in love, and once the movie was over, they usually went their separate ways.
Once upon a time, she had fantasized about being a part of that world, but it wasn't in the cards.
Jasmine chuckled. In her case, that was a literal description. Her tarot had never promised her a great acting career.
Looking up at Ell-rom, she watched his chest's steady rise and fall. Even that was getting stronger. At first, his breathing had been barely discernible, but now it was deep and resonant.
He slept a lot, which Bridget claimed was precisely what his body needed, and Jasmine had lost track of how long she had been sitting next to his bed.
Minutes blurred into hours, hours into days, and the outside world faded into insignificance as she focused all her attention on her prince.
At the sound of the door opening, she turned to check who was coming in and smiled at Julian. "Hi. Is it time for check-ups?"
Julian shook his head. "Kian wants to see you in his office."
A ball of dread nestled in Jasmine's gut. Was Kian dismissing her? Was he ordering her to leave Ell-rom's side?
"Do you know why? Is something wrong?" She rose to her feet and stretched out the kinks in her neck and shoulders.
"It's nothing bad." A reassuring smile tugged at the corners of Julian's mouth. "He just needs to talk to you."
Casting another glance at Ell-rom, she sighed and followed Julian out of the room. "I don't like leaving him alone for long."
"It's not going to take long," Julian reassured her.
As they walked, Jasmine ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it a little so she would look semi-presentable to Kian.
Watching her efforts, Julian chuckled. "Do you want to stop by a restroom before we go in? You look a little disheveled."
"I don't have a brush with me, so there is really no point." Jasmine doubled her efforts, combing the strands with her fingers and twisting them to form large curls.
As they approached the door to Kian's office, she felt a surge of nervousness, making her palms grow damp and her heart race. She paused and turned to Julian. "Is there going to be someone other than Kian in there?"
A glimmer of amusement sparked in Julian's eyes. "You're very astute, but I'm afraid I can't tell you. It's a surprise."
He didn't seem worried, so perhaps it was something to look forward to. "A good one, I hope?"
Julian's smile widened. "The best," he assured her, his voice ringing with a quiet certainty that made Jasmine's breath catch.
As the doctor opened the door and gestured for her to go in, Jasmine took a final fortifying breath and took a step forward.
Her eyes widened, and her breath left her lungs in a sharp, stunned gasp. A glowing angel was seated on a chair in front of a large conference table.
It wasn't a trick of the light because the room was not very well illuminated, and the glow emanated only from her exposed skin.
She was small, almost impossibly so, with a delicate, ethereal beauty that seemed to radiate from within. Her hair was a rich, vibrant red, falling in soft waves down her back and over her shoulders. Her eyes were a piercing, luminous blue, filled with wisdom and knowing that seemed to stretch back through the ages.
She was a goddess.
Jasmine had seen male gods. She had traveled with them to Tibet, but they were nothing like the one sitting before her.
This female was in a class of her own.
She emanated power and benevolence and had an aura of timelessness and majesty that made Jasmine's knees buckle, and her heart skip a beat.
Without thinking, she sank into a deep, reverent curtsy, her head bowing low.
She had never felt so small, insignificant, as she did at that moment, standing before a being of such immense, unfathomable power.
"Rise, child," the female spoke. Her voice was simultaneously commanding and soft, kind, musical, and filled with a warmth that seemed to wrap around Jasmine like a gentle embrace. "There is no need for such formality."
Jasmine lifted her head, eyes wide and uncertain as they met the goddess's steady, unwavering gaze. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry as she searched for something to say and found nothing.
"I am the Clan Mother," the goddess said in that musical voice of hers.
"Clan Mother?" Jasmine repeated, her voice little more than a whisper of sound. "Are you Kian's mother?"
The goddess nodded, a glimmer of pride and affection shining in her eyes as she glanced at her son. "I am also the mother of Alena, Sari, and Amanda. Most of the immortals you met on the cruise are my grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on, stretching back through the centuries."
The goddess rose to her feet in a fluid, graceful motion. She was even smaller standing up, her head barely reaching Jasmine's shoulder, but there was no mistaking the power that radiated from her in palpable waves.
"Come, child." She took Jasmine's hand. "Let's visit Ell-rom together." It felt surreal to walk holding hands with a goddess.
She did not doubt that the Clan Mother could crush her hand with ease or maybe even reduce her to dust and ashes with a single thought. But there was no threat in her touch, no hint of malice or danger in the gentle pressure of her fingers—only warmth.
As they approached the prince's room, the Clan Mother paused and turned to face Jasmine. "You may stay in the room while I talk with Ell-rom. He would appreciate you being there for him."