Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

18. Ell-rom

18

ELL-ROM

T he penthouse was alive with activity when Ell-rom, Jasmine, Julian and Gertrude got there. The aroma of cooking food filled the air, mingling with the sound of laughter and conversation.

The smell of meat cooking was still offensive to Ell-rom, but at least he no longer felt like throwing up. It was unpleasant but tolerable.

"Welcome." Margo waved at them from the couch. "Gabi and Frankie are still battling it out in the kitchen and running a little late, but they told me to get everyone into the dining room."

The sun had set while they were in the clinic, and looking out the large windows, they could see the twinkling city lights of the nighttime view were just as pleasant as that of blue sky and sunlight reflecting from the glass-clad high-rise buildings across the street during the day.

As he sat down, a knot of anxiety tightened in Ell-rom's chest when he thought about Morelle, alone in the clinic with no one there to watch over her.

Turning to Julian to voice his concern, he was greeted by the knowing look in the medic's eyes.

"Don't worry about Morelle," Julian said. "I'm monitoring her vitals through the app on my phone. If anything changes, I'll be by her side in under two minutes."

Ell-rom nodded. "Thank you."

Two minutes could mean the difference between life and death, but the chance of anything changing for Morelle over the next hour or so was negligible.

As dinner was served and everyone took their places around the table, Ell-rom swept his gaze over the familiar faces. These people had become his friends, and moving to the village meant leaving them behind.

Aru and Gabi sat close together, their fingers intertwined on the table. Negal laughed at some comment Margo had made while Dagor, with a look of admiration in his eyes, listened to Frankie explaining one of the dishes she'd made. The only one who seemed ill at ease was the nurse.

Gertrude kept casting glances at Negal and Margo when she thought they weren't paying attention to her, and they were doing the same toward her, with a look of guilt in both their eyes.

Something was going on between those three, and Ell-rom wondered what it could be.

Julian cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I have good news to impart. Ell-rom, Morelle, and Jasmine will be moving to the village soon, and we will be closing the clinic here. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my mate."

A chorus of surprised exclamations followed, some happy for them and others sad to see them go.

"I'll miss you," Margo said, reaching out to squeeze Jasmine's hand. "But I promise to come visit often. Now that my brother is in the village, I have double the incentive to do so."

Jasmine smiled. "I'll miss you too. All of you. But I'm also excited to finally see the famous and wondrous immortal village."

Julian chuckled. "Wondrous, maybe. Famous, definitely not, and we want to keep it that way."

Gertrude straightened in her chair and looked at Margo. "Has your brother found an inducer yet?"

Margo shook her head. "Not yet. He's still recovering from the blow of his wedding being canceled at the last moment. It's not easy to make new friends with a heart that is bleeding."

"What happened?" Gertrude asked.

Margo closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't think I should tell Rob's story without him being here and giving me the green light to speak of it. All I can say is that he was about to get married and decided at the last moment that it would be a mistake. I'm sad for the pain he's feeling, but I'm happy that he is free now to pursue his transition into immortality. Before, I couldn't even tell him about this world."

Gertrude's expression softened as she listened. "I'm sorry your brother is hurting, but it's for the best."

"Since you are going back to the village soon, you should look him up," Margo suggested. "He's staying with Mia and Toven for now."

Gertrude nodded. "I can help him find an inducer. I'll introduce him to a few Guardians, and he can choose from there. I can also ask my friend Hildegard to stop by and introduce herself. She can help him as well."

"Thank you," Margo said. "It will probably have to wait for after the investigation."

"The Clan Mother said she would be done with all the clan members in one day," Gertrude pointed out. "Rob doesn't need to wait for all the Kra-ell to be questioned."

At the mention of the Kra-ell, Ell-rom remembered Toven's words about the difficulty in compelling them and how he needed Mia's support to enhance his power. The thought sent a chill down his spine, and he was glad that the enhancer wasn't present at the dinner table.

"We might be moving on as well," Aru said. "My teammates and I are done dismantling and extracting every piece of tech from the wreckage we brought with us. We weren't able to break through any of the devices, though. William's crew has collected everything and transferred it to his old lab in the keep."

"Why not take it to the village?" Ell-rom asked.

Aru shook his head. "We can't risk it. There might be something in there that could lead undesirables to the village. It's safer this way."

"What happens now?" Jasmine asked.

"There is no reason for us to stay here any longer." Aru cast an apologetic look at Gabi. "Unless the experiment works and we can transfer our trackers to humans, we will need to start traveling and searching again, head out to Tibet and other possible pod landing locations. We've already stayed in one place too long. But if it works, we might be able to move into the village with our mates."

Jasmine clapped her hands. "Oh, I hope it works! It would be wonderful to have you all there."

The prospect of moving to the village, while exciting in many ways, also filled Ell-rom with a sense of unease. He glanced around the penthouse, realizing that this place had become his home, the first he could remember.

He picked at his vegan meal, pushing the pieces around on his plate more than eating it, and wondered whether they would continue delivering it for him to the village or if he would have to learn how to prepare it for himself.

The thought of preparing a meal for himself and Jasmine excited him. He could learn how to do that if someone was willing to teach him.

"Is everything alright?" Jasmine asked. "Is the meal not to your liking?"

Ell-rom shook his head, offering her a smile. "No, the food is fine, as it has been every day since Bridget started ordering it. I just have a lot on my mind."

Jasmine nodded, understanding in her eyes. She didn't push further, for which Ell-rom was grateful. Instead, she squeezed his hand under the table.

As the evening wore on, Ell-rom didn't participate much in the conversation, observing everyone instead. No matter whether they all moved into the village or not, these people would remain his friends, and to him, that was nothing short of a miracle.

He'd never had that before.

After coffee and tea had been served and consumed, along with a sweet dessert that he didn't partake in, Jasmine put a hand on his arm. "Ready to retire for the evening?" The glint in her eyes promised that the evening fun was just starting, and Ell-rom felt instantly energized.

"Yes, my love. It has been a long day."

From the other side of the table, Margo smiled contentedly. "It's nice to hear you saying those love words to each other."

"It feels good to say them," Ell-rom said. "Almost as good as hearing them."