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

55. Ell-rom

55

ELL-ROM

A s Ell-rom stirred awake, he turned to look at Jasmine, still peacefully asleep beside him, her hair splayed across the pillow like a dark halo with golden streaks painted by the sunshine filtering through the curtains. Her hair was lush and shiny, beautiful like the rest of her.

Leaning over, he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, then another to her lips, hoping to coax her awake. "Good morning, my love," he murmured.

Jasmine stirred slightly but didn't open her eyes. "Mmm," she mumbled, burrowing deeper into the pillow.

Ell-rom's smile widened. He trailed kisses down her neck, his hand sliding over her hip. "Wake up, beautiful. It's a new day."

Jasmine groaned, finally cracking open one eye. "I'm not ready to get up. Let me sleep."

That wasn't like her. Waking Jasmine in the morning usually resulted in sweet lovemaking, and usually, it was her initiative. The lack of response worried him.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just tired," she mumbled, her eyes already closing again. "I need my beauty sleep so I look good when we go to the village. First impressions are important." She turned to the other side and pulled the blanket over her head.

What was beauty sleep?

Had she made it up, or was it a thing?

Ell-rom slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her further, and got his phone from the side table, then took it to the bathroom.

"Call Julian," he told the device as Jasmine had shown him.

The medic answered on the third ring. "Ell-rom? Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure. Jasmine is unusually tired and says she's not feeling well. I'm worried."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "It could be nothing," Julian said. "Or it might be the start of her transition. Keep an eye on her and wake her up every so often to check on her. If she develops a fever or seems dizzy, call me immediately."

Ell-rom felt his heartbeat accelerate. "Already? But we haven't been intimate for that long."

"Everyone's different," Julian said. "Some Dormants transition after just one exposure to venom, others take weeks. Keep me posted." He ended the call.

He hadn't sounded overly worried, so maybe there was no reason to get anxious. Well, aside from the fact that Jasmine might be transitioning and it was dangerous.

When Ell-rom returned to bed, he found Jasmine in exactly the same pose as he'd left her, curled up under the covers with the blanket pulled over her head. He sat on the edge of the bed and tugged the blanket down, exposing her face.

"Jasmine? Love, can you wake up for a moment?"

She groaned, turning to face him with a frown. "What now? I told you I want to sleep."

"I know. I'm sorry, but I called Julian, and he said that you might be transitioning and to keep an eye on you."

Jasmine sighed. "I'm fine, Ell-rom. It's just the stress of everything that happened catching up with me. I just need rest."

"But—"

"Please," she cut him off, sounding irritated. "If you really want to help, go make me some coffee."

Ell-rom nodded, relieved to have a task. "Of course. I'll be right back."

After he got dressed and headed to the kitchen, it occurred to him that Jasmine might have wanted to get rid of him, and that was why she'd sent him to make coffee when he had no idea how to go about it.

In the kitchen, he stood before the coffeemaker he'd seen her use so many times before and tried to recall what she had done. He'd never paid close attention to the process, and now, when faced with the machine's buttons and dials, he felt completely lost.

"Need help?" Frankie sauntered into the kitchen, wearing a short robe and no shoes.

She was so tiny without those elevating platforms she liked to wear. It was funny how Annani, who was even shorter than Frankie, was such a huge presence without resorting to artificially making herself taller.

"Yes, please." He smiled down at her. "Jasmine asked for coffee, but I don't know where to start."

Frankie chuckled, moving to stand beside him. "No worries, I've got you covered. First, we need to add water to the reservoir here..."

As she walked him through the steps, Ell-rom paid attention and tried to memorize the procedure for next time.

"You know," Frankie said as she measured out the coffee grounds, "you can find answers to everything you want to know on your phone."

Ell-rom's eyes widened with interest. "Really?"

Frankie nodded, pulling out her own device. "Watch this." She held the phone up and said clearly, "How to make drip coffee." She pointed to a row of small rectangular pictures with arrows on them. "Each one of these is a recording of someone making coffee and explaining how to do it. If you don't like one, you just move to the next." She put her finger on top of the arrow, and the recording started playing, showing a human male making coffee.

Ell-rom leaned in, fascinated. "That's incredible."

"Pretty handy, right?" Frankie grinned. "You can learn just about anything this way."

"I will explore the possibilities when I have time."

The problem was that the handy device would probably not provide answers pertaining to immortals, whom the humans did not know existed.

As the coffee began to brew, he leaned against the counter. "May I ask you something personal, Frankie?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"What was your transition like? When did you know it was happening?"

Frankie's eyebrows rose. "Is this a theoretical question, or is Jasmine transitioning?"

Ell-rom shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure. She's very tired and not feeling well. Julian says that it might be the start of her transition, but she insists she's fine and that it is just the stress of the last couple of days."

"Ah," Frankie nodded. "Well, everyone's experience is different, but for me, it started with nausea. I was sure I had eaten something bad or that I had caught a bug."

"A bug?"

She laughed. "I was still human, remember? So, I was still susceptible to transmissible human illnesses. That's what we mean by 'catching a bug.'"

He still didn't understand. "Can it be that Jasmine caught a bug?"

"It's very possible." Frankie placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Hey, don't panic. Like I said, everyone's different. Tell you what, why don't I come to check on her?"

Ell-rom nodded gratefully. "Thank you, I'd appreciate that."

Jasmine would not be happy about him bringing Frankie with him, but he needed help.

When the coffee was ready, Frankie poured three cups, and they took them with them as they made their way back to his and Jasmine's bedroom.

Ell-rom pushed the door open while carefully balancing two of the mugs.

"Jasmine, sweetness. I brought you coffee and Frankie."

Jasmine sat up in bed, her hair tousled, and her eyes narrowed with irritation. "Hi."

Frankie stepped forward, a friendly smile on her face. "Hey, Jasmine. Ell-rom is worried about you. Mind if I feel your forehead?"

Jasmine sighed but nodded her assent. "Go ahead."

Frankie pressed her palm to her forehead and then her cheeks. "No fever," she announced. "How are you feeling otherwise? Any aches or chills?"

"I'm just tired," Jasmine insisted. "And a bit annoyed at being fussed over."

Frankie chuckled. "Fair enough. Well, the good news is that you don't seem to be showing any clear signs of transitioning yet. But keep an eye out for any changes, okay?"

Jasmine nodded, reaching for one of the coffee mugs. "Thank you, Frankie. And thank you for the coffee, Ell-rom."

As Jasmine sipped her coffee, color slowly returning to her cheeks, Ell-rom felt some of his anxiety ease. She did seem better now and more alert.

"You're welcome," Frankie said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you all packed and ready for the village?"