Page 44 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

With a sigh, Jasmine dragged herself out of bed and went through her morning routine, trying to shake off the lingering sense of melancholy. As she made her way to the dining room, she wished she had a phone, just so Edgar could call her and tell her that he missed her or that he had a great time last night and couldn't wait to see her again.

She would have even settled for a half-assed excuse explaining why he hadn't stayed with her.

After getting dressed, Jasmine stepped out of her cabin and headed for the dining room, but then decided to skip it and go to the lounge instead. Her mood was low enough without seeing the poor women and getting nauseous thinking of what had been done to them or getting chest pains from trying not to think about it.

There was so much evil in the world, and there was so little she could do to make things better.

Besides, she wasn't hungry, probably because of the late dinner she'd eaten last night, and she could get coffee at the lounge.

The place was quiet when she got there, the usual bustle of activity conspicuously absent. After pouring herself coffee from the commercial pot, Jasmine settled herself on one of the plush couches and grabbed a glossy magazine that someone had left behind. Flipping through it, she looked at the celebrities caught on camera doing this or that and tried to ignore the hollow feeling in her stomach that wasn't about hunger.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a couple enter the lounge, but since neither of them was Edgar or one of her friends, she ignored them and kept flipping through pages of gossip about the rich and famous.

Jasmine would have loved to be on those pages, but that was a dream that she had given up on a long time ago. Now, she just wanted to act in quality productions and get paid enough to make a decent living. Except, even that modest dream was out of reach for most actors, including her. The best she could hope for was getting a part in the occasional commercial and satisfying her acting bug performing at community theaters for free.

When the couple approached her couch, she couldn't ignore them any longer and shifted her gaze to them. The woman looked a little drab but was pretty in a forgettable kind of way, and the man was a hunk who looked like he could bench-press a car. She hadn't seen either of them before, so they were either lost guests or they were looking for someone.

Jasmine put on a charming smile. "Can I help you?"

"Hello," the woman said. "My name is Edna. Kian sent me to talk to you."

Oh, crap. The one with the probe, whatever that meant. She'd forgotten all about it.

Jasmine rose to her feet and offered the woman her hand. "I wasn't expecting you so early in the morning."

A tight smile lifted the edges of Edna's thin lips as she shook Jasmine's hand. "It's after ten in the morning, so I wouldn't call it early." Her pale blue eyes bored into Jasmine's, but there was no malice in them, just curiosity and piercing intelligence.

Wow, she hadn't encountered anyone with quite that look before. Later, she would practice it in the mirror. Was it possible to act out an intelligent look, though?

Jasmine shook her head. "I didn't know that it was so late. I don't have a phone, and it's difficult to assess the time down here." She waved a hand at the windowless walls.

Edna scanned the room and nodded. "I would be uncomfortable in these surroundings." She glanced at the hulking man next to her. "Does the lack of windows make you uncomfortable, Max?"

"Not at all. It's cozy down here."

The man was the very embodiment of masculine beauty, and his deep voice sent a shiver down Jasmine's spine. Except, he hadn't spared her a look yet, so he was either gay or one of those dudes who thought that they were all that and that women should fall at their feet and worship them.

Not this woman. She was the one who should be worshiped, and Edgar had.

"Hello, Max." A coy smile tugging at her lips, Jasmine offered him her hand. "Are you here to make sure that I don't escape Edna's probe?"

He finally looked at her. "You've got it. Are you going to run?"

The dude was looking at her as if she had something nasty stuck in her teeth.

Turning to Edna, she asked, "Do you always travel with a bodyguard?"

"No, not always." She lowered herself to the couch. "Please, sit down, and let's get it over with."

Perhaps Max was Edna's boyfriend? The two didn't look like they even liked each other, but perhaps they had gotten into an argument on the way.

"How long have you been together?" Jasmine asked as she sat down next to Edna.

"We are not together," Max said. "I'm just an escort."

A chuckle bubbled up from Jasmine's throat. "I bet you are pricey." She waved a hand at him. "What with all the muscles, you must be in high demand."

As Edna snorted, sounding like a donkey, Max's neck went a very satisfying shade of red.

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