Page 48 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

Shifting his gaze to his mother, Kian was happy to see her basking in the joy of her granddaughters.

Good times.

If only all the moments of their lives could be so peaceful and happy. Some might say that would be boring, but Kian would have welcomed it with open arms.

There was always something to keep him on edge. Now it was the developing saga with the Doomers in Mexico, and Syssi's promise to his mother to induce a vision about Khiann.

She hadn't yet, but she planned to do so when Allegra took her afternoon nap. The problem was that their daughter was not always cooperative in that regard, and sometimes instead of sleeping, she chose to rest in her crib awake.

He wondered what she thought about when she lay quietly with her wise eyes open and her blanket clutched in her small hands. Was she pondering the mysteries of the universe? The meaning of existence?

"Did Edna probe Jasmine already?" Amanda's question pulled him out of his reveries.

Turning to his sister, Kian nodded. "She did."

"And? What did she find? Did Jasmine click with Edgar?"

"According to the guys in security, Jasmine took Edgar to her cabin, and he stayed there for a couple of hours before returning to the wedding party." Kian wasn't happy about sharing that information with his family, but he knew that Amanda wouldn't rest until she got it out of him. Resistance was futile, and it was faster and easier to just report things as he knew them.

Amanda grinned. "I hope that it was more than just sex, and they clicked. Did Edna say anything about it?"

"She didn't report anything about Jasmine having feelings for the guy, but she might not have looked for them, or they might have been absent. I didn't ask."

"I like how assertive Jasmine is," Amanda said. "She knows what she wants, and she isn't afraid to take it. What else did Edna say?"

"Edna seems to think that Jasmine is harmless. There are some painful shadows in her past, probably childhood traumas that Edna didn't explore, and she's a Wiccan, which we already knew, and she believes in the Mother of All Life, which we did not know." He chuckled. "I wonder if that's another influence of one of the Kra-ell's early settlers."

Amanda's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's probably a coincidence. Many of the ancient civilizations worshiped the Mother. Anyway, I'm so happy that Jasmine is a practicing witch. If she turns out to be a Dormant and joins the clan, I'll have someone to play with."

Syssi groaned. "Promise me that even if Jasmine joins the clan, you won't start a new tradition of forming witch circles and chanting in the nude inside the village. The place is not big enough to ensure your privacy, or rather to ensure that those who shouldn't see a bunch of ladies dancing in the nude under the moon are not exposed to it."

"I don't mind who sees me." Amanda leaned back in her chair. "It's liberating, and it works."

Dalhu wrapped his arm around Amanda's shoulders. "The Fates work in mysterious ways, and it seems like they chose to deliver you a playmate." He leaned and kissed her temple. "You can chant in the nude as much as you want, just not without proper safety measures. While you and your lady friends are busy having fun, I and the other mates should secure the perimeter."

Kian shook his head. "I can't believe that you are taking this so seriously, Amanda. Doing it for fun is one thing, but to actually think that it's effective is crazy."

"Oh, really." She gave him a haughty look. "It worked every time."

"Coincidence."

Amanda looked down her nose at him. "If it makes you more comfortable to think that, be my guest."

"Thank you." He mockingly dipped his head.

"You're welcome. So, are you going to allow Jasmine on the upper decks?"

"In light of Edna's findings, or rather lack thereof, I don't see why not. And if Jasmine bonds with Edgar, I will allow him to tell her the truth so he can ask her consent to be induced. In the meantime, though, I'll instruct everyone not to talk about immortals and gods around her, and I'll have her kept under close watch."

Annani, who hadn't said much until now, nodded. "In case Edgar is not the one for her, it will be good for Jasmine to interact with more people."

"Precisely." Amanda dabbed at Evie's mouth with a napkin. "You still didn't tell us what this lunch is about. You wouldn't have asked us to come earlier if it was just a regular family get-together."

His mother's idea was for the two couples with young children to come a little earlier so the girls could finish eating before the rest of the adults arrived.

"Patience, my daughter." Annani leaned over and patted Amanda's hand. "We have important issues to discuss, and I did not want us to be interrupted. Once the girls are done with their lunch, Ojidu can watch over them in the bedroom while the adults talk, but we need to wait for your sisters and their mates and for Aru and Gabi to join us. It concerns all of you."

"Now, I'm really worried." Amanda crossed her arms over her chest. "Can you at least give me a hint?"

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