Page 79 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

EDGAR

Edgar wasn't surprised that Jasmine was suspicious. Any normal person would be. The guests were almost all immortals, and they were all exceedingly beautiful by human standards. They also seemed to be the same age more or less, and the lack of elders and dearth of children was another clue. Still, all the oddities could be explained away by the Perfect Match cover story, which made it a stroke of genius.

He wondered who had originally come up with it.

It had probably been Toven's mate. When Mia had invited her best friends Frankie and Margo on the cruise with the promise of jobs as beta testers for the service's virtual adventures, she must have told them that they were joining a Perfect Match company ten-day cruise.

For now, he had to perpetuate the lie, but at some point he would have to tell Jasmine the truth about himself and his clan and ask for her consent to be induced into immortality.

If she agreed but didn't want to leave her life behind and immediately join him in the village, he would have to make her forget what he had told her and keep seeing her until she either transitioned or proved not to be a Dormant.

Naturally, he hoped she possessed the necessary godly genes, and his hope was not unfounded.

Jasmine had a modicum of paranormal ability that marked her as a potential Dormant, and in addition, she had a way of drawing people to her, which indicated affinity.

But as much as he wanted to believe that she was meant for him and that the Fates had brought them together for a reason, Edgar couldn't ignore the nagging doubts that whispered in the back of his mind. If Jasmine was truly his fated mate, his one and only, then why did her eyes wander so freely around the room?

Why did her smile light up for every male who made eye contact with her?

It bothered him more than he wanted to admit and more than he had a right to. He wasn't in love with Jasmine, but it wasn't only about lust either. At the moment, she was a potential that he wanted to explore, a female he was still examining his feelings for.

Still, he couldn't help the annoyance that flared in his chest every time her gaze lingered on another guy and every time her lips curved in a seductive smile that wasn't aimed at him. It wasn't jealousy, or at least he didn't think it was, but it was insulting. While Jasmine was with him, she should turn off her flirtatiousness because showing interest in other males while dancing in his arms was disrespectful.

How would she feel if his eyes kept wandering to other females?

So yeah, most of those present were either his relatives or mated to them, but Marina and Larissa weren't related to him, and although they were accompanied by Peter and Jay, he still had eyes and noticed that they were both attractive women. Not that he would have flirted with either. He knew better than to infringe on what the two Guardians considered their turf, even temporarily.

While Jasmine was with him, he wanted her eyes on him and her smile directed at him and him alone, the same way his attention was focused on her.

When the song ended, Jasmine looked at him with a tired smile on her face. "Can we sit this one out? My feet are killing me, and I need to take a break."

"Of course." He took her hand and led her to the table.

It was easy to forget that she wasn't immortal and that she couldn't keep up. She looked the part so well, and for a human, she was also surprisingly strong and resilient.

Frankie and Dagor were already seated at the table, their heads bent together, no doubt whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. Aru and Gabi were still on the dance floor, and Margo and Negal were not attending for obvious reasons.

Edgar pulled out Jasmine's chair for her, the chivalrous gesture earning him a warm smile and a murmured thanks. As he took his own seat beside her, her eyes drifted to the empty chairs surrounding their table. "I hope Margo is okay. I thought she would be here tonight."

Frankie turned to look at her. "She's still a little under the weather. Dagor and I are going to bring them to-go plates later."

"What's wrong with her?" Jasmine frowned. "Is it serious? I mean, she seemed fine this afternoon, a little tired maybe, but nothing that would keep her from attending the wedding. Did the doctor check up on her?"

Frankie winced. "Yeah, she did. But you know how doctors are. She told Margo to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and call her if she didn't feel better in the morning."

Jasmine nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. If you are under thirty years old, they treat you dismissively. A friend of mine suffered for years from stomach pains, and her doctor told her that it was all because of stress and recommended therapy. Turned out she had irritable bowel syndrome."

"How did she find out?" Frankie asked. "Did she go to another doctor?"

As the two continued talking about human maladies and the various treatments available for them, Edgar exchanged a knowing look with Dagor.

Having a human mate or one that used to be human was a different experience, and he hoped Jasmine wouldn't direct any health questions at him. He really didn't want to add more lies to those he’d had to tell her so far, and besides, he didn't know enough about human ailments to lie convincingly.

"I feel bad for Margo." Jasmine sighed. "This is such a beautiful event."

Edgar draped his arm over the back of her chair. "Oh, I have no doubt that Margo and Negal are finding ways to entertain themselves."

Provided that her transition symptoms had not worsened since he had last seen her, Margo seemed well enough to partake in some one-on-one fun.

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