Page 86 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

When Aria was done relaying Annani's story, Ani chose her response carefully. "I always assumed that the rumors about the twins were baseless—malicious propaganda spread by the Eternal King. But if what you say is true, if they are indeed the children of Ahn and the Kra-ell queen, then they might be just as dangerous as the Eternal King thinks they are, and they should be approached with extreme caution."

"I am not sure that they are dangerous," Aria gave voice to Annani's response. "I think that the Kra-ell queen sent them to Earth not to undermine Ahn and take over. I think she sent them to their father because she feared for their lives. If anyone had discovered that they were half god, half Kra-ell, they would not have lasted more than a day. Their own people would have slaughtered them along with the queen who had committed the greatest transgression. The only place they could be safe was on Earth among the rebels who believed in equality and were led by their father. If they were as powerful as the king believed them to be, their mother wouldn't have been so worried for their safety."

It was a smart observation, and the queen was proud of her granddaughter's deductive ability, but it was very possible that Annani was wrong. She was a little soft-hearted, and she believed in people's good intentions.

It was naive.

"The twins are a wild card," Ani said. "And depending on the power they can actually wield, they can be a variable that could tip the balance of power in either direction. You must ensure that it tips in your favor." Ani paused for a moment, thinking about the role of the human Syssi had seen in her vision assisting the team of gods. "The human needs to be watched carefully. The Fates work in mysterious ways, and the role they gave that woman might not be as straightforward as your daughter-in-law's vision suggests."

64

JASMINE

Edgar leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. "I'm stuffed." He looked at the half-eaten cake on his plate. "This is delicious, but I can't take another bite."

Jasmine chuckled. "We've danced off the calories, so it's not so bad."

She wasn't sure that the net effect was zero, but she'd made a valiant effort to make it so. She had danced until her feet ached, sampled every delicacy the buffet had to offer, and got Edgar to introduce her to a bunch of people. Regrettably, none of them specified their positions in Perfect Match, so she still didn't know who she needed to impress to get a job at the company.

Kian had promised to talk to the owners on her behalf, but she hadn't heard from him yet. Besides, he might have meant to ask about some entry-level job for her to replace the customer service one she was probably going to lose.

She'd told him that she dreamt about being a spokeswoman in the Perfect Match commercials, but she'd also told him that any other job would be great, and that was probably what he'd remembered from their talk if he remembered her quest for a job at the company at all.

Edgar draped a lazy arm over the back of her chair. "Ready to go?"

Jasmine looked at the dwindling crowd on the dance floor and the partially empty dining tables and sighed. "I enjoyed this evening tremendously, and I don't want it to end." She turned to him and smiled. "I feel like Cinderella at the ball. The clock has already struck a few times, and I'm anxious about it striking twelve."

He leaned over and brushed his lips over her cheek. "It's way past midnight, beautiful, and the fun doesn't have to end just yet." He trailed his lips down her neck, eliciting a delicious shiver. "I'm not tired. Are you?"

Jasmine chuckled. "My answer would be my place or yours, but since your place is probably much nicer than mine, it has to be yours."

The lascivious smile he sent her made her tingle in all the right places. "Let's go." He rose to his feet and offered her a hand up.

Guiding her to the newlyweds through the throng of well-wishers and lingering guests, he stopped to congratulate them and then paused to say goodbye to Marina and Larissa and their dates.

As they made their way towards the exit, Jasmine's gaze landed on Max, his tall, imposing figure cutting a striking silhouette against the wall he was standing next to. Almost without thinking, she smiled and raised a hand in a small wave, immediately regretting the gesture.

After the way Max had treated her, he didn't deserve to be acknowledged by her.

When Edgar's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her close against his side in a possessive display, Jasmine bit back a smirk. Let the stuck-up Max see that she was desired and appreciated by a good man who deemed her more than worthy of his attentions.

As they stepped out into the corridor and Edgar pressed the button to call the elevator, Jasmine smiled and leaned into his embrace. "I bet your bed is bigger and more comfortable than mine."

He looked at her with a slight frown. "Your cabin is private, though, and mine isn't. I have a roommate. Charlie has his own bedroom, but it's not like he wouldn't know that you spent the night with me. Knowing him, he's probably sitting in the living room and watching a movie even though he has a television in his bedroom."

"I don't mind," she said, her fingers playing with the lapel of his jacket. "If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not shy. But if you are, I can be quiet." A wicked grin spread across her face as she leaned in closer, her lips brushing against his ear. "Or I can try. I can't promise that I'll succeed."

She wasn't an exhibitionist, but she got a certain thrill from making public displays of affection.

Edgar's answering chuckle was low and deep, sending shivers racing down her spine. "You can be as loud as you want," he assured her, his hand splaying across the small of her back. "The upper deck cabins have excellent soundproofing. The moment I close the door, Charlie won't hear a thing."

"Awesome. I hope your ears aren't overly sensitive," she whispered in his ear.

The woman who was waiting for the elevator next to them smirked as if she'd heard what Jasmine had whispered in Ed's ear, but it was unlikely.

The doors to the dining room were open, and the music spilling from the inside was still quite loud.

As the elevator arrived, a thrill of anticipation coursed through Jasmine, but since they weren't alone in the cab, holding hands was all they could do, and when they stepped out on Ed's deck, the same woman got out as well.

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