Page 48 of Dark Witch: Twin Destinies

They set out in the opposite direction from the military base, picking their way carefully over the rocky terrain. They had started late in the day, and the sun was high in the sky by the time they reached a large boulder that seemed to mark the edge of some invisible boundary.

Aru called for a halt, and as Negal carefully lowered Jasmine to the ground, Dagor helped unstrap her from the harness.

"We will rest here for half an hour." Aru put down the two backpacks he was carrying and leaned them against the boulder on one side of her, while Dagor did the same with the packs he'd been carrying on her other side.

Half an hour was a long time for the gods, who did not need rest, and since she was being carried, she didn't need rest either.

"Here." Aru handed her a canteen. "Drink."

She scrunched her nose. "Maybe I shouldn't. I don't want to have to go to the bathroom." Holding it for the entire trek was not feasible, but she intended to minimize bathroom breaks as much as possible.

"You need to drink." Aru crouched before her, shielding her from the sun with his body.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes but took a few sips before handing him the canteen back.

He smiled. "Now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?" He was looking straight into her eyes. "It was a hard trek, and you are feeling very tired. Close your eyes for a few moments and take a short nap. It will do you good."

As her eyelids started to lower, Jasmine wondered why Aru wanted her to sleep. They were in the middle of nowhere, with danger lurking around every corner, and he wanted her to nap?

It was absurd.

Except, he was right. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over her, and the heaviness in her limbs seemed to drag her down like an anchor.

She tried to lift her eyelids and glare at the god, but when they refused to obey her, it occurred to her that he was using his mind manipulation abilities to force her into unconsciousness for some reason.

The thought filled her with unease, and a prickle of fear traveled down her spine.

But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't resist the inexorable pull of sleep. And as her mind slipped into darkness, Jasmine couldn't help but wonder what secrets the gods were keeping from her.

37

JASMINE

When Jasmine awoke, her world had transformed. Her ankle, swollen and throbbing with pain when she'd fallen asleep, now felt strangely light and almost free of pain, and her body thrummed with energy and vitality.

Suspicious?

And then some.

Taking a nap in the middle of the day had never affected her so profoundly, and certainly not when it was taken sitting on the hard ground and leaning against a hard rock.

Had one of the gods bitten her while she'd been out?

Was that why Aru had made her sleep?

That was the only thing that made sense to her. If Edgar's venom made her heal faster, the gods' venom must be even more powerful.

She reached up to touch her neck even though she knew no marks would be left from the bite. There never were when Edgar bit her.

Still, touching the area was an impulse she couldn't resist.

A venom bite seemed like a likely explanation for her sudden physical improvement, but it didn't make sense. The gods were all mated, and their bites were reserved for their partners. It was a very intimate act, and as far as she knew, it could only happen during sex.

If they had wanted to give her a health boost, they would have more than likely asked Edgar to do it last night instead of doing so themselves. Not that she had been in a mood for anything with how exhausted she'd been from dealing with the pain and the discomfort. After taking three of the pills Julian had given her, she'd fallen asleep like a rock.

Should she ask Aru if he or the others had bitten her?

She would if it wasn't so damn embarrassing. Hell, it could be considered an insult. It was like asking a dude if he had taken advantage of her while she slept.

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