Page 58 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Jasmine laughed. "Not the way you think. Kian is happily mated."

He had no idea why that was relevant and what she imagined he had thought.

"I do not understand what Kian's mate has to do with your life debt to him. Did you save her life?"

Jasmine opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "Talk about cultural differences. We have a lot to learn about each other."

"I still do not understand." He was too exhausted to guess what she could have meant by her odd comment. His eyelids felt heavy. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, his words slurring together as he fought to keep his eyes open. "I'm too tired to think."

Jasmine's smile was soft and understanding. "It's okay. Your body and mind need time and rest to heal."

He nodded, his eyes fluttering closed as he drifted off into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

43

ANNANI

Annani did not know which feeling was stronger, the excitement at the prospect of meeting her half-brother for the first time or the annoyance at having to wear jeans.

Why did Kian think plain human clothing would make a difference to her appearance?

Her brother did not know how the people of this world dressed. He did not know that a gown was a formal dress or that jeans were casual. It would not influence what he thought of her.

Sometimes, appeasing her son's paranoia was tiring.

As she reached Kian's front door, Okidu opened it and bowed.

"Good morning, Clan Mother."

"Good morning." She swept past him and headed straight toward Kian's office.

His door was open, and she did not wait for an invitation.

"Hold on, William." Kian put the phone down and pushed to his feet. "Good morning, Mother." He rounded the desk, leaned down, and kissed her cheek. "I'm almost done talking to William. Please take a seat."

Nodding, she accepted the invitation and listened as he continued the conversation with William.

"I only need two devices. One for Syssi and one for my mother."

"I can do that," William answered. "Give me half an hour."

"No problem. Can you send someone to my house with them?"

William chuckled. "I'll come myself. It's Sunday, and there is no one in the lab. It's just me."

"Right." Kian raked his fingers through his longish hair. "I forgot what day it was today. Thank you for doing this for me on a weekend."

"No problem, boss. I live for this stuff."

As Kian ended the call, Annani arched a brow. "What devices is William bringing for Syssi and me?"

"It's a translator device that works similarly to the earpieces, only it translates from English to Kra-ell and broadcasts the speech through a small speaker. We assume that the twins speak only Kra-ell."

"You probably assume correctly." She let out a breath. "I am so excited. Do you think he looks like me?"

Kian smiled indulgently. "No one looks like you, Mother, and the last time I saw him, he looked only a little better than a corpse."

She grimaced. "Can you please stop saying that word regarding my siblings? It is upsetting to me."

---