Page 62 of Dark Witch Resurrection

As Jade inclined her head in acknowledgment, his mother turned to him. "How long do you want me to hide from my brother that I am his sister?"

"Not long. I just don't want you to tell him right away. I want to see if he knows anything about Ahn, and that means waiting for him to remember and not feeding him information that might skew his responses. You should also tamp down your glow."

His mother grimaced. "Only until I reveal who I am."

Kian nodded.

"What about Jasmine?" Syssi asked. "She sits by his side day and night." She looked at Kian. "Are you okay with her meeting the Clan Mother?"

He winced. "Not yet. We will have to get her out of there."

"I'll do that," Jade offered.

Syssi arched a brow.

"What are you going to tell her?"

"I don't need to give her a reason. I'll instruct her to wait in the penthouse or the kitchen until I tell her it's okay to return." Jade smiled coldly. "People usually don't argue with me."

46

THE PRINCE

Time seemed to slip away as the minutes and hours blurred together in a haze. The prince drifted in and out of sleep, his mind still a jumbled mess of fragmented memories and half-formed thoughts, but things were not as chaotic as they had been when he had first become aware. He wondered why he felt calm instead of frantic.

It was the smell.

The female, Jasmine, the one who was named after a white, sweet-smelling flower. She didn't smell sweet, not entirely. There were spicy and musky undertones, too, and he wondered whether the scent was natural or artificial.

Feeling the first tendrils of wakefulness pulling at his eyelids, he opened his eyes, a smile lifting his lips when he saw her sitting by his bed and still holding on to his hand.

"Well, hello." She grinned at him. "I'm so happy that seeing me makes you smile. You must be feeling a little better."

"I do feel better, and seeing you makes me happy." He tried to squeeze her fingers, but his hand didn't obey his command.

He couldn't remember if he had ever held a female's hand other than his sister's. He must have held his mother's hand but didn't remember that either. How old was he?

"You are sad again. What were you just thinking about?"

"I do not know how old I am. Is there a way to tell?"

"I can tell you are an adult, but I do not know enough about your kind to even try to guess your age."

"What is my kind?"

"Don't you remember anything besides your sister?"

He had a feeling that she was avoiding answering on purpose. Maybe she didn't know what he was.

Maybe he was a survivor of a crash landing on a distant planet?

Something tickled his memory again.

A uniform.

It was a disguise. He had never worn one before. He had been used to comfortable, loose robes…

Princely robes?

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