Perhaps she should go to the penthouse after all?
She could drink her coffee on the terrace and enjoy some fresh air. Even in downtown Los Angeles, the air was fresh so high up.
But she'd told Jade that she would wait in the kitchen, and if she went back to the clinic to tell her that she was going upstairs, it would seem as if she was snooping.
With a sigh, Jasmine set about making herself a fresh pot of coffee, her hands moving through the familiar motions with mechanical precision. She measured the grounds, filled the carafe with water, and watched as the dark liquid dripped and hissed into the waiting pot.
As she worked, her mind drifted back to the prince and the moments of connection and understanding.
He liked the name she had given him.
Cedric.
Did he look like a Cedric?
The name evoked an image of a British lord, someone who had graduated from a classy university and spoke with an upper-class diction and vocabulary.
Yeah. She'd read way too many historical romance novels.
Come to think of it, maybe that was where her obsession with royalty had begun.
Half of the heroes in those books were princes. Or maybe it was the other way around, and she'd always known she was destined to meet a prince, and that was why she'd been drawn to those kinds of stories.
As the coffee finished brewing with a final, sputtering hiss, jolting Jasmine from her reverie, she poured herself a mug and sat on one of the barstools next to the polished, stainless steel counter.
48
EDGAR
Edgar stopped in front of the clinic door and wondered whether he should leave the takeout bag outside. The smell of the dishes was delicious, but it could be overwhelming for the clinic and disturb the prince.
That was actually a good reason to bring it in, but he wasn't that much of an asshole. Besides, Bridget might have a problem with Chinese food being brought into her space, and he wasn't stupid enough to get on the doctor's wrong side.
Leaving the bag by the door, he pushed it open and walked in.
Anger rolled in like thunder when he saw the inner door to the prince's room closed. Had Jasmine closed it because she'd wanted to be alone with her prince?
She can do whatever she wants, he reminded himself. You have no right to feel possessive.
"Edgar," Bridget said as she walked out of her office. "What brings you here?"
"Takeout from the Golden Dragon. Are you hungry? I got it for Jasmine, but I have enough for everyone."
He'd gotten it for Jasmine as a gesture of friendship but also to remind her that he was still around, and if her prince turned out to be a frog, she was welcome to return to his arms.
Still, in case Jasmine thought it was creepy, he'd gotten enough to feed the entire clinic staff.
Bridget smiled. "I can't right now, but I'll gladly partake if there are any leftovers." She tilted her chin toward the closed door. "The prince is awake, and Kian is with him along with the Clan Mother, Jade, and Aru."
Edgar didn't know whether he should be relieved that Jasmine wasn't with the prince behind that closed door or more worried because the prince was awake.
Hopefully, the prince had disappointed Jasmine, and she was ready to embrace reality instead of the fantasy she'd created about the half Kra-ell.
"How long has he been awake?" he asked.
"Since early this morning, but he's still frail and sleeps on and off every so often."
"Where is Jasmine?"