Page 60 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

It mattered more for Jasmine than for the girls at the moment. The history she was going to tell them was much more interesting than how exactly they were related, and Jasmine was doing a masterful job of introducing them to their hidden world.

"...so gold is crucial for many things other than making pretty jewelry, and there was plenty of it on Earth, so these aliens who called themselves gods came to mine it." Jasmine's voice carried clearly into the kitchen, her tone perfectly modulated to create suspense. "They were neither angels nor demons, just powerful beings who had mastered the art of genetic manipulation."

Max exchanged glances with Ell-rom as they listened. Jasmine had added dramatic flourishes to parts that didn't strictly need embellishment, but her delivery was captivating. Even knowingevery twist and turn of the story, Max found himself drawn in by her narrative style.

"She's good," he said to Ell-rom, searching for the tea service.

"I know." Ell-rom's eyes lit up with pride. "I wish she could continue performing. It's a shame to let such talent go to waste."

Max nodded as he examined the selection of teas. "True." He chose one that he'd had before and liked and added it to the tea kettle to brew. He then returned to search for a platter for the cookies and found a beautiful silver plate that didn't match anything else in the contemporary kitchen.

Perhaps the Saudi prince who had leased the penthouse a while ago forgot it there.

The Oreos looked almost comically ordinary on such an elegant serving piece, but it didn't matter. Oreos were the best, and the girls were going to like them no matter what they were served on.

As he arranged the cookies in concentric circles, an idea began forming. "Maybe Jasmine can make productions only for clan consumption. She could put them up on our closed-circuit programming." The more he thought about it, the more excited he got by the idea. "It could be something as simple as story time with Jasmine. She could just sit there and read a book, doing all the voices and expressions and maybe even singing when songs were mentioned. I'd watch something like that, and I'm sure many others would."

Ell-rom's expression turned thoughtful as he helped Max gather teacups. "I'll suggest it to her. She doesn't even need to get anyone's approval for that. She can just do it and upload it to the clan's server."

The casual way Ell-rom referenced their technical infrastructure impressed Max. The prince had adapted remarkably well to modern technology considering he'd awakened from a seven-millennia stasis not too long ago and had to learn everything about Earth from scratch. "You've gained a lot of knowledge in a short time. I'm impressed."

Ell-rom shrugged. "It's easy to find answers on the internet if you know how to ask the right questions."

Max laughed. "Ain't that the truth." He opened another cabinet, guessing correctly he would find honey and sugar there. "Knowing what to ask requires wisdom that most lack." In the living room, Jasmine's voice continued painting pictures of ancient gods and their impression on early humans. "But back to Jasmine, I'm sure that Kian would gladly compensate her for producing content that clan members enjoy. Don't forget that our people in Scotland and Alaska are also potential content consumers."

Ell-rom lifted a hand in a calming gesture that reminded Max of Annani. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, I need to suggest it to Jasmine, and then if she wants to do it, she can prepare one episode, and we'll see how well it is received."

"That's smart." Max began loading teacups onto a large round silver tray, positioning them carefully. "I get overexcited about my own ideas, which would explain why I failed at most of my independent endeavors. I never had the patience for proper market research."

Ell-rom looked aghast, and for a long moment he didn't respond, then he let out a breath and leaned against the counter. "I'm the opposite. I tend to overthink everything. Perhaps I'm too cautious."

From the living room, Max could hear Jasmine describing the first immortals, her voice painting vivid pictures of the society of ancient Sumer that were probably mostly fictional.

Ell-rom added the kettle of hot tea in the center of the tray. "We could make good business partners, you and I. Except you are a Guardian and I'm an executioner."

Max cringed. It was easy to forget what the soft-spoken genteel prince was capable of, and it was also obvious how much he hated his ability.

"We are all many things, Ell-rom. You need to find something you love to do to counteract what you hate doing but have to."

The prince nodded. "Good advice. I just wish I knew what that thing was."

"You need to keep trying new things to find out." Max lifted the loaded tray, balancing it on his palm. "Show time."

"Is that how you found out that what you enjoyed most was being a Guardian?" Ell-rom asked.

Max stopped and turned toward the prince. "The things I enjoyed most were singing and hunting for pleasure, but after a while both got old. I needed something to nourish my soul. That's what being a Guardian and saving people does for me. But that's not to say that I enjoy it the most out of all the things I've ever tried."

"That's an interesting perspective." Ell-rom followed Max to the living room. "Not everything that we enjoy doing satisfies us, and the other way around. A balance is needed."

"Precisely."

The tray was steady in his hand as he entered the living room, ready to play his part in this delicate dance of revelation and healing. Sometimes the biggest battles were won not with fists or fangs, but with cookies and kindness.

He put the tray on the coffee table. "Come and get it, ladies."

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KYRA

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