Page 20 of Dark Rebel’s Mystery (The Children Of The Gods #92)

20

JASMINE

I t was still dark outside when Jasmine and Ell-rom left Brandon's house. Settling into the SUV's back seat, she stifled a yawn and allowed her eyelids to succumb to gravity's pull. The familiar scent of leather seats and Ell-rom's cologne wrapped around her like a cozy blanket.

"Tired?" Ell-rom's voice was soft as she leaned against his arm.

"Mmm." She snuggled closer. "This is an ungodly hour to be awake."

Max slid in beside her, and she tensed momentarily, remembering his not-so-friendly attitude from before. He'd apologized to Ell-rom for how he'd treated her, but he hadn't apologized to her yet.

Besides, having any guy who wasn't her mate sit so close felt awkward, uncomfortable to the point that she felt her skin prickling. It reminded her of what Margo had said about fated mates. Once they were bonded, they couldn't feel attraction toward anyone else and were even repulsed by members of the opposite gender.

Evidently it was true because, under different circumstances, she would have found Max attractive. He smelled of soap, shampoo, and cologne, and his clothes had been freshly laundered. There was nothing about him that should have repulsed her.

"You can sleep on the plane," Anandur said as Brundar took the passenger seat. "It's a five-hour flight to New Jersey."

"I like flying," Jasmine said.

Generally, that was true, but today she was flying to meet her father and confront him about her mother's fate, and she was scared of what she was going to learn.

Beside her, Ell-rom shifted. "I've never experienced taking to the air before."

"Actually, you did." Jasmine lifted her head to look at him. "We didn't drive you here from Tibet. You flew."

"I was in stasis and unaware." His fingers drummed nervously on his thigh. "How safe is this mode of transportation?"

"Very safe." She covered his hand with hers, stilling the nervous movement. "Safer than riding in a car."

"Look on the bright side," Anandur called from the front, waggling his eyebrows in the rearview mirror. "You'll get a chance to join the mile-high club. That should distract you from worrying about flying."

As Max snorted beside her, Jasmine felt her cheeks warm up.

Ell-rom's brow furrowed in confusion. "What kind of club is that?"

Anandur's grin widened. "It has to do with having first-class lie-flat seats with privacy partitions. You can do a lot of naughty things provided that your thralling and shrouding ability is any good and you can maintain it while doing other things. It requires skill."

As understanding dawned on Ell-rom's face and a deep blush spread across his cheeks, Jasmine couldn't help but find it adorable, especially given how uninhibited he usually was in private. But that was the thing—Ell-rom was a very private person, and doing what Anandur had suggested required a risqué character, which her prince lacked.

"I... that's..." he stammered, then gathered himself. "Even if I could thrall the other passengers, Max and Brundar's seats are right behind us."

"You might be able to thrall us," Max said. "You are half god after all."

Ell-rom shook his head. "I can't. I tried."

"No need," Brundar spoke up unexpectedly, but his usually stoic expression remained unchanged. "I intend to put my earphones on and catch up on the latest movies."

Given the look Anandur cast his brother, he was just as surprised by his declaration as everyone else in the car.

Max's shoulders shook with laughter. "I intend to do the same with the earpieces that William designed. They filter all outside noise."

Jasmine felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach. Pressing closer to Ell-rom, she brushed her lips over his ear. "It could be fun," she whispered. "A little adventure."

"I don't think so," Ell-rom said with as much indignation as he could muster, given his slightly elongated fangs.

Max snickered on her other side. "A piece of advice, Prince. Never say no to your lady. Whatever she wants goes."

Anandur lifted his bushy red brows, looking at Max through the rearview mirror. "As the only unmated guy in this car, I don't think you are qualified to give advice, but I happen to agree."

When Ell-rom stiffened, and not in the way Jasmine would have liked, she patted his thigh. "We were just teasing, love. And anyway, we need to talk about strategy and how we are going to approach my father when we surprise him in the cabin. It's not like he's expecting us."

"Simple," Anandur said. "You got confused about the dates and brought your boyfriend and his two bodyguards to the cabin on the wrong weekend."

That was actually not a bad idea. Kian had explained that it would be best to get her father in a relaxed mood before asking him questions, so he wouldn't put up mental barriers. She even planned on purchasing a fine bottle of whiskey on the way to help things along.

"It would go well with my story of being a prince," Ell-rom said.

"You are a prince." She lifted her face and kissed the underside of his jaw. "Literally and figuratively."

The conversation lulled as they merged onto the highway, streetlights casting intermittent shadows through the windows. Jasmine let her eyes drift closed, idly playing with Ell-rom's fingers.

She thought back to the lullabies she'd listened to on YouTube last night, some in Farsi and some in Kurdish. She hadn't found the one her mother used to sing to her, but she was pretty sure that it sounded more Farsi than Kurdish.

The Farsi language lent itself to gentle, rounded vowels. It felt as if the words curled in on themselves, soothing her in a melodic arc even if she hadn't understood the lyrics. Kurdish had sharper consonants, a subtle friction hidden in the words, and it gave the melody a slight edge—less polished.

"First time flying and joining the mile-high club on the same day," Anandur mused, looking at Ell-rom through the rearview mirror. "Lots of excitement."

"Please stop saying that," Ell-rom said, but there was no real heat in his voice. "Not happening."

"Just trying to help you focus on something other than flight anxiety."

"Yes, because what you suggest is so relaxing."

Jasmine chuckled. "I'll probably sleep through the entire flight. I want to arrive refreshed and alert. Wake me when we get to the airport." She settled more comfortably against Ell-rom's shoulder.