Page 33 of Dark Rebel's Mystery

"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.

21

MAX

Max squinted at the partition between the first-class seats, fighting his curiosity even as he made his way toward the bathroom. One quick glance wouldn't hurt, would it? But when he peeked over, he found Jasmine sleeping peacefully while Ell-rom watched the same mindless action movie Max had abandoned.

Settling back in his seat, Max tried to focus on the film again. The special effects were impressive enough with buildings exploding in hyper-realistic detail and stunts that looked impossibly real, but the plot was laughably thin. Brandon had been right about the decline in quality. It felt like the studios were deliberately aiming for the lowest common denominator.

"They really think people are stupid," he muttered.

On the other side, Brundar grunted in what might have been agreement.

When they landed and picked up their rental car, the mood shifted, growing somber. Jasmine stared out the window,looking tense, and Ell-rom's hand hadn't left hers since they'd gotten in the car.

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