Gemini: Book 4 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) (14 page)

‘I don’t want you to die. You have to kill your brother.’

The decision had already been made. She didn’t have to ask me to get rid of the man, it was something I had already planned. If I could kill Nick in this lifetime, would it change the future? Athena, or Annabelle, would be free to love me in whatever incarnation they found themselves in. There was only a slight doubt in my mind about them being the same person.

‘I will, I stated.

It was time. I squeezed my lover one last time before slowly getting to my feet. My legs were wobbly. I was about to go into battle with my very own brother. The split love and hate I felt for the man was enough to make me shake my head. In this lifetime, I loved him as a brother, even if I did fall in love with his woman. In the lifetime I was meant to be in, I hated him with my whole soul. We had been through enough lifetimes to form a solid hatred for the man that kept trying to destroy the love we had for our soulmate.

‘No matter what happens…’ I glanced down at her. My throat closed in on itself. I wasn’t sad because I might die. I was sad because it seemed such a waste.

‘Don’t. You’ll be fine.’ She rushed to stand and snaked her arms around my waist.

‘Annabelle, listen to me. No matter what happens, I’ll see you again. That I know for certain.’

When she buried her head in my chest, I had to swallow. When would I wake up? I didn’t want to make the wrong choice. I could change history without realising it.

‘I know. I’ll see you in the next lifetime.’

Her words made me freeze. I was about to pull away to face my fate. Instead, I took the top of her arms and looked down into her eyes.

‘How do you know?’

She half frowned, half smiled. Her gaze remained on mine. I couldn’t help but stare at her. The depths of her eyes were mesmerizing. I hadn’t noticed it before. Flecks of gold ran through the dark brown.

‘We meet every lifetime. You told me that. Don’t you remember?’

Closing my eyes, I let my lips rest on her forehead. Of course I didn’t remember. However, I couldn’t let her know that.

‘Right. It’s time to kill my brother,’ I said, gently setting her away from me and picking up the musket that lay on the floor nearby. It had been there all along. Did I live in the barn loft?

‘You sound so confident. I hope you’re right.’

So did I.

Examining the gun, I held its weight in my palm. The cool metal was prepped and ready to fire. Spinning on my heel, I went towards the ladder. If I was meant to die, or kill Nick, I better get it over with.

‘Wait!’ Annabelle hurried over. Taking a handkerchief from her pocket, she tucked it into the waistband of my trousers. ‘For luck.’

I grinned, swept her into a low bow and kissed her thoroughly. A cockerel in the distance chanted its morning call. It was time to meet my fate. Letting Annabelle go, I descended into the barn and went straight out of the door without looking back. A part of me hoped that she would stay behind and spare herself the horror of watching one of us die.

‘Good morning, brother,’ Nick greeted as I stepped through the door.

He waited on his horse. A couple of his men stood behind him, waiting for their orders. He was a few years older than me. My youthful body was double his in size but his age made him superior.

‘So young. You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?’ Nick spat.

I glanced down at the musket. Could I shoot him now and get it over with? His eyes narrowed on me. His head started to slowly move back and forth. He read me like an open book.

‘I don’t know what I’ve done. Tell me,’ I replied, holding the gun to my side.

Nick jumped off his horse and handed the reins to one of his men. His long red hair blew in the wind that started to move around us. It was a bright clear day. Was my power still with me? Even all the way back then?

‘You’re getting annoyed. You have no right to be angry, Jem.’

My name in the 1600s was quite similar to my current one. There was no denying that I was experiencing another lifetime. It wasn’t a dream. It was real. What an interesting predicament I found myself in. I was about to kill our enemy as Gemini in the body of Jeremy. The others wouldn’t quite believe it when I told them.

‘You want to stop love. The need in you to drive apart those that love each other is stronger than I’ve ever known…brother.’ The last word was pushed through my teeth. ‘However, I’m someone that will protect love from harm.’

Nick’s laugh echoed around the yard. Fields rolled away from us on either side. Trees stood in the distance. No matter what happened, at least I could say that I had been to America.

‘You don’t know how to love. You think you should be in love. Your heart doesn’t know what it’s feeling at any one time. You flit here and there with other women, too. Has that escaped your memory?’

My back stiffened at Annabelle’s gasp. She had come out to watch. Surely I wasn’t unfaithful to her? She was my soulmate. In 2015, I wasn’t in a relationship. I was allowed to be with whoever I wanted. In the 1600s, I had found my soulmate.

‘Jem?’

Her quiet call made me turn to look at her. What could I say? I had no idea if I was faithful to her in the current lifetime. Her gaze searched mine. I hoped she would find sincerity in my eyes. The smile that lit her face satisfied me. Nick wasn’t telling the truth.

‘I used to be like that but not anymore. Not since finding Annabelle,’ I shouted.

Nick started to pace the small area in front of me. He was a few hundred yards away. It was now or never. It didn’t seem as if I was going back to my current life before the guns were fired.

‘Annabelle, go back inside. It’s time to end this,’ I shouted behind me.

The blast of gunfire mixed with the scream of my lover. A thud shuddered through my chest. My body flew back and landed with a smack on the dirt. The numb pain that vibrated through me made me blink in the dust.

‘No! Please. Stay with me!’ Her anguished cry was joined with her arms cradling me against her stomach. Her knees supported my back as she leant over and pressed her hand to my heart.

‘I love you.’ I gasped.

The air that I tried to heave into my lungs was lost. My thundering heart stopped beating. Her tears dripped onto my face as she kissed me softly for the last time. I had been wrong. My confidence had failed me. When would I learn that sometimes, I would lose?

Chapter Sixteen

Air rushed straight into my lungs. Sitting bolt upright, I looked around me. The sun shone straight into my eyes. I blinked, trying to get perspective. The grass was soft against my palms.

Shouting. Someone was shouting.

‘Gemini! Get him!’

My brothers still hovered by the trees. Nick was standing over me, smirking down at my battered body. I had only been gone for a few seconds. How was that possible?

‘You just killed me,’ I mumbled.

Nick went still. His hand had been wiping his chin but the movement stopped with my words. The grey eyes were the same.

Athena! Searching the park, I heaved a sigh when I spotted her standing with my brothers. The shade of the trees was a good hiding place. Other walkers in the park didn’t seem to be coming in our direction. How had Nick done that?

‘Get to your feet,’ Nick said.

Brushing the dirt from my suit jacket, I did as he said. He had won in the lifetime that I had just left. I wasn’t going to let him win this time. It was over. Our power trip. The fights. All of it would end this lifetime.

‘Did you visit somewhere else? I’m getting a little concerned about your trips down memory lane. The Zodiacs are easier to control when you don’t remember.’

Nick sized me up. We stood facing each other. Liam had backed off, leaving his father to fight his fight.

‘Not man enough to stand up to me, Liam?’ I called.

I couldn’t help it. His weak ways came from his evil father. The resemblance of energy was clear now.

Liam spat on the ground before taking a step forward. Nick held up his hand. ‘Don’t,’ he warned.

The moment was suspended as we stood, waiting for the next move. What would Nick do? What could I do? The ending of the last lifetime was not to my liking. It was like déjà vu as we stood facing each other again.

‘I’m bored. You can’t kill me. I can’t kill you. What are we doing here?’ I said.

Nick opened his mouth to speak. No sound came from him. A fast moving object buried itself into his arm. It was a bright yellow tranquiliser dart. His eyelids started to flutter as he fell to his knees. The same sound of flying objects echoed around us. I fell to the ground and covered my head with my arms. Liam and the other men fell to the ground too.

‘Gemini!’

I looked over at the trees. My brothers and Athena moved away from the men that had been guarding them. They were also on the floor.

‘What’s going on?’ I shouted.

I searched the area with my gaze but couldn’t find where the darts had come from. Whoever was firing them had a bloody good aim. Aries reached me first. Dragging me to my feet, he pulled me away from Nick and his men.

‘Look!’ Leo shouted from behind.

We moved as quickly as we could. People would start asking questions if they noticed the men passed out on the floor. Athena trailed behind with Scorpio. I followed the direction of Leo’s outstretched arm. Cancer was waving from the entrance to the park. She gestured to a bush not far from her. The person that had shot them was obviously hiding there. Were they a threat to us, too?

‘Who is that?’ Aries called to her as we made our way over.

A giggle escaped her as Matt crawled out from under the greenery. Shaking my head, I smacked him on the back as soon as he was upright. ‘Thank you.’

‘We need to hurry up,’ Athena said, taking my hand.

Looking down at her, I nodded. She cupped my cheek briefly before letting go. We followed the others to our van. There were only six seats and seven people. I hovered by the passenger door after Athena climbed in. Cancer and Matt stood on the pavement.

‘You go. I’ll head back to your fathers,’ Matt told Cancer.

She shook her head, refusing to leave him.

‘Cancer, come on!’

I got in next to Leo. Why were they letting him drive? He was the worst driver. I checked that Athena was in the back. Scorpio spoke to her in a quiet voice. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. He was probably chatting her up. I would kill him if he even dared to try.

‘Cancer! Get in!’ Aries snapped, opening the door.

Matt pushed her towards the van. She tried to hold on to him but Aries took her arm and pulled. Leo had started the engine. He revved the accelerator.

‘Wait for her!’ I said, slapping his arm when he reached for the handbrake.

Cancer finally got in the back. Aries slammed the door shut. Leo reached down, unclicked the handbrake and sped off. Looking into the side mirror, I gasped as two men in black came out of the park. Matt was grabbed from behind before he realised what had happened.

‘Crap, they got him,’ I said.

Aries glared at me when Cancer cried out. She really was in love with him. The man had worked for our enemy but it didn’t matter to her.

‘What the hell do we do now?’ Leo shouted.

Everyone in the van started to talk at once.

‘I think we should go home. We need to get Athena away from Nick,’ I spoke over them.

Leo glanced at me sideways. A smirk crossed his lips. I ignored it. Glancing behind me, I studied my twin flame. She nibbled on her lip as she looked down at her lap, nodding as Scorpio spoke to her. Whatever he said went in one ear and out the other. Her ponytail hung down the side of her neck, almost falling into her cleavage.

She glanced up. Our eyes met. It was her. There was no doubt in my mind. Annabelle. Her chest rose and fell. Mine matched it. There was no need for words. Just that one look said it all. We were twin flame soulmates. There was only one thing left for us to do. Unite before Nick could tear us apart.

Chapter Seventeen

‘Who are all these people?’ Athena asked me the next morning.

We stood in the kitchen in my home. It felt good to be back. Eleven of my siblings and the three partners huddled in separate parts of the room. The noise was a hum as they chatted amongst themselves.

‘My brothers and sisters,’ I replied, looking down at her.

Her eyes widened as she counted the people in the room. ‘All fourteen of them?’

I laughed at her gaping mouth. The colour had returned to her cheeks after a good night sleep. She had slept in the girls’ bedroom. It was sensible. Probably better to stay away from me for now. I still had a certain cougar to sort out.

Our posture was relaxed but the energy between us vibrated. For once in my life, I didn’t need to communicate with words.

‘We need to talk,’ she said.

‘Gemini, we need you,’ Scorpio called from the other side of the room.

I smiled at Athena, shrugging as I walked away. The group I joined consisted of Scorpio, Pisces, Antony and Leo.

‘I could kiss you,’ I muttered to Scorpio.

Leo burst out laughing. The sound echoed around the room, causing everyone to turn and stare at us. ‘I didn’t know you were gay, mate,’ he said.

‘It’s hardly a surprise, is it? I mean, who wouldn’t want to kiss me?’ Scorpio said. His face was completely straight. He believed every word.

‘Oh, stop it!’ Pisces giggled.

Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. Antony stood with a grin on his face and an arm around his girl. The ease of contact between them made me hope for a time when Athena and I would be in that place.

‘I wasn’t…never mind,’ I muttered, flicking Leo’s arm when he put it around my shoulders.

We had become undeniably closer since Pisces started our mission with a bang. When she found Antony, it had sparked us to realise that it was serious. What our parents had taught us was real.

‘We have two problems. Firstly, Liam knows where we live. Which means Nick knows where we live. Secondly, we haven’t heard from Matt since we left him yesterday.’ Scorpio ran a hand through his fluffy blond hair. It flopped back into his eyes. He needed a haircut.

‘Does that mean we have to move again?’ I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

Aries chatted to Athena. She smiled up at him when he demonstrated his legs to her. In the past, I might have been jealous. It didn’t matter now. A calm that I had never felt in my neurotic body had settled in. This was it.

Pisces had been open about her union with Antony. Aries had kept it private but we could see the change in him. Taurus blew my mind with the way he now behaved.

‘I think this is a discussion for everyone,’ Scorpio said.

He was right. We had to talk about what would happen going forward. Nick had stepped up his game. His fear was founded. Three of us had already united. Was I on the verge?

‘Can I have everyone’s attention?’ I shouted.

All eyes turned to me. I cleared my throat and nodded at Aries, who came to stand by my side. Athena’s gaze travelled over everyone as they focused, waiting for me to speak. Chairs moved, stools scraped the floor.

‘Things have changed. Firstly, Aquarius, I’m sorry that you got the blame yesterday,’ I started. ‘One of us should have let you know about the meeting.’

He nodded once, running his hand down his purple tie.

Athena watched me. Her gaze trailed over my perfectly gelled hair and down my grey suit. My shirt was immaculate.

‘We’re playing it too cool,’ Aries took over. ‘Nick is going to get even more aggressive. Gemini is almost done with the first part of his mission.’ Aries winked at Athena. She frowned when everyone laughed at her innocence.

‘I’m not sure she wants to stay to find out what Gemini is all about,’ Virgo called.

Athena watched her. Her eyes were huge. She looked like a deer in headlights. It wasn’t an uncommon expression. In fact, it could be associated with anyone that entered our lives. The other three partners had exactly the same expression when their Zodiac had explained.

‘Athena, I apologise for my siblings. I have a lot to tell you. Please bear with me.’

Sucking her lip into her mouth, she nodded. I resisted the urge to go to her. The dark waves of her hair hung over her shoulders. The dress she wore was tight, black and just above the knee. Her makeup wasn’t as thick as it had been. I liked it. Much more subtle.

‘Will we have to move?’ Pisces chimed in.

Antony shuffled on his feet. Aries bounced on his prosthetics. Running. Again. It didn’t matter how much we tried to get away, Nick always found us. Our energy led him to where we were.

‘I don’t want to run anymore,’ I stated.

The others mumbled their agreement. Our partners watched us. It was their fight, too. Even though we had our separate mission, we were in it together. We could only defeat the Dysfunctionals if every one of us found our soulmate.

‘Then we stay. Aquarius, can you set up a tight security system?’ Aries said.

Our resident technical whizz nodded. ‘I can but we’ll have to watch our backs. Be on constant alert. Are you sure we shouldn’t move?’

Gazes clashed as we looked around. Maybe he was right. A fresh start with a better plan. My palms started to sweat when my gaze caught Athena’s. She wasn’t even aware that we were going to live together.

‘How about a bigger place this time?’ a deep voice asked.

We turned in unison to the front door. It hadn’t made a sound when it opened. Father stood with Mother and Bev on either side of him.

‘What are you doing here?’ Taurus blurted.

Father shook his head at my brother’s bluntness. They came into the house. Mother and Bev went over to the kitchen area and started to pull mugs out of the cupboards. It seemed everyone would be getting a cup of tea while we spoke business.

‘I have a property not too far from here. It’s not quite finished but I’m sure you can make something of it. It’s not the luxury you’re used to, however.’ Father gestured for Aries to sit as he came to stand next to me.

‘Is it big enough?’ Pisces asked.

‘What do you mean not quite finished?’ Virgo spoke up.

The smile that spread my father’s lips was reflected by my mother. She leant against the work surface, studying each one of us. It had been a long time since we had all been in the same room.

‘It’s more like a warehouse than an actual house at the moment.’

Virgo pushed from her seat. ‘Don’t expect me to go and live in a dump!’

We laughed. Our sister liked things just so. However, if it gave us the space we craved and room for each of our partners, surely it would be something we could get used to.

‘I don’t want to live in a dump either,’ I said, interrupting everyone. ‘But we need to start again.’

‘As long as Athena keeps it clean, Gemini will be happy,’ Virgo said.

I glared at her, avoiding Athena’s gaze. She had no idea who these people were. The poor girl had been shoved into a room full of madness.

‘He’s quite clean. If she doesn’t, he will,’ Cancer called.

This was it. My life. My family. Sometimes I wished it wasn’t. Other times, I was happy with them. We gathered for dinner almost every day, yet we couldn’t have a discussion without someone cussing someone else. That was the nature of our family. Twelve twenty odd year olds and three partners made it hard to get along all the time.

‘That’s enough. You lot haven’t changed one bit, have you? Have you not learnt anything?’ Mother’s stern tone made us look to the ground.

It had been years since she had admonished us. Her tone was belied by the smile on her face.

‘It’s Gemini’s fault,’ Aries moaned.

I held my hands to the side. Why had I become the centre of attention? Just because I liked to talk, didn’t mean I had to.

‘This warehouse, Father, does it at least have more than one bathroom?’ Virgo asked.

Father ran his hand over his grey hair. It was styled nicely, back from his face. I probably picked up a bit of his stylish ways. He also wore a grey suit. The resemblance in our appearance gave me pause. I had never noticed how I copied him.

‘You’re like two peas in a pod,’ Leo said, noticing the way I watched our father.

‘He learnt from the best,’ Father said. ‘Yes, Virgo, there are bathrooms. It has two floors. I’m getting a big kitchen finished as we speak. I was going to rent it out. However, you seem to have revealed your whereabouts.’ He looked at me pointedly before winking at the rest of the family. ‘So you may use it until you’ve completed your mission.’

‘Mission?’ Athena had kept quiet the whole time. Her voice was new to us. We paused, waiting for her questions. ‘Who are you?’ She made eye contact with every single one of us. Most of us met her gaze but some avoided it.

‘We’re the Zodiacs,’ was the only answer I could give. How could I explain what we were when it was so messed up?

‘Are you some sort of superheroes or something?’

For the first time since meeting, I had managed to confuse her. She frowned. Her hands wrung together in front of her.

Glancing around, my gaze landed on Father, pleading for the best way to answer. He shrugged his broad shoulders, which really was no help. The others stayed quiet for once. It was down to me to explain our whole existence to a woman that I had some sort of bond with.

‘You believe in fate?’ I asked her directly.

Athena nodded, not looking away from me when the others started to whisper between themselves.

‘Do you believe in destiny? That we have come here to do something important?’

I watched her. The smooth line of her throat moved as she swallowed. The blink of her eyes when she contemplated my question. The shuffle of one foot as our gaze met.

‘Yes, I think I do.’

Her whisper was audible in the silence. My siblings were as mesmerised as I was. It wasn’t anything to do with the way we looked, it was the energy that bounced between us.

‘Everyone has a destiny. The difference between us and everyone else, is that we know what ours is. Father and Mother, they’re not our real parents, as you can probably tell.’ I gestured to Aquarius and Capricorn. Just two of the siblings from a completely different culture to the rest of us.

Athena’s gaze swept over them but came quickly back to mine. She nodded for me to go on.

‘They’re our guardians. When we were born, they brought us together and named us after the Zodiac sign we were born under. We each have a mission. The first part is simple. Fall in love with the right person. The second part isn’t so simple. We have to lead the way for the others.’

‘Others?’

I put my hands in my pocket and took a step towards her. We were attached by a thread of energy. She pulled me without even realising it. Another step forward and she countered it with her own, bringing us closer.

‘There are many couples out there that are true soulmates. They share a unique love. However, they find it hard to stay together once they meet.’

My feet moved me. Everyone in the room had disappeared. All I could see was her. She took another step. What was happening between us?

‘And by getting with your soulmate, you’re going to show them how it’s done? How will you do that?’ she quietly asked.

I smiled. It was a question I hadn’t prepared for. It didn’t stop me from answering, though. ‘By being the best lover in the world. I can do that.’

Someone scoffed, probably Leo. I didn’t let them distract me. Athena was completely focused on me. Just the way I wanted it.

‘As cheesy as it sounds, we show others by loving each other as naturally as possible. No hang ups. No conditions. No co-dependency. You may have noticed that you’ve been changing. Not only when you met me but before that, too. I know I have. Since knowing you, I’ve had to face myself and I still have some work to do.’ The sentiment flowed out of me. Unrehearsed. The charm had gone. It was real. The whole soulmate thing was real.

My last step was slow and deliberate. When I took it, Athena’s head tipped back. Her hair fell away from her shoulders and down to her waist.

‘I have been changing. I started to have dreams and wanted to get away from the life I was in,’ Athena whispered.

We didn’t touch. There was no need to. Our energy mixed together as we stared into each other’s eyes. It was new. It was exciting.

‘It’s never an easy relationship but once you’ve found one another, there’s no going back. It changes you. Forces you to see parts of yourself that you never realised existed. You run from it, time and again, but you’re always drawn back.’ I paused as I glanced at my guardians. ‘Even my parents went through it. They’ve been drawn back together. Although, their relationship is different now.’

‘Sounds familiar.’ She laughed.

The sound made me smile. It was so silent in the room. I wanted to check that everyone was still there but I didn’t break the spell.

‘Do you remember fairy tales?’

She nodded, blinking fast.