Origin (Eternal Sacrifice Saga Book 2) (16 page)

“What do you mean?” Remie asked.

“Once Gemini are matched, they have until the following Summer Solstice to Converge, just like Zoe and I.”

Julian exhaled, gripping his beer bottle with both hands.

“I don’t know. We almost—you know.” His face turned crimson. “We stopped though, had a big date planned, but then Zoe told her it was official. Rainah kind of quit talking to me for a minute. Now she’s being forced to train with me, and she’s not happy about it. It only seems to make her mad about the whole thing. The girl kicks my arse on a daily basis.”

“That sounds about right. Rainah wants to control everything. I think it’s the fallout from our parents,” Remie said. “Maybe try some reverse psychology?”

Julian shrugged. “I’ll try anything. I—yeah.” His face flushed. “She’s got me hooked.”

Remie smiled. “You’ll be good for her. Balance her out, I think. Won’t take her crap.” He laughed. “I’m glad she chose you.”

“Thanks, man.” Julian slapped Remie’s back. “That means a lot.”

“What about Micah?” Remie asked. “He’s the only Firstborn left without a Gemini.”

“Only Zoe can answer that.” I took a drink of my bourbon. “She’s not mentioned anything yet. But it’s certainly a priority.”

“Poor girl. All that pressure.” Loren added. “I’ve always felt sorry for your Gemini. Taking on all that responsibility alone.”

“Yes, well that’s why she has you. And me,” I said. “We’re her support. Now, more than ever, we need to remain behind her. Holding her up when she wants to fall. I cannot do it all alone.”

“We’re all here for you, brother.” Loren lifted his glass. “To family.”

We all raised our drinks.

“To family.”

Zoe

“Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing” The Eternal girls chanted in unison.

“No, stop.” I shook my head, drowning myself in my wine.

Phoebe pressed her lips tight.

“Oh, please?” Hannah pleaded. “I haven’t heard you sing in so long. It would be fabulous. Please?”

I blew out a breath, staring over at Cade. He must have sensed my anxiety from across the room. Because I could feel his.

He glared, trying to decipher my mood or maybe read my mind? I wasn’t sure, but he was visibly concerned. I could feel his heart thumping as mine tried to catch up.

It’s funny, I didn’t notice our heartbeats melding often, though I suspected it happened more than I paid attention to.

“You okay?”
I whispered in Cade’s head, checking to see if he could hear me.

“Yes, love. Are you?”

I shrugged.

“Why won’t you sing?”

I stared down at my fingers, gripping my wine glass.

“I—just can’t.”

Phoebe came over and sat beside me.

“I need a refill.” I signaled to the waiter, who jumped at my empty glass wave. “So Rainah. How are things going with Julian?” I stared at her, sitting across the table.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ladies? We’re supposed to be having fun here.” Hannah teased.

It was cool meeting new Eternals, but I wasn’t in the mood for entertaining anyone tonight.

“Your training is coming along,” Sophie said. “You seem to have mastered the basics. Advanced techniques will come once you reach your memories.”

The memories conversation was like a broken record. It’s all anybody talked about anymore, and I was frankly sick of it all. Alcohol brain wasn’t helping me remember, but at least the knot had disappeared from my chest.

The waiter set a new glass down in front of me, and I snatched it up and sucked it down.

I was feeling pretty tipsy, but not tipsy enough to effectively deal with Eternal business when I should be home getting busy with my Gemini. I’d never been drunk before—buzzed, maybe. Never drunk. But this Moscato relaxed me in a way I hadn’t felt in a while, so I just kept on drinking.

“Can you just bring me a bottle of this?” I raised my glass to the waiter.

He nodded.

Sophie glared. “Is that wise, Zoe?”

I widened my eyes.

She blew out a breath and sighed. “I apologize,
Chayah
.”

I kind of liked this respect thing, though I wasn’t sure why they did it. Especially Sophie. I mean, she was my Guardian after the foster demon burnt down his house so to now have her acting like I was queen was kind of crazy.

“I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon. I should be doing the dirty with my man.” I gestured my wine glass back toward Cade. “But instead, I’ve been training. So to make it up to me, tonight—” I raised my glass to her. “I’m drinking.”

The waiter set down the open bottle of Moscato, and I grabbed it out of his hand, taking a drink.

To hell with it.

What should be the best week of my life, was again, overshadowed by duty. Sacrifice. I was allowed a little pity party for one damn night. It’s not like I wouldn’t do it over again—but it still didn’t make all this hard.

I’m twenty-one. A girl who just extinguished her human dreams for an immortal life she can’t remember.

The least they could do is give me a minute to figure things out.

For the next twenty minutes, I completely tuned out the room and focused on sucking down my wine, enjoying the fuzzy buzzing swirling in my head.

I picked up the bottle and downed another big swig letting the last few drops of Moscato drizzle onto my tongue.

A zing of electricity shot through to my fingertips when a familiar grip braced my shoulders.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against Cade’s chest.

“Come on, love. I think girl’s night is over. It’s my turn.”

I nodded as he reached for my hands and pulled me to my feet.

Cade picked up my jacket and slipped it on over my arms.

Random voices threw out words to us as I squeezed my eyes shut, letting Cade walk me out of the club toward a secluded place where we could jump a bridge back to Villa Adams.

The nightclub was in the Bay of Naples. It was dark and late, but there were some people out wandering the streets. The shore was lit up with a few boats in the harbor, reflections of the lights shining off the water.

“Why wouldn’t you sing, love?”

I shrugged.

“This isn’t healthy. Any of it.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m just trying to adjust.”

“Denying who you are is not adjusting.” He kissed my forehead. “Well, you’ve earned a day off. No Genesis business, I swear.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

Cade stopped moving and slowly turned me around to face him, making my stomach feel icky. He lifted my chin.

“When I make a promise, I do everything in my power to keep it. Barring any Eternal disaster, tomorrow is for pleasure.”

“Okay.”

I sighed, turning to stare out at the bay, at the boats rocking in the harbor. There was something about the ocean. The water. The crash of the waves as they rolled up onto the shore that calmed my nerves, soothing me like the sound of Cade’s heart.

Too bad it wasn’t warm enough to swim. Or even dip my feet in.

I glanced up at Cade. He stood a foot away, hands in his pockets. Wrinkles creasing his forehead.

Selfish me hadn’t really thought about how all this affected him. He had his memories of Zoe 1.0 intact. Memories of their lives together.

Maybe he missed her.

I wish I remembered what was so amazing about Zoe 1.0.

It was impossible competing against a ghost.

Cade loved me, though. No matter which version of Zoe I was. I felt it. Though I couldn’t read his thoughts very often, the look on his face, the light in his cerulean eyes told his story, like the beating of his steady heart in my wrist.

Cade’s love for me was palpable.

Just knowing he loved me made this all worth it. Knowing that despite the sacrifices we’d all have to make, I would always have him by my side. Protecting me. Loving me.

I owed Cade. So much. The very least I could do was give him my trust. My heart. Though in time, I was sure I’d realize he’d had it all along.

I understood then, I wasn’t giving up a dream of my own to be with Cade.

We were building a new life.

Together.

Pity party over.

A beautiful tingle coursed through me. Heat raced to my belly, just below the surface, waking places I hadn’t known existed before the Convergence.

Cade’s gravitational pull drew me to his body. To his soul. Our Origin.

The night of our Convergence, our souls united for the first time. I learned what it really meant to feel complete.

Lately, I knew how it felt to be alone.

Tonight, I needed Cade back. Needed to feel his soul inside me, literally. Not in the dirty sex way, though that was fun too, but in the sense of completion.

Without him inside me, my soul felt empty.

Barren.

Cade’s soul completed me when we Converged. And now while I was internally warring with myself, I desperately needed some clarity. Maybe a Convergence would give me some.

With my gaze glued to his, I slowly tiptoed my way closer.

Cade’s body moved toward me.

Twin Souls, drawn together.

Like gravity.

“Cade?” Raz and Sophie stepped up behind him, stealing our moment.

I closed my eyes. “Damn it.”

Every freaking time.

Cade blew out a breath, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Never fails, does it,” I mumbled beneath my breath, setting my hands on my hips and staring at my feet.

“What is it?” Cade grumbled.

“We wanted to check on you. And discuss a few things before we left.”

I glanced up. “You’re leaving?”

Sophie nodded.

“Yes, Chayah. You need time alone to reseal your bond. We need you at your strongest to fight the darkness, and it won’t happen like this. Your gifts are symbiotic,” Raz said. “Genesis does not work without your team at its strongest. Cade’s gifts are not one hundred percent unless yours are.”

“So all this is affecting you as much as me?” I glanced to Cade.

I was hurting him. A knot tightened in my chest.

“You and Cade are the Origin of the Genesis bloodline. The Eternal family. Adam and Eve were the first Twin Souls, and now you and Cade, the first Gemini,” Raz said. “The Genesis bloodline draws its power, its strength from yours. If you’re vulnerable, we all are.”

“I had no idea.”

That was huge.

I knew remembering my life was important, but I had no clue it went that deep with Genesis. We truly were the foundation of my family. Of humanity.

I had to get it together.

“I want to apologize,” Sophie said.

“For what?”

“For being overbearing. And thinking my way was appropriate. I forgot my place. Perhaps being your Guardian clouded my judgment. I must respect your needs. You’ve always known what was best for you and Cade, and I’ve interfered. So for that, I apologize. I will trust your lead from here on.”

Wow.
My eyes grew wide.

Was I in another universe?

Did Sophie really just say I knew what I was doing? I didn’t know how to react to that.

For so long, Sophie was like a mother figure, but in reality, I was kind of hers. I was kind of everybody’s.

Raz set his hand on my shoulder. “We cannot expect you to trust in yourself if we don’t give you ours in return.”

That’s all it took. Those words.

Trust really was key.

Raz said it back in Chicago.

Gabrielle said it.

Cade said it.

I’d been balking at all this, not because I was being selfish, but because deep down, at the core of my soul, I believed the only way Cade and I could be at our most powerful was if we spent time strengthening our relationship.

Trust for each other.

I’d been right all along, I’d just been playing the wrong cards.

That changed now.

My need for time alone with Cade was grounded in more truth than I ever realized.

Everyone’s lack of trust in Zoe 2.0 had made me weak, even made me doubt my instincts and myself. Doubt my Origin. Maybe I was an Empath, feeding off of everyone’s emotions, feeding off their lack of trust in me?

The only way to change that was to change myself.

I had to step it up. Be more assertive. More aggressive in protecting my relationship with Cade. My family. I knew what I had to do.

Woman up.

“That’s right, love.” Cade smiled. Stepping up, he took me into his arms.

He must have heard my thoughts.

“You’re the foundation of Genesis,” Sophie said. “Our family and its legacy. It cannot work without your strength.” She continued. “So we promise to let you be until you’re ready. We can keep watch over Aravot until then. We only ask that you allow us to check in if something needs your attention.”

“Of course.”

They bowed.

“Okay, so what’s going on?” I rubbed my hands together. Standing a little taller, I straightened out my shoulders.

Something flickered inside me.

A spark.

“What do you need to tell us before you leave?”

“We’re concerned. About the Firstborns.”

“Oh yeah.” I scratched my head. “I haven’t told you.”

“Told us what?” Sophie asked.

Raz understood. “Let’s return to the villa and discuss this.”

“Okay?” I narrowed my eyes.

“It’s protected. Eternal business must be kept in strict confidence, and your home is safe. No prying ears can penetrate it.”

Cade laced his fingers with mine, and we jumped a quick bridge back to Villa Adams.

The home was gorgeous. Huge.

Windows, which I loved. The openness of the floor plan, ten-foot high glass windows were perfect. All the terraces overlooking the sea were amazing.

From the second we got here, I’d fallen in love. Next time, we’d come in the summer and enjoy the beach. I’d already made plans to return in my head.

In fact, my wheels were spinning, thinking of all the ways to include a small piece of Capri back in Aravot. Maybe we’d build a new villa along the Chayah Fountain to look like this. Somewhere near the waterfall?

We got inside and settled in the living room of the main floor. The entire wall was a huge window overlooking the terrace’s ocean view. There were Tiki torches blazing outside.