Origin (Eternal Sacrifice Saga Book 2) (30 page)

“Hello, brother.” Gabrielle stepped beside me.

I kissed Zoe’s forehead, then got up from the bed.

“They’re ready for you. I’ll stay with Zoe. Keep her safe until you return.”

I pursed my lips and sighed, not wanting to leave her alone.

“She’s far from alone, Cade. I’ll be here if she wakes.”

I leaned down, leaving a kiss to Zoe’s forehead, running my hands over her hair. “Come back to me, love,” I whispered. “I need you.”

“Cade?”

I turned to Gabrielle before leaving.

“Keep your eyes
and
Gemini Origin open in the dark realm.” Gabrielle tilted her head toward Zoe and placed her finger over her lips. “Shh.”

I bowed.

Message received.

Downstairs, all the Elders and Firstborns waited to rescue Micah and Julian.

“Thank you for taking time away from Zoe to rescue my sons,” Elijah said.

“You would do it for me.”

“I’ll project in and open a portal once I’ve reached them. Nate and Remie will come in with Cade and me, and we’ll get the boys out. Everyone else, you’re on standby.”

“Wait, what about me?” Rainah stepped up.

“You wait here until we get them back,” Eli said.

“No way.” Rainah stood tall, hands on her hips, red hair sweeping over her shoulders.

“We need you here in case…”

“No.” She growled. “Julian’s my responsibility.” She cleared her throat. “He’s my—Gemini. I want to be there. To show him I—I mean.” She ran her hands through her hair. “I love him.”

We all smiled.

“There. I said it, okay?” She rolled her eyes. “Can we just go get him already?” Her cheeks turned crimson.

I set my hand on her shoulder. “You’re perfect for that boy. He needs someone to straighten him out.”

“Sheesh.” She shook her head. “Tell me about it.”

Finally.
Something good.

“Okay, so we’ll wait here while Elijah projects in. Once he finds them, he’ll materialize and a bridge wind will open. We’ll go in, grab the boys then take a portal back.” I scanned the group. “Understood?”

Everyone nodded.

We stood around Elijah, who sat in a chair beside his Gemini.

“Bring back our boys,” she whispered.

Elijah nodded and kissed Lailah’s cheek.

Hands gripping his thighs, he closed his eyes and began chanting beneath his breath.

Elijah and Zoe created astral planes differently.

Zoe began with her mind then materialized her body into a physical manifestation. Chayah’s strength lay within her intellect. Residual gifts from the Tree of Wisdom. It ensured her many abilities no other Eternal had.

I closed my eyes, visualizing Julian and Micah. A moment later, Elijah’s body slumped to the side, and he was gone, working in the astral plane.

Lailah set her hand on Elijah’s forehead, as she was able to see his visions within the plane. As an Angel, her abilities were stronger than mine.

Of course, her Gemini was not blocking her out either.

“Elijah has located Julian.” Lailah let out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully. That was quick.

A moment later, a bridge wind opened, and Elijah’s eyes opened.

“They’re in between the Fifth and the Sixth, which is why we couldn’t breach them. We won’t be there long, let’s go.” He got to his feet. “We’ll be back.” He leaned in, kissing his Gemini, then gestured for us to follow.

We all three followed Elijah into the bridge wind, daggers in hand, ready to fight.

Within moments, we’d found Julian. Alone.

His eyes went wide when he saw Rainah.

She ran over, bounding into his arms, kissing him hungrily.

It became slightly uncomfortable watching the scene unfold.

“I’m so sorry, Julian.” She kissed all over his face. “Oh, thank the gods you’re okay. I can’t believe I was such a bitch to you. Don’t ever do that to me again, do you hear me? I’ll kick your ass.”

Julian laughed. “Yes ma’am.” He set her down, then pulled her back and kissed her once more.

“Not to interrupt your moment,” I said. “But we need to find Micah. Where is he?”

Julian shook his head.

“What?” Eli asked.

“You’re not going to like this.”

“Explain.” I narrowed my gaze.

“He wasn’t kidnapped.” Julian sighed. “How’d you get in here anyway? I’ve been fighting for days, couldn’t bridge out.”

“It’s because we’re between realms. Hidden well.” I motioned to Elijah. “He projected.”

“Right. I forgot about that. Well let’s get out of here. Please, before you get caught, and we’re all trapped here.”

“We can’t leave Micah.” Elijah pursed his lips. “I won’t. He’s my son.”

“I know where they are,” Julian said, narrowing his expression.

“Then let’s go.”

“Wait, send Rainah home first, I don’t want her here.”

Julian nodded to his Gemini, to which she immediately opened her mouth, eyes narrowed, hands springing to her hips.

“I don’t think so, dude.” She glared. “First of all, I’m your Gemini. Yeah, I said it. Shut up. And I just got you back, I’m not going anywhere without you.” She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest.

“Well then.” Julian laughed. “I like this new you.”

“It seems your partner has gotten her shit together.” Nate nudged him.

“So it seems.” Elijah admitted. “All right then. Let’s go.”

We followed Julian and Elijah down a corridor to another room where Micah sat with the Fallen, talking in a corner. Next thing we know, he leaned in, trying to kiss her.

“I think you’re right.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Micah’s not going anywhere.”

“Micah?” Elijah called to him.
Micah pushed the Fallen behind him and stood between them. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to take you home,” Elijah announced.

Micah shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“What?” Elijah stepped up to him, his expression fell, his voice weak. “Micah.”

“No way.” Micah glanced at his Fallen Gemini then stood tall, pushing out his chest and chin, folding his arms together. “I am home.”

Zoe

“What do you mean, you’re home? Eli asks. “Your home is with me, with your family. You’re Genesis, Micah.”

“If you really felt that way, you should’ve acted like it. I fit here, Eli. They respect me. Appreciate me. Treat me like I’m not just some errand boy, but someone to be reckoned with.” Micah’s voice echoes down the corridor as I get closer. “I’m not going back.”

I’d been wandering around the dark realm for days, maybe weeks, I wasn’t sure, trying to find some way to breach this hold on my memory.

Gabrielle said if I spent time within my Origin, away from my body, I could find a way to break through. So far, I’d seen a lot of things but nothing woke me up.

Until Cade.

“Mio bel ragazzo dagli occhi blu,” I whisper beneath my breath as I walk in the door.

My beautiful blue-eyed boy.

Cade glances toward me. Stares through me, like he knows I’m here.

He can’t.

Can he?

Cade narrows his eyes then slowly moves toward me.

Everything around us fades away.

I see nothing.

Hear nothing.

Nothing but Cade.

Cade stops before me, his gaze roams up and down my shadowed form.

He sees me. Reaches into the air, trying to touch me.

I reach back.

I need my Gemini. So freaking bad. Need to feel his soul within mine. Need to Converge.

We’d tried for days. When I finally admitted it wouldn’t happen, I took desperate measures and accepted this was my own battle to fight.

The war within myself.

So I left.

Gabrielle says I won’t be able to defeat Lilith or the darkness without retrieving my memories, without finding my own light. Accepting it.

Accepting my soul. Me. Who I am.

Sure, I’d Eternalized, but I hadn’t woken up, as Lailah put it. My memories were just reels from Zoe 1.0’s life.

Not mine.

Until I remembered the memories as if they were my own—until I accepted them. Every good deed. Every epic mistake. Until they made me laugh. Made me cry. Gave me goose bumps, like they were mine and not some strangers, I would never be able to save my family.

Or myself.

Until I fell, I would not rise.

Cade closes his eyes for a brief moment.

My body and soul are drawn to him. I need to touch him. To feel him. I run my hand along his cheek and whisper his name.

“Cade.”

His eyes pop open.

I throw my hand over my mouth. Shit.

He heard me. But how?

“Zoe,” Cade whispers. “Please, love. Your family needs you. I need you.”

He reaches out, but I stumble back from his grasp.

Not yet. I can’t leave yet.

Micah’s forsaking his Eternal Duty. He’s defecting. I won’t leave him.

Madie’s words ring in my head, reminding me of my mission: “They must fall before they rise.”

My Genesis family is falling apart. Now it’s my turn.

I need to let go of Zoe 2.0 to move forward.

To reclaim Zoe 1.0.

“Chayah.”

I turn around, and Cade is still there.

“Come home, love. Please.”

I stand frozen.

Cade moves toward my hidden form. Even shadowed, he’s drawn to me.

Like gravity.

The Eternals call Cade’s name, but he ignores them. He reaches for me, his hands hold my chin. My jaw.

I close my eyes, breathing slow, allowing his touch to warm my frigid skin.

To resonate into my soul.

It does.

“Blue eyes.”

My Gemini’s touch fills me. Completes me.

Cade wakes me.

“Our souls belong together, love. Wake up,” he whispers. “Come to me…”

A fierce wind sucked my shadowed body and my Origin back from the dark realm.

I gasped for air as my soul returned to my physical body.

My head throbbed, so damned bad, I wanted to scream.

But I woke up.

My eyes opened, and I sprung up, inhaling a deep breath.

Gabrielle sat beside me, grinning.

“Cade? Where is he? Where’s Cade?” I blew out my breath.

“He’s off to the dark realm to rescue Julian and Micah. And you. Did it work?”

I gave her a side smile. “Sister.”

I inhaled a deep breath, releasing the scent of sulfur from my nose, clearing out the resonance of what had been left behind from the dark realm.

My body was still weak from being gone so long.

Lailah walked in, trading places with Gabrielle, and sat beside me. “Lie down, sister. Close your eyes. Let me work.”

I settled back into the bed, closing my eyes, allowing the Angel of Secrets to fill in the gaps of my fragmented memory that just returned.

Lailah’s hand skimmed over my forehead, pushing aside the beads of sweat that resided there.

Lightening cracked across the Aravot sky as all five of my lives came crashing back into focus.

Tears streamed down my face.

A headache worse than death pierced my temples.

My body trembled, taking in all the pain, all the heartache and joy five millennia brought with it.

Every life. Every day.

Birth.

Death.

Every scar, every battle forced through my memory like a freight train. The noise so loud, it was nearly unbearable.

I cried out in agony, grasping at the sheets beneath me, digging my toes into the mattress as memories overtook me.

Gabrielle held my hand, squeezing tight while my secrets barreled through my body, attacking my soul.

But I didn’t block out the pain. I accepted it.

Embraced it.

My Origin.

After what felt like forever, recalling all the good and evil, light and darkness I’d endured over the years, the reels slowed, and I finally caught my breath.

My heart slowed to a steady rhythm.

Lailah placed her finger across my lips, spoke her incantation beneath her breath, and lifted her finger up into the air.

I peered up at the scattering of grey dust rising from my body. It hovered briefly within the rays of renewed sunshine now sweeping in from the French doors.

With a swipe of Lailah’s hand, the dust that once held my pain and heartache scattered about the room, dissipating into the air around us.

I inhaled a long, cleansing breath, my lungs taking in the purity of Aravot.

My head was clear for the first time in years.

My secrets, the heavy burdens that once laid upon my chest, crushing my soul from within now dispersed into the breeze, because I no longer fought who Zoe 1.0 was before humanity broke her down.

I embraced her.

“Welcome home, Chayah.”

My two best friends stood, heads bowed.

Our auras exploded above us, and our lights merged. Just like when I matched Gemini.

Because we we’re soul sisters.

The Order of the Eternal Motherhood was reborn.

“Thank you.” I got to my feet. “It’s good to be home.”

“Chayah.” Lailah pulled me into a hug. “We’ve missed you.”

My soul found its release.

My Origin was home.

“Alright then.” The smile faded from my lips. “Let’s save our family.”

Zoe

“Zoe!”

Cade’s heated voice echoed through the entire house, bouncing off the walls. Our bedroom door flung open, and he raced through, stopping in his tracks.

I froze.

Cade gasped at my aura, blinding even me.

“Eve,” he whispered, taking two steps toward me. Slow and measured.

Although we’d technically been together since June, it was as if we were seeing each other for the first time in twenty-one years.

Only moments ago, over five thousand years of Cade’s love had crashed back into my Origin, but seeing him now, it happened again.

I took in a breath, appreciating Cade’s beauty. His breathtaking aura. The iridescent indigo light that expanded beyond him, rushing toward me, merging with mine.

Every memory. Happiness and heartbreak. It all came back again.

My heart and soul were complete.