The world snapped back into place. Reality reasserted itself. My cougar. The debt. Everything that had brought Athena and I together was still unsolved.
‘Liam really should get his money. I did lose cards.’ I spoke to Aries.
Athena heard me. She punched me on the arm. It wasn’t hard, just enough to get my attention. The room burst into noise.
‘He does not deserve your money,’ she hissed.
I put my hands on her forearms. She glared at me, ready for a fight. She was a feisty one. Liam had been right. The mixture of fight and vulnerability had been what sealed my fate. Two extremes in one body. Just like me. My mind and my feelings. Constantly battling with each other. This time my heart would take control. With her, it would always win.
‘She’s right. We’re moving now. Nick used Liam as a pawn to keep you apart. That failed. I’m sure Liam will forget about the money,’ Father interrupted.
Aries agreed. ‘Maybe it’s time for a new career. I’m surprised you lasted so long in the current one.’
I pulled a face. He chuckled, slapping my back as he left me to go to Natalie.
‘I think he might be right.’ Father took Athena’s hand and shook it. ‘The gambling put you in the right place to meet your twin flame. However, it might be time to move on.’
They were right. Gambling had served its purpose. The addiction hadn’t completely taken hold. I could stop when I wanted. Maybe it was time to move on to something new.
‘There is something I need to do first,’ I said, holding up the bag of money. ‘One last visit to a casino.’
Athena took my other hand, a question in her eyes. She didn’t voice it but I could see that she wanted to know. If I told her about the cougar, she might run away.
‘Can I have your attention?’ Mother called.
The room fell silent. We turned to her, waiting for her to speak. She looked steady, not like the last time I had seen her. The dyed blonde of her hair was growing out, revealing a streak of red and grey at the roots. She wore a skirt and smart top. In fact, she was too dressed up for a visit with us.
‘I know that I’ve done wrong. I take full responsibility for my actions with Nick. You have helped me to see where I went wrong. Faith. I lost my faith. When things got tough between your father and I, I couldn’t cope. I needed to forget him. Nick found me at the lowest point of my life.’
I glanced at our father. His face was passive. Not a frown or a smile. Had they sorted their differences in the time they had spent together? Or had he surrendered so well that the healing meant he was no longer triggered?
‘Some of you have heard this story but most of you haven’t. We are a family. I never want to lose you again. Seeing Gemini and Athena together now reminds me of times past. I’m so grateful for Bev. She helped your father to heal. And in a funny sort of way, Nick helped me to heal.’ She paused when some of my siblings groaned.
They were right to doubt it. He was our enemy. The one that Mother had sworn to protect us from. It would take a lot of growth to get to a place where we all forgave her. Even Father hadn’t found his way back into everyone’s good books. It would take time. Our parents taught us what we knew. When pain comes with that lesson, it takes time to heal.
‘Okay…I know, I know,’ she went on. ‘You are already fulfilling your mission. You’re inspiring us to remember. We forgot who we were for a while. I lost myself in the negative energy. Being around the man that will forever be my best friend has helped me to find myself. Being around a woman that knows and understands has helped me to forgive those that led me astray. Don’t forget that we had a life before you were born. We had parents, too.’
The sentimental speech was riveting. I had never seen my mother so open. Her hard shell had stopped her from letting us know how she really felt.
‘Let’s form a plan going forward together. You have your freedom. We will never take that away from you. I see that what I did made you crave more. Our own lessons came before we started to teach you. We’ve been here so many times, we thought we had grasped it this time round. I was wrong.’
Mother nodded at Father. He smiled back. The shared bond was obvious to anyone. I looked at Bev. She was a small woman with bobbed brown hair. A fond smile warmed her whole face. How could she be so calm about her husband being around his twin flame soulmate?
‘Will you get back together?’ I blurted to my father.
He cocked his head to the side. A frown came to his face. ‘There are many twin flames that agree to come together for learning and growth. It doesn’t mean they’ll be together forever. Sometimes the soul only needs one or two lessons before it’s ready to go home or move onto someone who will teach them more. Not every twin flame couple will be together for a whole lifetime.’
I glanced at Athena. She nibbled on her lip again. I reached up. Using my finger, I pulled her lip from her teeth. She looked to the floor so I put my hand under her chin and tipped her face up.
‘Some will be though, won’t they?’ I asked my father without looking away from her.
The chuckle that came from him was rare. We waited with inhaled breath for his answer. Not one sound was made, not even from the partners of the Zodiacs.
‘You should never fear the journey of life. It’s what brings us to the destination of love. When you surrender, life will take you where you need to go.’
No one released the air from their lungs, it wasn’t the answer they wanted to hear. Our mission had been drummed into us our whole life. I had to be with Athena until we died. Otherwise, what was the point of it?
The point was growth. Father had just told us. I relaxed my shoulders as Athena smiled at me. It would be right. Whatever happened would be right. Even if it didn’t feel it.
‘Don’t panic you lot. You’re the Zodiacs. Warriors of love, remember. You will lead the way in this fairy tale. You’re the Snow Whites and Prince Charming of the world. You have to have a happily ever after. It takes work, though. Lots of it.’
Mother smacked her hand on the kitchen work surface. An audible release of air sounded as we sighed. ‘I don’t know, Trevor, I think we need to cut the crap and sort these lot out once and for all,’ Mother said, grinning wickedly.
My father and Bev laughed heartily as moans and complaints resounded around the room. I ignored them as I brought my lips to Athena’s ear. ‘I need to go to the casino tonight.’
She ran a hand over my jaw, holding me still when I went to move away. Turning her head, she blew on my ear. ‘I’m coming with you. There’s no need to fight me, we both know how it will end.’
The touch of her breath on the skin of my neck made me shiver. It wasn’t often a woman got to me with whispered words. She was right. I couldn’t fight her. I didn’t want to. Would she dump me as soon as she found out the reason for my last visit to a casino?
I would find out as soon as we confronted my cougar.
Chapter Eighteen
Athena wanted time alone. She had left to go to a friend’s house earlier in the day. My first instinct had been to stop her from leaving. My second was to let her go. The running would come. We knew that. I knew that. When she walked out the door it felt like a part of me went with her. Not usually sentimental, I didn’t want to start indulging in that particular past time. Instead, I interacted with my siblings, spending the day sorting our move.
The wind swirled around my feet. Winter was coming. The casino light flashed above my head. I still wasn’t free. The others might think that we had settled everything but they were wrong. I would never tell them about the deal I made. They didn’t need to know what I did in a moment of desperation. Mother and Father spoke of healing and growth. I still had a way to go.
‘Hello, handsome,’ a soft voice drawled from behind.
Turning slowly, I was reminded of the first night I had met her. A gun had been held in her dainty hand.
‘Athena, goddess of war,’ I drawled back.
Her lips quirked. The sexy smi
rk wasn’t lost on me. She also remembered the time when she came crashing into my life. Her hair was clipped up in an intricate style with wisps coming down around her face. The tight black dress she wore was extremely short. The high heels that encased her feet made me step closer to her. The air of danger was different. She thought that she had me as prey but it was the other way around.
‘I’m ready to be a goddess.’ She grinned as I drew near.
Electricity hummed through me when she started to move backwards into the alley. She wanted me to follow her into the dark. To hold her in the shadows. Not yet.
I paused. She did, too.
‘I need to do one more thing before I make you mine,’ I said.
Her retreat stopped completely. She came to me and put a hand on my black sleeve. ‘What is it?’
The frown on her face told me that she knew she wasn’t going to like it. Could I get away with not telling her the whole truth?
‘The money. I need to give it back to the person I…got…it from.’
The crease in her forehead burrowed deeper. She had picked up on my hesitation. I couldn’t lie to her. Everything in me shouted to tell her the truth. The running was inevitable. So why not get it over with?
‘Come with me,’ I said, taking her hand in mine and leading her to the casino.
Her heels clicked on the concrete pavement. The bouncer nodded before opening the door.
‘I’m not sure if this is a good idea.’
The sounds of gambling filtered to us in the hallway. The inner doors opened, revealing the glitzy interior of the casino. People laughed and shouted. The excitement made my blood buzz but only for a minute. When I turned to look at my woman, my pulse intensified. This was my future. Fighting the Dysfunctionals would be excitement enough. I didn’t need to win money to be happy.
‘Gemini, so nice to see you,’ someone greeted.
Gary approached me, patting me on the back. When he spotted Athena, his eyebrows rose but he didn’t say anything. ‘Here to play your normal games or are you after big stakes?’
I grinned at him. After all, he was still a good friend. ‘Not playing tonight. I’m retiring.’
His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. It was not what he expected to hear.
‘I see that you two are better acquainted.’ He gestured at our joined hands.
Athena moved in front of me and hugged Gary. His eyes widened as she pressed herself against him.
‘This is the last time we’ll probably see you. Thank you for being kind to me,’ she said.
The expression on his face almost made me laugh. His gaze darted between the pair of us. When Athena stepped back and looked up at me, he whistled softly.
‘Wow, two of the game’s top players have fallen in love. I never would have put you together. You go, though. I can see it. Good luck to you!’ His rambling distracted me. He was a good man. Like most of the other people in the room. Only a handful of them were corrupt. Many of them just needed help with their addiction.
‘Thanks, Gary. We appreciate that.’ I shook his hand, looking over his shoulder when I felt someone watching me.
‘If you’re not gambling, why are you here?’ he asked Athena.
My gaze locked with the cougar. She sat on a stall at the bar, a cocktail in her hand. The straw rested between her lips. She didn’t smile.
‘Could you excuse me?’ I said to Gary, giving Athena his hand and leaving them to it.
She would forgive me. The rigid back of my cougar was not something I wanted to subject her to. This was my bargain. My sale. I needed to buy myself back.
‘Well, well, well...’ she chanted when I reached her. ‘I see you didn’t keep to our deal.’
Her eyes locked on Athena. My woman stared after me as Gary tried to talk to her.
‘I will never know your name, will I?’ I said, taking her offered hand and kissing it gently.
She turned away from the floor, facing the bar. I followed suit, climbing onto the stool next to her.
‘You can call me Aphrodite.’
Her cool voice was calm and collected. I narrowed my eyes. Was it a joke? I had no reason to doubt Greek mythology but I had never seen any of it in my travels. As far as I could remember anyway.
Her tinkling laugh made me smile. ‘Calm yourself, I’m joking.’ Her hand landed on my sleeve.
I went to pull away but stopped myself in time. Her gaze landed on my arm, her laugh halting.
‘You’re not here to offer your services are you?’
Her nails dug into the material covering the skin of my arm. I glanced over my shoulder. Athena watched me like a bird of prey. I had some explaining to do.
‘You’re in love,’ the aptly self-named Aphrodite gasped.
I blinked, bringing my gaze back to her. She searched my soul through my eyes. Her hand loosened from my sleeve before she stroked it and pulled away.
‘No, I…’ I couldn’t deny it.
Keeping my gaze on her, I swallowed hard. Athena was a few feet away but I couldn’t look at her. Love hadn’t even entered my head. We had spoken about fairy tales and true love with everyone around. I hadn’t examined how I actually felt about my twin flame soulmate.
‘Your name is apt, isn’t it, Gemini? Don’t forget to listen to your heart. Trust it. Don’t let your mind sway you from your path.’ She patted my hand and picked up her bag.
I reached out to stop her from leaving. ‘I have your money.’
Her smile was big as she nodded. ‘Okay. I will take it back but only because you’re in love.’
Biting my tongue, I held back the retort that came to mind. I had to behave.
‘I’ll treasure the time we were together. You’re a powerful person. Don’t forget that in this merge.’
She swung away. As she went to get up, I placed my hand on her arm. She paused, looking over her shoulder at me.
‘Who are you? What do you know?’
I released her to undo my cuff button. Her gaze traced the movement. A small smile played on her mouth.
‘Don’t be anxious. We’re all playing the game, remember?’ She put her hand over mine and stopped me from doing the button up again.
‘What game?’
How did she know? What did she know? Why was she speaking in riddles? The whole new part of my life wasn’t in perspective yet. One thing at a time.
‘Life, Gemini. Life.’
Patting me once, she climbed from her seat before I could say anymore and moved away. She hadn’t taken her money. I would get someone to deliver it to her hotel room. Our business had ended.
‘Did you borrow money from her?’
I swung my stool to Athena. She stepped between my legs, brushing her hands over my thighs. Swallowing, I took her hands in mine. It was time.
‘I did something that you won’t approve of.’
She stayed calm but went totally still. Listening. Waiting.
‘I sold myself to her for twenty thousand pounds,’ I muttered. ‘But I’m giving it back. She’s happy to take it, she-’
Her finger came up and rested over my mouth, breaking off my sentence. She leant forward, replacing her finger with her lips. It was a soft touch, barely making contact. I couldn’t wait to get her home.
‘Well, isn’t this cosy?’
Athena’s back stiffened under my hands. I hadn’t even realised that I had placed them on her. She intoxicated me so much I couldn’t keep away.
‘Liam,’ I said as Athena stepped back.
Her movement revealed the thickset man. His suit was pristine. Silver looked good on him. I had chosen black for the evening. A mourning colour to say goodbye to the old lifestyle.
‘You’re back.’ Liam looked at me, choosing to ignore Athena completely.
My hand rested on Athena’s waist. I stayed in my seat, refusing to let Liam intimidate me. If a fight was going to happen, it would.
‘No. We’re actually saying our farewells. Time to move on from the game.’<
br />
Liam stiffened before placing his joined hands in front of him. One of his men stood nearby. Would they start something in the middle of the room?
The thought Liam being at the casino had crossed my mind. It didn’t matter, though. He had no power over me. Neither did Nick.
‘It was interesting to learn that Nick is your father. How does it feel to have such a…’ I couldn’t find the right word to describe our enemy.
‘Horrible man!’ Athena blurted.
Liam’s eyebrows rose. He slowly let his gaze travel over to her. She grasped my hand in hers as he studied her slowly. ‘You no longer hold the appeal you once did.’
I smirked. He could say what he liked about my woman, it wouldn’t matter. The way his eyes narrowed on our joined hands told us one thing. He would report back to Nick. It was too late. Nick had failed, yet again.
‘I have a message for you.’ Liam put his hands in his pockets.
Chewing on the side of my mouth, I nodded for him to go on. I got the feeling that I wasn’t going to enjoy what he had to say.
‘Nick has Matt. He said that if you want to keep him alive, Cancer better give herself up. He’s had enough. My father is getting angry. He doesn’t like to lose.’
The taste in my mouth turned bitter. I had bitten through the skin on the inside of my cheek. The sting went ignored.
‘Message received,’ I replied, keeping eye contact so he knew that I meant it.
Everyone knew how Cancer felt about Matt. Nick was clever. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had picked the right emotional person to try and manipulate.
‘You’ve not seen the last of me. I won’t ever forget what happened.’ Liam flattened his jacket against his chest and turned away from us.
‘Neither will I,’ Athena called.
Her voice was cold. It was a promise that I had nothing to do with. Her personal issues with him would come to pass again. All I could do was be there for her.
Liam didn’t respond. He walked away with his men, off to rip away someone else’s money. To destroy someone else’s life.
‘Let’s go.’ Athena dragged me from the stall and led me outside.
Gemini: Book 4 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 15