I laughed. Leo smacked my back to shut me up. She was a couple of years older than us. Her cheeks blushed when Scorpio fluttered his eyelashes at her.
‘How do you feel?’ Leo asked.
I gritted my teeth at the repeated question and glanced at Natalie. She picked up her bag and put her coat on.
‘Natalie, don’t go yet,’ I called as she went to sneak out.
She turned and grinned at me. ‘You have company. I’ll be back in the next few days. I’ve got to get on with some things.’
My eyes narrowed on her. What things did she have to get on with?
‘Can you come here?’ I asked.
She came over, the smile leaving her face when she reached me.
‘Thank you for our talk.’ I reached out and pulled her to me. She almost stumbled but kept her feet.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked when I put my hand to the back of her head.
‘Making sure that you don’t forget me when you’re doing other things,’ I said, pulling her down to me and kissing her lips gently. I let her go and noticed that the others had stepped back. They stared at me. I smiled as Natalie tapped my arm and went bright red.
‘Aries!’ she said, before turning and leaving the room.
‘You marked your territory there, didn’t you?’ Leo clapped me on the back again.
‘Yeah, you could have just peed over her. That would warn off the competition,’ Scorpio said, making the nurse giggle.
I didn’t know whether to be pissed off or laugh along with them. My boys were there to try and cheer me up so I winked at the nurse instead.
‘Don’t be coming on to her now, Aries.’
Leo bent down in front of me to take a closer look at my new fashionable metal.
‘While you’re down there,’ I said, grinning at the nurse.
Leo clenched his hands. ‘While I’m down here, I’ll see whether the operation went well enough to withstand my strength!’
The nurse gasped when he pretended to hit out.
‘Don’t mess around near his implants!’ she berated.
‘They’re so immature, nurse, you don’t want to get involved with any of them,’ I said, winking when Scorpio glared at me over her shoulder.
‘He’s the worst, have you noticed?’ Scorpio asked.
She turned to look at him, flicking her hair as she did. I fought the urge to roll my eyes when she pushed Leo out of the way and started to apply new dressings.
‘Don’t you even dare,’ Scorpio said as I opened my mouth to repeat the joke.
He knew me too well. What was wrong with asking? She was conveniently close enough.
‘What…moi?’ I said, wiggling my eyebrows at Scorpio.
The nurse looked up and saw what I was doing. Tutting, she raised her eyebrows before dismissing me with a shake of her head.
‘What’s your name?’ she asked Scorpio.
I bit my tongue on the retort I was going to blurt out. Leo wasn’t so kind. ‘Craphead,’ he said, slapping Scorpio’s back.
‘Will you stop doing that?’ Scorpio said. ‘I’m Scorpio,’ he said to the nurse.
I had to laugh at the way he fluttered his eyelashes. He was just like a girl. The intelligent nurse was never going to—
‘Really? I like that a lot,’ she replied, licking her lips.
My mouth dropped open as Leo bent down to watch what she was doing.
I couldn’t resist teasing him. ‘I know you fancy me, Leo, but you’re not getting near my—’
‘Leo? Are you having me on now?’ the nurse said.
‘I don’t fancy you, Aries,’ Leo said, standing up, ‘you’re far too moody for me. I prefer my men wearing a smile.’
‘You’re not gay!’ the nurse exclaimed, her gaze tracing the tattoos on his arms. His broad shoulders shrugged and she shook her head. ‘Shame if you are. I was going to ask if you were both single. I have a friend—’
‘I’m not gay!’ Leo almost shouted.
She giggled and glanced over at Scorpio again. A heavy cloud fell over me as they made arrangements to meet up later that evening. She hadn’t even thought about asking me. Although I had made a show with Natalie, it still made me realise that nothing would ever be the same.
‘There you are. All done,’ she said, patting my thigh where the bandage finished and then gathering her things.
‘Thanks,’ I replied as she smiled up at Scorpio one last time.
‘It’s time for you to go,’ she said as she went out, ‘but I’ll forget to check for another ten minutes.’
‘Nice work.’ Leo high-fived Scorpio as I threw my covers over my thighs and leant against my pillow.
‘What’s up, mate? You’ve gone all sullen,’ Leo said, sitting on the end of the bed where my legs should have been.
‘I’m alright, just tired,’ I said, knowing that I sounded grouchy.
‘You will walk again soon. Then you can take Natalie clubbing,’ Leo said.
‘Yeah, or get down on one knee and propose,’ Scorpio said, putting his hand on my shoulder and squeezing.
I laughed and glanced out the window. The light was fading and so was my old life.
‘There is a more serious matter we need to discuss with you,’ Leo said.
My eyebrows lowered when I looked at him. When he was articulate it meant that something was up.
‘We ran into one of Nick’s men. Taurus, out of all people, managed to grab him. He’s currently tied up in the attic.’ Scorpio cracked his knuckles. I cringed at the sound. I did it myself, but when someone else did it, it grated on me.
‘Taurus actually did something other than smoke dope?’ I asked.
They both nodded. Scorpio reached forward and pressed the nurse call button. I took no notice of him; he always messed around with something.
‘Yes, the—’
‘Is there something wrong?’ the nurse asked, sticking her head in the door.
‘Yes, nurse. I needed to tell you that I can’t wait to see you later,’ Scorpio said.
She giggled as she left us to it. It was a typical Scorpio trick, and I had to admit, it worked well. He was going to get laid.
‘The bloke you caught. Has he said anything?’ I asked Leo.
He shook his head. ‘No. Cancer has been taking care of him. We’ve tried to interrogate him but he’s not saying anything. To be honest, mate, we think you’ll be good at it.’
My chest puffed out. He was right, I would be good at it. I believed in justice and would do anything to get it. My father had been kidnapped weeks ago. We still hadn’t found him. If I had been fit and well, we would have got him back by now.
‘I’ll do it when I’m home. Should be out in a week. Can we keep him that long?’ There was justice, and then there was being as bad as the enemy.
‘We have no choice. He’s the only lead we’ve got. Nick is a clever son of—’
‘Oh, and we’ve had to repaint the van,’ Scorpio butted in.
I frowned. I loved the van but the boys were right. The red made it obvious and easy to follow.
‘You can tell that we’re getting close to our mission, can’t you?’ Leo handed me a glass of water for no reason.
‘Yes. Do you think Natalie…?’ Scorpio’s sentence trailed off when I glared at him.
Leo fiddled with his bracelet. He might pretend to be a bad boy but I was sure he wanted to meet his soulmate. He had written love songs for years and always joked about being able to sing them to someone someday. I had never been interested in the whole mission. It seemed a bit fanciful to me. I wished that I hadn’t signed up to any of it.
‘I don’t know,’ I lied.
We had never been in that position before. We had spoken to the girls about it when we were young but we had never discussed it between us. It just wasn’t something that men did.
‘This heart to heart is very touching but we have a date to get ready for.’ Scorpio looked at Leo and gestured towards the door with his head.
&nb
sp; They fist bumped me and left, slamming the door behind them. They had joked about me taking Natalie clubbing and proposing to her on one knee. Could I do that? Would I be able to bend down on one knee? I made a vow to myself as I heard my brothers shouting back down the corridor to the nurse. If Natalie was still around in six months’ time, and I was able to walk again…I would propose to her, by getting on my fake metal knee and presenting her with a ring.
Chapter Thirteen
‘The boy is back in town!’ Leo sang when I came into the house.
My whole family were there, which surprised me. A banner hung over the door and decorations were pinned to the walls. Food littered the kitchen surfaces and a ton of booze sat on the table. Natalie pushed my chair into the middle of the crowd. They all took turns to hug me.
‘What’s all this for?’ I asked, laughing when Pisces pulled a popper over me and the streams of paper landed on my head.
‘Well, last time we knew that you didn’t want to celebrate, but this time we’re celebrating two things,’ Pisces said.
I shrugged. ‘And what are they?’
‘The fact that you’re alive, and the fact that the operation went well!’
She threw her arms around me. I squeezed her back.
‘Get me a beer then!’ I shouted as someone put the music on.
A can appeared in my hand. I looked up to see Natalie smiling down at me. I didn’t know her that well. Something connected us, but before now, I had classed her as just another hot girl. Her smile faded the longer I looked at her.
‘What’s the matter with you?’ she asked.
A scream sounded from the hallway. We rushed towards the door to see what was happening. Natalie grabbed the handles of my chair to stop me.
‘It’s okay, let me go,’ I said.
She shook her head, but my scowl made her remove her hands. The others blocked the way, talking amongst themselves.
‘Move!’ I shouted.
They parted to let me through. I wheeled myself into the hall to see that Leo had wrestled a man to the ground. Cancer stood to the side with her hands on her chest. Her short blonde hair was starting to grow out and looked ruffled from the usually sleek style.
‘What happened?’ I asked her.
The steps to the attic were down.
‘I was giving him a drink when he took hold of my hair and made me bring him down. He covered my mouth. We fell from the last step and that’s when I screamed.’
I looked down at the man under Leo. He wore the standard black uniform that Nick’s men wore. He had short hair and looked quite ordinary.
‘Why was he not tied up?’
Leo grunted as the man tried to throw him off. ‘He was!’
‘Did you untie him?’ I asked Cancer.
She shook her head quickly. The blush on her cheeks told me that she lied. She had a way with men, and if he was clever, he would have realised and taken advantage.
‘Take him into my room,’ I ordered Leo.
It was good being back at home. The others cleared the way as Leo dragged the man to his feet and did as I had asked.
‘Aries, what are you going to do? Who is that man?’ Natalie asked.
She was the only outsider in the house. She would have to be told everything if we wanted her to stay quiet.
‘Stay with the girls. I’m going to sort this.’
‘No, I’m coming with you,’ she said, walking beside me as I wheeled back out to the kitchen. The chattering amongst my siblings covered the sound of my sigh.
‘I don’t need you to be with me all the time,’ I replied, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze. ‘Please trust me. I promise to tell you everything when I’m done.’
She blinked before nodding and letting me go. I didn’t look back as I went across the kitchen, into the other hallway, and into my bedroom.
‘You’re the famous Aries, then? Not such a hard man anymore, are you?’
The prisoner was in one of the armchairs. Leo stood beside him. Scorpio positioned himself by the door as it shut behind me. I wheeled over to Nick’s man. I was tempted to get close and punch him straight in the face but I didn’t want my new implants to be anywhere near him.
‘I’m famous, am I? What for…?’
The man sucked his teeth before he spoke. ‘For being an aggressive arsehole that kicks the crap out of everyone. It don’t look like you can do that anymore.’
The smile on his face made my skin boil. I pulled my fire into my palm and held the flame in front of his face. As his eyes widened, I had to stop myself from blinding him. Just one little thrust would send the ball straight into his blue orbs. My arm shook from the effort of stopping myself. I pulled away when he swallowed.
‘I wouldn’t be so sure.’ I was surprised at my steady voice, considering my whole body was tensed and ready to launch at him.
‘Impressive,’ he said, licking his lips as he kept his gaze on mine.
I absorbed the fire back into me and rested my palms on the arms of my chair. The plastic heated instantly so I folded my hands in my lap.
‘You work for Nick?’
He nodded but kept his mouth shut.
‘Is he a good boss?’ I glanced over at Leo when he snorted.
A rush of power came through me when I looked back at the other man and he winced. I didn’t like to scare people but I had to make things right. There were too many wrongs in the world.
‘He’s fair,’ the man said, sniffing.
I laughed and waited for the boys to join in. They didn’t. I looked up to see that the door had opened and Natalie stood there.
‘What is it?’ I hissed. I had told her to stay away, why was she there?
‘I want to know what’s going on.’
I thumped the arm of the chair and turned my gaze on our prisoner when he coughed back a laugh.
‘She’s got you under the thumb, hasn’t she?’
‘By the balls more like,’ I mumbled. We shared a smile, man to man.
Natalie huffed and went to sit on my bed. I clenched my hands into fists. If I upset her, she might tell someone about our guest. I couldn’t risk it. I bit my tongue and focused my attention on the man again.
‘I don’t like working for him but I don’t have a choice,’ the man said suddenly.
I sat up straighter and looked him in the eye.
‘Why do you do it?’
He looked behind me. I hoped Natalie was sensible enough to have a straight face.
‘He pays well. He would kill me if I tried to leave.’ The man shrugged.
I tilted my head to the side. ‘What if we offered you protection?’
Natalie gasped. Leo clicked his tongue.
‘Is that wise, Aries?’ Scorpio asked.
I didn’t break eye contact with the man.
‘I won’t take no bullshit,’ I said.
He snorted. ‘I guessed that. I may be young but I’m not stupid.’
He was roughly the same age as us. Why did Nick use such young men? If I was an evil person, trying to keep people apart, I would hire much older men.
‘I trust that he’s telling the truth,’ I said, glancing at Leo and Scorpio, but not taking any notice of Natalie. She had gone against me. I wasn’t going to include her in our business.
‘Has Pisces met him?’ I asked.
Scorpio shook his head and went out of the room.
‘You’re telling me that he’s been in the house for a week, and the one person that’s been around Nick’s men, hasn’t met him, yet?’ My veins heated as I threw the fire that sprung to my hand. It exploded against the windowpane.
‘Calm down, I can hear you from the kitchen!’ Pisces exclaimed as she rushed in.
Leo had managed to duck when I threw my fire. He snarled at me. I had to stop myself from smiling. Pisces put her hand on my shoulder and her calming emotion brought my fire down.
‘Do you know this man?’ I asked.
She looked at him and nodded. ‘Yes, h
e helped Nick kidnap me at the station.’
Leo growled and went to step forward. I held up my hand and he stopped.
‘Do you know where Nick is now?’ I asked the man.
He glanced at everyone but didn’t say anything. There was a knock on the door. Scorpio opened it and let Cancer in. I had to clench my teeth to stop another fireball erupting.
‘Will you go away?’ I asked.
‘No, I don’t want you to intimidate him,’ she said, staying near the door.
‘Why the hell do you care?’ I asked.
She shrugged and I shook my head.
‘Everyone out!’ I snapped. The girls filtered out. I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘You kidnapped my sister?’
‘It was my job. Are they really your sisters?’
Leo stepped forward and sat on the arm of the chair. His thick thigh knocked the man’s arm but he didn’t flinch. ‘You leave them out of this.’
‘Where’s Nick?’ I was done with being nice.
Our father had been missing for weeks and incompetence was the only reason we hadn’t found him.
‘I’m not going to hand over information.’
The muscles in my body clenched tight. I wanted to stand up and punch the man in the face. I started to shake. I couldn’t stand up to hit the man that had taken Pisces, and now he refused to co-operate. The music in the other room grew louder. The others were having fun at my homecoming party while I missed it.
Taking deep breaths, I allowed the tension to leave me. ‘Okay. Take him back to the attic. We have a party to go to.’ I turned my chair.
‘Wait…’ he called.
I glanced over my shoulder. His own shoulders were broad. They lowered when he sighed.
‘What’s it going to be?’
‘I can’t—’
Leo grabbed his arm. The man tried to fight him. Scorpio tied his hands and legs as Leo held him still. There was a twinge of something in my stomach but it could have been hunger.
‘Leave him in here until the party’s done. Then move him back to the attic. I don’t want him paraded in front of everyone again.’
The others agreed as we left to have some fun.
Chapter Fourteen
Aries: Book 2 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 9