“Leon! Sit!” Henry pointed at a chair in front of the unlit fire. I instantly did as he asked as he lowered himself in the chair opposite me. “Why?”
Mary had said to not say anything, but I couldn’t exactly ignore the king. First off, he was the king. No one ignored him when spoken to. Secondly, he was my friend. Although, by the way he was looking at me, that friendship may have ended.
“I’ve loved her since we were children. And, I believe she’s loved me all along, too.”
Henry stared at the wood on the fireplace. “And, Charles? What was that all about?”
“She loves him as well. Very much.”
It was a good job my emotions weren’t involved. I was sure I would’ve been furious in the past. Yet, Mary had explained that our love was different. A lifetime love that would keep going and going. And, Charles was her partner, someone she had also fallen for.
“Tell me, Leon. How can she love two people?” Henry was genuinely interested in the answer.
Sighing, I sat back in my seat, lifting my ankle to rest on my knee. “Sire, I’m not sure. Can’t say I like it, but what can I do? I’m a poor farmer, I was never going to have the means to marry her. I’m sorry, Henry, my dearest of friends, I really am. I promise to never see her again. Forgive my foolishness, Sire.”
Nodding, the king looked at me, his eyes clear, his expression serious. “Charles has called for your head.”
Staying still so I didn’t betray the increase of my heartbeat, I didn’t say anything as the king watched me.
“Obviously, Mary protested…but, I have to do something, Leon. You’ve put me in an incredible predicament. If I didn’t love you as a brother, I would…well, let’s just say your neck would be split in two. You’re lucky my mind is so full of…” He gestured at the closed door where Anne had just disappeared.
It seemed I owed my life to Anne Boleyn for distracting the king from his usual formidable anger. Letting out my breath, I tapped the floor with my foot. It seemed that Henry was in a good mood. Or, good enough not to put me to death right at that moment.
“For some reason, when I woke up this morning, I had a feeling something wasn’t right. However, I’ve just had word from Wolsey that I wasn’t expecting. It looks like my wish to marry Anne may come true. His messenger, however, almost didn’t reach me. You see, he informed me that he was camping just outside the village because he got here too late last night to disturb the household. As he was sleeping, he heard a sound and got up. He saw a man in the shadows, holding a large chunk of wood. He was about to approach him…” Henry coughed, clearing his throat. “…But, before he could, another poor unsuspecting passer-by walked past and got hit over the head.”
I reached up and rubbed the sore patch on the back of my skull. Was the messenger talking about me?
“The messenger said that if he had been hit around the head, he would surely have died because he’s knocked his head a few times before, falling from his horse. The physician has told him to give up his job because if he has one more fall, he shall die. The poor wandering soul saved the messenger’s life, thus he was able to give me the news I have so long yearned for.”
I looked at the king, wondering why he told me what he did. It wasn’t like him to go into so much detail.
“So, you see, Leon. If it wasn’t for the man who got knocked out last night.” He paused, waving away my concerns when I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, I had someone check, the man had gone. Probably woke up with a headache.”
Laughing, I shut my mouth when the king cracked a small smile.
“Anyway, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in such a forgiving mood. I would’ve let Charles have his wish. Your head. Instead, I have gone against my sister’s husband. Although, to be fair, there isn’t a lot of love lost between us since they betrayed me with their secret wedding.”
“Well, Your Majesty.” I paused when Henry rolled his eyes. “Henry…I thank the man who got hit over the head…” I didn’t tell him it was me who had saved my own life. “…and, I thank you, my friend. Anne will make a fine queen, Sire.”
His smile grew as I leaned forward and offered my hand. He took it, shaking roughing before he let go and laughed.
“So, a congratulations is in order, is it?”
Henry’s cheeks glowed as he frowned. “Don’t think you’ve got away with it that easily. You’ll still be punished. A secret lashing to please Charles. But, yes, I’m sure that Anne will be my bride very soon. And, we shall live happily ever after. Just you see.”
Chapter Eight
The smoke alarm jolted me from my sleep. I jumped up, bashing my knees into the coffee table. I was back in Amelia’s room at the bottom of a grungy building. She was slumped on the bed, but starting to move. The smell of smoke was distinct as I went over to the bed.
“Amelia, wake up!”
Freddie groaned as I shook her, inadvertently shaking the bed. Amelia grumbled as she sat up, her eyes growing wide as the smell of smoke obviously hit her at the same time as the sound of the alarm.
“We need to get out of here.” I went to the door and opened it.
Looking out, I saw a tiny cloud of smoke coming from the end of the corridor. It was nearer the other end, away from the exit. Going back in, I gestured for Amelia to move.
“This is going to hurt…a lot.” Pushing my arms under the crook of Freddie’s knees and under his back, I picked him up, covers and all. “Amelia, get my phone and ring my brother Taurus.”
She grabbed my phone off the table and did as I asked as we approached the door. I watched her as she followed me, looking longingly at her seedy room. Although she had done well to make it a home, it was still horrid.
“Come on,” I said, going out the door and into the corridor.
“Hello? My name is Amelia. I’m with Leo.”
“Tell him to drive here and meet us down the road,” I said to her over my shoulder.
“He said can you please drive to Stamford Road and meet us…”
I tuned Amelia out as she gave Taurus directions. It would take him a while to get to us. Traffic in London was not easy to get through. I planned to hide Freddie. If anyone saw how beaten up he was, there would be a lot of questions.
“He’s on his way. He thinks he’s nearer than he would be if he was at home.” Amelia rushed to catch up to me, coughing as the smoke hit her throat.
I mumbled an affirmation as I kicked the outside door open. Freddie cried out for the first time. He had kept silent until that moment. I had to hand it to him, he must be in a huge amount of pain.
“We need to find somewhere we can hide until Taurus gets here. Emergency services are going to be all over the place soon.”
Amelia grabbed my arm and tugged me down the alley, away from the main street. Sirens already sounded in the distance.
“Do you think Nick found us?” Amelia puffed, glancing over her shoulder at me as she glanced around the corner of the end of the alley.
She gestured for me to follow, leading us into a back alley that ran behind all the buildings. Turning right, she hurried, almost tripping over the rubbish on the ground.
“I have no idea.” My own breath huffed in and out of me as I held the weight of Freddie.
The echo of our footsteps in the walled area made me look over my shoulder. There was no one following. That was a good sign. Maybe it was a coincidence that the building went up in flames.
“In here,” Amelia announced, shooting into what looked like a bin collection cubbyhole.
Several cans were pushed against the back. Moving beside her, I looked around, unsure of what to do with Freddie. Why I cared so much, I didn’t know. If he was in pain, it wasn’t my problem. I bent slightly to put him down on the concrete floor. Amelia grabbed my arm to stop me, quickly sitting down.
“Okay, lay his head in my lap.”
I put him on the ground, doing what she asked. Freddie’s lips parted and he whimpered as his beaten body touched the cold
hard floor. Amelia soothed him by stroking his head and whispering to him.
Stepping back, I looked out into the alley. Still no one around. Hopefully it would stay that way until we could escape. Turning back to the pair, I froze. Amelia was kissing Freddie’s face in the places there were no bruises. My heart jerked in the most bizarre way. Her small fingers brushed over the short hair on his head. She looked down at him, her smooth cheeks pink and her lips slightly parted.
“Can I have my phone?”
I didn’t want to break the obvious affection she shared with him, but I needed to make sure I knew when Taurus arrived. Amelia looked at me, her face hardening when she took the phone out of her pocket and handed it to me. No woman had ever looked at me the way she gazed at Freddie.
Clearing my throat as she went back to staring at her lover, I turned away and checked my phone. Taurus had sent a text to say he was ten minutes away. If only the traffic would clear. It wasn’t like he could even use his ability to manipulate nature in the middle of central London.
“Where will you take us?” Amelia asked, drawing my attention back to her.
Rubbing a hand over my hair, I paused when my sleeve moved and a tattoo poked out. In the rush of the fire warning, I hadn’t previously felt the burn. Pulling my sleeve down, I stared at the new tattoo that now adorned my skin. It was a hangman’s noose with a red cross over it. I had escaped my previous fate in the past life with Henry.
“Do you…?” I started, looking at Amelia.
“Where are you taking us?” she insisted, glaring at me.
I could understand why she wouldn’t want to talk about us as she held the man she loved in this lifetime in her arms. We had to disconnect in order for her…for both of us…to have a happy life.
“For now, to a friend’s house. Then, out of the city to wherever you want to go. It’s your life. It’s your choice.”
Tears filled her eyes. She blinked, quickly wiping one away as it fell down her cheek. “No one has ever given me a choice. Nick just…”
“How long have you been with Nick?” I hadn’t thought to ask before. Not that we’d had much time to talk in the last few days.
Once I got them both in a safe place, I would demand to know everything from the beginning. Until then, I would concentrate on me.
“I…can you not take us out the city straight away?” She refused to answer my question.
My stomach tightened as I watched her turn back to Freddie, stroking his face again. He stayed as still as he could, trying to prevent the pain that movement caused his body.
“I need to make arrangements with a clear head. And, with the help of my siblings.”
Amelia looked back up at me. “What is it? Can I see?” she asked, nodding at my arm.
Checking the alley one more time, I went over to her. Lifting my sleeve, I held out my wrist to show her the noose. It wasn’t one of my favourite tattoos, I had to admit.
“We changed it,” she whispered, staring at the new artwork on my skin.
She knew what the tattoos meant. She knew so much, yet, I was still in the dark. Once I knew how to control my slips back in time, I could concentrate on this life more. I could become the rock star I had to be. I was ready for that part of my life to unfold.
My phone vibrated in my hand. Taurus. Answering it, I turned away from the others. “Where are you?”
“I’m just coming up the street now. There’s a fire engine blocking the road. Where are you?” Taurus’ voice was rushed, ready to take action. He must know there was a big problem if I got a stranger to call him to help.
“We’re in an alley behind the buildings, but we’ve moved right. What end have you come in?”
Taurus paused as he obviously took in his surroundings. “Well, I can see what building the smoke is coming out of and I’m to the right of it, so I’m obviously at the same end as you.”
Smiling, I turned to Amelia. “Where does this alley lead to?”
She looked at me, her eyes widening. “He’s here already? Okay. We need to make our way down there…” She pointed right. “There’s a road that leads off Stamford Road.”
Taurus said a road name, obviously hearing Amelia. I repeated the road. She nodded, smiling.
“Okay, I’m turning down there now. I’ll go slowly so I can try and spot you.”
“Give us a moment, I need to…just give us a minute.” Handing the phone to Amelia so she could direct Taurus if he went too far, I grabbed Freddie in my arms and hauled him in the air. He yelped as his ribs were jolted.
“Sorry, mate,” I muttered, checking the alley was clear before coming out and hurrying towards the street.
A few cars passed by the end of the entrance, including our mini bus. “He’s just gone past, tell him to reverse.”
Amelia did as I asked, her voice low behind me. I reached the end of the alley, peaking my head round to see if anyone saw us. There was no one around. Too many people were probably more interested in seeing what was going on with the fire engine. Humans couldn’t help but be nosy. Which helped me.
The minibus started to reverse down the street. Taurus must have seen me as I stepped out onto the pavement because it sped up until it was right next to me. Amelia rushed forward, took hold of the sliding door and yanked it open.
Taurus was by my side suddenly, helping me to lower Freddie onto the floor. The ride was going to be agony for him, but we didn’t have a choice. There was still a bit of room from when Aries had his wheelchair. He no longer used it, but we hadn’t put all the seats back in as the space had been handy for food runs.
Nothing was said as Amelia climbed in the back with Freddie, sitting on the seat nearest to him. Reaching down, she took his hand. My heart thud just a little harder in my chest for some reason. Closing the door behind her, I climbed in the passenger seat as Taurus jumped in the driver’s side.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Derek’s, please.” I had been thinking while we waited.
Derek and Antony had a place before they became our father’s bodyguards. They had kept it, just in case they needed somewhere to stay on the other side of London. The couples sometimes used it for a night away from the rest of the siblings.
Turning to face the back, I looked at the passengers. Amelia handed me my phone, smiling slightly when our fingers brushed against each other’s. “Thank you.”
I nodded, unable to answer. The last few hours had been crazy. There was no way I could think about any of it until we were all tucked up away, safely.
“Everything okay?” Taurus had stayed quiet as he helped us into the van.
All of my siblings helped one another, no questions asked…at first. They always liked to be in the loop. To know what was happening with each mission, so they could help if needed. I had done a lot to aid the others in their union with their soulmate. It was all they thought about.
“It will be. I’ll explain more when we get to Derek’s. I have a loose plan in my head.”
Dialling Derek, I asked him to meet us at his apartment. He laughed, saying that he was on the way there for some alone time with Cancer.
“Well, you’re not going to be alone for long. I need help.” Hearing the seriousness in my tone, he agreed.
“Hello, Taurus, I’m Amelia.”
I stared ahead, not looking at the couple behind. “Sorry, Taurus, this is Amelia. Amelia, this is my brother Taurus.”
“We’ve met before,” she said.
Frowning, I turned to her. “You have?”
She laughed, her face lighting up for the first time that day. “Well, not in this lifetime, but many many others.”
Taurus raised his eyebrows at her in the rear-view mirror. “Have we indeed? And, how’s that?”
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his jaw clenching. He was ready to do battle if need be. I put a hand on his arm to calm him. His defence was an automatic reaction for most of us.
“I…” Amelia didn’t go
on.
Our gaze met when I looked over my shoulder again. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. If the others knew we were twin flames, they wouldn’t let us go ahead with our plan. I didn’t want to be tied down right now. And, she wanted to be free of me…to live and love Freddie. Which was fine by me.
“No questions, brother,” I said, squeezing his forearm gently. “Please, no questions.”
He glanced at me again, his jaw tight. The muscles in his arms flexed as he turned the van into Derek’s street. But, he just nodded once, without saying another word.
“Thank you,” I breathed, pushing the air out of my lungs.
Amelia’s hand came onto my shoulder briefly as we pulled up in front of the building. It was a road full of Victorian houses. Derek’s apartment was the top floor. Great, plenty of stairs for me to carry Freddie up. I ignored her gesture as the van stopped and Derek came out of the front door.
“I’ll get him,” I said, jumping out and opening the back door.
Amelia waited as I gathered Freddie, apologising when he cried out in pain. Derek held the door open as I turned towards the building. Rushing up the concrete steps, I took him into the hallway and straight up the stairs. My muscles screamed as I held onto the Dysfunctional. He wasn’t a light man. He probably didn’t spend as many hours in the gym as I did, but Nick would have put him through his paces. So, he could go up against me.
“Leo, what the…?” Cancer said from the doorway to the apartment.
Jumping back as I came towards her, she had no choice but to let me in. Going to the living room, I tried my hardest to lower Freddie to the sofa gently. He winced but no sound came out of his mouth. I was about to pull away when he grabbed my elbow. Leaning down, I listened when he opened his mouth and tried to say something.
“I…” His breathing was as laboured as mine. “Thank you.”
I nodded, patting his hand where it rested on me. His strength gave out and he relaxed against the soft material. Straightening, I rubbed the bottom of my back and stretched. Cancer rushed into the room, carrying a blanket. Laying it over Freddie, she looked at me, her eyebrows raised so high, I couldn’t see them because they disappeared under her fringe.
Leo: Book 6 (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 8