Chapter Seventeen
‘I’ll have a hot chocolate, please,’ the voice said.
Writing the order down, I held out my hand for the menu. As it hit my palm, I saw the black sleeve.
‘Hello, Pisces,’ he said as my gaze landed on a pair of grey eyes.
‘Nick, how are you?’
I didn’t move, not even to flinch. It had been two months since I had last seen him. I had almost forgotten that he existed. I was staying in a rented room in East London. My new day job was working in a coffee shop. It was boring but unemotional.
‘I’m well, thank you. Especially now I don’t have to worry about you.’
I smiled. ‘No, you don’t need to worry about me,’ I said, tucking my notepad in my apron. ‘I’ll just get your drink.’
The hair on my arms prickled as I went to make the hot chocolate. He watched my every move, waiting for me to do a runner.
‘Why are you here, then?’ I asked when I placed the drink on the table.
He gestured for me to join him. The only other customer was deep in conversation on his phone so I sat opposite him.
‘I have something that you might be interested in.’
My back stiffened as I fiddled with the salt shaker.
‘If it’s Antony, I’m not interested,’ I said, sitting back. ‘He never wanted me anyway.’
Nick sat forward and looked me in the eye. The tiny lines around his mouth made him look older than he was.
‘Are they not teaching you anything anymore?’
I laughed and shook my head.
‘You think you’ve abandoned your mission, don’t you?’
Putting my head to the side, I took a deep breath. ‘Yes, I have. I can’t be bothered with it. All I did was cry. I was sick of crying over a man that didn’t want me so I stopped.’
The corners of his lips lifted into his cheeks.
‘You gave up?’
His finger reached forward and flicked the silver charm on my bracelet. The Pisces sign twinkled up at me in the fake florescent light.
‘Yes. I’m not putting myself through it anymore. I’m sure we won’t ever harmonise. There’s no point.’
‘What is the point to love?’
His question startled me. ‘I don’t love him.’
The chuckle that came from his mouth made me want to reach out and punch him in the face. Why did I feel violent around him? Was his energy that bad?
‘If you don’t love him, why is it such hard work?’
If Nick wanted to lecture me about love, I wasn’t prepared to listen. He knew nothing of love and never would. His soul purpose was to make sure the world was full of pain.
I went to stand. He grabbed my wrist to stop me. The bracelet was under his palm. The pressure squeezed the charm into my skin. Feeling the bite of it, I swallowed to stop the emotion that had been pushed down for weeks.
‘I don’t know.’
‘We all have a reason for being here. It’s good that you’re not with Antony. It makes my job easier. Although, I am getting a little bored if I’m honest.’
I slapped his hand and he pulled back, rubbing his skin.
‘Is this just a game to you?’ I leant forward and got in his face. ‘Why are you here?’
He scowled at me but I wasn’t scared anymore. The man had kidnapped me and kept me captive. He tried to trick me to believe that someone else was my twin flame. He had killed my soulmate in all of our past lives but I didn’t care about any of it. I just wanted to get on with my life.
‘When was the last time you heard from your mother?’
I froze. I hadn’t spoken to anyone since I had left the townhouse. They would be worried about me. I had hidden in the suburbs of London for weeks but no one had found me. Nick was the first. It grated on me that he seemed to be the only one who had bothered.
‘You have my mother?’
He nodded once. I had to force myself not to lunge at him.
‘What do you want?’
He glanced around us before looking back at me. ‘I want you to take her place by my side.’
My eyes narrowed on him. What did he mean at his side? It sounded creepy and perverted. I glanced over his shoulder to see if I could escape. Should I jump up and run as fast as I could? There was no point. He would have men waiting outside. At least if I bargained, he might let mother go. If he was telling the truth, of course.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Your mother has been with me since your father left. Why do you think you haven’t seen her for a while? She’s recently developed a conscience and now wants to leave. Of course, I can’t let her do that…unless you take her place.’
Bile threatened to come up my throat. I gripped the edge of the table and looked into his eyes. He told the truth. For five years, mother had been involved with the man that wanted us to fail.
‘What do you mean take her place? Are you some sort of pervert?’
He blinked and threw his head back. A bark of laughter escaped him. I wanted to punch him straight in the throat. In fact, I lifted my hand to do that, but he deflected the attack by grabbing my wrist and holding me still.
‘Don’t be silly. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant as my second in command. She oversees my efforts to stop you and lover boy getting together.’
The betrayal was too much and the tears came. He patted my arm and let me go.
‘Everyone thinks you’re weak but I know better. Your strength comes from your emotions. I can teach you how to harness that to bring out your power.’
I wiped away the evidence of my tears and choked back the sob that wanted to come. I wasn’t strong, I was weak. Everyone was right about me. I couldn’t be anything other than a sensitive person. I had tried and it didn’t work.
‘Okay, I’ll come but I won’t help. Surely if I’m kept apart from Antony, it will be enough?’
Nick stood and offered his hand. I took it, letting him lead me out of the coffee shop. I would call my boss later to explain that I’d had a family emergency. It was late but people were still making their way home.
‘Nick! It’s good to see you again.’
I recognised the voice and was astounded to hear it. Shoving my elbow into Nick’s side, I stepped away when he grunted and released me.
‘Pisces, come here,’ Aries called.
When I reached him, I looked back to see Father on the pavement, facing Nick. Our enemy had recovered and watched Father closely. Aries wrapped his arm around me and picked me up.
‘Let go, I have to stay and watch this!’
He dropped me, keeping a hand on my shoulder. Headlights lit up the pavement. My brothers stood in the shadows, restraining Nick’s backup. All six of them were there.
‘It’s been a while, Nick,’ Father said as he came closer.
‘It’s been a very long while. I’m glad to see you.’
The sarcastic tone was noticeable even from where I stood.
‘Aries—’
‘Be quiet,’ he hissed.
‘I’m sorry for how things ended in the last lifetime.’ Father grinned so hard, I knew he wasn’t telling the truth.
‘I’m sorry for how it’s going to end this lifetime.’
‘Don’t you ever get sick of fighting?’
Nick stilled, his back as rigid as mine. Aries’ hand was heavy on my shoulder. I wanted to pull away. It had been nice to live a normal life, even if it was only for a few weeks. It was refreshing not to have to worry about my siblings or our mission.
‘It’s what I live for. You know that.’
‘There’s a difference between fighting and having fight in you.’ Father slapped his chest and took another step forward. Nick backed up. It was the first sign of vulnerability I had ever seen in him.
Father was right. I had run away because I didn’t want to fight anymore, but in truth, I had been fighting the whole time. Antony wanted to speak but I couldn’t face him. I had become the runner. I had resisted and
mirrored my soulmate. When he was running from me, I had also run. Instead of surrendering, I had chased after him.
‘Aries—’
‘Shut it, Pisces,’ he snapped. He tried to listen to the exchange but I needed to talk to him.
The conversation ended abruptly when Nick ran forward and jumped in the air. His leg kicked out, ready to plough into my father’s head. Father spun out of the way as Nick landed in a crouch.
‘Are we really going to do this?’ Father asked.
Aries’ hand tightened on me when Nick tackled Father’s legs and sent them both flying. Father rolled when they hit the ground and threw Nick off.
‘Father…!’ I shouted when Nick bounced up and lunged again.
My voice shocked Nick. His step faltered as he lifted into the air. Father swiped his leg and managed to knock Nick back down.
‘I always win one on one combat and you know it,’ he said as Nick groaned.
Aries jumped up and down, letting go of my shoulder. He was dying to get involved. Leo was doing the same nearby.
‘Aries, go and help him!’ I begged.
He shook his head and glanced at Leo. I followed his gaze but Father’s grunt grabbed my attention. Nick had jumped onto his back and wrapped his hands around his neck. There was movement to the side of us. Scorpio was struggling with one of Nick’s men.
‘You need to get out of here,’ Aries said, pushing me away from the fight.
I backed up but didn’t get in the awaiting van. Fighting broke out amongst my brothers and Nick’s men.
‘Father…!’ I shouted when Nick tried to wrench his neck.
My father managed to throw him off and spun towards me. ‘Go to Antony! He knows what to do,’ he called.
The sound of his name made my heart leap into my throat.
‘Mother is with Nick! We need to help her.’
A sad smile fell over his face and my heart broke a little. He knew that she was with Nick. She had lived a lie. We hadn’t seen her for a while but she’d always kept in contact only by phone. It was because she had been helping Nick all along. It was why she hadn’t wanted us to be free…
‘Go, Pisces,’ Aries called as he thumped a man in the face.
Clambering into the van, I started the engine. The others wouldn’t have an escape plan if I took their only transport.
‘No!’ I heard Nick shout.
I turned in my seat to see him running towards me. Putting my foot on the accelerator, I shot out in front of another car. The car horn drowned out the swearing that filtered from my mouth. I wasn’t usually allowed to drive. I looked in the rear-view mirror. The fight was still going on. A siren sounded nearby. I hoped the boys would get away. There was a taxi ahead. I pulled the van up to the side of the road and left it there. I didn’t know if the boys would find it but I left the keys anyway.
Getting into the taxi, I asked him to take me to the nearest station. I needed to get to Antony.