Chapter Fifteen
Rough hands grabbed me, jolting me awake. My body bounced. It took me a moment to realise I was being carried over someone’s shoulder. As I tensed my muscles, I opened my eyes.
‘Will you relax? You’re going to live a happy life with Daniel.’ Nick’s muffled voice came through the bag over my head. I could hear the sound of his footsteps on the concrete steps.
‘Where are you taking me?’ I spluttered when the rough canvas sucked into my mouth.
My body shifted. I wasn't expecting the sudden change of position. Pain shot through my legs when I landed hard on my feet. The bag was ripped off my head, which made me cringe. I was standing in the middle of a kitchen.
‘Why put a bag over my head to carry me up a flight of steps?’
Nick grinned as he backed away from me. ‘I’ve been carrying you for ten minutes.’
He must have taken me to another house. My muscles shook as I looked around. Someone had put my coat on me. How had I stayed asleep?
‘I put a slight sedative in your food,’ he said as I frowned at him.
‘Where’s Daniel?’
‘Hi, honey, I’m home,’ Daniel called, coming into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his waist. He dripped water on the floor and for some reason it irritated me. I gritted my teeth and glared at Nick.
‘What’s going on?’
‘You might think I’m cruel but I can’t just keep you locked up in a basement for the rest of your life. You’ll live here with Daniel and play housewife. You won’t be able to leave but you can have free rein of the house.’
‘I’ll go to work like a good husband,’ Daniel said, smiling broadly at Nick.
I clenched my fists at my side. They had kept me locked up for a week. I had managed to deflect Daniel’s more probing advances. At first I had been prepared to try and get him on side but any gentle questioning had led me to realise that he would never betray Nick.
‘Am I supposed to be grateful?’
The edge of my threshold loomed. I needed to keep my cool. If I could have free rein of the house, maybe I could escape. Or I could get someone’s attention through a window or something. A quick glance confirmed that the glass was blacked out.
A noise above made us look up at the ceiling. Nick’s cheeks flashed red. I wondered what was happening. He ran out of the room, shouting at Daniel to take me down to the basement.
‘Come on,’ Daniel said.
It was my chance. I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to escape. Whatever was going on upstairs, it was the perfect distraction. I could at least try to get out of this mess. My mind had only just stayed sane for the last week. A part of me wanted to die, rather than spend another day cuddled up with Daniel.
‘No chance,’ I said under my breath as he came forward.
Reaching out to him, I pretended I was going to welcome him into my arms. I placed my hands on his shoulders and kneed him in the groin as hard as I could. His towel fell to the floor and he went with it.
‘Pisces…?’
The shout from above had me running towards the door. The muffled voice wasn’t recognisable but I could tell it wasn’t Nick.
‘Down here!’ I screamed, running through the kitchen door and up the stairs.
I heard a grunt as I came to the top. Down the hall, Aries had rushed forward and pinned Nick to the wall.
‘Pisces…! Antony…?’
‘I’m here!’ Antony shouted as he flew towards me.
He tripped but managed to keep upright. I ran down the landing towards Aries. He struggled to keep hold of Nick. Red mist covered my eyes. The skin on my arms heated when I caught sight of the grey eyes that had tormented me for many lifetimes. I ran forward and threw my fist into Nick’s face.
‘Okay, we need to get you out of here,’ Antony said.
A pair of hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me. Antony spun and ran towards the door, holding me as if I weighed nothing.
‘Hurry…!’ Aries called.
Why did he struggle to hold onto Nick? The man was half his size. An explosion echoed around us and we were thrown out of the open door. I scrambled to my feet as soon as I landed on the concrete pavement. I spun towards the house and breathed a sigh of relief when Aries came out of the front door.
‘What happened? I thought that—’
‘It was an energy blast. Nick’s gone. You need to get out of here.’
Antony was behind me but I didn’t look at him. My brother had rescued me. I blinked back the tears that tried to force their way out.
‘Let’s go.’ Antony took hold of my hand.
An electric shock vibrated up my arm. I yanked away from him. Our gaze met. It was broken when Aries shot past and shouted for us to follow.
‘He has reinforcements!’ Leo’s shout made me jump as he joined us.
I didn’t recognise the street we were in. My legs were weak from misuse and as the adrenaline wore off, I found myself slowing down.
‘Let me help you.’ Antony put his arm around my waist.
Something made me want to push away from him. I had no idea why I reacted to him so negatively but I didn’t want to be near him right now.
‘The bus is coming,’ Leo said, winking at me when he caught my eye.
We were too busy trying to get away. I wanted to grab his face and kiss his cheek. I hadn’t realised quite how much I missed my brothers and sisters.
The Post Office van screeched up next to us. Scorpio was behind the wheel, with Cancer at his side.
‘Get in, you gorgeous bunch!’ he called.
Antony picked me up and threw me onto the back seat when Leo opened the door. I landed with my legs and arms caught under me and my hair over my face. Something landed softly over me as the doors slammed shut and the tyres burned rubber on the concrete as we sped away.
‘Leo and Aries will sort them out. That fireball was impressive,’ I heard Cancer say. The others had stayed behind? Why had they not jumped in with us? I struggled to get free of the blanket that concealed me but the touch of a hand on my back made me go still.
‘Stop moving, we need to keep you hidden.’
Antony’s words sunk into me. I let my muscles relax as well as I could considering the circumstances.
‘I love how Aries and Leo can do that with fire. They’re going to floor those men!’
I smiled at Cancer’s commentary but I worried that the two left behind would get hurt. Leo rarely used his power, but when he did, he was formidable. Leo might have a bit of a harsh temper occasionally but Aries was a blazing fireball when he got angry.
‘I can’t see them now!’ Cancer whined.
‘We have to get Pisces home,’ Scorpio said.
‘I know. It’s fine. I just wanted to make sure they were okay.’
I closed my eyes and realised that Antony stroked my back. The sudden concentration made the feel of him ultra-sensitive. The smooth rub of his hand over the blanket was strong enough to make me shiver.
‘Pisces, I’ve missed you!’ Cancer shouted as the van came to a stop and I heard the doors open.
The gentle touch stopped and I was lifted out.
‘Let me take her, mate,’ Scorpio offered.
I tried to shake the blanket away from my head but a hand grabbed it and covered me up.
‘No, I’ve got her,’ Antony said.
He held me in a fireman’s carry again. I couldn’t help but snuggle against his chest. He wasn’t as big as Scorpio but he was strong enough to take me inside. As soon as the front door closed, a mass of voices exploded around me. I wanted to cover my ears but I was cocooned.
‘Leave her alone,’ Antony shouted, striding through them.
I tried to wiggle free but he held me tight.
The voices faded. I heard the sound of the door as it closed. I was lowered onto a bed. The blanket dropped away to reveal Antony staring down at me. We were in my bedroom. I was glad I had a lock on the door. I pointed, not saying an
ything. Understanding my meaning, Antony moved to lock it. I couldn’t be bombarded by my siblings yet.
‘Are you all right?’ he whispered when he came back over to me.
I sat up slowly and looked down at myself. I stank. I hadn’t been allowed to shower in a whole week. Luckily, Nick had let me wash and clean my teeth. Opening my mouth, I blinked when nothing came out. Antony knelt in front of me and took my hands. When I looked into his eyes, I broke down.
Choked sobs escaped from my throat as I cried. He sat on the bed and lifted me onto his lap. My head lay against his shoulder as my tears absorbed into his T-shirt. Images of us from different lifetimes flashed into my mind as he rocked me gently and rubbed my back.
For so long we had tried to unite. Nick had successfully kept us apart back then. Being in Antony’s arms after a week of being locked up, felt better than any other time.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispered.
Pulling back, I looked into his eyes. His cheeks were wet. I wiped away his tears. My heart beat faster than it ever had. My man cried with me.
‘Why are you sorry?’ I whispered back.
He shook his head. He couldn’t find the words to express himself. Had he remembered our past?
‘I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I had no idea where you were. I failed my job as your bodyguard. Then I started to have crazy dreams.’ He rushed out the words and pulled my head to his shoulder again.
I fought against him to check his eyes. It was him. His eyes had been the same in every lifetime.
‘It is you,’ I whispered.
He froze. His hand was on my jaw. He was about to push me back to his shoulder but he stared into my gaze. A shudder went through us both at the same time and I knew that Aries had been right all along.
‘What’s me?’ he said quietly.
The vibration of his voice made me smile. It felt good to finally be certain. I had known all along but denied it because it hadn’t been the fairy-tale meeting I had expected.
‘You’re my twin flame soulmate.’
He looked down at my lips. My tongue darted out to wet them and his pupils dilated.
‘I’m scared,’ he whispered.
I felt the same. The feeling that overtook me was intense. It vibrated through me, which meant he would be able to feel it too. His breath hit my face and I swallowed. His eyes followed the movement of my throat.
‘Me too.’
His hand buried into the back of my hair and his lips descended onto mine. His tongue plunged into my mouth before I could get a breath and I was lost as I met his stroke with my own.
‘Pisces, we need to talk to you!’ Cancer called from outside the room.
The bang on the door made us pull apart. Antony’s chest heaved against mine. My own heartbeat matched his erratic pattern.
‘I’m sorry,’ he blurted, sliding out from under me.
‘Why are you sorry?’
Distance sprung up between us as he took a step back.
‘I’m taking advantage of you.’
I smiled despite the huge gap that now stood between us. He cared enough to worry that he might be taking advantage. My emotions were all over the place. He was right to back away.
‘Let me in!’ Scorpio called. ‘It’s only us.’
Antony went to the door before I could say anything. He unlocked it and stood back. When Cancer and Scorpio came in, he slipped out and shut the door behind him. A piece of me left with him and as Cancer’s arms came around me, I melted in emotion once more. This time, I wasn’t crying because of my kidnapping. I cried because my twin flame had run from me again.