Chapter Twenty Two
The breath on my ear tickled me awake. I stretched my body, grinning when I felt his bare skin against mine. We were back at the townhouse.
‘I told you that I would still be here in the morning,’ he whispered.
I was lying on my front with my arm tucked under the pillow. My head faced away from him. He lay against my back, his arm wrapped around my waist.
‘I’m not really surprised. I did make it worthwhile,’ I muttered against the pillow as sleep started to fade.
He went still and I chuckled.
‘You surprise me more every day, you know that?’
I nodded and wiggled against him. His hand travelled up the length of my arm and under the pillow. He tugged gently and I let him reveal my wrist. The bracelet was no longer frayed. I hadn’t noticed it mend itself. It looked brand new.
‘This reminds me that what we are is real,’ he murmured, running his thumb over the small charm.
‘When’s your birthday?’ I asked, savouring the feel of him as he pressed his body to mine in a slow stretch.
‘The eighth of July,’ he mumbled as he rolled away from me.
I spun in the bed as he got up and started to pull on his jeans. Eyeing the muscles on his chest, my gaze traced the few hairs that led down from his bellybutton.
‘You’re a mummy’s boy!’ I laughed. According to Zodiac definitions, Cancerian men were attached to their mothers.
Shaking his head, he raised his eyebrows at me. ‘Don’t be so stereotypical. As a matter of fact…I love my mother very much!’
I giggled as he threw his shirt at me.
‘I’m surprised you moved out at such a young age,’ I said, throwing it back.
He jumped on the bed and buried his fingers under the duvet to tickle me. I struggled against him but couldn’t stop laughing. He finally let go when I snorted and pushed him away.
‘I think we better get going. The others will start—’
‘Lovebirds…! Get out here, will you? We’ve been waiting for ages,’ Derek called from the other side of the door. It was great seeing Derek around my siblings in our townhouse. Our safety bolt.
‘I was enjoying our peace,’ I said as Antony kissed my forehead and got up. ‘Where are you going?’
‘If I stay and watch you get dressed, we’ll never leave this room.’
I laughed as he left. A warm glow vibrated from me constantly. No matter how hard I tried to remember who I was before I had fallen in love, I couldn’t bring back that girl. I felt whole. As if someone had put my soul back together. I smirked at the thought. It was exactly what had happened.
‘Don’t take too long, lover,’ Antony called through the door.
Sighing, I forced myself to get up. It was time to face the real world again. We had locked ourselves away for a few days but I had to get on with my life. No matter how in love I was, there were still important things to be done. We had only just started.
Every couple that managed to unite had other missions they needed to complete together. The main: to help other twin flames unite so the Dysfunctionals could be defeated.
My stomach clenched at the thought of my father. He was still with Nick, and although the boys had been searching for him, they hadn’t found him yet. Bev was in a safe house with her family. Derek would go to her later in the day.
‘Pisces…! Come on, will you?’ Cancer called.
My brush wasn’t going to get out the knots in my hair so I ran my hands through it. It would have to wait until I had done my duty.
‘I’m coming!’ I yelled when someone thumped on the door.
Opening it, I pretended to scowl. Cancer hopped from one foot to the other. She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the kitchen, ignoring my attempt at humour. A party popper exploded as I came into the room. I jumped and the others winced when they saw me. Laughing, I held out my arms as they all started to sing happy birthday.
‘I only let them do one party popper. I know you can’t stand too much noise,’ Cancer said when the song had finished.
Birthdays were big occasions in our house. We celebrated all twelve in excellent style.
‘You need to blow out your candles,’ Scorpio said as he put his arm around me and gave me a squeeze. I smiled at him and stepped forward to do just that. My long breath extinguished the flames in one go.
‘Did you make a wish on your special birthday?’ Cancer asked, linking arms with me.
‘Yeah, twenty-one, you’re old,’ Leo said.
Punching him on the arm lightly, I glanced up to see Antony among my brothers and sisters. He watched me with a grin on his face. He licked his lips when our eyes met and my cheeks heated. They must have been bright red, but the others were so wrapped up in talking, they didn’t notice.
‘Time for the birthday breakfast. The lovebirds have been at it for so long, the bacon’s gone cold,’ Aries announced as he put eggs in the microwave for scrambling.
‘Nothing wrong with cold bacon,’ I said as the others came around the table and hugged me.
When Gemini embraced me, he pointed at the cake. His aftershave was strong. It tickled my nose, so I pulled away.
The Pisces sign was always on my birthday cake but I hadn’t noticed the iced sentence in the corner.
The first of the Zodiacs to unite with her twin flame soulmate.
I tried to blink back the tears but they came anyway. The others kept an eye on me, waiting for me to break down.
‘I told you she would cry,’ Taurus said, ‘you insisted that she would be okay.’
He was talking to Leo, who shrugged. The tears ran down my cheeks as I watched my siblings.
‘Thanks everyone. I love you all.’
They patted my back as they helped themselves to the English breakfast that Aries and Leo had prepared.
‘Eat heartily. We need to get back to the search as soon as you’ve finished!’ Aries called.
‘Yes, we’ve also got to go through all this hassle again soon, don’t we Aries?’ Leo teased as he left the room.
‘Yep, your turn next!’ Scorpio joined in.
Aries shook his head as he picked up a steaming mug of tea. ‘No, chance. I’m not ready for that,’ he said, gesturing at me as I wiped my eyes.
Scorpio laughed as he turned from us to follow Leo into the living room. ‘You haven’t got a choice, mate. I give you a few months. It’s pre-destined. You’re going to be whipped very soon.’
Aries scoffed as he moved past us. He squeezed my shoulder as I tried to sniff away my tears. I grinned at him as he walked away backwards and gestured a crazy circle next to his ear. The others were right, it was his turn next.
‘I love that about you,’ Antony whispered in my ear as he snaked an arm around my waist. I leant into him and wiped my face on his shirt.
‘Although, I’m not so sure about that,’ he grumbled, making me laugh.
‘You look beautiful when you cry. It’s who you are and it’s amazing. I love you.’
The room was quiet. Everyone had gone into the living room to eat. I was grateful for the privacy. They knew me well, and although it sometimes annoyed me, it actually meant I could be who I was.
‘I love that you’re a mummy’s…’
‘Don’t.’ He shook his head and put his finger over my lips.
‘Sorry.’
He was trying to be romantic. I had never been any good at receiving compliments.
‘Nick is going to throw us some crap to try and break us apart,’ I said.
He lowered his head and brushed his lips against mine. The kiss was so gentle, I hardly felt it. His tongue darted out and traced my lips.
‘We’ve already been through a lot. We’re still here, aren’t we?’
My lips curved into a grin as I moved my head forward and caught his bottom lip in my teeth. If he wanted to tease, I could play that game.
He breathed in deep, the rush of air echoing around us. I let his lip go and looked into h
is eyes.
‘I love you, Antony, and I’m never letting you go,’ I whispered.
‘No need to hold on, beautiful,’ he replied. ‘I can’t go anywhere without you.’
*
Aries