Chasing Magic
Author: Rachel Medhurst
Date: 2015-03-24 07:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Young Adult; Romance; Fiction; Fantasy; Supernatural; New Adult; Paranormal; Paranormal Romance; Science Fiction; Urban Fantasy
Description: An elemental witch with limited magic falls in love with a human. Standard really. My story is a typical one. Girl meets boy, drama ensues, and the warlocks try to kill me. Okay, maybe not so typical. And yet, it's on point. My whole life, I've been one of eight members left in the last witch coven. Cursed to continually revisit the earth until all eight of us unite with our soul match in one lifetime, we fight the warlocks in order to reawaken magic before the witches finally die out. Antony is my hunky bodyguard, assigned to me by the last witch elder. When I'm kidnapped by the warlocks, he

Pisces

A Zodiac Twin Flame Novel

By Rachel Medhurst

Copyright © 2015 by Rachel Medhurst

Aries is coming on the 29th May. Pre-order now by clicking on the cover!

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Rachel Medhurst Website

This book is dedicated to my soulmate.

A Twin flame is a spiritual concept describing a special love soul connection between two souls/people. Twin flames are thought to be the same soul split in two. The masculine and feminine counterparts make up one soul. When they unite, they become one.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Aries

Mailing List

Copyright

Author

Chapter One

‘Pisces!’

The shout woke me. The blurred vision of my flatmate staring down at me made me pull my head out of the water. She squeaked when bathwater streamed from my mouth, pouring out of my lungs. My long wet brown hair stuck to my back, turning it black.

‘What the hell? You looked dead. I thought you were dead…!’

I tried to cover my nakedness, but Kat didn’t pay any attention.

‘I can breathe underwater,’ I said as I climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around myself.

‘You can breathe underwater?’

My stomach clenched as I debated whether to make a joke out of it. Maybe if I told her that all my siblings had powers, she would just think that I was mad.

‘You can’t tell anyone.’ I took her hands into mine. If I could convince her to stay quiet, maybe I could still live a normal life.

She was shaking. Her hands vibrated against mine. ‘I thought there was something weird about you,’ she said, going out of the bathroom.

Closing my eyes, I released my held breath. Did that mean I would have to leave and start over, or even worse, go home? Trusting her to keep my secret was a massive risk. I wouldn’t find it easy to stay quiet if I knew that someone could breathe underwater.

I rushed to get dressed, hoping that she wasn’t letting the world know. My snuggly pyjamas looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I rubbed my hair with a towel as I left the steaming bathroom. Kat hovered by the home phone.

‘Please don’t…’

She shook her head. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.’

A knock sounded at the door. I knew exactly who it was. I could feel them. Why couldn’t they just leave me alone?

‘I’ll get it.’ Kat rushed to the door and opened it.

The boys stood there, towering in the hallway. They completely blocked any view past the open door.

‘Hello, gorgeous.’ Leo pushed his way into the apartment, his gaze locked on Kat.

I froze by the bedroom door. I mentally tried to calculate an escape, but it was no good. The only way out was blocked by three men over six foot.

‘You need to come home,’ Leo ordered.

Kat’s eyes popped out of her head as Leo stretched. His tight shirt lifted to reveal toned, tanned abs. Her gaze roamed over his arms and landed on his blond hair. I crossed my arms as he strutted into the flat, showing off his tattoos.

‘I don’t want to come home.’ I was adamant.

He took my elbow gently and looked down into my eyes. ‘You can’t stay here, Pisces.’ His previous cockiness had gone. A flash of something crossed his face. I wondered what he wasn’t telling me.

‘Why?’

I was being difficult, but I needed freedom. All my life I had been around eleven other people, and although I begged for space, the boys never gave me any.

‘Quit with the small talk. You’ve been compromised. Let’s go.’ Aries came into the room, took hold of Kat and put his hands on either side of her face. She looked up at him, unable to take her eyes from the tall, dark haired man.

Leo nodded. ‘I’m sorry.’ Before I knew it, I was thrown over his shoulder.

Grabbing his hair, I tugged, making him grunt. He laughed at my weak efforts. My strength was nothing compared to his. Why were they doing this to me? It wasn’t my fault Kat had caught me. How did they know?

‘Get her stuff.’ Aries gestured to Scorpio without taking his gaze away from Kat.

My chest constricted as Kat’s eyes went blank. Aries wiped her memory of me and yet again, I was losing a friend.

‘I hate you,’ I hissed as Leo carried me out of my new life and back to my old one.

I was twenty. I wanted to fly from the family home. They had promised me that I could try and live alone. On the condition that no one ever found out about my power. It hadn’t lasted five minutes.

‘You know you can’t do this,’ he said as we got to the vehicle outside. The old Royal Mail delivery van had a bright red exterior with a black leather interior. With six seats, only half of us could go out at any one time.

‘Do what?’ I mumbled as he let me drop to my feet. I was tempted to try and escape, but there was no point. He was faster. His long legs would catch up with me in one step. I hesitated when he opened the passenger door. I had to admit defeat. My brothers would never let me stay.

Climbing in, I switched on the radio and turned it up to full volume. Leo sat in the driver’s seat and flicked it off. ‘Do you want to get us noticed?’

I glared at him before staring out the window.

‘You can’t live a normal life.’ He put his hand on my arm.

Glancing down at where his long slender fingers rested against my pale skin, I growled. He pulled away and muttered under his breath as he started the engine. Aries and Scorpio checked over their shoulder as they came out of the building.

I could never run away. They would never let me leave. A glint of silver caught my eye as I rested my chin against my fist. The bracelet around my wrist looked dark blue in the light from the street lamp.

‘Sorry, it had to be done.’ Aries climbed into the back.

‘Shame, really. The flatmate was probably worth a—’ Scorpio was cut off as Aries punched him in the arm. I ignored them as they bickered.

I studied the ancient astrological star sign on my bracelet. The leather was worn but the silver charm with the Pisces symbol was still intact. Fingering the leather, I tried to pull the whole thing off. I wanted to release myself from the life I had apparently agreed to live. It infuriated me that I didn’t even remember what I had signed up to do.

‘You will find him.’ Leo squeezed my arm as he steered the van away from the life I could’ve had.

‘It’s bloody cold tonight,’ Scorpio whined.

‘London town, baby, I’ve missed this place.’ Aries laughed, slapping the back of my seat.

He had visited Ireland in the hope of finding his twin flame soulmate. He assumed that he had found her, but when he became bored after a week, he realised she wasn’t the one. It was often the way with Aries. He would find a woman, sleep with her and then get bored.

‘Do you think any of us are close to finding our soulmate?’ Leo asked, flipping the radio off again when I reached forward and switched it on. I didn’t want to talk about it.

‘Just shut up and drive,’ Scorpio said. He was the only one of the men I could relate to. We were similar because we were both emotional. Not that he would ever show that side to others.

‘I can’t believe you fell asleep underwater,’ Aries said.

I didn’t bother to look back at him. I loved him, but he still did my head in.

‘How did you know?’

His chuckle was deep. ‘Mother rang an hour ago.’

Mother and Father were not our biological parents. They had collected us when we were born and brought us together to teach us why we were on Earth.

My hands balled into fists. Had my mother had put cameras in my bathroom?

‘That’s an invasion of privacy!’

Leo’s cheeks flushed red when I glared at him.

Aries clucked his tongue. ‘The cameras are in the living room. You know how Mother likes to keep an eye on us. When she noticed that you’d been in the bathroom for two hours, she got worried. She asked us to come and check.’

They must have placed the cameras when they’d helped me move in. My teeth ached as I gritted them to prevent myself from losing it.

‘Don’t worry, she wasn’t watching you pee.’

The boys laughed at Aries.

‘I think we’ve got a tail,’ Leo announced suddenly, his voice tight.

The boys switched from jokey to serious instantly. They spun in their seats and reached for their phones. I sighed and rolled my eyes. They were so dramatic when it came to—

The van was shunted from behind. I had to grab hold of the dashboard. I looked in the wing mirror. A 4X4 lined up to hit us again.

Leo spun the steering wheel and dodged another hit.

‘Who do you think it is?’ I asked.

The dark sky made it easier to travel around, but the bright red van was still obvious. No one knew who we were, so there wasn’t a reason for us to be under attack. We had been careful about our identity. Our parents had told us at a young age that we were on Earth to complete a mission. They nicknamed us The Zodiacs. Twelve people that lived together with the main aim of meeting their soulmate.

‘I’m not sure,’ Leo said, laughing when the car clipped our rear end and spun us out.

‘What the bloody…?’ Aries shouted, holding onto the back of the seat as the tyres screeched across the tarmac. ‘Leo, you’re such a crap driver!’

The van skidded to a stop. The boys jumped out. ‘Stay here,’ Aries shouted at me.

I considered his words, but they went in one ear and out the other. I clambered from my seat as the owner of the other car approached the lads. A woman got out of the 4X4, but kept her head bowed as she stood back. The man stopped in front of my brothers. They stood in a line with their arms crossed over their chest.

Inching closer, I caught a glimpse of the wooden baseball bat clenched in the man’s hand. He was brave to face the three young men in front of him.

‘You slept with my wife!’ he called in a shaky voice. His face turned red when the lads chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. We had been run off the road in the middle of London, because one of the lads had slept with the man’s wife.

The temptation to turn and run was overwhelming. I could deal with threats from people that didn’t understand who we were, but I couldn’t put up with drama over a bloody woman. Marching over to the boys, I pushed my way through and faced the man.

‘Which one was it?’

‘All of them,’ the man answered, glaring over his shoulder at his wife.

Shaking my head, I looked into his eyes. The hard glare melted as our gaze met.

‘I really hope you don’t take that bat to your wife.’

His eyes widened. ‘I would never do that.’

Smiling sweetly, I held out my hand. The wood landed softly in my palm as a look of confusion crossed his face.

‘Your wife was the one that did the dirty on you. These boys are young and immature. They’re not as clever as you.’

I heard Aries snort, but ignored him. It was true.

‘You’re right.’ The man backed away, cursing as he turned. He clicked his fingers at his wife and she got back into the car.

‘Why did you do that?’ Aries said. ‘I fancied a fight tonight.’

Spinning, I pushed past them and marched back to the van. ‘Just get me home!’

‘How can women do that to men?’ Scorpio whinged as Leo started the engine and pulled off again.

‘I don’t know and I don’t care. I just hate the fact that men even exist,’ I muttered, trying not to smile when they shook their heads.

‘You’re too nice to say things like that.’ Leo slapped my thigh as he parked up and turned the engine off.

My fingers wrapped around his arm and squeezed. ‘I may be nice, but don’t push me.’

My new life had been ripped away from me. I choked back the lump that came to my throat. I had only left the house two weeks ago, I wasn’t ready to go back. Living with six men and five women caused me to pull my hair out.

‘You know you haven’t got a choice, don’t you?’ Leo reached out to stroke my hair, but pulled back when I shot him my ‘don’t you dare touch me’ look.

‘Bloody hell, Pisces, let those walls down once in a while, will you?’ Scorpio said.

‘You can bloody talk.’ Aries pushed his friend as they got out.

Walking behind the three men, I glared at the back of their heads. Leo’s dark blond spiky hair was perfectly groomed. Aries’ dark hair was cropped short, disguising his curls and Scorpio’s was blond and soft. I loved the men like they were my brothers. We considered each other siblings. We had lived in the same house for years, waiting to start our mission.

‘I can’t face the others,’ I said, cutting across the road. ‘Not yet.’

It was late. The small townhouse community in the posh part of London was the safest central place we could live. Everyone kept to themselves and never asked questions.

‘Where are you going?’ Leo called. He had one foot in the road, and the other on the pavement. I ignored his question. He knew me well enough to know when to leave me alone.

I needed my space and I was going to get it.

Chapter Two

‘Do you know how easy it is to get lost in your eyes?’

His question startled me. It was the middle of the night. The man that spoke slid into the seat opposite me. The hiss of the coffee machine behind the counter was the only sound in the cafe. I had been deep in a daydream, not paying attention to anything.

‘Do you know how bad that chat up line is?’

Meeting his gaze was impossible. His directness startled me. I had never been any good at small talk. He was handsome with striking blue eyes, which made it hard to notice anything else about him. Picking up my mug of hot chocolate, I closed my eyes and drank the last mouthful.

‘Don’t go yet, we’ve only just met.’ He waved at the waitress and pointed to the empty mug when she looked over. I shook my head, but he put up his hand. ‘I insist.’

I wanted to run. I wanted to pick up my bag and leave. The house was my only option, and I wasn’t ready to go back, so I stayed.

‘I’m Antony, what’s your name?’

I glanced around the café. We were the only people there. It wasn’t a surprise, considering it was stupid o’clock in the morning, but I was suddenly aware that I was alone with a stranger.

‘Pisces.’ I glanced down at my bracelet.

When I looked up, his gaze rested on the silver charm that dangled from my wrist.

‘Interesting. Were you born in the month of February, or March?’

My eyebrows rose as he sat back in his seat. The waitress placed two cups of hot chocolate in front of us.

‘March.’

‘And what are you doing out so late in your pyjamas?’

A smile tugged at my lips when I looked down at myself. I wasn’t usually the type to pop out in nightclothes. In my anger, I had completely forgotten that I wasn’t even dressed.

‘I’m not as mad as I look.’ I laughed as he grinned at me.

His smile was sweet. Dimples appeared in his cheeks and a warm glow started to surround my heart. It was nice to be chatted up. It happened so rarely.

‘I am as mad as I look,’ he said, taking a sip of hot chocolate and cursing when it burnt his tongue.

‘You don’t look mad.’

‘Exactly,’ he said, winking.

‘Well, that’s a shame.’

‘What is?’ he asked, reaching out. I froze when his fingers touched my arm. They were cold and I struggled with the urge to pull away.

‘Well, you have to be a bit mad to talk to me.’

He laughed and sat back, taking his cold fingers with him. I was torn. I didn’t want to keep talking, but I wasn’t a rude person. A part of me was enjoying the attention.

‘Well. I’m also up in the middle of the night, so you could say I’m a little weird.’

I sighed as my escape plan backfired. ‘I don’t do small talk very well,’ I confessed.

He didn’t flinch like I assumed he would, but laughed instead. I stood to go.

‘Oh, come on, I was just having fun,’ he said, sitting up in his seat.

‘I know, and I’m sorry, but it’s been a long day, and I need to get home.’

As I left, I could feel his gaze burning into my back. When the café door shut behind me, I started to run, just in case he felt the need to follow me. My instincts told me that I was safe, so when I got to the end of the road, I glanced back. I had no idea what I expected to see. Would Antony be in the doorway, gazing longingly after me? Or maybe he would be running to kidnap me? Either way, he wasn’t there, so I sighed and carried on walking towards the house.

What would I have done if he had wanted me? Would I have given him a chance to get close? Probably not.

‘Where have you been?’

The hissed words made me jump. I put my hand to my chest and took a deep breath. ‘Don’t do that to me, Cancer, you know I can’t deal with it!’

My senses were heightened, like all of the water signs, but I was extra sensitive for some reason. When I heard loud noises for long periods of time, or watched continually flashing lights, my senses would go into overload. I knew when it was time to cocoon myself and so did the others.

‘Sorry,’ she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the house. ‘The boys said that you went off on your own and I thought you might have run away again.’

‘I didn’t run away.’ I took her hand to release the grip she had on me.

We made our way to the bedroom. I swallowed my sigh as the four walls enclosed around me. Cancer and I had shared a room since we were children and I was sick of it. I was twenty years old. I could do without sharing a room with another woman. However, I would be happy to share a room with my twin flame soulmate. If I ever met him.

‘Pisces, I missed you!’

Cancer hugged me, which caused me to stiffen. Despite us being good friends, I still wasn't a fan of physical contact.

‘No offence, but—’

‘Don’t say it. I know,’ she said, backing off.

I glanced down at her wrist. The bracelet she wore was a different colour to mine, but still a shade of blue. ‘Do you think we’ll ever be able to take them off?’

The bracelet made me feel like I was branded. We were trapped in the house of weirdness and had been our whole lives. Cancer glanced down at hers. Her bobbed blonde hair fell forward and covered her face as she looked at her own birth sign charm. Whenever we had tried to take the bracelet off, we found that we couldn’t. It wouldn’t budge. Even though it wasn’t tight.

‘I don’t want to.’ She moved over to the window.

Her slim frame was curvy in all the right places. We had similar figures, but I was taller. We often shared clothes, except trousers. My hips and legs were bigger than hers, but I didn’t care.

‘It seems you’ve lost faith in our mission.’

The words were said quietly, but they shot straight into my heart. They were true and I hadn’t acknowledged it. I sighed and lay back on my bed. Closing my eyes, I fought against the lump that rose in my throat.

‘I think I have,’ I replied, not able to lie to her.

She gasped and came over to the bed. She looked down at me. I kept my eyes closed, but could feel the heat of her gaze.

‘Go away,’ I muttered, feeling my energy drain.

‘You will meet your twin flame.’ She grabbed my hand and shook it.

When we were young, our parents had explained that we were to complete an important mission. There wasn’t enough love on the planet. People had lost faith in happily ever after and stopped believing in romance. All twelve of us had agreed to be born on Earth to show the world that true love exists.

Being told something was not as powerful as experiencing it myself. I couldn’t remember doing anything. I couldn’t remember my life before I was about five. How was I supposed to know what had happened before I was born? Mother always chastised me for being impatient. Apparently it would all become clear as we got older.

‘Do you really believe that? Twelve of us are literally here to find a soulmate and live happily ever after?’

She let go of me. I opened my eyes and watched her move to her own bed.

‘It’s not just any old soulmate, though, is it? And no…I don’t believe that’s all we’re here to do, and neither do you.’

I swallowed as I shifted onto my side. The bed felt familiar, but I was bored with familiar. I needed something new and exciting. I had been trapped in the same house my whole life. I had to find a way to breathe…I had to get out somehow.

‘You don’t know what I believe,’ I whispered.

Her laugh was typical. She assumed that I was having one of my emotional sulks. She was right, of course. I hated that I had lost confidence, but I couldn’t help it.

‘You’ll find him, Pisces, just keep the faith.’

Chapter Three

‘When are you going to bed, Pisces?’ Aries called.

He sat on the sofa with the boys. They were playing on one of their game consoles.

‘Not yet. Why? Do you want to play one of the dancing games?’ I laughed.

He growled as he spun in his seat to look at me. I was at the kitchen table with my laptop. The combined kitchen and living area was big enough for twelve people to gather. Six men and six women living under the same roof made it hard to compromise sometimes.

‘No, we were thinking of inviting some friends over,’ he said.

I glared at the back of his head as he turned away. His definition of friends actually meant girls. All six boys turned and looked at me.

‘Are you serious? Can’t you just go out?’

The decision was made there and then as they glared, grunted, or muttered under their breath. I had to find a way to leave so they couldn’t find me. I loved my siblings, but I was tired of being around them. As usual, the girls were in bed. I was the only one up. The boys turned back to their game and I bit my lip as I watched them.

The three men who had come to fetch me back were wearing nothing but jeans. The heating was high, and they were getting worked up playing whatever game it was. The others had clothes on, but were no less handsome.

Swallowing a mouthful of water, I wondered whether to give in and go to bed. It didn’t look like the boys would leave me alone anytime soon.

The phone started to ring. Everyone in the room froze. The only person that called was our mother, and she had moved out two years ago to give us some freedom.

‘Hello,’ I answered after a mad dash to grab the phone before the men did.

‘Pisces, it’s Mother. I need to let you know that he’s back…’

The phone cut off and I swallowed hard.

‘He’s back,’ I announced, turning to the boys.

They swore and jumped up from their seats, getting ready for a fight that hadn’t even started yet.

‘Did she say anymore?’ Aries said.

I shook my head and came away from the phone. Father couldn’t find us, we had made sure of it, but we needed to be on the lookout. I didn’t believe Mother when she said that he would hurt us, but we wanted to be careful anyway.

‘It’s been five years. Why is he back?’ Leo came over to me.

I shrugged as he grabbed me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. The hug was reassuring. I hadn’t even been aware that I needed one.

Father was married to Mother when they had collected us from our birth parents and brought us to live together. As we got older, Father had tried to persuade Mother to let us have space so we could get on with our lives. I’d begged them to let us lead a freer life, but she had been entrusted with our care by the universe and felt that it was her duty to safeguard us.

When I had questioned her about the universe, and who had entrusted her, she had eluded to the answer, which made me even more curious.

We’d rebelled in our teenage years, but she still wouldn’t grant us freedom. I would cry at night, wishing I could go out and meet new friends. We were home schooled and never allowed out on our own. She tried to get us to see that our lives were bigger than ourselves. We were not on Earth to be free. We had to help save the world by uniting with our twin flame soulmate and defeating the evil that made people hate each other.

‘Do you think he’ll try to destroy us?’ Aries stepped forward and picked up the phone.

‘That’s only what Mother said. I don’t think he would. What are you doing?’ I snatched the phone from him.

‘Things have got to change,’ Aries said, holding out his hand.

I looked between the men as they stepped forward. Something felt different somehow. I had always followed the rules. We all had. But it looked like the boys were about to go against the grain.

‘Pisces, we need to take charge of our own destiny, but we need to stick together to do that.’

Handing him the phone, I took a step back. I couldn’t stop them. He was right. I had been dreaming of the day that I could leave the house and be on my own for good.

‘But…’ I stuttered.

‘Don’t you think we would make better partners for our soulmates if we experienced life more?’ Scorpio asked.

Admitting he was right, even to myself, was hard. None of us were ready for love. We had no experience of socialising with the opposite sex on a one to one basis, never mind leading an independent lifestyle. Finding our soulmate was our lifetime purpose, but we needed to be ready for that. It seemed that the more I thought about being a soulmate, the less I wanted to carry out my mission.

‘Okay, but you’ve got to let me go,’ I whispered.

They looked at one another and nodded. ‘You don’t have to go. We need to stick together, but we promise to give you more freedom.’ Aries pressed the buttons on the phone.

The distant sound of ringing filtered to my ears. He frowned when someone answered.

‘Mother…it’s time for us to be free. It’s time to let us go. We need to start living a normal life,’ he said, before hanging up.

The others reacted in different ways. Leo and Aries high fived, but Scorpio just grinned.

‘What’s the plan?’

They became silent and avoided looking at me. I knew they had been hiding something. I had suspected for months. It was another reason I had wanted to get out of there.

‘We have another house set up. We’re all going to live there.’ Scorpio took my hand.

I blinked as I tried to wrap my head around what they were saying. They had obviously been thinking about defying Mother for a while.

‘We need to see the world without someone breathing down our necks,’ Aquarius said.

I nodded, because I agreed. The house we lived in was more like a prison. There were cameras in most of the rooms. Even in the doors, so Mother could watch us come and go. She hadn’t lived with us for two years, but she still kept an eye on us. She said that it was for our own protection. We were in danger from the Dysfunctionals. A group of men that wanted to stop us from uniting with our twin flame.

‘Great. When do we move?’

They shuffled on their feet. My stomach flipped when they stared at the floor.

‘When I said we’re all going to live there, I meant the boys,’ Scorpio said.

Nodding once, I turned on my heel. That was fine by me; it meant I could go it alone. I fought the fear that tightened my stomach and it made me want to heave. I had never been alone in the big wide world. The little things had always scared me. It didn’t matter though, I could do it. I could be free from the regime of my life.

‘Where are you going?’ Aries called.

‘You made me leave my flat for this? Why?’ I almost shouted, spinning to them.

Leo found his feet fascinating, but Aries looked me straight in the eye. ‘Old habits.’

I growled as I stomped to my room. A part of me wanted to crawl into bed and bury my head under the blue duvet. I was Pisces. I couldn’t do anything on my own. I had tried several times and failed. It was time to stop trying, though. I had to just get on with it.

‘Are you okay?’ Cancer asked, her voice groggy from sleep.

I froze for a moment. I had been throwing my things into a bag. I hadn’t planned on telling her that I was leaving. She was a heavy sleeper so I was surprised to hear her voice. If she was awake now, it was because I needed to let her know what was happening. I believed in signs and always followed any guidance.

‘I’m leaving,’ I said. ‘And so are the boys.’

Cancer sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her blonde hair was messed up, and her makeup was smudged on her face.

‘Why?’

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. ‘Father’s back, so we’re now in danger. It’s time that Mother stopped controlling us, too. We need to be free. I need to experience life.’

Cancer watched me pack every single piece of clothing I owned. It wasn’t a lot. We paid our own bills, and most of us had jobs. I was an accounts administrator, but dreamt of more exciting things to do with my time.

‘I’m coming with you.’ She flipped her covers off. ‘Mother said Father wants to kill us. I’m not going to stay here and let him.’

‘I need to do this alone,’ I replied.

‘You really think we would leave you behind?’ Aries said from the open doorway.

He grinned at me. My teeth clenched together. I was tempted to smack his smug chiselled face. His tanned skin set off his white teeth and I wondered if I could punch high enough to cause them any damage.

‘No, I really thought you’d let me live my life,’ I replied as I zipped up my suitcase.

He laughed and came to sit on my bed. ‘Come and see the house.’ He put his hand on the bag. I was about to lift it, but his strength stopped me.

‘Why won’t you just let me go?’ I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

‘Because you’re our sister. We stick together. You’re…Pisces…’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ I said, glaring at Cancer as she started to move her things around.

‘It means that you can’t handle… You need us.’ His sentence trailed off as he gestured with his big meaty hand.

‘Really…?’ The heat that danced over my skin could’ve been dangerous, but his fire would far outweigh mine. His was real fire for a start. Mine was just normal emotion. I took a deep breath, but stayed still. ‘You don’t know what I can handle. Don’t talk to me anymore.’

Pushing his hand away from my suitcase, I pulled it off the bed. I walked from the room, dragging my possessions with me.

‘Don’t shut down. We need to show you the new place regardless of where you go,’ Leo said.

He was waiting in the hallway outside. I could tell he had been strategically placed there. I wanted to lash out at them all, though I wasn’t a violent person. In fact I hated violence, but when I was pushed to the limit, I could lose it.

‘Here…’ Leo handed me a business card.

I frowned as I looked down at it. The address was in South London.

‘You’re going to live in Clapham?’

I had heard of it before, but had never been there.

He smiled and shrugged. ‘A good place to keep a low profile.’

I shook my head. The boys could never be discreet. They always got into trouble.

‘We’ve set up a pretty amazing place. You’d have your freedom there.’

I stilled as I looked at the card. I wanted my freedom, but if I was honest, I was scared. Each one of us had an ability that we had to keep hidden. We always looked out for each other. If anyone outside our family discovered that I could breathe underwater, I would be turned into a science project.

‘Just come with us. Everyone’s packing, so if we go there now, we can be the first in. If you don’t like it, you can leave.’ Leo tried to take my hand, but my scowl stopped him.

My personal space was called that, because it was mine. I didn’t like it being invaded. People meant well, but why did they always have to touch me?

‘Let’s go,’ Cancer said, coming out of our room with Aries.

I nodded, defeated.

They stared at me. They were probably trying to predict whether I was going to melt down in tears, or just get on with it. They wouldn’t get any tears from me. I was ready for this, although I still felt trapped.

‘Let’s go!’ Scorpio called from the end of the hallway.

We were leaving the safety of the nest. This time I wasn’t attempting to make it on my own. Leaving with the others made it more real somehow. Although we were still going to live together, it would be different. We would finally be free from our parents.

‘Let’s hope neither of them will find us now,’ Leo said, picking up my suitcase and throwing it on his shoulder. We went to his room where he put on a coat and grabbed his own suitcase. I took his much loved guitar and slung it over my back. He was right. If we wanted to be free to live our lives, we had to hide from them both. Father wanted to kill us according to our mother, and she just wanted to control us.

Everyone met in the hallway, before the boy’s shepherded us into the living area. Aries droned on as he explained the new plan. Now that Father had reappeared, we were all going to move to the new place. I looked around the room we had called home for most of our lives, but didn’t feel anything. I was ready to leave the past behind. I had held on for too long. It was time to start again.

Chapter Four

‘Keep running.’ She panted behind me.

I didn’t know what to do. We had spotted the men at the station, but we had managed to sneak out before they saw us. It had been a month since we had moved, and we knew that Mother would send someone to try and find us. So far we hadn’t seen anyone. Until now. They wore suits and talked into their phones as they looked around them. I had recognised one. That had been enough to make me grab Cancer and get out of the station.

We were running on the concrete path alongside the river Thames, hoping we didn’t look too obvious. There wasn’t a lot of people around during the middle of day. Most of them were still at work. It was cold, and my breath huffed out in a puff of white mist as I tried to get more air into my lungs.

‘I think they saw us. A car just skidded over there.’

I looked, but I couldn’t see anything as my hair swept into my face. I pushed past a tourist group, apologising when I knocked one of them.

‘Pisces, go in!’ Cancer called.

I spun to see Cancer pointing down to the river. I nodded as her body changed and she turned into liquid. The shower of water hit the ground. I turned to where she had been standing. Wishing I was fitter, I grabbed the green railing and lifted my leg over it. A shout from behind made me look back briefly. I recognised the man’s face as he ran towards me, but I didn’t have time to place him. Had he been one of our bodyguards when we were younger? He didn’t look old enough.

Jumping into the river, I thanked the universe that it was high tide. The iciness enveloped me as my mouth flew open. I inhaled deeply. Somehow the water flowed into my body, but it didn’t kill me.

My breathing underwater ability had come to light when I was a toddler. Mother had left me in the bath on my own and I had gone under for a long time without dying. Taking water into my lungs had been instinctual, and although the memory was blurry, I would never forget that first time.

My body started to float to the surface of the river, so I put my hands in front of me and pushed through the water. It was murky, so I struggled to see where I was going. My long coat pulled me down, which actually helped. It meant that the people who had just seen me jump in the river wouldn’t see me rise up. My bracelet caught my eye as I pushed my hands forward. I breathed in deeply and felt the water enter my lungs. I didn’t know how I survived, but apparently I could. The silver of my Pisces charm sent a bolt of annoyance through me. I hated being tied to my mission.

I had been swimming for a while, so I allowed myself to float upwards. Water poured from my mouth and nose when my head broke the surface. I was on a quiet part of the river. I pulled myself out and sat shivering for a moment.

‘Are you okay?’ Cancer asked from behind me.

She had a weird way of knowing where someone was, so I just nodded. She looked dry, not soaking wet like I was.

‘How did you get here?’

She grinned and pointed at my boots. ‘I attached myself to your feet.’

Shaking my head, I got up and wrung out my brown hair. The length of it was heavy when it was wet. I let go, and it fell to my waist.

‘We need to get you out of those clothes,’ she said, taking the arm of my coat.

‘Are you okay?’ The voice was deep and sent chills up my spine. The man that approached was tall and slim with dark shaved hair. My skin flushed when he looked at me and smiled.

‘I’m fine. I just fancied a swim.’ I glanced down at my hands when his gaze met mine.

His eyes twinkled and I wondered if everyone could see that about him.

‘Well, that’s commendable, but a bit crazy,’ he said. He took off his coat and wrapped it around me. I shivered even more when his hands brushed my shoulders.

‘Pisces, we need to go.’ Cancer stepped in front of me and grinned up at the man.

I was tempted to push her out of the way, but it would only make her worse. She loved men and they loved her.

‘Pisces, that’s a rare name,’ he said, ignoring my sister.

The man seemed to be focused on me. That was unusual. They usually spoke to Cancer, or Sagi. I was far too quiet for them to take notice.

‘It’s pretty,’ he added when I didn’t say anything.

Cancer grabbed my arm and started to pull me away.

‘Wait. Where can I find you? So you can return my coat?’ he called.

I was usually shy, but something made me feel bold. Mother had told us to look for any signs that a person could be our soulmate. Well, this was a pretty big sign. ‘Meet me in that coffee shop in an hour,’ I said, pointing to a nearby coffee house.

He nodded and smiled as I ran to catch up to Cancer. She had given up on me and legged it. My longer legs carried me to her quickly.

‘Why did you do that?’ I puffed when I reached her.

‘You’ve got to be careful,’ she said as she swiped her fringe out of her eyes.

‘You can talk. You’ve spoken to loads of men since we moved.’

She laughed and I realised what the problem was. Cancer was actively looking for her twin flame, and she hadn’t found him. I was just getting used to my own little piece of freedom, instead of being focused on the search and I had just met a good looking man.

‘He’s probably not the one,’ she said, grabbing my hand to stop me.

My muscles started to shake. It was the end of winter and I was still soaking wet.

‘You don’t know that. I think he is,’ I replied. There was a flutter in my chest, but I couldn’t tell whether it was a good, or bad omen.

She looked to where I dripped all over the floor. ‘Be careful. You know how easy it is to get hooked in.’

I glanced back the way we had come, but couldn’t see my mystery man. Why did I have to be careful? I didn’t want to be careful. I wanted to find love, but standing there, dripping in the freezing cold, wasn’t going to make that happen.

‘Let’s go.’ I hugged my friend awkwardly, laughing when she moaned and pushed me away.

‘You’re soaked! You’ll die of hypothermia before a bloke can sweep you off your feet.’

Going into a local shop, I managed to sneak into the changing rooms without being seen. Cancer brought me two dresses and a towel she had taken from the home department. I dried myself as best as I could before deciding on a dress. The assistant jumped when I came out, but smiled when I did a twirl.

‘I’ve just met a man and I’m going on a quick date. Can I wear this now?’ I smiled sweetly as a look of excitement flashed over her face. She agreed, so I gave Cancer the dress to buy, before I put it back on.

‘You’re really going to do this?’ Cancer asked.

We headed back to the coffee shop. I looked down at the man’s coat. I was wearing it over my dress. I smiled a secret smile, although Cancer knew me well enough to know what I was thinking.

‘You’re going to make it impossible for him not to see you again because of the coat. You could’ve bought one, but you didn’t.’ She shook her head. ‘You’re as bad as me!’

Laughing, I handed her the bag of wet clothes. She rolled her eyes before she muttered a goodbye and left for home.

Going into the coffee shop was daunting. At first I couldn’t see my rescuer, but when he stood and waved at me, I made my way over to him.

‘Nice dress,’ he said, smiling.

Glancing over at the waitress, I froze when I caught sight of another man that sat in the corner. My rescuer gestured for me to sit. I lowered myself into the chair, but my back was straight against the rigid wood. I still had no idea who the other man was, but I was sure it was the same one who had seen me on the other side of the river.

‘So, what made you jump into—?’

‘I told you,’ I interrupted, in case anyone could hear. ‘I’m a bit weird.’

He smiled as he sipped the hot drink he held in his hand. The waitress came over and I ordered a hot chocolate. My eye caught the other man, but he looked away.

‘I always like to help a damsel in distress,’ my rescuer said, resting his arms on the table.

‘And do you have a lot of damsels in your life?’ I didn’t know what made me ask about the women in his life. I felt a flush of heat as my cheeks warmed. He laughed. I sat back in my chair. What was wrong with me? Why was I worried whether he was the type of man to pick up a lot of women?

‘I’ve rescued my fair share of damsels, yes.’

I had to be frowning because he started to squirm. Mentally shaking myself, I put on my best smile. It was the small talk again. Hard for me, but part of the whole process.

‘Do you want to get out of here?’ I whispered.

His eyebrows rose and I quickly realised what I must have sounded like.

‘No. I meant for a walk, or something,’ I said backtracking.

He grinned and nodded, although I doubted he believed me. When we left I caught the other man watching me. He was probably a spy for Mother. I never imagined that we would need to worry about our own parents.

Mother had told us stories about the group that called themselves the Dysfunctionals. They tried to stop twin flames from uniting. I had assumed that’s who we would be running from. How had we all of a sudden become enemies with the parents that had raised us?

‘Where does your name come from, Pisces?’

We walked along the Thames. I glanced up at him as he asked the awkward question. He was clean cut and wore a smart suit. He must’ve been cold, but he didn’t show it. I snuggled into his coat, and he grinned when he noticed.

‘I have an eccentric family. All of the children are named after the Zodiac signs.’

I was comfortable with him for some reason and wanted to tell him about us. I couldn’t give too much away, but it was nice to be open and honest about who I was.

‘That’s certainly different,’ he said as we stopped and looked out over the water.

Was he the one? Was he my twin flame? If I kissed him, I might be able to tell. I tucked my arm in his and looked into his eyes. I smiled gently as he leant towards me. His lips attacked mine in a slimy kiss. I wiped my mouth when he pulled away and cringed at the excess saliva he left behind.

‘You’re keen.’

‘Sorry, I…’

I wanted to step away from him, but remembered that I had to go with the flow. I had never been patient and literally just met the man. If I was honest, I had no idea what I was doing.

‘Do you want to go back to my place? It’s not far from here,’ he said, licking my ear.

I froze, not quite sure what to do.

‘No, she doesn’t.’

The voice was one I didn’t recognise. My rescuer, whose name I still didn’t know, pulled back. The man who was at the coffee shop was standing behind us. He was taller than the one who had just kissed me. He had brown hair cut in the normal British style. Short at the sides, and a little longer on top. He had a handsome chiselled features.

‘Can I have your number?’ my saviour asked, taking a step away from me.

I typed it into his phone, before he took his coat and left me standing there. Now what did I do? There was still something about this other man’s face that made me curious.

‘You don’t remember me, do you?’

A flashback hit me. He was the man I had met in the café just before we’d moved. My cheeks heated when I remembered that I had been in my pyjamas. His hair had grown out a bit, but his blue eyes still pierced me.

‘Is that why you were following me?’ I felt small and stupid. I didn’t know how to act, or what to do when it came to men. I was so inexperienced. I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to most people.

‘No, I was following you because I work for…’

I spun and jumped the wall. A rush of air pushed my dress up as I plunged into the river. If it was the same man that had seen me go in the river earlier, he would know that I could swim well. As I let my body sink again, something heavy splashed next to me. A hand grabbed my wrist and pulled, dragging me to the surface.

‘I’m sorry, Pisces, but you need to come with me.’

Raising my fist, I punched him in the nose. He swore, but it wasn’t enough. I tried to get him underwater, but he was a lot stronger than I thought.

‘The more you fight, the harder it is,’ he said as he pulled me toward the wall.

My muscles were tired and my throat was sore. I had to keep swallowing to make the sting of tears go away.

‘I’m not a bad man,’ he grumbled as he pulled me to the ladder attached to the brick wall.

He pushed me to it, but I refused to get on, so he started to climb, dragging me with him. I swore and tried to hit his head. The water hindered me as I tried to wrench free, but he wouldn’t let go. My wrist burned where he gripped me.

‘Just stop!’ he shouted.

‘Is everything okay down there?’ a man called from above.

I was about to scream.

‘I work for your father,’ the man hissed in my face. ‘I’m your new bodyguard.’

I faltered, giving him momentum to get his foot on another rung.

‘My girlfriend fell in. I’m trying to help her.’

I wanted to hit him again, but instead I held the railings with my other hand and tried to get out of his grip. Another hand grabbed my arm and lifted me up.

‘Thank you.’ My captor shook hands with the older man.

‘Does she need an ambulance?’ he asked.

Could my father be looking out for me, instead of trying to kill me?

I wanted to tell the man that I was being kidnapped, but something made me keep my mouth shut. If the police were called, it would bring attention to my family. I had been so stupid with the man I kissed. I should have gone straight home with Cancer the moment I realised we were being chased.

‘She’s my girlfriend and we’ve had a fight. She’s fine.’

I found myself nodding along as he hurried me away from the people who had gathered. My intuition was never wrong and something was telling me to go with him.

‘You need to let go,’ I hissed.

He laughed and I found myself looking up into his face. I hated him for forcing me to do what he wanted, but it was impossible to look away.

‘Like I said, I work for your father, and he wants to see you.’

Something inside me flipped, and I felt different all of a sudden. Father had been gone for five years. A part of me wanted to see the man who had abandoned us. I had secretly wished he would come back and help us to escape from our mother. She had made us fear him, but I wanted to see him face to face. I needed to find out why he had gone. Not knowing had almost killed me. It seemed that I would now have the opportunity.

Chapter Five

‘You can let go.’ I pulled out of his grip so hard I almost lost my balance.

It was hard to know where I was. We'd been driving for an hour in a car with blacked out windows.
I had tried to keep track, but my brain had given up.

‘I’ll show you to your room.’ He took my arm as I climbed out of the car.

‘Will you take your hands off me?’ I shoved him in the chest.

He tripped, but managed to keep his feet. A giggle escaped from me. I couldn’t help it. He growled, grabbed my arm and yanked me inside the house. Light music came from the speakers in the walls. It was classical. The sound hit me square in the chest. My father’s favourite music had always bored me as a child, but now, it sent a lance of pain through my body.

‘I’ve not seen him for five years,’ I said to no one in particular. ‘I’m no longer a teenager.’

‘Only just.’ The man snorted.

‘Antony! That’s your name!’ I blurted, finally remembering.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly. He had told me his real name when I’d first met him. Had he known who I was back then? Why hadn’t he tried to take me when he had the chance?

‘Did you enjoy your kiss with that man?’ he asked, guiding me up the stairs.

I stumbled as he pulled me to a door on the landing. What made him bring that up? I tried not to cringe as I remembered my first ever kiss. It hadn’t been as romantic as the films had made it out to be. But then again, I had been stupid enough to kiss a stranger.

‘Yes, I did,’ I said as he faced me.

He smiled as he saw through the lie. His teeth were almost perfect. My teeth were slightly crooked. I had begged for braces when I was younger, but for some reason I never got them.

‘Here’s your room.’ He opened the door and pushed me inside.

The door closed behind us as he followed me in. It was dark and cold. The curtains were drawn, and the four-poster bed was unmade. Covers sat on the table in the corner, waiting to be put on the duvet.

‘I want to see my father. Surely I’m not a prisoner.’

He stepped up to me. I had to bend my neck back to look into his eyes. I wanted to push him away. How dare he get in my personal space?

‘I’m afraid you’ll be staying with us for a while. You father isn’t here until tomorrow, so you’ll have to put up with me for company.’

My eyes widened as the smile on his lips started to fade. Our gazes locked and I couldn’t move. I swallowed hard when his throat moved.

‘Antony, do you have her?’ someone called from outside.

He cringed, and I stepped back quickly. I went to the curtains, but his hand enveloped mine as I reached out to open them.

‘Yes, I’ll be out in a moment,’ he called back. ‘Pisces…’

Turning back, I tried to remove my hand. He wouldn’t let go. The shadows danced around us as a draft blew the curtain, causing a shaft of sunlight to come into the room. He stepped forward as he looked down at me. My heart pumped into overdrive. I desperately wanted to push him away.

‘Did you really enjoy your first kiss?’

My eyes dropped from his gaze and he released my hand. Shame overtook my muscles and I found that I couldn’t move. He was mocking me, but I deserved it. In a really ridiculous roundabout way, he had saved me from making a huge mistake. I might have gone back to the other man’s flat and done something I would have regretted.

‘How do you know it was my first kiss?’ I whispered.

His breath landed on my hair and every muscle in my body froze as he moved even closer. What the hell was going on?

‘I just know,’ he whispered back.

We were both still, listening to the other’s breath. Did my father plan this? Had he seriously captured me and trusted a young man to keep guard?

‘Come on, mate,’ the other voice called through the door.

Antony didn’t respond, or move. I went to step away, but his hand stopped me when it landed on the small of my back.

‘What are you doing?’

I didn’t want the man outside the door to come in. It was scary enough with one stranger.

‘I don’t know,’ he whispered, causing me to look up at him.

Emotions crossed his eyes. He frowned, but it didn’t scare me. I breathed in deep, and the smell of him rushed up my nose. I became lightheaded as his masculine scent wormed its way around my body. He blinked quickly, obviously seeing the affect he had on me.

‘I’m sorry.’

The air moved and he was gone, the door closing behind him.

Sitting on the bed, I stared at the worn carpet. It was red and dusty. Staying still allowed me to think too much, so I moved to the curtains and opened them. The view made my breath stick in my throat and I almost choked. The back garden was attached to fields that stretched far away. The motorway was in the distance and I wondered where I was. Why hadn’t I screamed when Antony had pulled me along with him? Why hadn’t I told anyone that I was being taken against my will?

I turned to the room and pursed my lips. If I was going to sleep there, I might as well make it comfortable. Grabbing hold of the covers, I made the bed. It kept my mind occupied. There may have been cameras in the room, so it was better to look as if I was being complacent. I knew exactly why they had come for me first. Everyone assumed that because I was the most emotional one of my siblings, I would be the easiest to tame. The others had often mocked my sensitivity and thought I was weak because of it.

The door opened a while later, but I didn’t look up from what I was doing. I was expecting him.

‘Are you settled?’ he asked, hovering by the open door.

I glared over my shoulder and the corner of his lip quirked into his cheek. The dimples threw me off. Blinking, I looked back down at the pillow I held. His dimples were deep, and I hadn’t even noticed them. They made a difference to how much I hated him. I didn’t know anyone who wasn’t a sucker for dimples.

His hair was natural. I admired him for not using a load of product like my brothers. He wasn’t the type of man I would usually find attractive. Not that my sheltered life had allowed me to meet a lot of attractive men.

‘What do you want?’

‘It’s dinner time,’ he said, gesturing behind him.

It was dark. I had been so engrossed in my thoughts; I hadn’t noticed the sun go down.

‘I’m not hungry.’

He sighed. I tried not to freeze when the sound of his footsteps came around the bed.

‘You’re coming to dinner.’ He offered his hand right in front of my face.

I stood quickly, causing him to step back. He wouldn’t come too close to me again. I wondered what I had triggered in him. Did he feel guilty for kidnapping me?

‘You’re an arsehole. You know that, don’t you?’

He chuckled, so I took the opportunity to push him as hard as I could. I spun and ran out of the room, sprinting over the landing and starting down the stairs.

‘No, you don’t!’ he said, taking hold of me from behind.

Stumbling backwards, I tried to keep my feet on the carpeted step, but my foot slipped and we ended up rolling down the stairs together. My breath heaved out of me, and I couldn’t move when we landed at the bottom. He groaned as I tried to shove him again. My whole body shook and my heart pounded in my head.

‘Will you just stop?’ he gasped.

‘You think that just because I’m an emotional girl, I’m going to take it lying down?’ I huffed.

He laughed again and my temper snapped. I jumped on top of him and started to throw my fists. Red misted over my eyes as anger overtook me.

‘Enough!’

Father’s command stopped me. The mist cleared. My hands hung in the air on their way to Antony’s face. He had his arms over his head as I straddled his waist.

‘What’s going on? Why are you making such a scene?’

He towered in the doorway to what looked like a library. A younger man that looked similar to Antony stood beside him.

‘He kidnapped me!’ I scrambled up.

My throat threatened to close. Father had aged slightly, but he was the same man that had raised me. His dark hair had finally succumbed to the grey that had tried to overtake it, but it was still long on his head. He wore a suit, and a tie hung loose around his neck.

‘I’ve missed you,’ he said as he opened his arms.

I rushed into them, feeling safety envelop my body as they came around me. He was a Scorpio man so I had resonated with him more than Mother. She was a down to earth Capricorn lady and although we got on okay, we had our differences.

‘I missed you, too,’ I sobbed. The emotion that threatened, finally came up. Father had been the one to teach me that my emotions were my power.

‘Let it out. Like I always say, it’s better out than in. You don’t want a toxic stomach do you?’

‘Is she farting then?’ the other man asked.

‘Shut up, Derek! He’s talking about emotions,’ Antony chastised.

Wiping my eyes on my father’s shoulder, I gulped fresh air into my lungs. When I pulled back, my eye caught Antony’s as he stood next to the man that must be his brother.

‘He said you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow.’ I hiccupped.

Self-conscious at my emotional outburst, I kept my eyes averted from the others. My cheeks heated as Father put his arm around my shoulders and led me into a dining room.

‘I wanted to surprise you. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to free you.’

Father sat at the head of the table. I sat next to him. I bit my tongue when Antony sat opposite me. Wasn’t he just the hired help, or something?

‘Antony and Derek are part of my team,’ Father explained when he saw me scowling.

‘Well, I think you need a new team. When my brothers and sisters come…’

‘They won’t be coming.’

My gaze shot to my father as a small woman placed a bowl of soup in front of him. I barely noticed her, but noted that she touched his shoulder as she went past.

‘Why won’t they come?’

Derek laughed and I kicked him under the table.

‘Ouch, that hurt!’

He sounded a lot younger than he looked, but I always thought that about men. They were hard work when you lived with six of them, but the younger they were, the more they acted like idiots.

‘I thought we had a special bond, Pisces. You saw me as a father much more than the others did. You’re the reason I wanted you kids to have a chance to live your own lives. You should’ve gone to school and mixed with others your own age.’

‘What about the—’

Father silenced me by raising his hand. He flicked his eyes towards the two men sitting opposite me, so I shut my mouth. They were a part of his team, but I was unsure how much they knew about the twin flame mission.

‘You are powerful, dear, but you don’t yet know how powerful. If only your mother had allowed you to experience life, you’d know how to handle what was coming.’ He sipped his soup, but the rest of us didn't eat anything.

I kept my gaze on my father, afraid of what I would see in Antony’s face if I gave in to the temptation to glance at him. A noise coming from their direction forced me to look.

‘Stop eating like an animal,’ Antony snapped at his brother.

The other man was slurping his soup from the bowl as he lifted it to his lips.

‘What’s coming?’

Whatever it was, my stomach already told me that it wasn’t good. I often ignored the physical sensations, but I couldn’t let go of the feeling that now wrapped itself around my body.

‘People are going to try and stop you from living your life purpose,’ Father said.

‘Life purpose.’ Derek snorted.

My gaze clashed with Antony’s and although he had started to smile at Derek’s snort, it dropped as soon as he saw me looking. I didn’t know why I was drawn to him, only that I didn’t want to be.

‘What’s your life purpose?’ I wasn’t surprised that Antony was curious.

Swallowing, I glanced at Father. Surely he would rescue me from the awkward question. He shrugged and took a drink from his wine glass.

‘I don’t know,’ I replied truthfully.

Apparently, I was supposed to unite with my twin flame soulmate to bring more love to the planet. But that was all I knew about my future relationship. I felt I couldn’t just churn this out to a stranger. He would think my eccentricity too much to take in. I glanced down at the bracelet that rested on my wrist.

The colour of the leather was vibrant blue and the silver caught the light. It had been on my wrist before I could remember, stretching as it grew with me. It represented my bond to a mission I had no idea how to complete. Beyond the initial union, we had to work out the next stage together.

‘You can breathe underwater,’ Antony stated.

‘That is pretty cool.’ Derek wiped a hand over his mouth.

Father chuckled and I bit my lip in an effort not to smile too.

‘What’s the point of that?’ Antony asked.

I looked at him and wondered what star sign he was. It was often the first thing I thought of. It wasn’t technically fair to judge someone on a stereotype. Just because someone was born under an astrological sign, didn’t mean that they embodied the qualities of that sign. Especially humans. They were complex and diverse with lots of different planets in different places when they were born.

‘I have no idea.’ I sat back in my seat and crossed my arms.

‘Defensive.’ My father nodded towards me.

Glaring at him, I tried to loosen my posture, but it didn’t work.

‘Why are the others not coming?’ I asked again, remembering that he had easily diverted my attention.

‘Because they’re not ready.’

‘Ready for what…?’

‘Bed…’ Derek said, throwing his arms up into the air and yawning.

He yelped when Antony punched him under the table. ‘He’s a good bodyguard. It’s the only reason he’s here.’

Dismissing them both with a look, I grabbed Father’s hand. ‘Ready for what…?’

A slow smile spread over his lips. My heart started to drum in my ears. My union was coming. There was a look in his eyes that confirmed it to me. I was going to meet my soulmate soon and everything would be perfect. I swallowed as I realised that it wouldn’t be long until I was madly in love. I returned his smile as he nodded once.

‘There is one thing.’ Father squeezed my hand. ‘The people that are trying to stop you...they also know that it’s coming.’

‘You people talk in riddles,’ Derek said.

‘If you’re such a genius, you should work it out,’ Antony replied.

Ignoring them, I focused my attention on Father. ‘Tell me about the people that will try to stop me.’

‘They are trying to prevent…’ He sighed and glanced at his bodyguards. Did he trust them enough to speak about it in front of them? ‘Twin flames from getting together. Not just you and your siblings, but all of the couples that have come here.’

‘What’s a twin flame?’ Antony asked.

Derek had tuned out and was playing with his food. I wasn’t surprised that Antony had paid attention. He seemed to be interested in what we talked about.

‘A soulmate,’ I said.

He blinked but didn’t say anymore.

‘Why are they doing that?’ I turned back to Father.

‘It’s best you all know so that Antony and Derek can do their job properly. One hundred and forty four thousand twin flames are on the planet right now. If more than half of those soulmates unite, the Dysfunctionals will cease to exist. They don’t want people to have a happily ever after. They don’t want children to be brought up in good homes. They like humanity as it is and want to keep the world negative. Twin flame relationships show people that love is real and everything else isn’t. When enough soulmates live together and love each other unconditionally, the balance of good will outweigh the bad. The Dysfunctionals will no longer be needed, because our mission will be complete.’

‘I remember Mother telling us about them, hence we’ve kept a low profile.’

Father rested his chin on his fist as he leant his elbow on the table.

It was finally becoming clear. The whole good Vs evil had been around for thousands of years. It wasn’t a religious thing, it was polarity. There were opposites of everything. The people that were part of a twin flame soul wanted to help humanity by showing the world that true love existed. Apparently, other twin flame couples who didn’t have that luxury of loving guiding parents as we did, struggled with their relationships.

The men that wanted to stop us had one mission. To make sure the world didn’t become overrun with loving couples that set an example of what true love was. They wanted abuse and dysfunction. They fed off negative thoughts and emotions.

‘What do I do?’

Father cocked his head and put a hand on his chest. ‘Listen to your intuition and always follow your heart.’

That was his advice? He had told me to do that when I was growing up. I didn’t really understand what he meant back then, but it seemed that it was time to take him seriously.

‘Is that all you got?’

‘Well, yes, but there is one more thing,’ he said, taking my other hand and looking into my eyes.

My intuition instantly told me that I wasn’t going to like what was coming next. My heart burned before the words even left his lips.

‘I’m no longer your father. I’m your guardian.’

Chapter Six

‘What’s your mission?’ Antony asked as we sat waiting for the train.

I had kicked up such a fuss about my freedom that Father had taken away all privileges, including a lift back to London. Letting the others know I was alive was my first job. I also had to tell them that my mission had started.

I often wondered why our parents had been so vague about what it was we were supposed to be doing. Antony’s question had triggered me. Why had they told us that we had to achieve something, but not given us any clues as to what, and how? Father’s excuse that we needed to find our own way didn’t cut it with me.

‘It’s none of your business,’ I replied, looking at the people that waited with us.

It was cold, but I didn’t take any notice. I was excited about the future, regardless of my clueless state of mind. Would my soulmate be tall and dark like Aries, or blond like Leo?

‘You’re fascinating.’

‘I’m not so sure,’ I said, not able to look away as he leaned in closer to me.

‘I think there’s much more under that arrogant exterior.’

My mouth dropped open as the train pulled into the station. Antony got up and climbed on as soon as it stopped, leaving me on the bench. At the sound of the doors closing, I jumped up and hopped on. I walked straight past the seat he sat in and moved down the carriage. There was a small table with six seats around it, so I settled there. It was the middle of the day. I was grateful that the train wasn’t full.

‘I deserved that,’ Antony said as he sat opposite me.

I stared out the window, choosing to ignore him.

‘Excuse me, I can’t help but notice your bracelet.’

The voice belonged to an average sized man with a wicked smile. He sat next to me, causing me to freeze. I glanced at Antony and caught the glare he threw at the stranger.

‘My sister loves anything to do with astrology and it’s her birthday soon. Your bracelet has a little charm on it. She would love something like that. Where did you get it?’

The man was friendly and not bad looking, so I smiled back. ‘I’ve had it since I was young, so I don’t remember where my parents got it from,’ I replied, offering my arm when he gestured for me to show him. He took my hand and goose bumps sprung up over my skin. I suddenly had to urge to rip my arm away, but I didn’t want to be rude.

‘That’s my girlfriend, mate,’ Antony said.

My gaze shot to him as heat flushed over me. His eyes were narrowed on our joined hands. The stranger was stroking my thumb. I pulled away. It didn’t feel right.

‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you were together…you didn’t look it,’ the man said, winking at me.

Antony leant forward and took my other hand. A different type of goose bumps rose up on my arms and I fought the urge to shiver.

‘I get your point, mate, don’t worry. I was genuinely interested in the bracelet.’

Looking into the man’s eyes, I felt fear bubble in my stomach. Father’s warning came into my head, and I wondered if the man knew about my mission. He got up suddenly and sat in one of the opposite chairs. Antony let go of my hand and came to sit next to me. The electronic voice announced the next stop over the speakers so a few people stood to get off. Our stranger friend watched me closely. I felt exposed and squirmed in my seat.

‘Are you okay?’ Antony whispered in my ear.

I shivered as his breath hit my sensitive skin. My heightened senses were good for some things. Our eyes met. He leant into me. I had been so worried about the stranger, I hadn’t even noticed how close he had come.

Chuckling as I went cross-eyed, he pulled back slightly so I could focus on his face. His nose almost touched mine. It was slightly bigger than normal, but it suited him.

‘What are you doing?’ I whispered.

‘Just play along,’ he whispered back, bringing his hand up to cup my jaw. His thumb stroked my cheek as his fingers caressed the hair behind my ear.

I got lost in his gaze, unsure what I should do. This wasn’t how I was going to find my soulmate, but he was just warning the stranger away.

When his lips brushed mine, my eyes closed. The kiss was so gentle I barely felt it. His tongue flicked out and traced my lips. I held my breath as sensation flowed through me and something snapped inside. I wanted to reach up and grab his head. I wanted to force him to kiss me properly, instead of teasing with tiny touches of his lips, never fully connecting with mine.

The electronic voice announced our stop, and we pulled apart. The stranger was gone. I put my hand to my chest as Antony smiled at me. He looked cool and calm, but his gaze wouldn’t meet mine. He stood and went to wait by the door. Taking a deep breath, I joined him. He looked straight ahead, ignoring me as the train rolled to a stop at the platform.

‘You’ll be okay from here, won’t you?’ he asked as I got off the train.

Clapham junction was busy, but I wasn’t far from home. I nodded, so he stayed on the train. Confusion overtook me as he waved. Wasn’t he supposed to be keeping an eye on me? Why were the doors to the train now closing with him still inside? After he had kissed me like that, he should still be with me!

I plunged into the crowd at an attempt to get off the platform quickly. Gulping, I tried to pull air into my lungs. Black spots danced across my eyes. I recognised the feeling of being overwhelmed, and forced myself to breathe deeply to calm my senses. The last thing I needed was to faint in front of so many people.

‘Are you okay?’ someone asked me as I stopped for a second.

Black mist had started to creep in at the corner of my eyes, so I sat on the ground and leant against the station wall. I had to normalise my senses before they escalated into overdrive, and I passed out. I nodded at the person who had asked the question and they left me alone. After a while, the crowd thinned out and I felt safe enough to make my way back to my siblings.

*

‘Pisces, where the bloody hell have you been?’ Cancer shouted as I came through the door.

The others rushed forward and gathered. I held up my hands, but they threw their arms around me. The black mist started again, but luckily my siblings knew me well.

‘Leave off, you lot. She needs space,’ Scorpio said. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me out of the group.

‘Sorry.’ Cancer took my hand as Scorpio led me to the kitchen table.

Our new flat was much more Bohemian than the old one. There were wooden floors, high ceilings, and funky big windows. There were five bedrooms on one side, and a separate room with its own bathroom on the opposite side of the apartment. They had given me the private room to myself so I would stay.

All eleven of them stared down at me.

‘Where have you been?’ Sagi asked.

I smiled at her. She was small with curly red hair. Her stature was nothing compared to her quiet, but deadly, personality.

‘I’ve been with Father.’

They gasped in unison and started to talk all at once, so Aries stepped forward and whistled.

‘Firstly, let the girl breathe.’

They shuffled to a seat and sat around the table. I loved it when Aries took control. He was the one who always knew what to do.

‘Go ahead,’ he said as he joined us.

My throat contracted as I swallowed. Being centre of attention made me nervous. Luckily, it rarely happened. I tried to stay invisible, which was quite easy in a household of twelve twenty-year- olds.

‘I was taken to a house outside of London. In Surrey, I think. Father was there. He told me that I was about to start my mission.’

Cancer was sitting beside me. She grabbed my hand and squealed. ‘That’s so exciting. You’re going to meet your twin flame!’

Nodding, I pulled away, surprised that she wasn’t jealous. She always had lots of men around her. She was a brilliant flirt and I admired how easy she found it.

‘I’m going to stay with Father. He doesn’t want to kill us, he wants to protect us. There are people out there who want to stop the union.’

Aries growled. ‘I don’t like it. We shouldn’t be separated at a time like this.’

A part of me wished they would understand and accept me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be around them, I just needed space. My new bedroom was an improvement, but even that wasn’t quite enough. The boys woke me at night when they came in late from a night out in the city. Cancer was always letting herself in and borrowing my clothes. Sometimes I just wanted to be alone.

‘I need to be with Father. He’s our guardian now,’ I replied.

‘What about Mother?’ Sagi said. Her light green eyes met mine and I had to look away. She was quiet for a fire sign, but she spoke up when called for.

‘I want to be with Father right now.’ What else could I say? I couldn’t tell them that Father had always been my favourite, and for some reason I trusted him more than Mother.

I loved them both equally, but I felt that Mother was trying to control us. My intuition told me that something wasn’t right with her, but I didn’t know what it was. Hopefully Father’s absence hadn’t made him want to control us, too. I hadn’t had the opportunity to ask him where he had been for the last five years.

‘We all miss him, but he abandoned us.’ Sagi stated the obvious.

‘He left because mother wouldn’t let us have a life. We know that, we saw that.’

We had lived in the same house our whole lives. We’d watched our parents’ marriage break down because of us. There was a point when we’d plotted to leave, so they could have a chance to rekindle their love, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go.

‘But he had you kidnapped?’ Scorpio asked.

Aries’ knuckles turned white as he grabbed the wooden table surface. ‘That’s not right.’

‘I had the opportunity to get away, but I was curious. He said that he knew none of us would listen if he just turned up.’

Aries let go of the table and thumped it with his fist. ‘He still did wrong.’

‘You can talk, Mr Lover Man,’ Leo said.

I glanced at my brother and he winked. Leo was the clown of the group and could always be counted on to try and lighten the mood.

‘Shut it.’ Aries glared at his best friend.

We had bonded into two groups. Scorpio, Leo, Aries, Cancer, Sagi and I made up the first group. The opposite fire and water elements made things interesting. Virgo, Taurus, Gemini, Capricorn, Libra, and Aquarius stuck together as the second group, although we all got on well considering.

Looking down, my eye caught Aries’ bracelet. It had been ripped. I reached out and touched the thick band. The men’s bracelets were chunkier, but they still had the same silver charm on them.

‘I caught it,’ he lied, ripping his arm away.

I had tried to cut mine several times, too. In fact, I was sure that we all had attempted to get them off in our teenage years. We were twenty now. All born in the same year. We had finally started to relax into the knowing that we had a battle ahead. Being older and having more freedom helped us to accept our fate. We had to fall in love and then go from there.

‘What does he mean, Aries?’ Sagi said as she leant forward on the table. She was a feminist. I often wondered how a man would tame her. Then I remembered how much she liked pretty things and knew that as long as a man treated her like a woman, but with respect, he would be fine.

‘He pulled two women last night, but didn’t even give them his phone number.’ Leo sat back and rested his legs on the table.

‘That’s so…’ Sagi started.

‘Wrong,’ Leo said, ‘I agree. He could’ve at least let me have one.’

Sagi hit his arm, but he just raised an eyebrow at her. She was strong, but his muscles absorbed the impact.

‘Pack it in,’ Aries grumbled.

I got to my feet. The others rushed to do the same.

‘Sit down!’ Aries’ voice thundered through the room.

They did. I didn’t. He glared at me and I felt the full force of his fire energy. I stepped back just before his hands burst into flames. His temper created fireballs and he often threw them. He breathed deeply before absorbing the fire back into his body.

‘Someone’s winding Aries up,’ Leo sang.

Scorpio pushed Leo’s chair over with a kick. The blond man flew across the floor. Aries’ lips broke into a smile, so I lowered myself back into my seat.

‘What did Mother say about winding Aries up?’ Sagi asked Leo as he lay on the wooden floor.

‘She said that I would get burnt…literally,’ he mumbled.

‘And you did,’ Aries said.

I glanced at Leo’s arm. He had a burn scar on his right wrist, just above his bracelet. It made him look manlier now, but he had been in a lot of pain when he was twelve. He had paid heavily for tripping Aries with his foot.

‘Can we just get on with it?’ I wanted to go back to Father’s house and get started. Once I had something in my head, I went for it. It took me a while to make a decision, but once I did, I instantly acted on it.

‘There’s nothing we can say to persuade you to stay with us?’ Scorpio asked.

I shook my head. They knew me well enough not to push. If they did, I would shut down and not speak to them for days. I didn’t want that to happen.

‘You trust him?’ Cancer piped up.

‘Yes, I really do.’

The others sat back. The ones who had stayed quiet had already accepted that I was going. The rest of them sighed or nodded as I stood.

‘I’m leaving now, but I’ll be back when I can. I’ll let you know what’s going on.’ I bit my lip as I headed across the kitchen. I had said goodbye once before, when I moved in with my flatmate, but it was different now. We all knew that if I found my twin flame, I probably wouldn’t come back to live with them. I was the only one that cared about moving out. The rest of them were happy to just get on with it.

‘Who do you think her soulmate is?’ Cancer asked as I walked away.

Aries’ chair scraped the floor as he pushed away from the table.

‘I don’t know, and I don’t care.’

I had to laugh when I heard his coarse answer. The men were less convinced about the whole soulmate mission. Most of them didn’t want anything to do with it. I was surprised they still lived under the same roof as the girls. I had assumed that Leo and Aries would run away, but they had stayed. Scorpio was the only man that never let on his true feelings. It was something I was used to. I was similar. People were only allowed to see a part of me. There was a lot more to me than any of them knew. Maybe I would be able to show my soulmate who I really was.

‘I can’t believe you’re leaving us again.’

Scorpio sat on the bed as I packed. For a second I wanted to climb onto his lap and let him hug me. My brothers gave the best hugs. It often fascinated me how twelve men and women managed to live together so easily. We were always fighting, but it wasn’t ever bad enough to separate us. The dynamic of our sibling relationship was weird. Although we weren’t blood related, we had grown up as a family.

‘Don’t you think this is all a bit…strange?’ I asked him as I took out my journals and put them in my suitcase.

‘What, Father coming back?’ He ran his hand through his fluffy light hair.

‘No, the way we’ve been brought up together. Waiting for the moment we were old enough to fall in love.’

He shook his head and fell back on the bed. ‘Yeah, it’s weird.’

I probably wouldn’t get any more than that from him.

‘I want to fulfil my mission. I want to be in love, but I’m blinded by the fact that I’ve not lived yet.’ Once the words were out of my mouth, I had to face them. Did I really feel that way?

‘Then go and live. They taught us not to go looking for love, so just go and live. When it’s supposed to happen, it will…or whatever.’

He grunted as I laughed. Putting my clothes into my suitcase, I zipped it up, wondering if it would be the last time. I didn’t need all my stuff yet. I was only going to stay with Father until the first part of my mission was complete. Once I had united with my twin flame soulmate, we would have to work together to track down the Dysfunctionals.

‘Are you scared?’

His question made me stop. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he waited for an answer. Sitting next to him, I lay back on the bed. I let my eyes close, too. He made me jump when he reached out and took my hand.

‘Yes…I’m scared. I have no idea what love is, or what it will look like. I don’t want to fail, Scorpio. We’ve been here too many times.’

He squeezed my hand and let go. ‘I think we’ll be okay this time round.’

The bed moved, but I didn’t open my eyes. The door clicked shut behind him. A lone tear escaped and ran down the side of my face. I could do this. I was prepared for love. Or that’s what I thought, anyway.

The wrench in my gut told me otherwise.

Chapter Seven

‘Come on!’ I cried, running towards the lake.

‘Wait up.’ He laughed as he started to sprint.

I didn’t slow down. I was ready for the cold splash of water as I jumped straight into the deep lake. Opening my mouth, I allowed water to flood me. A smile spread when the sensation of drowning gave way to a different type of breathing. My whole soul expanded as I floated underwater.

‘Pisces…!’

The shout from above was muffled by the water, so I pushed myself to the surface.

Antony blinked rapidly when he saw water gushing from my mouth and nose. My cheeks heated at the way he almost cringed. I never thought to hide myself from him.

‘That’s pretty gross,’ he said, looking down at me.

He made me laugh. It was only Antony. I didn’t really care how I looked around him.

‘Thanks…well—’

A gunshot sounded, cutting me off mid-sentence. A small splash next to me made me squeal. Antony ducked down and looked towards the small trees that lined the garden.

Another shot rang out. He grunted and pitched forward, into the lake. He had been hit. I dived under as his body started to sink.

His eyes were open. He tried to kick to the surface, but only one of his arms moved. The bullet must have gone into his shoulder. I didn’t know what to do. He opened his mouth and I panicked, knowing that water was about to fill his lungs. Grabbing his face, I placed my mouth over his. I put my hand on his chest and breathed into him. The rise of his chest made me feel better as we floated to the surface and broke through. He spluttered, but was able to pull in a breath.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yes, that worked.’ He panted.

We couldn’t see the shooter from such a low vantage point. The pop of a gun sounded again so Antony grabbed me and pushed me underwater. Holding onto his good shoulder, I pulled him down with me. There was no way I would let him take more bullets for me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and took his face between my hands. He held his breath and for a second we just gazed into each other’s eyes. When his eyes widened, I breathed into his mouth again.

As we floated to the surface, I took my hands away. He took in another deep breath and wrapped his arms around me. My legs were still around his waist. I suddenly felt hot when he held me close.

‘It’s okay. I’ve run the shooter off,’ Derek called from somewhere nearby.

I tried to pull away from Antony before his brother could see us, but he held on.

‘You’re bleeding,’ I whispered as he looked at me.

My hands rested on his chest, but he didn’t say anything.

‘Are you okay?’ Derek called, his footsteps sounding nearer.

Antony let me go, so I took his good arm and dragged him to the edge of the lake. It was deep and didn’t slope out like most lakes. Derek came into view and took hold of his brother.

‘He was hit in the shoulder, I think,’ I said as I pulled myself out.

Water ran off me, but I ignored it as I turned toward the men. As soon as he was upright, Antony’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he started to slump. Derek caught him just in time. He put one arm under his shoulder, so I went to Antony’s other side and did the same. We helped him through the garden and into the house.

‘What happened?’ Father came out of his library.

‘Antony’s been shot,’ Derek said as we took him up the stairs. ‘We’d better take him to your room.’

I frowned, but did as I was told.

‘Why have we brought him in here?’ I asked when Derek put him on my bed.

‘Because it’s the only room with a sink and a double bed. It will be easier to sort him out. Plus our room is a pigsty,’ he said, turning the tap on and letting it run hot.

‘My side isn’t.’ Antony’s voice was quiet.

He was awake. He winced when he tried to lift himself up, so I took his hand to stop him.

‘Stay still. Father has called a doctor. Why hasn’t he called an ambulance?’

Derek came over with some scissors and started to cut away Antony’s sopping wet T-shirt. I swallowed as smooth ridged muscles and bare skin came into view.

‘Too many questions.’ Antony squeezed my hand. ‘I’ll be okay, it doesn’t feel too bad.’

Derek rolled him and ripped off the rest of the shirt. I couldn’t help but trace his body with my eyes. He had a couple of tattoos, but I didn’t take the time to see what they were.

‘It’s not too bad,’ Derek said as he studied the wound.

I was no expert in gunshot wounds. Derek squeezed water from a flannel over the wound. The blood washed away to reveal a hole where the bullet had gone in.

‘Is he okay?’ Father came into the room followed by an older man.

‘Let me see,’ the man said, stepping forward and taking over from Derek. ‘It’s quite clean. I just need to take the bullet out. It’s lodged within the skin’s surface, not too much of a problem. He was lucky.’

‘Pisces, I think you should go downstairs.’ Father pulled me away.

‘But—’

I wanted to stay and help. Antony had been hurt because of me. I needed to make sure he was okay.

‘Leave!’ my father barked, pushing me out the door.

Why had someone been shooting at us? How had the Dysfunctionals found me already? I hadn’t even met my soulmate yet!

‘Come with me, love.’

Father’s new wife, Bev, came up the stairs and led me down them. I let her guide me. She had been kind since I’d arrived, but I kept my distance. A part of me couldn’t believe that my father had moved on from Mother.

‘He will be okay,’ Bev said, sitting me in the library.

The bookshelves that surrounded me had sent thrills up my spine when I first saw them. I had already read some of the books as I got used to my new home. A memory of Father in the old house came back to me. He used to read to us from a book that explained our mission. I stood suddenly. The chair tipped, but I ignored it as my eyes roamed the bookshelves.

‘Here you are, dear.’ Bev handed me a mug of tea.

‘How much do you know about me?’ I asked, righting the chair and taking a seat on it.

Father would know where the book was. It was time I took charge of my own mission and learnt what I was supposed to be doing.

‘Everything…’

I glanced at her as she smiled and left me alone again. Was she more than Father’s new wife? Was she a guardian, too?

‘Antony is recovering. The doctor has taken the bullet out and stitched him up.’ Father walked into the room and fiddled with the paperwork on his desk. ‘Will you take care of him while he recovers? I have a meeting in New York and need to leave later today. Derek will be here to keep guard and Bev will need to run the house, so you’ll be the only one to look after him.’

‘Yes, I’ll do that,’ I said. ‘Father, do you remember the book you used to read to me?’

He went completely still. If I reached out and pushed him with one finger, he would’ve fallen sideways. He held his passport in his hand, but looked away from me.

‘Of course I do. Although I’m surprised you remember,’ he said, lowering his arm and looking over his shoulder at me.

‘Can I have it? It’s time I learnt about my mission from an adult’s point of view.’

The smile that lit his face was so big I wondered what I had said to make him happy.

‘I’m not surprised you’re the first one.’ He came over and pulled me into a hug.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked, my voice muffled against his suit jacket.

‘Only when you’re ready to learn will you seek what you need to find.’ He stepped back and put his hands on my shoulders. Looking into my eyes, he nodded once and then turned to the nearest bookshelf.

‘You’re not that special, Pisces. Hear me out before you get offended,’ he said. ‘Everyone on Earth has a purpose. It’s just that yours is a bit harder to forget about. People have free will when they come here, but I’m afraid when you signed up to do this, you gave up most of yours. The Zodiacs, as I like to call you, have that extra special mission. You’re going to awaken and teach the other twin flames.’ Father took out a book from the shelf and handed it to me.

The first thing I noticed about the book was the picture of the entwined couple. Light radiated from their heads and showered them completely. It spoke to me. The beauty of the cover sunk into my veins. I was a sucker for beautiful things.

‘You’ll read that book several times and still not know everything. The whole purpose of life is to learn from experience. You can have feelings when you read, especially with your emotional intelligence, but it won’t integrate until you experience it in reality. Remember that, and you’ll be fine.’

His words resonated, but they made my stomach flip. I hadn’t experienced much in life. How would I know how to find my twin flame? I traced my finger over the male on the cover.

‘It’s not about trying to find something, Pisces. It’s about allowing it to find you at the right time.’

Hugging me again, he turned me towards the door. He would be gone for a few days. In everyday life, he was a businessman with branches all over the world. He was a top executive of a green energy company. When we were young, he'd often be gone for weekends.

‘Why did you leave us?’ I blurted.

The pressure of his fingers on my shoulders tightened slightly as he sighed.

‘The pain was too much. She’s my soulmate and we fell apart. We failed in our own relationship.’

The weight of his hands lifted. There was nothing I could say, so I left the room without questioning him further.

‘Antony’s asking for you,’ Derek said when I came out.

Tucking the book under my arm, I went upstairs to my room. Insecurity made me not want anyone else to see it. It was special to me and I needed it all to myself. I itched to start reading, but I didn’t have time.

Antony looked a little groggy. The doctor had obviously given him strong painkillers. The old man was shutting his bag, so I took the opportunity to hide the book in the drawer of the dressing table.

‘He will need to take these four times a day. I’ll be back tomorrow to check the wound and change the dressing. He needs to stay in bed for a couple of days to let the stitches settle.’ The doctor handed me a bottle of pills. Seeing him out, I thanked him for all that he had done.

‘I’m sorry you got shot,’ I said to Antony as soon as we were alone.

‘Did you arrange it, then?’ His lip rose into his cheek and revealed his dimple.

I shook my head, a little tempted to hit out at him. ‘Yes. I can’t believe they were such a rubbish shot,’ I joked.

He laughed, cringing when the movement jolted his shoulder. ‘You saved my life anyway,’ he said as his eyes met my gaze.

Stillness surrounded me. I couldn’t breathe as he reached out and pulled me towards the bed.

‘I’m not sure I did,’ I whispered as he tugged on my hand.

I knelt on the carpet. He reached up to stroke my cheek. ‘You breathed air into me when we were underwater.’

His hand found its way to the back of my neck. What was he doing? Was he high from the meds? Would he remember this when he was well again?

‘I’ve never seen anything so amazingly…’

I smiled as he pulled me closer.

‘Weird,’ he finished.

My body froze as the words hit my chest like a dart. Ripping out of his grasp, I pushed myself up.

He frowned, so I turned to the window and looked out. I knew I was weird. I didn’t need him to confirm it for me.

‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing,’ I replied, gripping the windowsill as I watched a tractor in the distance.

‘Don’t lie.’

I huffed and tried to loosen my shoulders. ‘When’s your birthday?’

He didn’t answer for a moment. ‘I’m not telling you,’ he eventually said.

‘Fine,’ I spat, going to the drawer and taking out my new book.

‘Where are you going?’

‘You need to rest,’ I replied, before slamming the door shut behind me.

Chapter Eight

The book made no sense at all. It didn’t speak of true love and happily ever after. It spoke of opening and surrendering. I had no idea what that meant. I threw it across the grass and blinked to clear my vision. The sun had set and the sky had turned navy. The cold air suddenly filtered through the blanket I was wrapped in. My whole body was shivering, and I hadn’t even noticed.

‘Dinner time, love,’ Bev announced through the kitchen window.

The swing moved as I got up and retrieved the book. I was being stupid when it came to Antony, but I couldn’t help it. My ego was easily bruised and his careless words had hit home.

‘Did Father find the person that shot Antony?’ I asked as I came into the dining room.

Derek and Bev were waiting to eat so I sat quickly.

‘No, he got away,’ Derek replied, digging into his roast beef.

‘Why he was trying to kill us?’

Bev hit Derek on the arm with her spoon. He looked down at his plate and carried on eating.

‘It’s best that we’re left out of the men’s world. What’s important now is that Antony recovers. We don’t want him getting an infection, so after dinner, you will spend the night in your room with him to make sure he doesn’t get a fever.’

My eyes must have popped out of my head. I hadn’t considered that Antony would stay in my room, or that I would have to be in there with him.

‘Have you got something I can sleep on then?’ Arguing would be useless.

Bev smiled and nodded. ‘It’s already done, dear.’

The sigh that escaped me didn’t go unnoticed. I was nervous about spending the night in the room with a man that—

‘How are you getting on with the book?’ Bev asked.

‘What book?’ Derek interrupted before shoving a Yorkshire pudding into his mouth.

Bev looked at me. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. She shrugged as Derek turned back to his food, interest in the book quickly forgotten.

‘I’m not that far into it yet. I’ve read a few chapters, but…’

The small woman smiled when my sentence trailed off. ‘It will all become clear soon.’

‘What if it doesn’t?’ I blurted, allowing my fear to show.

Bev reached forward and put her hand on mine. ‘It will.’

It fell quiet and I tried to finish my food. I usually loved roast dinners, but the day’s events had thrown my appetite out the window.

‘Go to him,’ Bev said.

Thanking her, I left them to it. As I walked up the stairs, I heard Derek speak. ‘What the hell are you lot on about?’

My head was buzzing as I entered my bedroom.

‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ Antony said.

I didn’t respond at first. Instead, I put my book away and turned to him once the drawer was closed. ‘Are you feeling okay?’

‘Where’s the warm, fun Pisces gone?’ He gestured for me to go to him.

‘She only comes out on special occasions,’ I snapped, grabbing my pyjamas and escaping to the bathroom.

I stared at myself in the mirror. My brown eyes were extra dark. I wondered what depths lay beneath them. I didn’t know how far down the soul was, but it felt like Antony was trying to push his way inside and I didn’t like it. My skin was pretty smooth, until I looked up close. When you focus on things, they seem to conjure up all sorts of problems. My eyebrows were naturally bushy. Cancer plucked them for me. I never had the patience.

Looking down at my hands, I studied my dainty fingers. If only my hips were as small as my extremities.

‘Is someone in there?’ Derek shouted from outside.

Being harassed when I was in the bathroom was something I was used to, so I put my hair into a ponytail and went back to my bedroom.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair up,’ Antony said.

Going to his bedside, I picked up his pills and helped him to take them. He was able to hold the glass of water to swallow them down. I tried not to make eye contact, but he stared at me as I took the glass back.

‘Are you seriously going to sleep down there?’ he asked as I turned to my makeshift bed.

I didn’t answer him as I eyed the jumble of blankets that were thrown on the floor.

‘There’s plenty of room on the bed,’ he said quietly.

My back was turned to him, but I glanced over my shoulder.

‘You are kidding?’ I laughed as I shook out the first blanket and laid it on the floor.

‘What have I done to upset you?’

Making my bed kept me distracted as heat travelled over my skin. A flashback of the day he had almost kissed me on the train came into my mind. The feel of his arms around my body in the lake shot through me, and I vigorously shook the blanket.

‘Nothing,’ I said eventually as I lay on the floor and faced away from him.

‘Fine. When you come out of your sulk, let me know.’

The muscles in my back tightened. I fought the urge to get up and stamp out of the room. I had no idea why he affected me so much.

There was only one thought in my brain as I tried to force myself to sleep. It was time I made the effort to get out, so I could meet my twin flame and forget about Antony.

*

The sound of glass shattering jolted me awake. I scrambled up and tried to look around. It was pitch black. Rustling bed covers alerted me that Antony was awake.

‘Are you okay?’ I whispered.

‘I knocked the glass over trying to get a drink. I’m cold.’ His teeth chattered.

It would be just my luck that he had a fever. How was it even possible in this day and age? Of all the lifetimes I had lived, I was sure that this was the best one for medicine. I blinked as the thought flashed through my mind. It had been a while since I had thought about my past lives.

‘I’m going to turn on the light.’ I tried to feel my way to the lamp on the dressing table.

Somehow I made it without bumping into anything. When light flooded the room, my eyes traced the glass on the floor. A big chunk was next to where my head had been. I stepped around it and went to the other side of the bed. Antony watched me, but his eyes were glazed.

‘Shall I ring for an ambulance?’ I whispered.

He shook his head. ‘No, there’ll be too many questions. Just do what the doctor said.’

I touched his forehead, and although it felt hot, he still shivered.

‘He said to look out for fever. He didn’t say what to do if you had one.’ I knelt on the bed next to him.

‘Just hold me. Use your body heat to warm me,’ he whispered.

I hesitated. I had never been that close to a man before and the thought of it scared me.

‘Do you want to help me…or not?’ His teeth chattered.

Sliding under the cover, I wrapped my arm around his waist. He lifted his good arm and I nestled into the crook of his shoulder, resting my head on his bare chest. His heartbeat vibrated against my cheek.

‘That’s better.’ He sighed as my body heat started to sink into him.

His skin was hot against mine, but I was glad he felt warmer. I swallowed, trying to stay completely still. It didn’t take long for his breathing became shallow. How was I now in bed with Antony? I needed to find my twin flame, and here I was, cuddling up to an ordinary man that worked for my father.

Finding sleep was hard. I drifted in and out of consciousness for hours. Being so close to someone I hardly knew, didn’t help me rest easily.

The feel of his breath on my cheek made my eyes flicker open. His head was turned towards me, his face inches from my forehead. I should’ve stayed completely still, but in my grogginess I tilted my head back to look into his face.

He was much closer than I realised and his eyes were open. My arm tightened around him without my consent. The light from around the curtain told me it was morning. Our breath mingled together. We were so close. He brought his head forward slightly and our lips met. The caress sent tingles flying over my body. A rush of air pulled through his nose and into his lungs as he held me against his side. The kiss deepened and he licked my lips, requesting me to open my mouth. In my sleepiness, I couldn’t deny him. He couldn’t hold my head with his good arm, but he didn’t need to. I opened to him and his tongue touched mine. I gasped at the unfamiliar caress, but didn’t pull away.

Tracing my hand up his chest, I cupped his jaw. He squeezed me against him and kissed me hard. My head was bent back, but I didn’t care. Our breath grew heavy and after a moment, he let go.

‘Sorry.’ He panted.

My senses reeled. My body hummed with a vibration that I had never felt before. He set me alight and I was relieved that he had pulled away. I wasn’t sure if I could have resisted if he had chosen to take things further.

‘It’s okay,’ I replied, going to move away.

He held me tight. I couldn’t move, so I nestled into his neck. My nose brushed against his skin and the smell of him made my heart beat even faster.

‘I…’

He couldn’t speak and I didn’t want to say anything. The kiss had blown me away, but it shouldn’t have happened. He was my bodyguard. We weren’t supposed to be in bed together, but the thought didn’t worry me enough to move. I felt comfortable and cosy lying with him.

‘Don’t speak,’ I whispered.

‘But there’s something I have to tell you.’

My muscles froze. His words sent shock through me. I knew it was bad. The way my stomach clenched told me that whatever it was, it was going to sting.

‘I can’t be your soulmate.’

The words confused me. I had been convinced that he would say that he had a girlfriend, or something. I pulled away and looked into his eyes. He winced as the movement hurt his wounded shoulder. He looked a lot better, but a light sheen of sweat covered his forehead.

‘I didn’t think you could,’ I said.

He wasn’t my soulmate. There was supposed to be an amazing feeling of butterflies and an instant recognition when we first met. I didn’t have that with Antony.

‘That’s good, then. I promise this won’t happen again. We’ll start to look for your soulmate today.’

I was still, not sure whether to get out of bed, or stay where I was. It surprised me how much his words stung. He had just kissed me and now he pushed me away.

‘Yes, I better get started,’ I replied.

He pulled me down so that we were face to face. ‘I would really like to be friends, Pisces. Let’s forget this ever happened.’

Forcing a smile, I climbed out of bed. I wasn’t going to show him that my heart burnt at his words. Was I that insignificant? Did he just take advantage because I was a woman in bed with him? As I picked up my things, I vowed to never let a man do that to me again. It felt like crap and I had to bite my lip. It betrayed me as it started to tremble.

‘The doctor will be here soon. I’ll send Derek in to see if you’re well enough to get up.’

I left without looking back at the bed. I didn’t want him to know how hurt I was by his rejection. It was ridiculous really. I needed to find my soulmate, not waste time with Antony. It was time to distract myself from my bodyguard by going back to London to start my search.

Chapter Nine

The music thumped through me as I swayed my hips in time to the beat. I had only been to the clubs in London a few times, but I figured I had to start somewhere. Father had agreed that I didn’t need Antony to protect me whenever I was with my brothers, so I had left him at the house.

‘Here’s your boring drink,’ Leo shouted as he handed me a bottle of water.

‘You know I don’t like alcohol,’ I replied, punching him on the arm when he stuck out his tongue.

Cancer was on the dance floor. She grinded her body against a stranger. His hands were all over her and I wondered how she could stand it.

‘I got Cancer another wine,’ Leo shouted in my ear.

I jumped back as the over loud sound hit a nerve. Cancer was drunk. That was why she let men touch her. She had guzzled at least four glasses of wine. Aries joined us. He had a grin on his face and lipstick on his mouth. He laughed as I shook my head at him.

‘You pulled already, mate?’ Leo pointed to his own lips.

Misinterpreting him, Aries leant in and pretended to give him a kiss. Laughter escaped me as Leo shoved Aries away, causing him to bump into a short girl. Aries apologised as he looked down at her. She melted under his gaze. Reaching up, she wiped the lipstick away from his mouth and pulled his head down for a kiss.

‘How does he do it?’

I couldn’t answer Leo. I really didn’t know. Leo had his fair share of women, so I didn’t know what he was worried about. He was antsy and I suddenly realised why. He tapped his foot on the floor and looked around.

‘Leo…go dance!’

He glanced at me, and then back to the dance floor. He was so lovely. He didn’t want to leave me on my own, but his dancing shoes called him. He was useless at dancing, but he loved to get lost in it.

‘Go on! Scorpio will be back in a minute,’ I called.

He nodded once and plunged into the crowd. The air around me was too hot, so I turned to go to the bathroom. As I pushed through the heaving bodies someone bumped into me and I tumbled to the floor.

‘I’m so sorry,’ a voice shouted as arms reached around me and hoisted me up.

I came face to face with a pair of green eyes. His hair was dark and styled into a French crop. He wore a suit, which was odd.

‘I’ve come straight from work,’ he shouted, obviously noting the way I looked at his clothes.

His gaze travelled down me. I glanced down at my long bare legs. The dress I wore was Cancer’s. She was shorter than me, so the dress looked elegant on her. On me, it looked short. Very short. The black lace over the top half of the dress had made me feel bare at first, but the longer I wore it, the more comfortable I felt. Until now.

‘Nice dress,’ he said, grinning at me.

My heart triple jumped and I gripped my water bottle.

‘Do you want to dance?’

We were idle in the middle of the dance floor. Others dancers were gyrating to a sexy song I didn’t recognise. I rarely listened to the radio, or kept up with the trends. I loved to dance, but didn’t usually have the confidence to let loose.

‘Yes!’ I shouted.

He took my hand and pulled me deeper into the throng of people. He started to sway his body, and I was surprised that he could dance well. He grabbed my hips as I moved them. I couldn’t help but let the music overtake my muscles. He pulled me against him, putting a thigh between my legs as our hips moved in rhythm together. My eyes closed briefly at the heady contact between us.

When I opened them, I looked straight into eyes. He wasn’t much taller than me, but his gaze was intense. We didn’t speak. There was no need for words. Our bodies were dancing the talk for us.

‘What’s your name?’

Smiling, I debated whether to tell him. The amount of people that found my name odd, made me not want to ruin the moment.

‘Pisces.’

His eyebrows rose, but he smiled. ‘I’m a Pisces.’

I almost stilled, but his hands on my hips kept me swaying. He pulled me closer and I felt the warmth of his breath on my face. Was he going to kiss me? I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to.

‘Pisces!’ someone shouted.

Pulling away from my partner slightly, I turned to see Scorpio close by. Was he going to interrupt my first ever dance with a handsome man?

‘We’ve got to go,’ he shouted when I made eye contact with him.

I shook my head as my dance partner tightened his grip on me. Scorpio towered above us as he drew level. He wore a tight T-shirt that emphasized his strength.

‘Do you know him?’ my dance partner shouted.

Nodding, I stepped out of his embrace. I wasn’t sure why I moved away from him, but I knew something was about to happen. The gunshot was drowned out by the music. No one else noticed, but it had only been a week since I had last heard the sound. The crowd didn’t realise that there was a gunman in the club.

‘We have to go,’ Scorpio shouted again.

My new friend held my hand. The music cut off suddenly and the DJ told everyone to evacuate.

‘Is everything okay?’ the man asked.

I nodded and squeezed his hand. Another gunshot sounded nearby. Everyone heard that one. Screams rang out as people started to run for the doors.

‘What’s going on?’ I turned to Scorpio.

He eyed my friend and saw that our hands were joined. His throat moved. I looked down at where my fingers were being held. It had felt amazing to be in his arms. And now there was trouble.

‘Pisces, get out of here,’ Aries called.

He came into view as the crowd thinned. To my horror he was wrestling with a man that had a black mask over his face. My new man steered us out of the crowd. Scorpio followed closely behind.

‘Your friends are…’ His sentence trailed off when Scorpio caught his eye.

I watched him as we made our way outside. People pushed, but he managed to find a way through. A part of me wanted to stay and make sure that Aries was okay. Had he been attacked? Was anyone shot?

‘We’re her brothers,’ Scorpio growled behind us.

‘That explains it,’ the man said, pushing open an emergency door.

We fell onto the street. Scorpio ripped my hand away from the stranger as soon as we came to a stop.

‘What are you doing?’ I exclaimed.

‘Mate, if she’s taken, you should’ve said inside.’

What the bloody hell did Scorpio think he was doing? He wouldn’t get away with ruining my evening. The man could be my twin flame. In fact, I was convinced that there was a high possibility he was.

‘She’s not taken, but I’m very protective of my sister.’

My new man’s green eyes were no match for Scorpio’s intense gaze. Scorpio stared until he backed down. Lifting his hands in surrender, my man started to back away.

‘You’re nice, but I only wanted to dance,’ he said as he spun and jogged away.

How could Scorpio do that to me? My dance partner was the first man that had taken an interest, and Scorpio had scared him away.

‘Why did you do that?’

In general I wasn’t a violent person, but an urge to kill him overtook me. He grabbed my arm as I went to hit out. He flicked his hair back from his eyes and looked down at me. ‘If he’s the one, Pisces, he’ll find you.’

I gritted my teeth but the hot bubbling energy drained from me. He was right. If we were meant to be together, the universe would make sure we came into contact again.

‘I still can’t believe you did that,’ I muttered, turning as Aries and Leo fell out of the door behind us.

‘We need to go.’ Aries puffed, grabbing my arm.

Sirens sounded nearby, so we made a run for it. Father had said that the Dysfunctionals would try to stop me from being with my twin flame. I really hoped the shooting wasn’t because of me. The thought of more gunfire heading my way whenever I was with my possible twin flame made me sick to my stomach. I never imagined falling in love could be so dangerous.

‘I can’t keep up, wait up!’ I shouted as the others ran ahead.

They couldn’t hear me. It sounded like the police were nearby, but I couldn’t be sure. There was no way I was able to catch up to them. They had forgotten I was even there. Their adrenaline had taken over and I watched as they rushed on ahead.

‘There you are!’

The shout made me yelp.

A man in a black mask came out of the shadows. I backed towards the railing and stopped when I bumped against it. At least we were near the river. I didn’t want to swim in the Thames after dark, but it looked like I didn’t have a choice.

‘What do you want?’ I squeaked.

He approached me slowly, each step measured. ‘We can’t allow you to be with your soulmate,’ he said, his voice muffled by the material over his mouth.

‘Why not…?’ It was a stupid question, but I was intrigued.

‘Because if you succeed, we’ll no longer have a purpose. Some of us like the violence and greed in the world. Makes life much more interesting, don’t you think? Poor Pisces. So clueless about what’s actually going on. All of you are.’

His words found their way into my soul. I had been around a few times, and something about the man’s energy was familiar.

‘You don’t remember me, do you?’ he asked when I refused to answer.

He was powerful, whoever he was. I could feel his dark energy from across the street. With my back against the railing, I started to slide away from him. I didn’t want him to get too close. There had to be enough time to jump when I had to.

‘No, I don’t,’ I replied.

I gulped suddenly as a flashback entered my mind. A man with grey eyes towered over me. We had met in a past life somewhere. He had stopped me from being with my twin flame then.

‘There’s always been this back and forth between us, Pisces. I’m the head of the team that takes care of you and your siblings every lifetime.’

He edged closer, so I moved further away.

‘Why is it so important to you that we don’t complete our mission?’

He took off his mask. His jaw was strong, and his grey eyes were hypnotic, even in the dark.

‘This is my planet. It’s fun when humans feel crap about themselves. It’s much more entertaining to watch them destroy who they are.’

A part of me wanted to keep talking to him. He could tell me more about why we were here. Our life purpose had a lot to do with the man, but I knew nothing about it.

‘It’s entertaining to watch people fall in love, isn’t it? Feels good,’ I crowed.

He grinned and stopped pursuing me. I countered him by stepping forward. His eyes narrowed. A distant part of myself was annoyed that the boys hadn’t come back for me. But they knew I could handle myself. I didn’t want them to get hurt, so it was best they stayed away.

‘Ah, but that’s the thing. In this world, fear is what rules people and I want to keep it that way.’

Other masked men started to come out from the alleys nearby. It was time to finish the chat.

‘Well, good luck with that,’ I said, stepping forward, spinning and vaulting over the railing.

Someone fired a gun and I felt the air beside my ear whistle as I hurtled towards the surface of the river. I prayed that the tide was high enough for the water to catch me. When my bare legs sunk into the river, my breath was taken away. I allowed the water to swallow me, not fighting the descent into the murky darkness. There was a shout above, but I didn’t panic. I allowed my lungs to fill with water and blew it out again.

When I was low enough, I started to swim downstream. I couldn’t believe I was in the River Thames again. The amount of times I had swum in the capital’s river was beyond counting. I hoped I wouldn’t hit any debris. There were all sorts of things in the grimy river and at night, visibility was impossible. There was a ringing in my ear as I moved with the flow, allowing myself to float along.

After a few minutes, I came up to the surface to see where I was. The London eye was right next to me, so I climbed out and sat by the big attraction. It was the middle of the night, but it was London. I worried that someone would see me wringing wet in a short dress. As the adrenaline in my body wore off, I started to shiver uncontrollably. I had left my bag at the club, so I didn’t even have my phone to ring the boys.

‘Are you okay?’

The voice sent a shot of relief through me. I turned with a huge smile on my face, knowing who had come to rescue me. The smile froze when my gaze landed on the joined hands of Antony, and a pretty girl. She was petite, and dainty, unlike me.

‘Pisces…! I didn’t realise it was you,’ Antony said, letting go of the girl and taking off his coat.

‘What are you doing here?’

He just happened to be at the London Eye when I climbed out of the river? Was the universe seriously helping me by sending Antony? Why couldn’t it be one of my brothers? It wouldn’t bother me if I had seen one of them on a date. Not that I cared if Antony was on a date either.

‘You know this crazy lady?’ the woman asked him.

I laughed. The bark came out of me, and they both frowned. Antony pulled me up as he wrapped his coat around me. ‘Let’s get you home.’

‘Shouldn’t you ring the police, Ant? She’s just tried to commit suicide.’

Putting my hand over my mouth, I tried to stop the hysterical laughter, but it came anyway. I probably was mad. The evening had been a crazy one, and I found it hilarious that she thought I had tried to kill myself. The mirth left me as the idea planted in my head. It would be a lot easier if I had killed myself.

‘No, I know her. She’s a friend. Your flat is nearby, will you be okay? I need to get her dry, or she’ll get ill.’

Antony started to drag me away from the girl. She stared after us, and I felt bad for ruining her date. Would Antony have kissed her the way he had kissed me? Not that it mattered. In fact, I had no idea why the thought had even entered my head.

‘What happened?’ he said when we were far enough away.

I couldn’t talk. My teeth chattered so much, I couldn’t even form words. He swore and stopped in the middle of the road. I stopped with him, not sure what he was doing. He unbuttoned his jeans, and they fell to the ground.

‘What are you doing?’ I stuttered.

He came over and knelt down in front of me. Picking up one of my ankles, he put my foot in the leg of his jeans. He then did the same with the other one. I had to hold onto his shoulder so I didn’t topple over.

‘They’re not going to fit.’ I gasped.

He straightened slowly, pulling the jeans up my legs. They were a bit too long, but not as bad as I thought they would be. When he fastened them, they bagged on my waist, but my hips kept them up. I instantly felt warmer.

‘You have very long legs,’ he muttered, putting his arm around me as we started to walk again.

My high heels hurt, but I just wanted to get home. Instead of taking me to the train station, he guided me to a hotel.

When he stepped through the door before me I started to laugh again. Luckily his shirt was long and covered his underpants, but his bare legs looked ridiculous.

‘Can I help you?’

The receptionist eyed us. I prayed she would let us have a room.

‘My girlfriend just fell into the river, and we need to get her out of her wet clothes. I know it’s mad, but do you have a spare room please?’ Antony said, batting his eyelashes at her.

She glared at him before glancing over his shoulder at me. ‘You’re not kidding. Shouldn’t you get her to a hospital?’

‘Why waste precious time when she could be in one of your hot baths in a few minutes?’ he replied.

I tried to smile at her as my teeth jumped against each other.

‘Okay, what’s your name? Go to room twelve,’ she said, throwing me the key. My fingers were frozen under Antony’s jacket. I tried to reach out to catch it, but it fell to the floor.

‘Antony Miller.’ He grabbed her hand and kissed it as he gave her his credit card. ‘Thank you!’

‘Just go and get her sorted, she’s about to fall over.’

Antony came to me and picked up the key. I was about to step forward when he swept me into his arms. He used the fireman’s carry, and I nestled into the warmth of his chest.

‘Bring out her clothes, and I’ll put them in the dryer,’ the receptionist called.

Antony shouted his thanks, but said he would place them on the radiators.

‘You’re bloody mad, you know that?’

I didn’t disagree. I couldn’t. My whole life was mad. My whole existence was crazy. Tears squeezed their way out of their ducts and I couldn’t stop them. I didn’t make a sound as he unlocked the door and dumped me on the bed. He literally dropped me. He then shut the door and ran to the bathroom.

‘Crap, there’s only a shower,’ he called.

The rush of water sounded as I sat on the bed. I couldn’t move. My muscles were seizing up, and emotion came through me in waves. He came back into the room, acting very business-like as he stood in front of me.

I looked up at him as he wiped a silent tear from my cheek. He then pulled me up and pushed the jeans off me. I stepped out of them as he grabbed the bottom of my dress and pulled it up. I yelped in surprise. I hadn’t expected him to undress me. My body shook uncontrollably, but as soon as the cool air touched my skin, it made it worse.

‘Arms up.’ He grunted. I was sure his arm was still sore, but he showed no sign of pain outwardly. I knew he was hurting, his eyes gave it away.

My arms lifted and the dress slid off. I was left in my underwear and high heels. He kept his eyes on my face the whole time.

‘As hot as you look, the heels have got to come off, and so does…’

He still didn’t look down, but he pinged the back of my bra. I gulped through the shivering and nodded. He pushed me to sit on the side of the bed and then knelt in front of me. He took off my shoes and threw them behind him.

‘You can do the rest.’

Taking my arms, he guided me into the small bathroom. It wasn’t too steamy, but the warmth of the air made me feel a little better. I wobbled on my feet, so he had to help me into the shower stall. It was a big one, and I struggled to keep my balance before I stepped under the water. My knees shook so badly, I didn’t think I would be able to stay standing.

‘Will you be okay? Can you get your underwear off?’

I really didn’t want him to see me naked, but I didn’t know what else to do. He ripped his shirt off when I shook my head. I noticed he still wore a bandage around his gunshot wound. Stepping into the shower, he wrapped his arms around me. He pushed me into the middle of the shower, holding me up as the water ran over me. I groaned at the pleasure of warmth, but the pain of the hot and cold contrast hit my nerves.

‘Are you okay?’

‘It hurts, but how is your shoulder?’ I whispered as I started to thaw out.

‘I’ll live.’

I leant on him. My head was on his chest as we stood under the shower spray. My muscles started to shake in a different way as I felt the beat of his heart against my cheek.

‘You have to tell me what happened,’ he said, stroking my hair back from my face.

The tears came again. He didn’t say anymore as he stroked my back, and I started to feel normal again.

‘We need to get you dry.’

It wasn’t a certainty, but I was sure he touched his lips to my hair. He let me go and stepped out of the shower. Throwing a towel around his shoulders, he reached back in. The water snapped off, before he wrapped me in a towel and pulled me out. He started to rub the material over my skin vigorously. He moved the towel over the whole of my body, even down my legs.

‘You really need to take these off now,’ he said, rubbing my butt with the towel.

Jolting back, I almost slipped over. I had accepted his help with everything else, but I couldn’t let him see me completely naked.

‘Calm down, I’ll leave you to it.’ He chuckled, standing up. He stretched before he backed out of the bathroom.

I quickly stripped off and wrapped my hair in another towel. When I came out of the bathroom, Antony was wearing his jeans and nothing else. His shirt, underpants, and my dress hung by the radiator.

‘Quick, get in the bed.’

I did as I was told. My body hadn’t fully recovered yet and I needed warmth.

‘We need to dry your hair. I found this in the drawer,’ he said as he held up a hair dryer.

Sitting up, I released my hair from the towel and discarded it on the floor. The hair dryer burst into life as Antony climbed onto the bed behind me. He aimed the hot blast in my face and I choked. He laughed and turned it to my hair.

‘Sorry, I’ve never dried someone else’s hair before.’

‘Do you do your own?’

My hair flew everywhere which made me smile. He wasn’t a very good hairdresser.

‘Only sometimes, but not very often,’ he said, turning the dryer on his own hair for a second.

‘So you don’t sit in front of a mirror, styling it every day?’

He pushed my head gently forward, so he could dry the underneath. He unfolded his legs so they were either side of me.

‘Nah, I get up and let it rest how it does.’

It was nice to joke together. His hair would never need drying, or styling. It was too short.

I yelped as he held the dryer in the same spot for too long. He moved it and rubbed the sore area on my head.

I remembered that his shoulder was still mending and wondered how bad it hurt after lifting me. ‘Is your shoulder sore after lifting me?’

When he didn’t answer, I turned towards him, but he shook his head. He was lying, but I didn’t push him.

‘I wonder what our neighbours think about us making so much noise,’ I said, feeling bad.

‘You’ve got to stop worrying about others so much. Just worry about you.’

My muscles started to shake again. My hair was almost dry, so Antony switched off the dryer and put it on the side. He then climbed out from behind me and wrapped me tightly in the duvet. I froze when his hand delved under the cover and took hold of the wet towel that was around me. He pulled and I gasped as it unravelled and came free. I was cocooned, but the intimacy of the action sent a hot bolt through me. He threw the towel on the floor and then cuddled his body around my cocoon.

‘Go to sleep. When we wake up, we’re not leaving this room until you tell me what happened,’ he whispered.

I felt safe in my protective cover. I thought about revealing all the details of my encounter with the enemy, but I instantly drifted into sleep.

Chapter Ten

‘Why didn’t you ring us?’ Aries growled.

I faced the mob in our living room with Antony by my side. I had told him about the previous evening as soon as we woke up. He hadn’t said a word, but listened intently. As a woman, that meant more to me than anything.

‘I was freezing to death. It wasn’t like you were bothered when you left me behind!’ I shouted as Aries went into the kitchen. It was his coping technique. If he didn’t walk away, he was going to blow. It was obvious from the way his back muscles were completely straight under his tight T-shirt.

‘We thought you’d jumped into the river,’ Scorpio said, watching the way Antony stuck close to me. When we had turned up on the doorstep, Leo had denied him access. I argued that Antony was the one who’d actually saved my life, and if they didn’t let him in, I was never coming back.

‘I did jump in the river, but only after I was confronted by the man who’s trying to stop us.’

The sofa caught me as I sat suddenly. Antony looked at me before taking a step back. He realised that I needed some space. Cancer on the other hand, didn’t care.

‘Who was it? What did he say?’ she said, almost sitting on my lap as she grabbed my hand.

‘Aries you need to hear this,’ Leo called before I could answer.

The others were on stools, cushions and sofas. They all stared at me, waiting for me to tell them what had happened. When Antony had first seen everyone, he had stumbled over his words. We were quite a collection of diverse individuals.

Aries came back into the room and leant against the doorframe, his bulging arms folded across his chest. He had a scowl on his face, but it wasn’t directed at me.

‘This grey eyed man followed me and said he’s going to stop us from uniting with our twin flames. He says that if we’re successful with our mission, we’ll bring more love to the planet and he isn’t prepared for that to happen.’

I tried to disconnect Cancer’s hand from mine, but she gripped tight. Her intimacy was foreign to me, but eventually I just let her hold on. It seemed to comfort her in some way, which made me feel better.

‘Any idea who he was?’ Leo asked.

My head shook, giving them my answer. I had never seen him before…although…

‘I recognised him, but not from this lifetime. He said that we had been around a few times. Apparently there’s a war between our people. Father said that the Dysfunctionals were originally made up of darker souls that keep coming back. They claim they need to keep things balanced by eradicating true love until it’s extinct.’

Antony shifted on his feet. He was nervous around my brothers and sisters. I glanced up to see him looking at the women. There were six of us, and each one was attractive in their own way. I ducked my head when his gaze landed on me. I wondered what he saw and who he thought was the most attractive. Cancer had noticed me staring, and now smiled up at my bodyguard.

‘I knew our enemy would be back.’ Aries pushed away from the doorframe and strode into the room. ‘Thank you for helping our sister.’ When Aries offered his hand, Antony nodded once and shook it. The tension broke when Aries released him.

‘What are you going to do?’ Cancer asked.

I sneaked a peak at Antony to see if he was watching her, but his gaze was on me. My cheeks flamed and I looked away.

‘Now that Pisces has found her flame, we need to be extra vigilant. Will you consider coming back here?’ Aries turned to look at me directly.

‘Are you talking about the man from last night? I’m sure he wasn’t my true flame, although…’

A flashback to the dance I shared with the handsome stranger made me blush all over again. The room went silent and I sat back on the sofa as everyone watched me.

‘No, I mean him.’ Aries pointed at Antony.

A gasp left me as Antony raised his hands. What did Aries mean? Antony wasn’t my twin flame! We had done nothing but argue since we had known each other.

‘I don’t think so,’ Antony said when Aries frowned.

The sting in my chest vibrated through me. I didn’t blame Antony for denying it, but it still made me bite my tongue all the same.

‘Seriously…? You don’t see it?’ Cancer blurted.

Antony excused himself and went into the kitchen. Aries looked at me before he followed. I wanted to call him back, but he wouldn’t listen.

‘You need to step back a bit and feel with your heart…instead of your head,’ Cancer said, stroking my hair. I almost pushed her away. It was getting too intense, and I didn’t enjoy the attention.

‘We’re not twin flames. I met a man last night. I think he might be the one.’ I ripped my hand out of Cancer’s grip and got up.

Everyone exchanged looks. Even Scorpio had a frown on his face. Although, to be honest, Scorpio frowning wasn’t uncommon.

‘You’ll be all right, Pisces. Just go with the flow and if he wants to get in your knickers…’

‘Leo, shut up!’ Sagi launched herself at our playful brother.

They wrestled to the ground, but she managed to pin him down. He loved to laugh and joke about with the other lads, but he was usually serious with us. I could take him in small doses, but at least today he took the attention away from me.

‘I can’t believe Pisces has found her twin,’ Aquarius said.

I couldn’t take anymore. I needed space, so I escaped to the kitchen. Antony and Aries were talking around the corner, in the hallway, so I stopped. I should have gone straight into another room, but I couldn’t help listening.

‘I can’t be her soulmate. I’m not in a position to be in a relationship. It’s not like that with us.’

My hand came to my chest at his words. Why did they bother me? I didn’t see him in that way either…or did I? The remembered kisses came back to me. Seeing him laugh made my heart sing, and I always looked for him when I got up in the morning.

‘Are you sure?’ Aries said.

‘I’m sure. I’m just not able to be everything she wants me to be.’

I tried to swallow the lump that came to my throat, but it was no good. The tears flowed down my cheeks silently as his words sunk in.

‘Do you know what she wants you to be?’ Aries’ voice was soft. He was pretty understanding when he had to be.

‘She wants a dream man. The type of man that would slay dragons for her. You know…all that knight in shining armour, crap. I’m not that man. I’m just a bodyguard.’

Being so wrapped up in listening, I hadn’t realised they’d moved until they rounded the corner and came into the kitchen. Aries had an arm over Antony’s shoulder. They both froze when they saw me. I made my escape by running across the room and out the front door, wiping my cheeks as I hurried past. I didn’t know where I was going, but I needed to be away from everyone. Especially Antony.

There was a park nearby, so I made my way over. It was small and quiet, so I sat on a swing and let myself rock back and forth. The childhood memory of my mother pushing me, forced its way into my mind. I wished she was there to advise me on what to do. Her practical way would help me put my emotions into perspective.

‘The universe never fails to surprise me,’ a voice said.

It was my dancing partner from the night before. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts, I hadn’t seen him approach. His eyes crinkled as he smiled. My own lips lifted as I tried to see the sign for what it was.

‘The universe works in mysterious ways,’ I replied, knowing it wasn’t true.

The universe worked in a concise synchronistic way, and that was why I had thought that he could be my twin. However, the others thought it was Antony, so now I was just confused.

‘How are you this morning?’

He came and sat on the swing next to me. He wore a smart suit, and his hair was ready for the day.

‘I’m…’ I didn’t really know what to say. Should I tell him that I was confused? That I was sad because the beautiful relationship I had been expecting wasn’t there yet? That I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life? That I was being chased by a gun-wielding enemy?

‘I really enjoyed our dance last night.’ He grinned at me.

I ducked my head when he winked at me. In the light of day, the intimacy of the dance seemed a little embarrassing.

‘Me too,’ I replied. Why did I sound so meek? Why did I get all emotional and attached?

‘Can we do it again?’

My cheeks warmed. At least it seemed like he was ready for a relationship. He also showed an interest in me. Although, I had no idea why.

‘Yes, I’d like that. Let’s hope we don’t get gunned down again.’

‘Yes, I read in the paper he got away… I don’t know what this world is coming to.’

I sighed heavily in agreement.

He took out a business card. I read it as he handed it to me.

‘Daniel,’ I muttered.

‘Yep. My name is nowhere near as cool as yours, I’m afraid.’ He stood and started to back away.

‘I’ll expect a text, or phone call later,’ he called, waving as he started to jog.

I assumed he needed to get back to work. My phone was lost, but I would go and buy one. Pushing my feet on the ground, I swung into the air. As I came back down, I saw Antony hovering by the entrance to the park, watching me. Daniel ran past him, but he didn’t move. The silly grin on my face dropped when Antony came into the park and approached the swings.

‘Should you be talking to strangers?’ he asked.

He didn’t look amused, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to let him bring me down.

‘He’s not a stranger. I danced with him at the club last night.’

He leant against the pole with his hands in his pockets. I dragged my feet on the ground and brought the swing to a stop.

‘And he just happened to find you here? That seems a bit suspicious.’

Looking away from him, I was glad to see Aries approaching us. He had my handbag over his shoulder. I almost cried in relief.

‘Grabbed this last night, but forgot to tell you,’ he said, throwing it when he reached us.

‘The man she danced with was just here,’ Antony told him before I could say anything.

Aries went still and looked between us. ‘He just happened to be passing?’

Scowling, I got up from the swing. I was about to walk away, but Aries gently took my arm. ‘No more running. Your safety is on the line now.’

‘She’s good at running,’ Antony said.

What was his problem? Why was he so grumpy all of a sudden? It wasn’t as if he liked me, so why the sulkiness?

‘I know. I don’t know anyone as good at running.’ Aries laughed.

‘I do…’

The female voice cut through the mirth. Aries stiffened beside me. I turned to see a tall athletic female standing with her hands on her hips. She had dark brown hair just past her shoulders.

‘Hello,’ I greeted.

The way she glared at Aries could only mean that he had used her at some point, and probably let her down.

‘Hi,’ she replied, looking to where Aries held my arm.

He let go of me and stepped back. Antony covered his mouth with his hand, and when our gaze met, we couldn’t help but share a secret smile.

‘What are you doing here?’ Aries snapped.

I blinked at him. He had never spoken to a woman like that before. Well…other than his sisters, anyway. He was usually a charmer. A natural flirt that made the ladies feel special.

‘It’s been a while. I was just going for a jog.’

Sparks flew between them.

‘Pisces, this is my ex-girlfriend.’

My eyebrows shot up. As far as I knew, he’d never had a girlfriend. He attracted lots of women, but he was a player. I had never known him to settle for one woman.

‘You’re called Pisces…? Seriously…?’

My hands fisted at my side as my skin flushed. How dare she judge our names?

Aries stepped forward and led her away.

‘Don’t be offended. It is weird,’ Antony said.

Shoving the business card that I’d been clutching into my bag, I started to walk back to the house. I was going to say goodbye to my siblings and head home back to Father. When he got back from his business trip, he would tell me what to do about the men from last night.

‘Where are you going?’ Antony followed me.

‘Home,’ I snapped. ‘Why don’t you go and make up for lost time with the girl you were with last night?’

I was being a bitch. I couldn’t help it. My ego was bruised by his earlier words, but I didn’t know why.

Father would know. He would confirm that the new man was my twin flame, not Antony.

‘I was bored of her anyway. We already—’

‘I don’t want to hear it!’ I shouted, putting my hands over my ears. I hoped he would get the hint and go away.

‘I can’t leave you alone. It’s my job to protect you, so you better make your peace with that and get out of that bloody horrible mood you’re in.’

Spinning on the pavement, I faced him. He had a scowl on his face. I was being horrid, and he didn’t deserve it. When our gazes met, we both froze. I missed our easy banter.

‘I’m sorry,’ I breathed.

He stepped back, his eyes becoming hooded. He shook himself and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Let’s get back to your father’s house.’

Nodding, I followed him as he led us home. I hoped Father knew what to do next, because I really had no idea.

Chapter Eleven

‘Your brothers and sisters think that Antony is your twin flame, but you think it’s this man?’ My father waved the business card that Daniel had given me.

He always made me feel like a little girl. He berated me for going out clubbing in the first place, although his anger had only lasted a moment before he got back to business.

‘I need to meet this man,’ he said.

‘I’ve only just met him,’ I replied, knowing full well I wasn’t going to introduce him to them anytime soon.

‘That’s the thing. Expectations are dangerous. We expect something to be a certain way or someone to look and act how we want them to. When that doesn’t happen, we’re disappointed. This isn’t a time for analysing, my dear. I know how fond you are of that.’

I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. The smile that split his face was worth it. His business was the leading company in green energy. His passion for the planet and those that lived on it, surpassed anyone. He was a man with a big heart and a hard exterior, but I knew how to soften him up.

‘I can’t help the way I am, Father. If Antony was my twin flame, I would know. He kissed me once, but…’

‘He did…?’

Nervous energy made me twiddle my hair. How would he react? I had chatted away, not thinking about what I said. Would he sack Antony?

‘Don’t worry. I heard him talking to Aries, and he said he wasn’t into me like that. He was also on a date the other night, and then…’

‘Pisces,’ my father interrupted.

When I couldn’t avoid his gaze any longer, I huffed at the amused expression on his face. He was good at hiding his own feelings, but he always showed me that he knew what I was going through. He didn’t have to say, or do anything. One look would tell me that he understood.

‘I’m sorry. I know I over analyse everything.’

The hem of my dress became the focus of my attention as I fiddled with it. The style was stripy with long sleeves. I wore tights to combat the cold on my legs, but a chill crept up my spine. It was time to text Daniel. I didn’t have the guts to do it the night before, but I was ready now.

‘Can you tell me who it is?’ I whispered.

Father sat back in his chair and linked his fingers over his slim stomach. ‘No.’

He didn’t take any notice when I stuck out my bottom lip. I reached forward to grab the business card, but he snatched it away before I could get it.

‘Why can’t I have it?’

‘Read the book again. Pay attention to the chapter on surrender, and if you still feel like you want to speak to this Daniel, I’ll give you the number.’

‘But, Father…’ I went to grab the card, but he tucked it in his pocket.

‘Do as you’re told…please.’ He winked at me.

Father had my best interest at heart. Defeated, I left to find my book. It was still too cold to sit outside for long, but I wanted to be outdoors. It was my favourite place.

‘You’ll get cold,’ Derek said as I turned the outdoor heater on and sat under it.

‘I’ll be fine,’ I replied, smiling at him as he came and took a seat next to me.

‘What have you done to my brother, woman?’

The book was balanced in my hand. I was about to open it when I stopped and looked at him. He was an idiot, there was no denying it, but he did care about us. I could tell by the way he fidgeted next to me. Something bothered him, and he felt comfortable enough to speak to me about it.

‘What do you mean?’ I tried to stop my hands from trembling by clasping them in my lap. It was because I was cold that my insides started to shiver. That’s what I told myself anyway.

‘He’s sulky and irritated. He talks about you. One minute it’s good stuff, but then the next, he’s pretty mean.’

I laughed. I shouldn’t have, but the way Derek expressed himself was tactless and it tickled me. There was no need for me to be offended about Antony being mean. I had done exactly the same thing when speaking to Father about him.

‘I’m a complex person. It’s not that easy to get along with me. Antony’s probably annoyed that he has to babysit me, that’s all.’

The title of the chapter I was about to read screamed at me when I glanced down. ‘Surrender What Is To Allow What Will Be’.

It hit a nerve and my breath sucked into my lungs. That’s exactly what I needed to do.

‘Seems more than that,’ he muttered before getting up and wandering away.

Words immersed me as I got lost in the pages of the book. It wasn’t until I heard the doorbell ring that I stopped reading. I had been at it for hours. My fingers were frozen, and my whole body ached. Going inside, I stopped in the hallway when I saw a man enter Father’s library.

It couldn’t be him, could it? I sneaked to the closed door and tried to listen. The muffled voices were low, so I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Sitting on the stairs, I was determined to wait to see if my eyes had deceived me.

‘What are you doing?’ Antony said as he came into the hallway and sat next to me.

‘Waiting for Father’s meeting to finish.’

There was no need to elaborate and he didn’t ask. It was something I often did.

‘I’m sorry for what you heard when I was talking to Aries.’

The dark circles under his eyes made me wonder if his night had been as restless as mine. I had spent all night tossing and turning. Thoughts had played over and over in my mind.

‘It’s okay. I completely understand,’ I said, patting his hand.

He caught me and squeezed my fingers. ‘Do you?’

The temptation to pull away was strong, but it would only make things worse. ‘Yes. This is weird for me, and I’ve been preparing for it my whole life. Don’t worry. I don’t think you’re my twin flame.’

No warmth radiated from the small smile he gave me. ‘So, we can go back to being friends? I promise not to kiss you again.’

The memory of his lips on mine sent heat to my cheeks. My skin tingled where we touched and he suddenly let go. He must’ve felt the energy between us. I didn’t know what to say. A part of me was glad, but a part of me was sad too.

‘We were always friends.’ I hit him on the leg playfully.

We laughed together, but the sound was forced. The door to Father’s library opened and Daniel stepped out. It was him!

‘Pisces!’ he exclaimed when I jumped up from the stairs.

‘What are you doing here?’ I said at the same time.

I looked at my father, who now stood behind him. He shook his head once and gestured for Antony to follow him into the library.

‘I’m doing some business for…’

‘My father…?’

Antony eyed the newcomer as he walked around him.

‘Your father…?’

He looked bewildered as a chuckle escaped me.

‘You didn’t text me,’ he said, stepping forward.

My neck bent back as his close proximity forced me to look up at him. A whiff of strong aftershave found its way down my throat and I tried not to let the overpowering smell affect my facial expression.

My senses were easily overwhelmed, so I never wore perfume. If one of the others sprayed themselves too much, I would have to go out of the room. Antony didn’t wear a lot of aftershave. A hint of something tickled my nose when he was close, but it wasn’t overpowering.

‘I didn’t get round to it. I was going to text you tonight.’

My hand landed on his chest as he snaked an arm around my waist. A man had never taken hold of me like he did. I quite liked it. My fingers rested right where his heartbeat was. It was steady, unlike my own.

‘Well, how about we go out tonight and exchange numbers that way? I didn’t realise you lived so far away from London.’ He looked around the hallway.

I stood still in his arms, unsure of what I should do. He wasn’t looking at me. He studied our surroundings. Why did he hold me?

‘I have a home in London, too,’ I replied, tempted to push him away. I wasn’t sure what made me feel uncomfortable, but it took all of my willpower not to shove him off me.

A smile crossed his face, but I was certain it wasn’t because of me. Did he like the idea of hooking up with someone that had a rich father?

‘It’s getting late. Shall we go to dinner?’ His arm dropped and he stepped back.

‘Yes, I suppose,’ I said, looking down at my outfit.

‘You look great.’ His eyes traced me.

I tried to curb the stupid smile that spread over my face. It felt good to be wanted.

Sticking my head around the library door, I announced that I was going out with Daniel. Antony jumped up from his seat, but Father waved him down.

‘It’s okay, Antony, I trust Pisces with this one.’

Blowing a kiss to my father, I grabbed hold of Daniel’s hand. He laughed as I pulled him out to his swanky car and told him to take me away.

Chapter Twelve

‘Where have you been?’

His voice startled me as I wandered down the street. I wanted to walk home after my date. I needed time to be alone, so I could think. Daniel had tried to insist that he drove me, but I made him go back to London.

‘Out with Dan,’ I replied.

A part of me was annoyed that Antony had been following me, but I was too happy to be bothered by it. It was nice that my father cared enough to send him to keep an eye on me.

‘Dan…? Did you have fun?’

His words were stilted, so I turned to him. He frowned suddenly, and I faltered. What was wrong? Why had he reacted that way?

‘Sorry. I didn’t realise how into him you were,’ he said.

We faced each other in the middle of the road. The streets were empty, which made a change from London traffic.

‘I had a lovely time.’ I sighed, and started to walk again.

‘How do you know he’s safe to be around? Something about him makes me feel…’

As his sentence trailed off, I found myself longing to hear what he felt. I had never heard Antony express his emotions.

‘What…?’ I asked softly, not looking at him as he drew level with me.

‘I’m not sure exactly. He doesn’t seem genuine.’

My steps became faster as my emotional high came bouncing down around me. There was nothing as depressing as someone you cared about putting a downer on you. Did I care for Antony? He was only my bodyguard after all. My chest tingled and I tried to rub the feeling away.

‘I feel okay around him, and I’m a pretty good judge of character,’ I boasted.

His laughter made me turn to look at him. We were outside the house gates, but I didn’t want to go in straight away.

‘What…? I am!’

Shaking his head, he held up his hands as if he surrendered. His forehead wrinkled as he frowned. It made me want to reach out and smooth it. When I took a step towards him, he backed up. I was staring, but I didn’t realise until he moved.

‘Sorry,’ I said, smiling. I must have seemed intense.

‘You’re such a contradiction,’ he muttered, turning towards the house.

‘What do you mean?’

He stopped, but didn’t look back at me. He stayed still for a moment before spinning and coming to me in three big steps. Stopping right in front of me, he looked into my eyes.

‘One minute you’re up, and the next you’re down. You’re hot, and then you’re cold. You’re giving, and then you’re withdrawing. It’s confusing to be around.’

The tone of his voice was harsh and I had to bite my lip. My defensive reaction wanted to be expressed, but I stopped myself. What had the book said? Step back and allow the process of every emotion. Don’t try to push it away, or react when someone pushes your buttons. I closed my eyes briefly and felt the words pierce me.

‘I’m complex, I know that.’

I opened my eyes. His breath hit my face, and I almost pulled back. I hadn’t realised how close he was.

‘You’re more than complex and it confuses the hell out of me.’

Smiling was the only thing I could do as the old companionship returned. He reached up to stroke my cheek with a quick brush of his fingers.

The screech of tyres caught our attention as Daniel’s car skidded to a halt next to us. He jumped out as Antony stepped away from me.

‘Pisces, I had to make sure you got home okay.’

Really…? That was a bit strange. He had my number. Why didn’t he just text?

‘As you can see, she’s fine,’ Antony said.

Daniel grinned in the direction of my bodyguard, but didn’t look at him. Coming up to me, he put his hand on the back of my head. ‘I forgot to do something,’ he whispered.

Feeling disoriented, I didn’t stop him when his lips met mine in a rough kiss. His mouth was hard against mine and it felt wrong.

‘Get off her!’ Antony growled.

Antony ripped Daniel away and pushed him towards the car.

‘I just wanted to say goodbye properly. Night, Pisces, dream of me.’ He winked as he drove off.

‘What an arsehole. Are you seriously into him?’

My body shook. My thoughts swirled around my head. It had been such a lovely evening with Daniel. We laughed and joked as we ate. It was easy to talk to him. I felt that I could be myself for the time we were together. The kiss wasn’t right though. I often day-dreamt about the type of kiss I would get from my beloved. The one I’d just experienced, hadn’t been in my fantasies.

‘Are you okay?’

Antony took my hand, but I shook him off. I needed to be alone.

‘I’m fine. I just want to go to bed,’ I said, leaving him on the pavement and making my way inside.

‘Pisces, we have to talk.’ My father caught me as I entered the hallway.

I sighed dramatically and followed him into his study. I wanted to go to bed. I knew I would drive myself insane by overthinking when I got there, but was being alone too much to ask?

‘You forgot to mention one small detail when you came home yesterday.’ My father’s voice was stern and I shrunk as I sat in a chair.

‘Yes, I did forget,’ I replied.

How had I forgotten about the man with the grey eyes? My father needed to know everything that happened, so he could protect me and I had failed to tell him about the men that had tried to attack me.

‘Well, it’s a good job your brother cares about you,’ he said, pointing to the back of the room.

I was so inside my own head, I hadn’t noticed Aries looking uncomfortable in a small chair behind me.

‘What are you doing here?’ I blurted.

‘Nice to see you, too,’ he replied, standing to stretch.

What was it with my family? It was as if they had an obsession and wouldn’t leave me alone. Yes, I was in danger, but I was safe in Father’s home. There was no need for them to be so anal about everything.

‘I know your mind is not really on your safety right now,’ Father started.

‘She’s in the typical runner stage,’ Aries interrupted.

I sat up and took notice as he placed himself on the edge of Father’s desk. He jiggled his knee up and down which made me wonder what was going on with him. I had never seen him so antsy before.

‘What does that mean?’ I snapped, annoyed that I had to ask.

‘The first stage is when you recognise your soulmate. The second is when you both start to push and pull. You try to run from each other. Sometimes one of you does it and then the other might do it too. It drives you insane!’

Standing, I faced him. I looked into his eyes and searched their fiery depths. His skin flushed, and I smelt the faint smell of burning.

‘Aries, will you let go of my desk, please?’ Father said.

A thin line of smoke rose from where Aries gripped the wood with his hand. He let go and growled as he rushed out of the room.

‘He seems to know a lot considering he’s not going through it,’ I moaned, forgetting that Father was in the room.

‘How do you know he’s not going through it?’

He was right. Maybe Aries was running from the girl we had seen in the park.

‘You need to concentrate on you right now. Remember that surrender is the best way to see what’s right in front of you.’

The day’s events started to press on me. I was sick of being told what to do, so I rushed up to my bedroom without saying anymore.

‘What are you doing?’

Aries sat on my bed. ‘You need to stop fighting. I told Father about the club and the way you met the new man.’

‘Daniel…’

‘Whatever. And I’ve told him about the man that chased us, too.’

Sitting next to him, I unzipped my knee-high boots and kicked them off.

‘What have you got against Daniel? Why don’t you like him?’ I sat on the bed, crossing my legs under me.

‘You’re very perceptive on behalf of everyone else, but you’re rubbish for yourself. Like most people I suppose.’

He was right. I could tell how someone felt just by looking at them. I could see the patterns that people played out when they couldn’t see it for themselves. Yet, here I was, unsure what was going on in my own heart.

‘Just keep open to everything. Stop resisting. I know I’m one to talk when it comes to fighting, but in this case, fighting isn’t going to work. Just go with the flow.’

Aries had probably never spoken so poetically. He was usually jokey and always made me laugh. The words he had spoken were out of character for him. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear them coming from one of the others, but certainly not the lady charmer.

‘Aries, is—?’

‘Night,’ he interrupted as he hopped off the bed and left.

I lay back, but before I could take another breath, someone knocked on the door. I growled as it opened without my consent.

‘I need to talk to you,’ Antony said.

I stayed where I was, looking out of the window at the stars.

‘I don’t want to talk right now.’

He didn’t reply, but I felt the bed move. I glanced round as he crawled next to me. I was about to shove him away, when I caught the look in his eyes.

‘I don’t know what to think about all this. Will you tell me more about your mission?’

He didn’t come too close. Laying on his side, he rested his head on the other pillow. My phone beeped, so I reached over to the bedside table and read the text that Daniel had sent.

‘Yes, I’ll tell you about the mission,’ I started, putting the phone down. ‘Twin flame means soulmate. Before we’re born, we plan what will happen in the next lifetime. The twin flame relationship is one designed to push you to open in every possible way. Whatever wounds you’ve picked up as a child will be revealed, so they can be released. You battle with your twin flame and heal, before you get together and live happily ever after.’ My cheeks heated when our gaze met. He looked into me, and it felt as if he could see my soul.

‘Why twin flame? It sounds odd…’

‘Because your soul is one, but it splits into two…the masculine and the feminine. Then both souls come to Earth. They meet, go through the whole cycle of falling in love, and then become one…which is the typical definition of a soulmate. Humans have named it twin flames…I have no idea why. However, it’s not an easy relationship, so not many people are successful in uniting.’

He reached towards my arm. It laid on the bed between us. He flicked the silver charm that was attached to my bracelet.

‘So you’re saying this is cosmically planned, before we’re even born?’

I nodded. It did sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it was the truth. ‘To be honest, I just relearnt most of it in a book that Father used to read to us. I had forgotten it all.’

‘And do you remember doing that?’

I swallowed. Most humans didn’t remember the reincarnation process. There would be too many memories to store. Their experience would also be clouded if they remembered previous lifetimes. The hundred and forty four thousand twin flames needed to heal completely so that humanity could be healed. The only way for them to do that was to follow their own path in this lifetime.

‘It’s not that I remember doing it. I’ve been taught about the mission since I was born. We’re not here just to fall in love, we’re here to make sure that the Dysfunctionals no longer exist. That’s why we have our powers. I don’t need to grow as much as most souls, so I agreed to do it, along with my siblings.’

Antony’s head moved against the pillow. I turned onto my side to face him. We weren’t touching, but it was comfortable. He had agreed that we were friends, so I had no worries about sharing this part of my life with him.

‘Have you ever wondered if it was all made up?’

I nodded. ‘You mean we’re just crazy?’

His cheeks flared red and I couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that escaped me.

‘Not crazy, crazy, but…I know you’re different. I’ve seen you breathe underwater. What I meant was, do you think your parents could have brainwashed you to believe something that was made up?’

The room was quiet as his words sank into me. I checked in with my heart to see if what he’d said resonated. It didn’t. It did sound weird to the average person, but I wasn’t just anybody. And nor were my brothers, and sisters.

‘No, I believe it. I’ve got to allow my life to play out as it needs to, instead of trying to control it.’

He shook his head again. I had the urge to reach out and still the movement. Instead I frowned.

‘Sorry,’ he mumbled.

‘I don’t get it either, so I can’t expect you to.’

He grabbed my hand when I went to pull away. He had accused me of being contradictory earlier, but now his moods were swinging all over the place. We looked into each other’s eyes. My heart raced, and I found that I couldn’t look away. He was inches away on the bed, and all of a sudden, what had seemed harmless, seemed too close for comfort. I didn’t move though. I couldn’t burst the bubble of recognition.

‘I…’

Letting go of my hand, he reared away from me, almost falling off the bed. The open expression on his face closed up. He had gone into fear. Aries had mentioned the runner stage. As I remembered his words, it made me try to grab him back.

‘Wait, what’s up?’ I said.

He paused as he clambered off the bed and looked back at me. ‘If I stay here, I’m going to do something we’ll both regret. I don’t even know why I came in. Daniel is probably the right one for you, so I promise to be supportive of that.’

I didn’t say anything as he left. What could I say? He had run away from me. I held my chest as I looked out of the window and watched the moon. My thoughts raced as my heart slowed down. One thing that kept coming back to me was that his running confirmed something I hadn’t believed. Antony was more than likely my twin flame soulmate.

Chapter Thirteen

‘Do you commute every day?’ a friendly girl asked as I stared out at the Thames.

We were on the train bound for London Victoria. I had been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed her sit next to me.

‘No, I’m just coming back to work after a break,’ I replied, smiling at her.

I dreaded going back to work in a stuffy office doing admin.

Father had decided that I needed to get on with my life. Hanging around the house was boring, and it annoyed him too. I avoided Antony as much as he avoided me, so there hadn’t been anyone to talk to. It was pointless staying there.

The boys had agreed to protect me so that Antony could stay with Father. My hands clenched into fists when I remembered the conversation. I wasn’t a child that needed babysitting, and I didn’t understand why they made such a fuss.

‘Today’s my first day. I’m so nervous,’ the girl said.

Smiling, I reassured her that everything would go well. We said goodbye as the train pulled into the station.

‘You shouldn’t be alone.’

The whisper was quiet, but my ears picked up on it. I spun on the platform, but couldn’t see anyone near me. Maybe Antony was right. I was going mad.

‘Why are you here?’

I stopped and he appeared. His hair was shorter, but I recognised the grey eyes. Work was only around the corner, I was convinced I didn’t need anyone with me. It seemed I was wrong.

‘Walk with me,’ he commanded.

My legs started to move without my consent. He fell into step beside me and took my elbow. My body was calm, but my mind screamed inside my head.

‘What’s your name?’

A part of me didn’t want to know, but I needed something to distract him, before I tried to escape.

‘In this lifetime, I’m called Nick. In the last, I was called Jamie and then Markus, and then—’

‘I get the point.’

Ripping my arm from his grip, I spun away from him. The people around us moved as I started to fight my way back through the commuters.

‘You can run as much as you like, but you’re alone here. You’re getting too close to your twin flame, and we need to prevent that.’ His voice was near my ear. I swiped behind me, but there was nothing there. I didn’t turn to see if he was following me, but I could feel his energy nearby. My breath puffed in and out as I tried to get through the never-ending platform full of people.

‘Pisces…?’ The call from ahead caught my attention.

‘Daniel!’ I called back as I ran straight to him.

I was so pleased to see him that I threw my arms around his neck. He returned the gesture, but pulled me away from the crowd at the same time.

‘Are you okay? It looked like you were running from something.’

I smiled up at him, thankful that he was there to save me. He took my hand and started to walk out of the station. I didn’t know if I would make it to work on my first day back, but at least I was safe now.

‘Where are we going?’ I asked as we walked down a quiet corridor near the exit.

‘I missed you. I just wanted some space to do this.’ He leant down and pressed his lips against mine. I allowed him to hold me against him. My muscles shook. Had Nick seen where we had gone? Had he given up?

‘Let go of her.’ His voice made the hairs on my skin stand up.

‘We need to get out of here,’ I said, taking Daniel’s hand. Nick blocked our escape. He stood with two men at his side. They all wore black trousers with heavy black jumpers. One of them held a gun. I squeaked as Daniel stepped forward to face them.

‘Pisces, you can make this easier if you come with me now. I could just kill him…’ Nicked turned to Daniel.

‘No!’

Doubt worked its way through me. Who was my soulmate? I thought it was Antony, but my enemy seemed to think it was Daniel. Either way, I didn’t want anyone to get killed.

‘Come,’ Nick said, gesturing for me to go to him.

My steps were slow as I did as I was told. Daniel took my hand as I passed and he walked with me.

‘What are you doing?’ I was trying to save him. He should run.

‘I’m not leaving you. If you go, I go.’

Nick escorted us out of the station and into a waiting car. It felt like I was in a dream. Once again I was being taken against my will and I allowed it to happen. My hands clenched at my side. There was no way I could let anyone die because of me. Too many people worried about my safety and now someone else was being dragged into my fight.

Antony’s face came into my mind. My heartbeat increased. Would he have come with me? If Daniel wasn’t my soulmate, why did he risk his life for me?

*

The dripping vibrated through my head. I couldn’t stop counting the water as it hit the ground. I had no idea where we were, but I could just make out Daniel’s shape in the corner of the room. Someone had knocked me out when I’d climbed into the car.

‘Daniel?’

I tried to move, but my hands were tied behind me. My head was sore, but I couldn’t rub the pain away. The ground was cold, and hard. The water was the only sound in the silent room. It was shadowy, so I looked for the source of light and saw a thin line coming from under a door.

‘You’re awake?’ Daniel asked.

The sound of shuffling was followed by a warm presence next to me.

‘Why did you do that?’ I asked as I sat up and leant against the wall.

He moved even closer and pressed his thigh against mine. My stomach tightened as I thought about our kidnapping. How would the others find me? Would Nick kill me?

‘Do what?’

‘You could’ve gone to my father. He would’ve rescued me.’

My arms were tight against my back. I tried to pull them apart, but the rope made my wrists burn. As I sucked my breath in, he put an arm around me and pulled me to his side.

‘I know, but I didn’t think of that at the time. I didn’t want to leave you.’ His breath hit my cheek. I leant into him for support. He was warm and smelt cleaner than the air around us.

‘Any idea where we are?’

His head rubbed against the brick wall as he shook it.

‘Wait, if your hands are free, you can untie me.’ I sat forward, offering him my arms.

He grabbed me back to him. ‘No, they said I wasn’t allowed. They have cameras down here, and if I untie you, they’ll kill you.’

Shutting my eyes, I settled into his side again. My skin prickled at his words and I wondered what was going on. Something didn’t ring true.

‘Hello, Pisces.’ Nick spoke over an intercom.

‘If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with,’ I snapped.

My mind whirled with possibilities. My stomach clenched at the thought of Nick ending my life. I had been led to believe that my mission would be a nice, happy one, where I fell madly in love and it all ran smoothly. It was nothing like my daydreams. It was a nightmare and I wondered if it was worth it.

‘It’s okay,’ Daniel said, patting my head.

Wrenching away from him, I managed to get my legs under me. I stood up without using my arms and started to pace.

‘You know what? I don’t want to complete my mission anymore. I’m done…just kill me now, so I can forget about it all!’

I opened my mouth and screamed as I jumped up and down on the spot. Daniel was sensible enough to stay where he was and let me have my hissy fit.

‘That would be too easy…unfortunately. I’m not allowed to kill you.’ Nick’s voice came again.

I froze. What did he mean?

‘Well come in here, so I can bloody kill you then!’

A chuckle came over the speaker and my whole body tensed. Anger was an emotion that I couldn’t deal with, but I was feeling it more and more.

‘You’re not allowed to kill me either, but you can kill Daniel if you like.’

My muscles relaxed and my shoulders dropped. The emotion ran out of me and into the ground. Daniel stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I didn’t understand my body’s reaction when he touched me. My skin prickled, but I felt relief at having someone by my side. My throat closed, and a sob echoed around us as I gave in to the fear. I shouldn’t be afraid. If Nick couldn’t kill me, I would find a way out eventually.

‘Are you okay?’ Daniel asked when my body slumped against him.

‘This is a joke. Why would I sign up to do this? I don’t understand.’ I wiped my face on Daniel’s shirt.

The door opened and light flooded into the room, which turned out to be an underground basement. We must have been in one of the old Victorian houses in London.

‘I have some food and drink here,’ Nick said. He dropped a tray on the floor and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

‘Don’t you dare leave! What are you going to do with us?’

A shudder ran over me as the corner of his lip sank into his cheek.

‘I’m going to help you remember. It’s proven to be a handy trick in the past. Daniel, untie her and hand me the rope.’

Daniel did as he was told. The door closed behind Nick as he left. I was tempted to throw myself against it. Daniel kept a hand on my elbow so I resisted the urge.

‘I want to remember, you fool!’ I shouted.

It was true. I hated not knowing why I was on Earth and who my soulmate was. Somewhere deep inside, I knew there was a point to life, but I couldn’t get any clarity. My parents had told me everything, but I wasn’t there yet.

‘What does he want you to remember? What’s this all about, Pisces?’

I shrugged and bent to the tray on the floor. Picking up the glass of water, I downed half of it before I handed it to Daniel. He refused, but then changed his mind and took it from me. Nick expected me to eat? My stomach clenched at the thought of putting food in my mouth, so I left the bread and butter on the plate and returned to my cold seat on the floor.

‘I want you to remember your past lives. It’s insulting that you don’t remember me, or our fights from the past. I’ve done some pretty impressive things to you, and I’m the only one that knows about them.’

The voice over the speaker irritated me. ‘You’re a coward. You couldn’t stay in here and say that? You hide behind your weapons, but you’re a bloody wimp!’

‘Stop encouraging him, he must be a psychopath,’ Daniel said, taking my hand as he lowered himself next to me again.

I blinked a few times as heat climbed its way up my throat. Sweat beaded on my forehead. Something wasn’t right. My head started to swim, and I had to lean against the wall to stop myself from falling forward.

‘Just allow, Pisces, and the memories will come.’ The voice was distant as a rushing sound filled my ears.

My eyes drooped shut, and I saw the sun in front of me. It was low over the rapeseed field. The yellow of the stems swayed in the gentle breeze. My gaze was transfixed. I felt at peace.

‘Are you all right, my dear?’

Turning my head towards the voice, I smiled when my gaze landed on him. I was lying in the rapeseed, the swaying stalks next to my head. Beside me was a handsome man with mousey hair and a beard. A rush of love filtered through me when our eyes met.

‘Yes, I’m perfect,’ I replied as I stroked the hair on his chin.

A rustling sound nearby made us scramble to our feet.

‘There you are, you whore! Come with me now! You are accused of adultery and sentenced to death!’

The man wore a red coat and had his hair tied back by a black ribbon. He lurched forward to try and grab me. My lover stood in front of me, blocking my view of the English solider. He must have been lying in wait amongst the rapeseed, watching us.

‘You will not hang her. You’ll hang me in her place,’ he demanded.

The protest that left my lips as I grabbed his hand went ignored. He pushed me away. His gaze begged me to run, but I couldn’t move.

‘I will not leave you,’ I whispered.

‘You are married, woman!’ the solider shouted.

Cringing at his words, I looked over the field. We were alone, but my husband had planned our discovery all along. He was a rich and powerful man. My father had been worth a fortune, too. I had fallen in love with the man that defended me when we were young. My father had been influenced to marry me off to my rogue of a husband that now wanted me hung for my fortune.

My lover turned to me and cradled my face in his calloused hands. ‘I will always love you. Just go, and be free. Pretend you are someone else, and that I am by your side.’

Grabbing him, I tried to fight, but he pushed me away.

‘One of you shall hang today,’ the solider said, taking a step forward.

‘That will be me, so let her go.’

The pleading look in my lover’s eyes made me turn away. The soldier came forward and held up a rope. The swing of it caught my eye and I couldn’t take another step. My lover was led out of the rapeseed field and towards his pending doom. He didn’t look back once. The tears that blurred my vision ran down my face. I couldn’t let this happen. My soulmate was about to die. I couldn’t run away and try to live life without him.

‘You won’t die alone,’ I whispered.

My footsteps were silent as I followed the men to the village. My husband waited by the stables. The skin on my arms crawled when I caught sight of his grey eyes. A noose hung over a nearby tree. A lump formed in my throat. I tried to swallow it down, but it wouldn’t move. Swiping at my cheeks, I choked on the tears that landed on my day dress.

‘So, he sacrificed himself for her, did he? How touching,’ my husband said.

I ran forward to a stand beside my lover.

Looking my husband straight in the eye, I replied, ‘No. We’re going together. I love him and there is nothing you can do to stop that.’

My husband roared and ordered one of his men to ready another noose.

‘You are a whore and will be punished in hell,’ he hissed into my face.

‘As long as I’m by his side, I don’t care,’ I said through gritted teeth.

The solider positioned my lover under the noose and I was dragged to the second one.

‘Why?’ my lover said as we were forced to stand on wooden stools and the rope was placed around our necks.

‘No matter where we are, I will be with you. I love you,’ I said as my husband kicked the chair out from under my lover. He waited, so I could watch my love choke to death.

‘We will always be together,’ I whispered before the stool disappeared from under me and I left that lifetime.

A breath rushed into my lungs as I sat upright. My head bumped against something, and I heard a groan.

‘Are you all right?’

Daniel’s voice sounded muffled. As if he was far away. The feeling of life leaving my body still lingered and my muscles quivered at the memory. I wiped sweat from my forehead as I tried to get up.

‘You passed out,’ he said, trying to help me.

I swayed as I sat against the wall. The world vibrated around me. The ringing in my ears forced me to hold my head and lie back down.

‘He’s drugged me,’ I muttered.

‘Do you remember, Pisces?’

The voice over the speakers made me squeeze my eyes shut. ‘You were cruel.’

The chuckle echoed around us, but I was losing consciousness again. I didn’t want to go back to another lifetime. I now knew why we suffered amnesia when we were born.

‘Hold me, Daniel,’ I begged as the darkness enveloped me again.

Chapter Fourteen

‘You don’t love me?’ I whispered.

He looked down at me, his face blank. I had always seen love in his eyes, but now I couldn’t see through the invisible brick wall he had put around himself.

‘You’re only eighteen,’ he replied, staring off toward the fields.

The easy companionship was gone. We were best friends. We had grown up together, chased each other and played happy families. I had always been the mother, and he had been the father. Now he was distant and cold. It made me want to cry.

‘You’re only twenty-one. I thought you loved me.’ I couldn’t stop the tears that threatened. I had been in love with him since the day he had arrived, ten years ago. His dark hair and tanned skin had fascinated me.

‘I do love you, but not like that.’

‘Wait, don’t go,’ I cried, grabbing his hand as he turned from me.

He froze, unable to look at me, but also unable to move away. He had travelled around the world, and I had missed him with all my heart. When he had returned, I was determined to let him know how I felt.

‘I’m courting Angelina.’ He shrugged me off.

I glanced down at my corseted dress. The hem of the blue material touched the light brown mud.

‘Do you love her?’

It was a bold question, but I had to know how he felt. I thought he would confess his undying love for me and ask me to be his wife.

‘I don’t know.’

He stormed off and I let him go. I knew him well enough to know that he would need time to process my words. He loved me, I was sure of it. Why was he fighting?

‘Are you okay?’

The voice belonged to our neighbour. He was a tall man with a thickset neck and heavy hands. His grey eyes were a little weird, but he was kind enough. He had shown interest in me for a while, but I had been so wrapped up with my love, I hadn’t allowed him to court me.

‘Not really. Will you take me to the dance tomorrow?’

His face split into a grin and it made me feel better. At least someone wanted me. If my love wasn’t interested, I would let my neighbour court me.

The next day at the dance, I watched as the man I loved held Angelina. They swayed to the music so I grabbed my neighbour’s hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. My beloved watched the whole time. His eyes darted toward us, so I put on a show.

‘Can I speak to you?’ he said, dragging me away as the dance ended. ‘What are you doing?’ he hissed into my face when we were out of sight.

‘You don’t love me, so I’m finding someone that will.’

‘That won’t make you happy. I’m sorry I can’t love you the way you want me to, but please don’t be stupid because of me.’ He took my hand and looked into my eyes.

The tears flowed down my cheeks at his words. I had been so convinced that he’d loved me. For ten years, I had bided my time to confess my feelings.

‘Please don’t…’ he whispered. ‘I have to leave.’

‘No, I’ll go.’ I took my hand away from him.

‘I meant, I have to leave the village.’

I froze in mid retreat. ‘Why?’

He shook his head and ran a hand over his hair. ‘I don’t want to cause you pain.’

I wiped my cheeks and slowly walked away from him. He caused me pain; I couldn’t deny it. For the last two years, he had flirted and strung me along with lingering looks. A part of me wanted him to go, so the pain would fade. I wasn’t aware at the time that no matter where he was, I would love him.

*

‘Don’t you love the pattern?’

I opened my eyes. My head protested as light flooded into my pupils.

‘This dance between the three of us has been going on for many lifetimes.’

Nick’s face came into focus. His creepy grey eyes were trained on me. There had been two lifetimes in my dream. He had managed to separate me from my soulmate in both of them.

‘Why are you being less subtle now?’

I sat and leant against the wall. Daniel was curled up in the corner of the room, his back to us as he snored.

‘You remember what you’re here for this time, so I have to stop you in other ways.’

He sat on a folding stool with the door open behind him. Stone steps led up from the cellar.

‘Will you kill him?’ I asked, gesturing towards Daniel.

I wanted Daniel to wake up and look at me. A weird feeling made my stomach roll. I needed to see his eyes again.

My captor put his head to the side as he watched me. I moved my hair out of my face as my foggy head started to clear.

‘I may do.’

He got up.

‘Don’t go. I was just about to ask you an important question.’

He paused and sat down. ‘Go ahead.’

‘Why?’

His back straightened as he rubbed his grisly chin. He hadn’t shaved for a couple of days. The greying stubble made me feel itchy.

‘Keeping you from your soulmate is my mission as much as uniting with him is yours. We don’t need more love, or contented people on the planet.’

He stood and folded the chair. I lunged at him and managed to wrap myself around his legs.

‘Daniel, run!’ I cried.

The man on the ground grunted awake at the same time Nick fell to the floor. I expected him to run straight for the door and up the stairs. If he was my twin flame, he would leave and raise the alarm. Nick wrestled with me. Flipping me over, he pinned me to the floor. Daniel hovered over us. What was he doing? Why hadn’t he taken the opportunity to run?

‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured.

My whole world deflated as Nick clambered up. He grinned and I knew I was in trouble. Daniel wasn’t my soulmate. Why hadn’t I listened to my gut instinct?

‘We tricked you. It was so easy. You’re so sensitive. You closed up emotionally when you were young. You believed that love could be with anyone. You never once used your own intuition, which I’m actually quite jealous of, by the way.’ Nick started to back away from me. I didn’t want to give up, but there was no point fighting them both.

‘You fell for Daniel’s charm, instead of feeling his energy. Your innocence worked well for my plans, and now you’ll never be with your soulmate.’ Nick’s laugh resounded around me as I covered my ears.

‘You stay here,’ he ordered Daniel.

‘But, why…?’

Nick didn’t reply, but my intuition knew what he was doing. He told me I should listen to it, so I was going to start. He wanted me to fall in love with Daniel. It was an idiotic plan, but Daniel grinned suddenly, and I knew I had to get out of there. If I stayed, my mission would never end, and I was sick of the merry-go-round.

‘Okay, you win.’

The simple words made Nick stop in his tracks. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I don’t want this stupid mission. I just want to experience love. I don’t care who it’s with.’ I looked at Daniel from under my eyelashes. Nick laughed as he left, locking the door behind him. Daniel sat next to me and grabbed my hand. He pulled me to him and crushed me in his arms. I fought the urge to fight him. I wanted to kick and scream, and yank his hair.

‘Do you like me?’

He nodded, his whiskers grazing my cheek. When he tilted my head back by pulling my hair, a tiny part of me wanted him to do what he planned. It would be so much easier to give in and just have a normal love. Something that wasn’t intense and all consuming.

‘You’re hot,’ he whispered before kissing me.

It was the same hard kiss as before and I almost pushed him away. I needed him on my side. I needed to convince him that I liked him. My brain screamed at me to get away from him. He was violating my mouth, but he would help me escape eventually.

‘You don’t need to be quite so…’ Nick’s voice came over the speakers.

‘What’s the matter, Nick? Jealous…?’ I shouted, grabbing the back of Daniel’s head and deepening the kiss.

‘That’s enough!’ he snapped.

Daniel reared back. What had Nick done to persuade him to work alongside him? It seemed he was scared of the grey-eyed man. Reliving my past lives had made me less afraid. I wasn’t scared of dying. I wasn’t afraid of anything. If I didn’t complete my mission this time, I would just come back and try again.

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, and pain shot through my legs when I landed hard on my feet. The bag was ripped off my head and I cringed. 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, but 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, 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, and 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, but it was soon 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, but 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 with 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, so 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, and I heard the sound of the door as it closed. I was then 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, but didn’t say anything. Antony knew what I meant, so he moved to lock it. I couldn’t be bombarded by my siblings yet.

‘Are you alright?’ 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, but 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, but 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, so 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.

Chapter Sixteen

‘It’s good to see you!’ Cancer declared when our grey haired father walked into the living room.

The others crowded around him. He took the time to hug each one of them. Even Aries allowed himself to be embraced in a bear hug, although it looked weird because he was now twice his size.

‘Pisces, I’m so sorry,’ Father said, coming over to me.

Sitting next to me on the sofa, he put his arm over my shoulder. I nestled into his side and felt the soft brush of his lips on my hair.

‘It’s not your fault.’

It was true. Being kidnapped came with the mission. I had re-read the book and it clearly said that others would not understand the twin flame relationship. It said that they would do anything to stop the union from being a success.

‘Have you ever been in other lifetimes with us? Were you our guardians before?’ I asked him.

His arm tensed and he pulled away from me. He looked into my eyes, and a small smile came to his lips.

‘Many times,’ he said, nodding.

The others were quiet as they listened.

‘Pisces said that you’re our guardian. What about Mother? Is she our guardian, too?’ Aries asked.

Aries, the big dark haired warrior, had a burn mark on his cheek where Leo had breathed fire and caught him in the fight. They had managed to contain a couple of Nick’s men, but they couldn’t find him anywhere.

‘She is your guardian, yes. The problem is, my children, we are human, too. We remember a lot more than you, because we need to protect you as best we can. However, we can still be influenced by energies and people while we’re here.’

‘Is that why you left?’ Sagi stepped forward. Her red hair glowed in the light coming through the window. ‘Mother said you wanted to kill us.’

The others murmured their dissent. We had agreed not to mention anything to Father about him leaving, but it was typical that someone had brought it up.

‘Kill you? You’ve got to be kidding! I left because my heart was breaking. Love is tricky, even between the twin flames that don’t have a mission quite as important as yours.’

Father stroked my hand and I glanced up at him. The look in his eyes told me that he had been through it, too. The pain that had crippled me this week had been nothing to do with my kidnapping and everything to do with Antony’s running.

‘You and Mother are twin flames?’ Cancer asked.

Father nodded, but didn’t take his gaze away from me. ‘Every time we come back to help you, we have to go through a similar pattern. The running stage. When I left, it was because I didn’t want to go through it anymore.’

‘So you ran?’ I swallowed the tears that threatened to come into my eyes. My room had been my sanctuary for most of the week. Antony wouldn’t come back to me anytime soon and that ripped my insides out. ‘Are you still running from Mother?’ I whispered.

He shook his head and reached out to catch the tear that dropped from the corner of my eye. ‘I’m not, but she is.’

His whispered words struck me as odd. There wasn’t just one runner in their relationship?

‘Surrender, my child and everything will come together as it should.’

The words made my skin warm. I squeezed his hand tight. He laughed, but didn’t say anymore. It was so frustrating when they told me that. I was surrendered. I was playing it cool and allowing, but nothing happened. I hadn’t heard from Antony since he left. He hadn’t even checked to make sure I was okay. That’s what hurt the most.

‘I don’t think he’s ready,’ Aries said, reading my thoughts.

He wrenched his head to the side. The crack of his neck sounded around the room and made me wince. His eyes were haunted. I wondered what was wrong with him.

‘I don’t think she’s ready,’ Cancer countered.

I growled and she looked at the floor. My siblings had given me their opinions over the week since Antony had left, and the more they did, the less I appreciated them. At first it had helped me to try and analyse, but in the end, I had wound myself up even more.

‘Did he say anything before he left?’ my father whispered to me as the others started to chatter amongst themselves.

My mind flashed back to the kiss and my cheeks blushed.

‘Just that he was scared.’

He nodded once and stood. ‘When you release your own fear, his will also evaporate. Live life, Pisces. You’ll be safe for a while. Nick will back off during the running stage.’

‘Why can’t we kill him?’ I asked.

The others fell silent when they heard my question.

‘What do you mean we can’t kill him! I have every intention of killing him.’ Aries cracked his knuckles.

He leant against the doorframe, his favourite spot for lording over us.

‘We all have soul contracts, as you know. He’s not allowed to kill us; we’re not allowed to kill him. It’s all part of the bigger plan. You’ll learn more as your journeys unfold.’ Father patted my head. He was going to leave. He believed in being a distant guardian. He wanted us to be free to live our lives how we chose.

‘I wish I knew more about the bigger plan. It sucks to know that I’m part of it, but don’t have a bloody clue what I’m supposed to be doing.’ Leo shook hands with Father.

‘I know, my boy, but everything will become clear as it unfolds.’ Father turned before he walked through the open doorway. ‘Pisces, remember to surrender and allow. Love who you are, so that another can love you unconditionally.’

My mouth dropped open, but I found myself nodding as he winked at me. That was something the book had mentioned, too. If we could love ourselves, we would speed up the process of harmonisation.

‘What’s it like?’ Scorpio said, coming to sit next to me.

‘It’s heart wrenching,’ I replied, smiling softly when his eyebrows pulled together.

‘Can’t you just get on with it? Tell him how you feel, and then sort it out?’

I laughed. ‘You’re a fine one to talk. Would you let someone know how you felt?’

Scorpio was the worst one of us all. He didn’t have a clue how to be honest about the way he was feeling. He buried his emotions deep down, so no one could get close.

‘Well, I’ve not been there yet, so how would I know?’ He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

I instantly recognised the defensive gesture and stopped myself from mirroring him. Staying where I was, I reached out for his hand. He grudgingly let me take it, but the scowl on his face remained.

‘You heard Father. I just need to relax about everything.’

‘You…? Relax…?’ Aries said. ‘I’ve never known anyone so serious.’

I laughed as he picked up the remote control from the cabinet and pressed a button. A burst of music filled the room.

‘Yep, this will make us unwind,’ he shouted as he started to dance around the room.

He offered lap dances to the women, but they all refused. He came over to me, grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I let him. He was right. I always tried to control everything, and once in a while, I needed someone to pull me along with their energy.

‘See, you’re a good dancer. We’ll make a stripper out of you yet.’

Aries started to strip off his shirt. He grabbed Leo and pulled him to the centre of the room. I loved to see the childish side to Aries. His personality swung between broody and immature. I giggled as Leo peeled his top over his head and threw it in Scorpio’s face. The others laughed as Scorpio tutted and picked the shirt off with two fingers.

‘The water signs need to loosen up,’ Aries shouted.

Cancer jumped up and started to gyrate her hips. She never had trouble loosening up around men. I often wished I had some of her flirty ways.

‘You lot are mad,’ Scorpio said, storming from the room.

‘He’s so boring.’ Leo put his arm around my shoulder.

‘We need to go to a club,’ Aries said as the others wandered off to do their own thing.

‘I think I’m all right for the moment.’ I took the remote control from Leo and turned the music down. The short dance had proved effective. I was ready to get back to normality.

‘I’m changing my job,’ I announced.

The others stopped dancing, but I left them to mutter between themselves. I meant to go to my room, but stopped when something called me to the front door. I followed my instinct and ended up standing on top of the townhouse steps.

‘How did you know I was here?’

He sat on the bottom step, his arms resting on his thighs. I looked at the back of his head as my heart played like a drumstick against my ribcage.

‘I didn’t, something made me…’

He got up and spun towards me. ‘I didn’t want to see you.’

I grabbed my chest as pain exploded through me. ‘Then why did you come?’ I snapped as badly as he had, but it hurt. He was hurting me.

Antony shook his head and ran up the steps, coming to stand on the one just below me. I reached out to put my hand on his chest. He folded his fingers around mine and looked into my eyes.

‘You make me feel…’ he whispered, tapping his chest with our entwined hands.

‘You make me…’

‘Don’t.’ He leant forward and rubbed his nose against mine. ‘When I see you, a rush of emotion overtakes me and I can’t even think.’

His lips were close to mine. I wanted to lean forward and touch him with my tongue, but we needed to talk.

‘That’s how I feel, Antony. I want to be with you.’

His eyes widened and he started to pull back. I put my arms around his neck, but he took my hands and moved them away.

‘This is crazy. It’s not real.’

‘Why do you say that? Why are you fighting?’

I went to move forward as he backed down the steps, but he put up a hand.

‘Don’t run from me,’ I whispered as his feet touched the pavement and he turned.

Following him as he started to run seemed like my best option. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed that I was chasing him. I couldn’t let him go again.

‘Please, Antony,’ I cried.

A part of me knew that I should stop. He was running fast. Only pure determination made me keep him in sight. I should have let him go, but something made me stick with him. My chest burned as I tried to pull air into my lungs. Tears streamed down my face as I watched his back retreat.

‘Careful!’ someone shouted.

The river was ahead. Antony ran towards one of the pedestrian bridges. He dodged past people, but I somehow managed to keep him in sight. My father’s voice came into my head. I needed to surrender. Running after my twin flame wasn’t going to work.

I had just started to cross the bridge when I stopped. Antony was ahead. He climbed on the railings and looked back. His gaze locked with mine before his body pitched forward.

I screamed as he fell down into the river. The clouds were dark and the water was murky. Others shouted to call the police. I rushed to the side of the bridge and looked down. He didn’t rise to the surface, so I climbed over the side and threw myself in. I heard the echo of more screams as I plunged into the water.

The ice-cold liquid swallowed me and I gasped in a breath. I didn’t choke as the water filled my lungs and for the thousandth time, I wondered how I could breathe underwater. I started to float up, so I pushed the top of my body forward and kicked my legs. The heavy denim of my jeans pulled me back, but I was determined to find Antony. Why had he jumped in? Was I that hideous?

It was hard to see in the dingy water, so I swum towards the middle of the river and plunged deeper. My arms reached forward to push the water behind me when something caught my eye. Antony was wearing a light blue shirt. He was still conscious, but he was struggling.

I tried to swim towards him, but the current suddenly picked up and pushed me downstream. Swimming through it, I breathed in deep to try and get more energy. Antony wrestled with something, but I couldn’t see what it was in the dark water.

Coming up behind him, I managed to grab his shoulder. I hadn’t thought it through. When my hand made contact, he jumped and his mouth shot open. I wrapped my arms around him and put my mouth over his as best as I could. I breathed into him, putting my hand on his chest to check that air entered his lungs. When I pulled away, he nodded, and pointed to his leg. It was caught on rope attached to the riverbed.

I looked at his face. He still struggled to breathe. His cheeks were puffed out, and his eyes bulged. Placing my mouth over his, I blew into him again. I had no idea how it worked, but he looked relieved when I pulled away. I swam down to his leg and managed to untangle the rope.

When he was free, he started to drift and I had to get hold of the leg I had just released. He put his hands under my armpits and pulled me up. I wrapped myself around him completely and kissed him before breathing more air into his lungs.

The current took us downstream, but we didn’t take any notice. I tried to push us to the surface, but it took a few attempts. I was tired and Antony was almost unconscious. When we finally broke out of the water, we both sucked in air.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked as we floated.

I tried to steer us towards the edge of the river.

‘I’m sorry,’ he spluttered as water splashed into his face. ‘I don’t know what came over me.’

Shaking my head, I swallowed as my throat threatened to close. Tears sprung to my eyes. A shout came from above. A policeman was by the side of the river. My energy was gone, and I could no longer fight. I didn’t want to run, but I would let Antony go. I would never chase him again.

‘Pisces,’ he whispered.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered back, avoiding eye contact.

I couldn’t look at him. It hurt too much. I had only known the man for a while, but he had turned my whole world into something I didn’t recognise. He had turned me into someone I didn’t know.

The police dragged us out near one of the banks. People had gathered. They took pictures and chatted amongst themselves as we were escorted to separate ambulances.

‘Pisces, we need to talk,’ Antony called as he was led away.

I ignored him. My mind was trying to process what had happened. Climbing into the back of the ambulance, I started my routine check over.

‘Your vital signs are fine. I’m surprised you’re both still conscious. You were underwater for quite a while.’ The paramedic moved around, but I didn’t reply. My brain couldn’t concentrate on what was happening.

‘Can I go home?’ I asked, looking out of the open door.

‘After the police interview you, yes.’

A policeman climbed in at her gesture and sat opposite me. He took a statement as he questioned me. Antony was going through the same thing in the other ambulance. My chest tightened. He was better off without me in his life. He had been in danger since the moment we had met.

‘Right, you’re free to go. Can I call anyone to come and get you?’ the officer said.

‘No, I live nearby.’ I thanked him and left.

Antony gave his statement in the other ambulance. I paused as I saw the look on his face. He looked lost. I had made him that way.

‘Pisces!’

Aries and Leo came towards me. I ducked around the back of the ambulance so Antony couldn’t see that I had finished. The boys followed me. I grabbed their hands and told them to take me home.

‘How did you know I was here?’ I asked as Leo put his arm around me. They pushed their way through the crowd, pulling me along with them.

‘We saw you on television! What the bloody hell happened?’ Aries hissed. ‘We need to keep a low profile, and there you are, jumping off a bloody bridge!’

Sorrow climbed over me, but I swallowed it down.

‘Just get me home,’ I croaked.

Leo shook his head at Aries when he opened his mouth. They didn’t say any more and I was grateful.

I didn’t notice how fast our legs carried us home. It wasn’t until we got to the foot of the steps that I realised Leo had actually carried me most of the way.

‘I need to go to bed,’ I whispered.

Sprinting up the steps, I ran through the kitchen and straight into my room. I was glad the others were talking in the living room. I needed to be alone.

‘Will you let me in?’ Cancer called from the hallway.

The boys had sent her to talk to me. Ignoring her, I started to pack a bag. It was time to leave, once and for all. My mission could bugger off; I wasn’t prepared to do it anymore. Tears ran down my cheeks and I let them. There was no use in fighting.

A niggling voice inside told me that I was turning into the runner, but I didn’t care. I was worth more than this. I needed a man that wanted me, not someone I craved that couldn’t stand the sight of me. So much so, he had jumped into a river.

‘I’ll leave you alone, but I’ll be back later,’ Cancer called. Her footsteps faded, so I opened the bedroom window and threw my bag over the ledge. Climbing into the back courtyard, I made my escape out of the gate. I had no idea where I was going, but I would be fine.

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, and 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, but he grabbed my wrist to stop me. The bracelet was under his palm and 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, but I didn’t care. 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 then 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 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, but kept 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 just in time, but 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, and I hoped the boys would get away. There was a taxi ahead, so 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.

Chapter Eighteen

I pounded on the door as my panting breath echoed around me. I had travelled on two trains to try and cover my tracks. Running from the station had been my only option. My neck was sore from constantly checking over my shoulder. It was the middle of the night. I saw a light switch on above and hoped they would hurry.

‘Who is it?’ Bev called through the door.

‘It’s me, Pisces.’

The locks clicked and the door opened. Bev stood in her dressing gown. I looked straight past her to Antony. He stood by the stairs with a gun aimed at my chest. As soon as our gaze met, he lowered it. Bev pulled me into the house and shut the door.

‘Are you okay, love?’

I nodded, but couldn’t take my eyes away from Antony as he stared at me.

‘I thought I was dreaming,’ Derek said from the balcony above. I glanced up as Antony shook his head and looked away. Derek wore a pair of pants and nothing else. He also held a gun.

‘I’m fine. Father and the boys were fighting with Nick. He told me to come here.’

Bev pushed me into Father’s library and sat me down in one of the chairs. Antony and Derek came in behind us, but stayed back.

‘Is he okay?’ Bev asked, pouring herself a stiff drink. When she offered me one, I shook my head. Alcohol wasn’t what I needed.

‘He seemed to be doing well before I left. The police were on their way, so hopefully they broke it up.’ I glanced at the two brothers.

‘Should we go and find him?’ Derek scratched his stomach.

I looked away from him. He was a fit young man, but he wasn’t my type. Antony wore jeans and a T-shirt.

‘No, I have orders. We’re to stay here. Don’t answer the door to anyone until he gets in contact,’ Antony said. ‘We’re safe. Bev, I think you should go back to bed. You too, Derek. I’ll get Pisces settled and then keep watch.’

Bev came over and put her arms around me. It was what I needed. Alcohol could never give me the reassurance that a hug could. She stroked my head as she left and Derek followed her.

‘Night, bruv,’ I heard him mutter as he patted Antony on the shoulder.

I sat in silence as Antony checked the front door and came back into the room. He sat behind Father’s desk. I tried not to smile. He still put something between us, but it no longer hurt. I understood. I had no idea how, but something clicked inside me.

‘Why did you run away?’ Antony gripped the edge of the desk.

‘Same reason you did,’ I replied.

I forced my muscles to relax as he stiffened.

‘Fair play.’ He smiled and my heart pounded. It had been a long time since I had seen his dimples.

‘Did you come back by choice?’

Lowering my head, I stared at my hands. A few short hours ago, I had told Nick that I didn’t want anything to do with my mission, or Antony. I had been prepared to let him keep us apart. Did I tell Antony?

‘Be honest with me.’

I looked up and tried to smile, but when our eyes met, something overtook me. My body started to shake and the shock of what had happened set in. He leant forward, but didn’t get up.

‘Tell me,’ he said quietly.

My head shook and I blinked, trying to stop the tears that blurred my sight. ‘I was going to go with Nick because—’

‘What?’

He cut me off, but I wasn’t going to let him run again. He went to get up, but I got to my feet quicker. He lowered himself as I approached the desk. I put my hands on the wood and leant forward.

‘Listen to me! Yes, I ran. I was scared and sick of crying over you. Nick found me last night and told me that he had my mother. I believed that he’d kidnapped her, like he did me. So I agreed to be exchanged.’

‘I didn’t know where you were!’ he hissed. His fingers clenched the desk and his knuckles turned white.

‘I know. I’m sorry,’ I said, thrown off by the mismatched conversation.

‘Anything could’ve happened to you. I never would have known.’ He thrust up from the chair and leant forward on the desk. ‘You were going to go with him? Even though you knew we could never be together if you did?’

The tears ran down my face, but we both ignored them. His breath and angry words hit my soul. I had to plant my feet firmly against the carpet. I was ready to run, but I wouldn’t.

‘I couldn’t handle it,’ I whispered. ‘All I thought about was you. All I wanted was for you to turn up and take me into your arms, but you never came. Then Nick was there, offering to help me forget about you. I thought I would finally be able to accept that we could never be together.’

His jaw popped as he clenched his teeth. His eyes were close to mine, but heat radiated from him, and I knew I would get burnt if I dared to reach out.

‘You want to give up on your mission?’

He grabbed my arm and yanked it up between us. I almost fell forward, but managed to right myself. The bracelet was in my eye line and I cringed when I saw it. He fingered the frayed edge where I had attempted to cut it off over the last few months.

‘Not anymore,’ I whispered.

The anger left him in a rush and his breath landed on my face. His muscles loosened, but he still held my arm.

‘Good.’

He let me go and left the room without a backward glance.

*

‘Is Father back yet?’

The room stayed silent, so I looked up from my toast. Antony wasn’t awake, but Derek and Bev sat across from me.

‘I’m assuming that’s a no. He must have stayed with the others after the fight.’

Bev fidgeted. She stirred the cereal around her bowl. Neither of them had eaten anything.

‘You’re worried about him,’ I stated.

‘Your father always checks in. It’s unlike him not to.’ Bev gave up on her food and let her spoon clatter into the bowl.

I had to call Aries. I got up and rushed through the door as Antony came in. We bumped into each other. My face heated as he steadied me.

‘Sorry,’ I mumbled, trying to move around him.

He took my elbow and guided me outside. It was spring and the birds chirped happily. I sat on the bench swing and tilted my face to the sun. Antony stayed standing. I felt his gaze on my face, so I closed my eyes.

‘I’ve not heard from your father. I need you to ring your siblings and ask if he’s with them.’

I opened my eyes and took the mobile phone he offered me. I dialled their number. My fingers were stiff and so was the energy around us.

‘Aries, it’s Pisces,’ I said when he picked up. ‘Is Father with you?’

‘Why did you leave your bag in the car? I couldn’t get hold of you. I had no bloody idea if you were still alive! Where are you?’

His temper simmered. I had to keep my cool. ‘I’m at Fathers. That’s where he told me to go.’

Aries grunted and I heard him tell the others where I was. ‘It’s not good news. Nick has him.’

I almost dropped the phone. Antony came to sit next to me. My body started to shake, so he put his hand on my shoulder. The touch sent heat spiralling through me.

‘How did that happen?’

‘More men came and we were overpowered. The police turned up. We managed to get away, but we couldn’t find him anywhere.’

The phone muffled in my ear and I heard him roar at the others to shut up. I was glad that I wasn’t on the end of his fireball.

‘What’s happened?’ Antony asked.

‘Father’s been taken by Nick,’ I answered, my hand over the receiver.

Antony got to his feet and hurried to the back door. He called Derek and told him to go and get dressed. I looked down at my pyjamas before clambering off the seat.

‘Pisces, come home. We need to sort this out between us,’ Aries said into the phone before it shut off.

Antony came back over. ‘Stay here, we’re going to London.’

‘There’s no way I’m staying here,’ I exclaimed as I marched past him.

‘I’m your bodyguard. Do as I say.’

I paused as I snorted. It wasn’t a ladylike sound. Antony frowned at me, but I couldn’t help it. It wasn’t the right time to be laughing, but after everything that had happened, I wasn’t going to stay behind.

‘Derek needs to stay here with Bev. I’m coming with you, or I’m going home to the others. It’s your choice.’

I left him and stormed to my room to get dressed. I had just put on my bra when the door opened and Antony came in. I squeaked as I tried to cover myself, but he ignored my state of undress.

He came to me, buried his hand into my loose hair and pulled my head back to expose my throat. I swallowed and his gaze followed the movement. He lowered his head and flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin below my ear.

‘Antony…’ I whispered, but he reached up and covered my mouth.

‘I won’t let you ruin this,’ he whispered against my neck.

His breath made me shiver as it caressed my skin. His puckered lips kissed along my collarbone. I had forgotten that I was half dressed, so when his hand brushed my bare stomach, I sucked in a breath.

I linked my arms around his neck. He loosened his grip in my hair and brought my head up. Our lips met, but it wasn’t soft. His breath huffed into my mouth as he forced it open with his tongue. His arms wrapped around my back and held me against his warm chest. Our heartbeats matched as they raced together.

‘Antony, you’ve got to let me come!’ Derek shouted from the hallway.

He nipped my bottom lip as we pulled apart. I licked the spot he had caught and his gaze zoned in on my tongue.

I opened my mouth to speak, but as he lowered his gaze, his eyes widened at the realisation that I had no top on. His cheeks flushed pink as he muttered an apology before he winked and left me to finish getting dressed.

I was still panting after he had gone. I hadn’t expected him to kiss me, yet my whole body had been ready. It felt right. Just like the fireworks I had imagined when I found my soulmate.

After pulling on my blue jumper, I hurried with the rest of my stuff. I had a feeling I would no longer stay at my father’s. The first part of my mission was almost complete, although we had a way to go yet.

The book said that the first sign of harmonising was being drawn to one another. We wouldn’t be able to resist each other, and no matter how much we tried to run, we would always end up together. I had read a lot over the last two months. I was now confident that we were going to be fine.

Chapter Nineteen

‘Was Derek really miffed?’ I asked as I climbed into Father’s car.

‘Just a bit,’ Antony said.

‘Do you think we can find Father and end all this?’

I wrung my hands together as I imagined what Nick would do to the one man that knew what I was going through. My guardian.

‘I hate to say it, but I think it’s only just begun.’ Antony patted my thigh and my cheeks grew warm as the memory of our kiss flashed into my mind.

‘I was afraid of that,’ I said, looking out of the window at the passing traffic. The motorway made my teeth go on edge.

‘It will be okay in the end.’ Antony took my hand.

I looked down to see that the car was automatic, so he didn’t need his hand to change gear. I squeezed his fingers and enjoyed the calm that settled over me.

‘Do you think this is it?’ His words were quiet and he kept his eyes on the road ahead. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Us…?’ he said as he glanced at me and smiled wickedly.

His dimples appeared and I flushed with an emotion so powerful, I shivered. I had been in love with him since the moment I had met him. The connection was too strong to ignore, but I didn’t know how much more in love with him I could fall.

The love before this had been tormented, and painful, but now it felt like nothing I had ever experienced.

‘Yes, I think we’re harmonising.’

His eyes left the road again to look at me. He swallowed and his arm muscles tensed.

‘It’s okay,’ I said, laughing when he shook his head.

‘I’m sorry, but the last few months have been torture. I didn’t want a relationship when I met you. Sure, I thought you were attractive, but I was busy with my job. It didn’t seem right to want you.’

It was my turn to swallow. ‘You wanted me?’

A gentle laugh escaped him as he looked into the rear-view mirror.

His hand left my thigh in a rush. He gripped the steering wheel and wrenched it to the right.

‘What’s happening?’ I cried as we were thrown about.

The car sped into the fast lane. I had to cover my eyes. Antony was a brilliant driver, but there was an articulated lorry ahead.

‘Someone’s following us and I don’t like the look of them. They were about to ram us,’ Antony almost shouted.

Uncovering my eyes, I looked behind us. A big car was up our arse and it was coming closer.

‘Do you think it’s Nick?’

Our car swerved across the road again, and I yelped when my shoulder crashed into the door. He could have warned me that he was going to swerve. I didn’t moan. He was concentrating and I didn’t want to upset him.

‘Probably. Who else would it be?’

I took another look to try and get a clue, but the windows in the other car were blacked out.

‘Can we lose them?’

I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do.

‘Hold on!’ Antony cried as he sped out of the fast lane and straight through the others.

I gripped the dashboard as hard as I could. He drove straight towards the exit. There were two separate exits right next to each other. He cut in front of a lorry, and I screamed as the lorry blew its horn. He sped straight onto the first exit with just inches to spare. The other car got stuck on the other side of the lorry.

I sighed as we escaped down the exit and out of sight.

‘That was mad,’ I said as I tried to get my breathing back to normal.

My heartbeat tripped all over the place, and my nerves were shot.

‘I’m sorry.’ Antony put his foot on the accelerator.

‘Don’t be sorry, you did what you had to do.’

He took my hand and pulled it to his lips. He kissed it as I placed my other hand over my heart. It was beating for an entirely different reason now.

‘I know you’re super sensitive, though. That couldn’t have helped.’

I let him keep hold of my hand. He entwined his fingers with mine and rested them on his lap.

‘How do you know that about me?’

His cheeks glowed slightly as he pulled off the motorway. ‘Firstly, I noticed that you go all tense when we’re around a lot of people. You also react differently to anyone I’ve ever known. You get crazy defensive, although you seem to be a little better with that now.’

My heart expanded even more. He had taken notice of who I was and accepted me anyway.

‘You do know that you have a lifetime of stroppiness, defensiveness and complexity ahead, don’t you? Do you think you can handle it?’

I grinned. The adrenaline of the chase still pumped through my veins, but it had turned into a warm fuzzy feeling.

‘I have no idea,’ he replied, keeping hold of my hand when I tried to pull away to playfully hit him. ‘Before we even start to think about that adventure, we need to get your father back.’

The smile dropped from my face. It was like a slap on the cheek and the warm feeling turned cold.

‘Yes. Will it take long to get back to the others from here?’

He felt the energy shift and squeezed my hand. How had I switched from terror, to love, and then back to dread, in the space of a few minutes? I laughed suddenly, and Antony frowned.

‘Are you okay?’

I wanted to reach out and straighten his furrowed brow. Instead I sat back and closed my eyes.

‘I’m fine. I’m just allowing my emotions to come up.’

He tutted, and it sent prickles of annoyance down my arms. I tried to pull my hand out of his grip, but he wouldn’t let me. Nothing was said, but it was obvious. He wasn’t going to let me run. He knew me well enough to know when to stay and just be with me. The thought sent a wave of warmth over me, but a tiny bubble of dread made my stomach gurgle. Could I really let anyone in? Even Antony?

‘We’re almost there.’

‘Thank you,’ I whispered.

He had given me space to calm my emotions. No one had ever done that, not even my siblings.

‘You know what?’ he said as the car came to a stop.

‘What?’ I answered as I opened my eyes. We were parked a few streets away from my home in Clapham.

‘This has been a wild ride and I’m glad it’s not over.’

His lips caught mine as he leant over and I welcomed the contact. The kiss was short and sweet, but it sent a thrill straight through me. He pulled away and winked as he got out of the car.

‘I must admit, I’ll be glad when it’s over.’ I laughed as he opened the passenger door and helped me out.

‘I don’t know. I think you could do with a wild ride every now and then.’ He laughed as he put his arm around my shoulders and guided me home.

Chapter Twenty

‘The lovebirds have arrived,’ Leo announced as we entered the kitchen.

‘What’s it like?’ Cancer squealed as she rushed up to us.

‘Have you…you know?’ Scorpio said to Antony.

‘Scorpio…!’

My cheeks flushed as my brother patted my twin flame on the back.

‘What? I think you’re the only one that hasn’t had—’ Scorpio was cut off as Aries punched him in the arm. I smiled at the tall handsome warrior. He might be a bit of a ladies man, but he looked out for his family.

‘We were followed for part of the journey. I managed to lose them, but only just,’ Antony said.

The boys gathered around to talk about Father. I wanted to listen, but the girls dragged me to the living room to talk about men.

‘What’s it like?’ Sagi asked as she sat on the arm of the sofa.

I laughed and patted her thigh. ‘It’s amazing.’

The others crowded around and started to throw questions. I answered them as best as I could, but there were still many things I couldn’t explain.

‘We’re not quite there yet. We’ve only just started this stage. Give me a chance.’

My cheeks were hot. I fanned myself to try and cool down. At one point, I looked up and saw that Antony hovered in the doorway. He watched me with a small smile on his face. When he caught me looking, he ducked out of the room.

‘It’s so amazing though! You’ve done it within a few months. Usually it takes years,’ Cancer said.

‘That’s the old way. We’re not going to fail this time and to be honest, I still think it will take years. It’s something we need to work at for the rest of our lives.’ I clasped Cancer’s hands in mine when she tried to get me to say more. I wanted to join the men to help with Father’s rescue. If it wasn’t for him, I would never have met Antony.

‘It’s so romantic,’ Virgo said in her matter of fact tone.

I left them to see what the boys were up to. It was my turn to spy on my boyfriend. My whole body hummed at the thought. Most of the others had experienced a relationship, but not me.

‘I saw Nick head towards north London,’ Leo said.

They were gathered around the island in the middle of the kitchen. Antony fitted in so well that I struggled to spot him amongst my brothers at first. Aries moved to reveal him. He looked up at my brother. His face was serious and ready for battle. He held his head high, even though he was shorter than Leo, Scorpio and Aries.

‘We need to go back to the house that he kept Pisces in. I doubt very much he’s still there, but it’s worth going over,’ Scorpio offered.

‘Can I just finish the song I was writing?’ Leo asked, going to walk away from the group.

‘No, you can’t.’ Aries grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

Antony studied Leo’s tattoos. He had sleeves on both arms and they stood out on his bulging biceps. There was a question in Antony’s eyes. How could such a big, hard looking man, be such a creative softy?

‘Come on, mate, the album is almost done,’ Leo whined.

‘Our father is more important than your album, Leo.’ Aries scowled.

‘I’m happy to go and check out that house,’ Gemini said.

We all turned to study Gemini, the most suave and least warrior-like of them all. He was usually lost in his own world, absorbed with himself.

‘Really…?’ Aries glanced at Leo.

The two smiled and I felt sorry for Gemini.

‘Yes, I want to be involved,’ he said as he tapped his fingers on the work surface.

I almost laughed when the others blinked in surprise.

‘I’ll go with him,’ Taurus said, glancing back at me. ‘I’m sure we’ll find something.’

The others noticed I was there, but carried on with the conversation as if I wasn’t. Taurus had a shaved head and square jaw. He was meant to be a fitness trainer, but had dropped out of university when he started to smoke marijuana.

‘Okay, head over there now then, but be careful.’ Aries gestured for them to leave.

Gemini threw a smart coat over his suit and Taurus put a cap on his head.

‘Do you have to wear that? You look like a thug,’ I heard Gemini say as they closed the front door behind them.

I marvelled at how well Aries ran the operation. My mind zoned out, and I stopped following the plans as I watched Antony. I was a brilliant listener when it came to one on one, but I was easily distracted when I wasn’t directly spoken to.

‘What do you think, Pisces?’ Leo addressed me.

I shook my head and blinked.

‘She didn’t hear you.’ Aries clapped him on the back. ‘See, I told you that you were boring.’

Leo pushed Aries and he stumbled back a few steps.

‘I’m sorry.’ I joined Antony.

He reached out and took my hand. ‘I told Aries what you said about Nick and your mother.’

‘We could try and lure Nick by using you as bait. If you go out and about in London, he might try to grab you again. Especially if he sees you with Antony,’ Aries said.

I nodded before he finished speaking. I wanted to do anything to help rescue Father, and if that meant being bait, well…I would do it. My body shivered at the thought of Nick kidnapping me again, but Antony squeezed my hand at just the right time.

‘There will be two of us guarding you at all times. Just try not to go out in public on your own. Unless you stick to the back roads, but even then, it’s dodgy.’

‘Do you think Bev and Derek will be all right? Daniel knows where Father lives, and he’s probably told Nick,’ I asked.

Antony’s eyes widened. ‘I forgot that Daniel knew where your father lived.’

He stepped away from the group and dialled a number on his phone.

‘That might be the ideal place to lure him to,’ Aries said.

‘No answer. Derek always answers his phone. We need to go back.’ Antony grabbed my hand.

‘Wait. We need to finalise everything,’ Scorpio said.

I watched them as they spoke. My mind couldn’t keep track of what they said. All I could think about was Bev and Derek. I hoped they were safe and we were just being paranoid.

‘Right, I think we all know what we’re doing. Pisces, you go with Antony. Take Leo and Scorpio just in case.’

Grabbing my bag, I decided not to say goodbye to the girls. I didn’t want them to get involved. It was my fault Father had been kidnapped, and I didn’t want to risk them being caught too.

‘Pisces, remember to keep your head,’ Aries said as I was about to leave.

I frowned at him. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Antony might have to fight and you’re going to have to let him.’

He knew me well. The idea of Antony being in danger had crossed my mind and I didn’t like it. However, it was part of his job. It was part of his mission. He had also signed up before he had come down to Earth. We had both decided that we would fight to bring more love to the world.

‘I’ll be fine.’

‘We can do this,’ Antony whispered, waving to Aries as the door shut behind us.

Chapter Twenty One

‘How does this sound? Trapped heart of sorrow beats, with tenderness and misery streaks…’

‘I love it.’

Leo grinned and it felt like the sun shone on my face. Antony squeezed my hand, and I looked at him. The words resonated with us more than Leo knew. I was amazed at the lyrics that came from my brother. He was upbeat and serious, but his songs spoke of a deeper nature than no one ever saw.

‘Who do you think will find their soulmate next?’ I asked when Leo sat back and tucked his notepad away.

‘Aries of course,’ Scorpio said. His words were mumbled as he chewed on a chocolate bar. A peanut flew out of his mouth and landed on the floor. ‘Sorry,’ he muttered.

The train sped through stations on the way back to Surrey. My gaze caught on the green scenery as it whizzed past. I raised my eyebrows when Scorpio shoved the rest of the bar into his mouth. ‘Why do you think it is Aries?’

He shrugged as he swallowed. ‘Because he’s already met his.’

Leo nodded his agreement. Why hadn’t I known about this?

‘He has no idea, though.’ Scorpio clicked open a can of fizzy drink and downed it.

‘How can he not know?’ Antony said.

It had only been a few hours since he had admitted that he was my soulmate, but I didn’t say anything.

‘Did you know when you met Pisces?’ Scorpio raised his eyebrows.

Antony looked away from him. ‘Deep down somewhere I did, but I fought against it,’ he said, stroking my palm with his thumb.

The train slowed. ‘Our stop,’ I called. The others followed as we alighted from the train.

‘What do you think Aries is doing then?’

Scorpio fell into step beside us as we commandeered a taxi and asked the driver to take us to Father’s house.

‘Yeah, Aries is probably fighting it, too,’ Antony said as we shared a secret smile. ‘I hope Derek is okay. I still can’t get hold of him.’

A shiver ran over my body and the others saw it.

‘That means something’s not right,’ Scorpio said.

Leo nodded. ‘Yeah. Pisces has this freaky intuition, but she never listens to it. In fact, if I want to know something, I should start to ask Pisces and see how her body reacts.’

‘I don’t know if I like the sound of that,’ Antony mumbled.

I laughed at them as the taxi pulled into the street. The driver stopped and let us out before we got to the house. My skin started to tingle, and my stomach knotted. Derek and Bev were in danger, I simply knew it.

‘We need to be careful,’ I whispered to the others.

‘Why are we whispering?’ Leo ducked down to my height.

I pushed him as Antony put an arm around me. ‘You’re really shaking, baby, what’s wrong?’

My whole body heated at the endearment and I smiled up at him. He had never called me a pet name before. The blast of warmth echoed through my muscles, relaxing them.

‘So cute…’ Leo sang.

Scorpio rolled his eyes and turned away from us. ‘Come on, we’ve got to get on with it.’

Antony tried Derek’s phone one last time, but there was still no reply. There was no answer from the home phone either.

‘Do we sneak in? Or shall we pretend that we have no idea that something’s wrong?’ I asked.

‘You two go to the front door. You’re probably expected. We’ll go round the back and try to see what we can,’ Scorpio said as he studied the house.

The rest of us agreed and separated. Antony and I walked down the street, hand in hand.

‘I know this might be hard for you, but try not to look so scared,’ Antony said.

I glared up at him, but the smile on his face made my defences melt. He smoothed the lines on my forehead with his finger.

‘Am I that obvious?’ I asked as we neared the gate.

‘I can tell exactly what you’re thinking.’

‘Really…? Can you tell what I’m thinking now?’

He glanced down at me as his back muscles went rigid. I laughed, but he didn’t see the funny side of it. He was busy worrying about what was going on inside the house.

‘You’re thinking that when this is done, I’m going to take you to bed and ravish you.’

The gasp that left my mouth echoed around us, then it was his turn to laugh. My hand tightened on his, and he pulled me into his arms as we paused on the path.

‘Antony! What are you doing?’ I squeaked, before his lips came down and crushed mine.

‘I’m tricking them into believing that we have no idea they’re in there. I’m also taking advantage of your weird mood. It’s not often you tease me.’

My stomach flipped as I pulled him down to kiss me again. My phone beeped with a text, but I ignored it.

‘You will soon discover that will change now we’re together,’ I said, flicking out my tongue and licking his lips.

‘So you’re a bit of a tease under all that seriousness, are you?’ he whispered against my ear as he pulled me to his chest.

‘I can’t wait to get you—’

Another text beeped on my phone, so Antony pulled it out of my pocket.

‘That’s Scorpio asking what the bloody hell we’re doing snogging in the middle of a rescue mission.’ I laughed.

‘He has no idea, does he?’

We pulled apart and made our way to the front door. Pretending to laugh at nothing, we knocked.

‘Play along with me, okay?’ he whispered as the door opened.

Bev greeted us with a smile on her face. It was false. Her whole body shook. She had opened the door slightly and I could sense that someone was behind it.

‘Bev, we’re home!’ Antony said as he stepped forward.

The door started to inch open, but Bev didn’t say anything.

‘How are you?’ I followed Antony as Bev let go of the door and stepped back to allow us past.

When Antony was in line with the door, he thrust his whole weight against it. The door crushed the person against the wall. There was a grunt and Bev shrieked as we ran into the hallway.

There was another man at the top of the stairs. He had a gun aimed straight at Antony. ‘Stay where you are!’ he shouted.

We froze. Bev watched us, her gaze flicking to the open door.

‘Bev, come here,’ the man ordered when he saw her checking out the quickest escape route.

I willed her to stay still. The man in the black outfit looked like he wouldn’t be afraid to shoot her if she tried to run.

‘What’s going on?’ Antony called.

‘Close the door, Bev,’ the man shouted.

She did as she was told. The man behind it was sprawled on the floor. Antony had managed to knock him out.

‘I have brought Pisces in exchange for her father. I spoke to Nick and he told me to bring her here,’ Antony announced as Bev started to climb up the stairs.

Biting my lip was the only way I managed not to look shocked at the lie. I glanced back at the fallen man, so the one with the gun couldn’t see my face.

‘I told Nick that I didn’t want to be with her,’ Antony said when the other man grunted.

‘Really…? Why wouldn’t you want to be with her? She’s gorgeous in a strange sort of way.’ The man was quite young and I wondered at Nick’s intelligence. Did he trust these men, or were they the only option he had? I didn’t know that much about the Dysfunctionals. Maybe they recruited them from a young age.

‘What do you mean in a strange sort of way?’ I called.

Antony glared at me. I hadn’t meant to say anything. I tried to stay quiet, but I was genuinely interested.

‘I’ve watched you. You dress in random clothes and you’re a little weird, but I’d still give you a go.’

I let out an involuntary laugh, but it was cut off when a gunshot echoed around us. The man clutched his chest and fell to the balcony floor. I looked at Antony. His gun was clutched in his hand.

‘Antony…?’

‘No man ever speaks like that about my woman.’ He grunted, pulled his phone out and tapped a message. I assumed that he texted the boys outside. My insides quivered. Blood had spurted from the man’s chest. How could Antony shoot someone so cold heartedly?

‘Are there any more of them?’ I asked Bev.

She was crouched on the stairs, hugging her knees to her chest. She came and wrapped her arms around me. ‘Yes, there’s another one guarding Derek. They’ve been here since you left this morning. He was told not to leave his post.’

Patting her back, I watched Antony as he crept up the stairs and checked on the man. He shook his head when he looked at me. Bile rose in my throat. Antony had killed someone because they called me weird. What would the police think? Would he go to prison?

‘We need to get you out of here,’ I said as Bev pulled away from me.

Leo and Scorpio came in the front door, making us both jump. Antony gestured for them to follow him upstairs. They all disappeared, and I suddenly felt cold at the thought of them being in danger. Bev’s eyes widened when she saw the tall lads disappear from the balcony. She grabbed my hand and tried to pull me away.

‘I’m scared,’ she whispered.

‘It’s okay, Bev—’ I started.

The blunted sound of an impact vibrated next to me and Bev slouched to the ground.

‘Don’t say a word.’ The hiss of a voice I recognised but couldn’t place, filtered into my ears. The breath on my cheek made me shudder. My body was frozen, and I couldn’t see my captor. A cold object was pressed against my temple as a strong arm wrapped around my chest, pulling me tight against a hard male body. I squealed, but didn’t say anything.

‘Nick wants to stop you and your soulmate. The easiest thing to do is to kill lover boy.’

I shivered again, unable to stop my body reacting to the hard whispered voice. Antony couldn’t die. There was no way I could live if he wasn’t with me. I loved him more than anyone, and we had only just harmonised.

‘Don’t kill him, kill me. Nick won’t have to worry about dealing with me ever again if I’m gone. You’ll be a hero if you do that.’

His muscles stiffened at my words. He stepped back, hauling me away from Bev. She was out cold on the floor, but her chest was moving.

‘I’ve got Derek,’ Antony called from one of the rooms.

My mouth opened, but the pressure of the gun against my head increased, so I clamped it shut. I was surprised Antony didn’t know that I was in danger. According to the book, we should be able to feel how the other person felt, even if they were miles away.

‘When he comes out, I’m going to shoot him and then I’ll shoot you,’ the man told me.

I tried to pull air into my lungs, but my shivering body struggled.

‘You should just kill me and get it over with. My brothers are big men, and they have weapons. If they see you, they’ll kill you.’

His arm weakened slightly. I still couldn’t place who he was, but I felt his fear of death as it vibrated through his body.

‘Nick told me that he couldn’t kill you.’

‘No, he can’t kill me, but you can. Whatever you do, make it quick. Nick tried to drown me once, and it really scared me…he was so annoyed he couldn’t finish me off.’

Lying was easy when I was around the negative men. The others were taking their time, and I had to distract him. He started to drag me out of the front door. The boys had left it open when they had come in. He closed it behind him and put his hand on my shoulder to guide me.

‘There’s a lake over there. I’m going to drown you in it.’ He nudged my head with the end of the gun.

He couldn’t see my face, so he didn’t see the smile that I couldn’t hold back. Men were fickle. I allowed the shivering to overtake my body. At least that wasn’t something I had to fake.

‘No, please don’t! If you’re going to kill me, just shoot me, please,’ I cried.

‘Shut up and get a move on,’ he hissed, hitting me on the head when I tried to glance back. ‘And don’t look at me.’

My plan had better work. I was being sincere when I told him that I would rather die than live without Antony. If I died, it didn’t matter. As long as Antony was alive, I could watch him from above.

When we approached the lake, I heard my captor take a deep breath. ‘Nick’s going to be so pleased.’

I opened my mouth to plead, but he hit me again. It wasn’t hard enough to knock me out, but my skull ached at the impact.

I was about to spin when he wrapped his arms around me and rushed forward. We pitched into the lake. I didn’t have time to think. The deep water could be used to my advantage.

I heard a shout from the house just before my head disappeared underwater. I hoped Antony caught on to what I was doing and allowed me to get on with it.

Fierce heat rushed over my body as I twisted and saw the face of the man that was trying to push my head down. Daniel’s gaze met mine and I screamed. He had betrayed me in so many ways. He had even threatened Antony. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

Daniel started to flay his arms when I took in a deep breath and didn’t drown. I pulled on his black jumper as he tried to kick to the surface. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I linked them together. He struggled against me and tried to wrench himself free, but I wouldn’t let go. I would never let him threaten us again.

‘Pisces…!’

The muffled shout came from above. Something splashed in the water next to me, and I turned to see Antony beside us. He grabbed me and tried to unlock my arms. I frowned at him. Why did he want me to let go? Daniel stopped struggling. I glanced up to see that his eyes had closed.

Antony opened his mouth and water rushed into his lungs. I let go of Daniel and wrapped my arms around my twin flame. Antony’s eyes closed before I could help him to breathe, so I pulled him to the surface.

‘Give him here,’ Leo called. He took Antony’s top and lifted him out of the water.

Scorpio offered me his hand and helped me up. Leo laid Antony on the ground and started to pump his chest to force the water out of his lungs.

‘Antony, please…!’ I begged, kneeling beside him.

His eyes were closed and his short hair was plastered to his head. I glanced up when I heard a strange sound. Scorpio had caused the water rise in the air, by aiming his hand at the lake. Daniel was on top of the wave as it washed onto the grass. I didn’t care about Daniel.

Leo wasn’t having any success resuscitating Antony, so I pushed him out of the way. I placed my mouth over his and breathed into him. Instinct made me suck in sharply. The water in Antony’s lungs rushed up his windpipe and into mine. It dribbled from my mouth as he spluttered and his eyes flickered open.

‘Why did you stop me?’ I asked when he looked at me.

He wiped my hair out of my face. ‘You’re not a killer, Pisces. You’re pure and beautiful. I couldn’t watch you kill someone when it would haunt you for the rest of your life.’

A choking sound made us look over to where Scorpio was helping Daniel. Leo went over to them. His footsteps sloshed in the wet grass.

‘What happened?’ Antony looked at the huge puddle we rested in.

‘Scorpio happened.’ I leant down to him. ‘I almost lost you. I don’t ever want to lose you.’

He snaked his arms around me and pulled me onto his chest. I went willingly, not caring about the others.

‘You’re never going to lose me. I’m the trapped heart that Leo was talking about…except, the misery streaks were worth it. Now all I feel…is you.’

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, but 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.

‘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 his 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.’

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Aries

The air was warm against my skin as I crouched on the ground. My leg muscles screamed at me to move. The burning sensation had me shifting as quietly as I could. I was fit. I trained as a firefighter in my teenage years. I had been working for them for two years and loved every second of it.

‘Aries…?’

The whisper had me turning my head. The alleyway next to the house was dark, and I couldn’t make out the shape of the owner of the voice. I had told them not to speak under any circumstances. Why did the idiots not listen to me?

I didn’t say anything; instead I rose up from my crouch and crept towards the back of the alley. The Victorian house was tall beside me. I had no idea if anyone was inside, but I didn’t want to draw any attention to us.

‘What is it?’ I hissed into the darkness.

The words flew away from me and rebounded off the stone brick walls. The shadows moved, and the shape of a man shorter than me emerged. I could smell the cologne, before I could make out his face. Gemini.

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Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Pisces.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2015 by Rachel Medhurst

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Published in 2015

Author

Rachel Medhurst grew up in Surrey, England. She writes to prove that no matter where you come from, you can be anything you want to be. Your past may shape you, but it doesn't define you. When Rachel isn't writing, she can be found reading and walking in nature.

www.rachelmedhurst.com

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two