Gemini (31 page)

“Hmm. Okay. So focus. How do I do this?"

“First, let me show you what we do. Give me your hands."

I hesitated, pulling up my palms, but holding them close to my chest.

"I’m sorry I hurt you. I never meant to. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, fine. Let's just do this, okay?" I shoved my hands toward him.

"Okay." He paused. "Let's start somewhere easy. Think of a place that's familiar to you. Like home."

"The lounge. The stage." I sighed, knowing I may never be there again.

"Zoe." Raz sat beside me. “We took care of everything with Vince. He thinks you became ill, and you're in New York going through medical treatments. And as far as Dr. Lucci and Infinity Records, well. That was trickier. There's still a window open, but we can’t focus on that now. Cade is your priority. Do you understand?"

I nodded, fighting back my rage over the entire situation. I needed to focus, but I didn't know how. My thoughts were as scattered as the snow falling outside the window.

"Okay, the stage," Eli started. "Close your eyes. What do you see?"

"My piano. My fingers are on the keys."

We sat a while. I visualized myself back on stage, playing for the crowd. Minutes. A half hour passed.

I opened my eyes—Eli and Raz’s expressions said everything.

I felt nothing.

"Your head’s not clear." Eli pulled his hands from mine and set them in his lap. "I think you have too much pain and anger built up. Against me. This won't work unless you can let everything go."

Raz sat to the side and rubbed his head. "I think you've had enough for now. You and Eli should go get some lunch. You need to hash this out and get it off your chest."

"I don't have anything to talk to him about, Raz. It's ancient history. I've moved on."

Eli rose to his feet, shoulders slumped. He shoved his hands into his pockets then shuffled his feet as he moved toward the exit, gaze glued to the floor.

This was hurting him, too, but the wound was still fresh for me, and having to work with him just rubbed more salt in it. I needed more time. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any to spare.

"Apparently, you haven’t. Eli's right, your mind is all over the place. You need to focus on rescuing Cade." He grabbed my hands. "You’ve been through a lot. And it isn't fair that this is happening. But we have one chance to save him. And this is something you need to do. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Tears stung my eyes. I sucked in a breath, and my gaze found Eli. He stood by the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Julian had come in, and they were whispering to each other.

"It's okay to cry. Look at me, Zoe."

I turned to face Raz.

"You don't have to keep it all to yourself. We know how strong you are, and we’ll shoulder this with you the best we can. I know what happened when Eli hurt you, but you need to talk to him. He loves you. In a way you couldn't possibly understand at this moment, but you need to know he wants nothing more than to reunite you with Cade. You must trust Eli and me. Your inner voice is there, but you need to listen.”

I turned away. Easier said than done. I’d been trying all day to clear my head of everything. To let go of what Eli had done, how he hurt me, but for some reason, I couldn’t let it go, and now it was standing between me and my Gemini.

I had to figure this out.

"Now. Take Eli and go get some lunch. Talk to him. Let him explain his story and your history together. Then your mind will be cleared, and you can focus on what lies before you."

"Yeah. A fight.” The reality of what really lay ahead was too bleak for me to be optimistic. I felt defeated already. A brick sat on my chest, and it was sinking me.

"No, a life with Cade. Your Gemini. Your Twin Soul." Raz said bluntly. "Because if you don’t make this happen, I promise the outcome will be perilous for everyone. You were right before. This isn't just about you."

His expression became stoic and for the first time, his words felt like a warning.

"This is about everyone. Remember how your soul came alive in Aravot with Gabrielle. When the flower from your Tree bloomed. That’s what this is about. Not just you and Cade, but the Tree of Souls. Your Tree—which you have vowed to protect. If you're not successful, the blooms that wait will wither and die. Life will cease to exist. It was your choice to continue this journey. To prove that love still exists, and that life is worth saving. You’ve proven that to the Archangels, and to us. Now you need to prove it to yourself.”

I blew out a breath and sat up. He was right.

"You love your Gemini, and that is reason enough. But now, it's not just Cade's life you’ll be saving. Without him, the Tree will be compromised. While you and Cade guard them together, they’re symbiotic, like Gemini—one cannot exist in harmony without the other."

Tiny wrinkles creased his forehead, and he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"
You
are the Eternal Mother, Chayah. All humanity springs from you. Your blood. These souls are a part of you, and it's your responsibility to protect them. It's a choice you made many millennia ago, and one I see you would choose again. Don't let petty human emotions stand in the way of your destiny. Of saving your Gemini. Trust your fate, Zoe. It calls to you."

~

I took Eli to Superdawgs Drive Inn on Milwaukee Avenue. We pulled into the parking lot with the two silly hot dogs on the roof now dressed like Santa Claus.

“Who knew Santa was a hot dog.” Eli laughed nervously as we entered the restaurant.

Neither of us said more than a few words as we sat across from each other, staring at our meals. I guess Eli didn’t know what to say either. I doubt he had the guts to ask what I’d been up to the past three years after he dumped me. On my birthday.

As for me, I spun the Ring of Chayah on my finger, running my thumb over the dark purple stone, thinking about that day three years ago when Eli left.

Sure, I had come to terms with my Gemini status, I’d even fallen in love with Cade, but what Eli did still hurt. And if I was going to get over this and clear my head to save Cade, I had to deal with this once and for all. Face the anger and pain so I could set it free.

Only I had no idea how.

Eli broke my heart.

His abandonment when I needed him most—it killed me, took any bit of faith in myself, in my instincts, and snuffed them out. Forced the wall up around my heart that nearly kept me from Cade, from choosing my destiny.

Not only was I hurt, but I was still pissed.

But Raz was right. These unresolved issues stood between me and my Gemini. For Cade’s sake, I had to at least try to see Eli’s side. To understand why he hurt me. Why he left like that.

I didn’t know what to say.

Eli sat across from me, tapping his fingers on his glass, taking one sip of Pepsi after another. Tap. Drink. Set down glass. Repeat. His anxious routine made me dizzy.

Breathe, Zoe.

"So. How’s your Chicago dog?" Not philosophical, but at least I broke the silence.

He stared at the mustard and relish, picking off the onions.

"I kind of miss ketchup. Not quite New York style." He laid his palms on the table, closed his eyes and took a big breath.

“Okay, here goes.” He opened his eyes and started. “I know this is awkward, and I'm sorry. I’d love to help you. In fact, I'm honored this is something I can do for you. I owe you more than you’ll ever know. And you need to understand, so you can move on."

Eli had been saying sorry a crap ton since he got here. If I wasn’t so hurt, I may have actually felt guilty. Guess it was time I let him off the hook. I didn't want any of this carrying with me once I got Cade back. I needed to start a life with him, one that wasn't shadowed in darkness.

Cade didn't deserve that.

"Okay." I relented. "Tell me your story."

He sighed with relief. "Remember our last conversation before your eighteenth birthday?"

“Yeah.” Not fondly, by any means.

"Well that night, something happened to me." He got quiet for a minute and glanced back toward the door. "I was in a car accident." He swallowed. "And—I died."

My eyes widened. "What?"

He nodded. His eyes glazed over like he was preparing to cry, but he didn’t.

"Yeah, I died. I was crossing the street to Central Park, scouting locations for our meeting. On my way over, I got hit by a taxi. Figures, right?" He chuckled.

"Anyway, I was lying in the street and the most amazing thing happened. A beautiful voice spoke, and a vision of light appeared. There was no pain, and I didn’t panic. Just a brilliant light. It was peaceful, really. Next thing I knew, I felt my soul separate from my body. Literally.

"And then I saw your face. Heard your voice, Zoe. You were there with me. I don't know if you recall the dream you had, the night before you came to see me in New York? Well I was there. Only, I was dead."

My jaw dropped. The dream came rushing back. Eli was there, lying in the street. His light was fading, and I got scared. At the time, I chucked it up as a nightmare. But I was there, and so was—someone else. A woman.

I covered my mouth with my hands, holding back tears.

Eli reached for me, wrapping his fingers around my hands and setting them on the table. "Please, don't cry. Obviously, this has a happy ending."

Obviously.
Eli was sitting here before me, and he was as alive as anyone could be.

"You were there when I passed on. And so was someone else. Somehow, you soul projected yourself at the time of my death. You were there, and you introduced me to a very special person." He released my hands then got up from the table.

I had no idea what he was talking about, and he didn’t give me time to analyze it. A second later, the room lit up behind us. The door opened, and I turned to a familiar light filling the room.

Eli met a beautiful woman at the door and kissed her lips.

She had long, chestnut brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. She smiled with amazing warmth. The temperature spiked a few degrees.

Eli held the woman’s hand, and they floated toward our table.

Comforted tears streamed down my cheeks, and the heaviness that had burdened my heart for the past three years drifted away.

I got up from the table.

Eli's deep blue aura grew stronger as their lights merged, exploding like fireworks into the air.

Gemini.

My breath caught and the room began to spin. I nearly stumbled.

Eli steadied me and directed me to my chair. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting this."

The woman smiled and laid her hand on my shoulder. Her warmth radiated through me, just like Eli's did when I was a kid. When he protected me.

"Zoe, this is Lailah. My Gemini."

Eli was glowing. His vivid light radiated around them both, and I understood. Eli was happy. He must have been matched all along. He chose to return to earth to protect me. He gave up his Gemini to be with me, to watch over me and keep me from harm.

"I'm so glad you're safe. I've been so concerned about you." Lailah sat next to Eli and glanced over at me. "May I?" She gestured toward my palms that rested on the table.

I nodded, then she took my hands, and drew them to her.

"So you two are matched?"

Eli and Lailah gave each other knowing grins.

"You matched me with Eli long ago. We've been together since your first incarnation when you recognized his soul."

"I'm so sorry, Eli. I didn't know."

All these years, I’d blamed Eli. Held this animosity for him, for a reason that wasn’t even relevant now.

"It's all right. Neither did I until I died. Again." He laughed. "You were there. Somehow, in a dream state, you projected to my side when I died. We were together when Lailah appeared. You placed my hands in hers, and she took me on to Aravot. That's when I met Michael and Gabrielle. They explained everything.” He grinned. “Reminded me.”

“They told me not to come back to see you,” Eli said. “They believed it would be best if we ended things as they were, but I knew you, and insisted I find a way to be there. You couldn't bear being stood up like that. Lailah taught me how to project myself to you."

"How did you come to be human again?" There was so much I didn't understand, so many who had sacrificed for me.

Lailah smiled and squeezed my hands. "Eli made a choice. You were in danger, and he needed to protect you. He petitioned the Elder Council to allow him to be reborn and placed by your side. We all gave consent.”

"So you left your Gemini to protect me?" Goose bumps raced over my arms and into my chest.

Eli and Lailah looked to each other and smiled.

"And we’d do it again. We all have to make sacrifices," Lailah explained. "This is never just about our Gemini, but humanity. Although we've been granted the gift of Eternal love for our sacrifices, it's not the only thing motivating us. Your sacrifice, Zoe—the one you made for humanity in the beginning has inspired all of us to give up something in return.

"You were willing to sacrifice your soul so others would have a chance to live. That sacrifice has not been forgotten. Had you not done that, Chayah, I never would've found Eli." Lailah turned to me. "We all love you for that. We’ll all sacrifice for you. Do whatever it takes to ensure this life you’ve instituted continues."

Eli jumped in. "So you see why I had to do what I did." He beamed at Lailah, and his color exploded around him.

That did it.

The wall crumbled.

All the pain and heartache I held for Eli slipped away.

"I feel so stupid." I pulled my hands from Lailah's and dropped my head onto the table.

"No, don't.” Eli laid his hand on mine. “We've all had those moments. Look at me, hell, I didn't know until I got hit by a car, for Aravot's sake."

I raised my head and gazed at the Gemini sitting beside each other. So in love.

"Are you an Eternal, too?" I asked Lailah.

"I'm an Angel. Like Raz, I was assigned to help you and Cade once your first incarnation took place. I'm part of the Elder Council. While you assign gifts to Eternals, you and I have been close friends for many years. Sisters. We work together protecting the Tree, assigning souls."