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“I’m coming!” Libra said, shoving to her feet from the sofa and heading towards the lift.
“Me, too!” Scorpio grabbed his jacket and threw it on.
I stood by the lift, the gun that I had taken from Nick tucked into my pocket, bullets back in place. After the call, I had given the baby an injection of antibiotics at Alice’s prompt, leaving the baby nestling into Nat’s chest. The zodiacs might not be able to kill Nick, but his men could get wounded. I was sick of the man threatening those I loved. Loved?
“Look, I need to face him alone.” My insistence was futile.
My siblings would never allow me to go after Nick without them. Everyone else had offered to help, but I refused. However, I had to let someone go with me, or they would all tag along.
“Okay, Libra and Scorpio, you can come.”
After Scorpio’s help with treating the sick, I couldn’t exactly tell him not to come. He was probably raring for a fight. All the alpha males of the family were ready to defend and do justice for everyone else.
“Please, keep us informed. And, stay safe!” Mother shouted as we stepped into the lift.
“Keep a close eye on Natalie and the baby,” I said as the doors closed.
We were silent as the lift descended and we came out the other side. Scorpio ran ahead to get the van and bring it around the front of the building. As we waited, Libra grabbed my hands.
“Are you sure you’re strong enough?” I asked her.
“Yes. I’m fully recovered,” she said, squeezing my fingers. “Listen. I can feel that you care for Alice. Is she your...?”
“I think so,” I blurted, unable to deny it.
The van pulled up, diverting our attention. Scorpio shouted for us to get in. The darkness was descending as we climbed inside and told him to drive. Libra sat between me and Scorpio in the front seat.
“I’m going to shoot him,” I said, clutching the gun in my pocket.
Scorpio rolled his eyes as he glanced at me. “No, you won’t. You’ll go and get Alice while we deal with Nick. She’s the one who needs to be protected.”
“She is?” I asked before I thought about what he meant.
“Nick’s had a habit of killing our soulmates in past lives because he can’t kill us. He’s probably on edge, considering how successful we’ve been so far.”
Staring at the traffic as Scorpio made his way across London, I tried to calm the inner shake of my body. My stomach was flipping, nervous about what Nick could do to Alice. I had just delivered a baby, and now I was darting across the city to save the woman who might be my future.
“Okay, so the plan is for me to go inside instantly, even if Nick is out the front. You two will confront him, chasing him off. If you take more than ten minutes, I’ll try and take Alice out of the back of the house. That’s if his men aren’t surrounding the property. They probably are. So, plan B is to-”
“This isn’t something you can plan,” Libra interrupted, glancing at Scorpio.
He looked at me, his eyebrows raised. “She’s right...” He looked back at the road. “We have to see what happens. You never know, we might be lucky and find that they’ve left when we get there. But, if not, we’ll face Nick, you get into the house.”
Texting Alice to let her know that we were five minutes away, I took a deep breath. We would have to play it safe to keep Alice out of harm’s way. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt. Except Nick or his men, that would be a fair exception in this case.
“I’m going to park the van just here.” Scorpio pulled up to the curb a street away from Alice’s huge house. “I’ll leave the keys in the ignition. Virgo, if you’re able to escape, come back here and drive Alice back to ours.”
“Okay.”
“Libra, if you stick with me, together, we might be able to cause a distraction long enough to allow Virgo to get inside.”
My mind clicked into gear as we climbed out of the vehicle. “There’s a small pond in the front garden. Scorpio, you could use your power to hose them down a bit.”
We had worked with our abilities for a long time, which meant we had an advantage over Nick, who had none. Scorpio had saved one of Nick’s men when he almost drowned while trying to kill Pisces. Why he did that, none of us knew, but each one of us had an inkling that Scorpio cared about people much more than he would ever let on.
“Okay. Let’s scope out the place and see what’s going on. I’ve let Alice know that I’ll knock three times on the side door of the house. We entered that way the last time I was here.”
They both nodded, following close behind as I led them down the street. We stayed against the hedge, trying to blend in with the shadows. Scorpio’s tall frame was right behind me, his steps as light as mine considering how much heavier he was than me.
Pointing at the gate, I showed them which one was Alice’s home. No one was outside in the street, or guarding the gate. Maybe they were in the garden? Or, maybe they had left.
“I’ll text you when it’s safe to come out,” Scorpio whispered.
Nodding, I indicated that they follow me to a side entrance. The night was silent, the dark making it eerie.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Nick’s voice echoed out from the street.
Ignoring him as the others turned to face him, I jumped up and grabbed the edge of the fence, throwing myself over. Landing on the other side, I gasped as the air rushed out of my lungs. Pushing to my feet, I checked to see if Nick’s men were in the garden.
“What’s going on?” a man’s voice asked someone from the pathway.
There were two of them heading towards the main gate. I held myself against the fence, trying to stay hidden from them. Another man was waiting on the steps to the front door. He sat calmly, smoking a cigarette. The burning end lit up his young face. It was amazing to me that Nick still recruited such strong vibrant men. Men who had obviously been trained to focus solely on us.
“Come on, Kiran!” one of the others shouted. “They’ve arrived.”
Darting across the grass as he got up, I sprinted as fast as I could without making a sound. He was facing the other way as he went to join his pals. At least no one would...
I stopped dead when I came to the side entrance. Another man stood there, his head buried in his phone. Again, the light from the screen showed his face. Great, how was I going to get past him?
A shout from the street caused us both to look in that direction. The guard looked between the door and the walkway, then back to the front of the house. If only he went to...
“Who’s there?” he suddenly shouted.
He wasn’t looking in my direction, which was a bonus. I was standing next to a statue that stood right beside the hedge. It was taller than me, which gave me a good place to hide. A small sound from above made me look to a window on the second floor. Alice was there, waving at me. I threw a thumbs up, surprised that she had seen me.
I was about to try and figure out how to get past the guard when she lifted something out of the window and threw it towards the front of the house. The sound of glass shattering sent the member of the Dysfunctionals running away from his post. Legging it across the rest of the garden, I looked up to see that the window was empty.
A moment later, Alice threw open the side door, gesturing for me to hurry. I kept my gaze flicking between the ground so I didn’t trip up, and the man who could catch me at any moment. Luckily, Alice’s distraction had worked.
Panting, I made it through the door, bending with my hands on my knees when she shoved it closed and locked it tight. The security on the place was pretty insane.
“Thank you for coming,” she said quickly, walking over and throwing her arms around me as soon as I straightened.
I hugged her back, unsure of why we were making physical contact, but pleased that I had made it inside. When she pulled back, she looked down at me. Stroking her hand over my cheek, she shook her head.
“I’ve been so scared. All I could think about was you...and I can’t understand why!”
Her anxiousness spread to me, making my limbs shake. I could take the moment to be honest and tell her who I thought she was...or, I could chicken out and play ignorant.
“I’m sorry I’ve brought this into your world.”
I didn’t quite know what to say. If Nick was here, it meant that he had realised that Alice was my twin flame soulmate. His threat had just got very real.
“Why are they here? Who are they?”
A shout from outside alerted us to the return of the guard. He pounded on the door, angry that Alice had managed to distract him. Great, that meant he probably knew I was inside.
“Let’s go upstairs, it will be safer and we can see what’s happening in the street.”
Bounding up before she could reply, I made my way down a long corridor, trying to find the best view of the front of the house. It wasn’t easy considering it was such a huge property.
“Scorpio and Libra are outside,” I said as she joined me.
I found the best room and looked out. Nick was talking to Libra and Scorpio, a scowl on his face. If he dared to harm them, I would go out and shoot him. That was an idea. How much did Nick care about his men? If he wasn’t worried about their lives, my plan B might fail drastically, but if he needed every man he could get, maybe I could get us all out unhurt.
“They threatened to kill me, why?” Alice’s hands were shaking as she ran them through her hair.
Keeping one eye on my siblings, I half turned to her. She stared at me, her eyes wide and her cheeks pale.
If I didn’t tell her everything, she might not ever trust me. It was time to be honest and confess what I had been thinking for a while.
“Can you feel... I mean, do you feel...?” My whole body shook as we faced each other. “Do you feel attracted to me in a way you can’t explain?”
I had never been on a proper date with a woman, let alone ask her if she was a soulmate. It was truly a scary experience.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I felt that from the moment I met you, which is why I was so harsh. My ex broke up with me three months ago, so I wasn’t ready for another relationship.”
My stomach felt like it had been kicked. She had been in love with someone else? That really sucked. I hadn’t had the experience of being with anyone else, but at the same time, I didn’t want it. I knew that my twin flame would be coming into my life, so there was no need to look for anyone else.
“Well, I told you that we’re all destined to be with our soulmates and...well, you’re mine.”
One of her hands went to her chest at the same time as the other went to cover her mouth. A shout from the street drew my attention away from her.
Two of Nick’s men were standing either side of Libra and Scorpio. They both held guns towards them. When I glanced down at Nick, I cringed as our gaze met. He could see me in the window. And, now he would do anything to entice me out.
Opening the window, I shouted down. “You should leave, Alice has called the police.”
Raising his eyebrows, he indicated the gate to his men. They turned the zodiacs towards the garden, pushing them to come inside the property.
“If you and your lover don’t come down, I’m going to shoot them both. It might not kill them, but it will hurt...a hell of a lot.”
Holding my hands up, I agreed to join them in the garden. How had the others not sorted Nick and his men? Usually they were quick to use their powers to put an end to the fight and chase them away.
“You can’t go out there,” Alice said as she grabbed my arm.
Unlatching her from me, I smiled up at her, cupping her cheek in my hand. She jumped at the contact, almost wrenching away. It would take us both some time to get to know one another. It wasn’t going to be as easy as just falling in love.
“I have to go out there. Don’t panic, we’re...special. We’ve been trained for this type of thing.”
Leaving her standing there, I spun in the doorway before I went out completely. “Please, stay here so I don’t have to worry about you. Lock the door after I’m gone. I’ll come back for you when it’s safe.”
She nodded, tears coming to her eyes. The fear etched on her face was evident and made my heart pound. I had indirectly caused that pain.
My feet trotted down the stairs as I contemplated my next move. If I went out the back, I would have to contend with the guard. Out the front, I would instantly face Nick and his entourage.
Getting the gun out of my pocket, I wrenched the back door open, holding the gun in front of me. The guard’s eyes widened when he saw what I held.
“Drop your weapon,” I ordered, my voice strong.
He did as I instructed, his back stooping to place his gun on the ground next to him. Kicking it away, he went to take a step back. Following, I got close enough to aim the gun at his head.
“We’re going around the front to face Nick.”
He didn’t speak as we walked around the side of the house, him a few steps ahead of me. I wouldn’t let my hostage go quickly. I needed some leverage to bargain with Nick.
“You won’t ever beat him, you know that, don’t you?” the guard said as we came round to the front.
“No, I don’t know that.”
He shuddered as I prodded the barrel of the gun into his back. I would struggle to fire the dangerous weapon, but if it was needed, I would.
“Ah, Virgo, nice of you to join us. Where’s your little friend?” Nick was seated on a wooden bench just inside the gate. “I must admit, I was surprised to find that you were gay in this lifetime. I thought you’d got over that.”
“Got over it? As if it was just a phase or something? You bastard.” I was about to rush forward when Scorpio caught my attention.
He waved his hand by his side, stilling me with his action. The guys that stood beside them held their own weapon towards each of them. They were semi-automatic guns. Ones that would pump numerous bullets into my brother and sister.
Inhaling a deep breath, I took hold of the arm of the guard I had taken hostage, the gun still wedged in his back. “If you don’t let them go, I’ll shoot your friend here.”
“There’s no need for that, I’m here to bargain.”
Shaking my head, I spat my hair out of my mouth when a few strands managed to get caught to my tongue. “I’m not giving up my mission.”
Nick laughed, his grey eyes glinting as the moon shone straight down on him. The man was going insane, I was sure of it.
“I’ll kill you,” Libra whispered before sending up a gust of wind and disappearing.
She appeared right next to Nick, her arm around his neck before he could even think. I had never seen Libra use her power in action before. She usually practiced every now and then, but had never been in a fight with Nick. Until now.
“Let them go,” she whispered in his ear, yanking on his neck slightly.
He choked, his eyes bulging as she pressed down on his windpipe. None of the zodiacs had ever managed to get so close to Nick in a fight. She couldn’t kill him, but maybe she could maim him as badly as he was aiming to do to us.
“I know about the baby,” Nick choked out. “You won’t heal her.”
All three of us froze. How did Nick know about everything that was going on with us? Was someone giving him information?
“Step away from my brother,” I ordered the guard next to Scorpio.
He looked to his leader, raising his eyebrows when Nick waved him away. He moved slowly, his gaze glued to Scorpio in case he attacked.
“What about the baby?” I asked Nick, unable to ignore him.
Libra loosened her grip so he could talk. He spluttered, his hands still clutching her arm. “I have an antidote for her. I had it made especially for the infant so I could bargain with you.”
If I didn’t take the antidote, I would be risking my niece’s life. But, what if I could save her myself? Maybe the antibiotics would do the trick. Yet, there was a risk. And, as much as I hated to admit it, I trusted that Nick would have the ability to get an antidote made.
“I told you, I won’t give up my mission.”
Nick tried to shake his head, but it didn’t work. “I’m not here for that, although, I will keep trying to stop you. Your offer...”
Gesturing for Libra to let go, I stepped around the guard I was standing behind and walked closer to our enemy. If what he said was true, he wanted my help.
“You want me to help you find your twin flame?”
Every person in the vicinity gasped as I approached him. Not one of them knew about our little chat. And, yet, Nick’s eyes showed the longing quite clearly. He was weakening. And, my offer had made him think.
“I have a feeling she’s in Asia. I want you to travel there and find her for me. I can’t go, I have too much invested in my life here. But, if you can bring her to me...maybe we can bargain a little more.”
His need to find her was going to consume him, I could already tell. I was about to answer when a guard ran towards Libra, his arms outstretched, ready to grab.
She laughed in his face as she flicked her hand. Wind swirled around her, propelling him away, and shifting her to stand next to me.
“Stand down!” Nick ordered the man.
It was Kiran, the one who had been smoking on the steps. He glared at Libra as she blew him a kiss. Her attitude was cocky for her, she was usually trying to get along with everyone.
“I can’t go to Asia,” I said, thinking about Natalie and the baby.
“I can,” Libra said suddenly. “In fact, I was planning on going there, anyway.”
Holding my tongue, I promised that I would talk to her after. It hadn’t been my plan to bargain with Nick so readily, especially when I wasn’t even aware of what he wanted.
“It might keep you out of trouble for longer,” Nick said, aware that Libra’s soulmate would be waiting in the wings, ready to come out when I united with Alice. If that was ever going to happen. Nothing was guaranteed.
“I have a few demands, though.” Nick waved his man over to stand by his side. “You’ll take Kiran with you so that you behave and actually do what you said you would.”
Libra scowled at the same time as the man. He straightened, his back cracking as he did. I frowned. He needed a good chiropractor to sort that out.
“Give me the antidote to cure the baby, leave us alone...and in one month, I promise to go and find her.”
Although my sister didn’t really know what we had spoken about, she had guessed. Scorpio was frowning, his gaze darting between the three of us. Was he thinking of doing anything? He had been the one to look after Natalie in the last few days, which meant he had a vested interest in healing the child. He would be a proud uncle, that much I could tell already.
“Deal. Although, I’m not sure about leaving you alone now. This...” Nick gestured to the window where Alice stood. “It’s too close for comfort.”
“You will leave, or I’ll break your neck.” Libra was fierce, which was something I hadn’t expected. Usually, she would avoid conflict at all costs.
Getting to his feet, Nick took a deep breath and held out his hand. “Shake on it. I will keep you to your word.”
Stepping forward, Libra took his hand and shook it hard. He instantly placed a vial in her fingers, glancing at me as he let her go.
“This is your fault,” he muttered. “You got me thinking.”
Smiling, I shrugged, completely unconcerned that I had made him think about the possibility of finding his soulmate.
“You need to go now,” I said, dismissing them with a wave.
Kiran moved next to Libra. “I’ll be seeing you soon,” he spat, clearly unhappy about the situation.
Flicking her long, sleek, dark hair behind her shoulder, she looked him in the eye. He wasn’t much taller than her, which made it easier for her to hold her head high. “You’re going to wish you’d never become a Dysfunctional.”
The heated look that passed between them made me fear for my sister. If she had to travel half way across the world to find Nick’s soulmate with Kiran, there might be issues and danger. And, why had she said she was going there, anyway? That was news to me.
“Come on,” Nick said, indicating that his men follow him out of the gate. “Oh, and one more thing.” He closed the gate behind him and looked back at me. “If the zodiacs go back on their word to help me, I’ll come after the baby and kill her myself.”