Cancer: Book 5 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) (6 page)

‘She’s selfless. Gives you far too much. You’ve become spoilt, unable to see past yourself. That wasn’t the aim of this lifetime.’

The child stretched her arms, her little tiny fingers poking out of her blanket. I wrapped her up again and took a step away from the lady. She was starting to make me sweat. Clearing my throat, I glanced around us. A small hole had started to appear where the shelter entrance had been. My stomach clenched when I heard a shout from deep inside. They were alive.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said, ‘maybe it’s the bombs today. It’s probably made us on edge.’

The lady laughed. I couldn’t help the frown that came to my face when she dismissed me with a wave of her hand. ‘I told you that you wouldn’t understand, didn’t I?’ She took a step towards me. I was torn. Her energy felt so warm, yet her words were…strange.

‘I know you think you love John. But you are due to meet a man right now that is nothing like you expected. You had a lovely relationship with John. This new man won’t be as easy to fall in love with. However, you don’t have a choice.’

A rush of heat washed over me. I stamped my foot on the ground and glared at the woman. The baby started to whimper in my arms. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. The woman was obviously a little crazy.

‘Now listen here, I don’t know you. I hope that you have family nearby because I don’t want to speak to you anymore. I don’t know how you know me or John…’

That was a point. How did she know John? I hadn’t told her anything about him. She had known his name by herself.

‘Don’t worry, dear, I don’t mean any harm. You’ve been dragging your heels. The time is coming for you to meet your soulmate, the man you will be spending the rest of your life with. Like I said, it’s not going to be easy. But you have to do it this time. We can’t waste any more years. Please, please allow this to happen,’ she said, shuffling her feet.

A yelp of pain coming from the rescue made me tear my gaze away from the woman. I gripped the baby to me as I spotted a hand protruding from the bricks not far from where the men worked. The fingers were long and delicate. The nails, although cut, were shiny and well looked after. Similar to my own.

‘Hey! Hey, there’s someone under there!’ I shouted.

I caught the eye of the handsome man that stood on top of the pile. He raised his eyebrows as his gaze traced my figure. Even in a time of desperation, a man would be a man. I pursed my lips as I pointed to the hand. His gaze followed. When his eyes landed on the trapped person, he hurried over the mess and started to move bricks away.

‘It’s a woman,’ he shouted, nodding at me once.

I held my breath in anticipation, completely forgetting about anything else. I crossed my fingers as hard as I could. I needed the person that was buried to be alive. She had to be alive. I couldn’t watch another body being pulled from the rubble.

The man got to his knees and reached slowly into the area. It was as if everything was in slow motion. He had obviously cleared enough to get to her. His hands disappeared and I couldn’t see anything. Was he testing her pulse?

‘She’s gone,’ the old lady whispered.

I glanced at her sideways. No matter how crazy she sounded, I couldn’t be angry with her. After all, she was going through as much hell as we were. She probably had grandsons overseas, battling for us to survive. Like John. My love who now flew in the sky trying to defend us, just so we could live.

Watching the man, I stifled a scream as he pulled the woman out. Her arms dangled away from her body. He shook his head at me and turned, climbing down the other side of the rubble so that I didn’t have to see her. She was dead.

I bit my lip as the tears dribbled down my cheeks. The baby started to cry, obviously feeling my distress. The old woman clasped my shoulder tightly. Her own tears ran freely, which made me question how sane she was. Surely, if she had completely lost the plot, she wouldn’t feel the emotion?

‘How did you know?’

I couldn’t look away from her. Her face was wrinkled. The corners of her lips naturally sunk down, giving the impression that she hadn’t smiled a lot in life. My chest squeezed as I imagined the pain she had been through. I didn’t know her but somehow I knew she had suffered.

‘There are things in the world that cannot be explained. For instance, you are much more than you think you are. A young girl working in a factory to build the guns and bombs that kill other people. It’s not your destiny. This life may be a short one, I know that. However, you have to meet him. Whatever happens, you have to meet him.’

She stroked my cheek, ever so gently. We were back to the mad ranting. Although her voice was softly spoken, her words were crazy. We had witnessed someone die, it was time to be kind. No matter what she said.

‘Who is this little angel?’ my mother said as she approached us.

She bent over and peered into my bundle of blankets. The child had quietened down as soon as the old lady had put her hand on my shoulder. I realised it as the baby started to move again. The woman had removed her hand, waiting patiently beside us.

‘I’m taking care of her for someone. See, I can be helpful.’ I couldn’t help it, she always believed that I only looked out for myself.

The old lady turned away from us without saying another word.

‘Wait! Where are you going?’ I called after her as she went to hurry away.

Her footsteps slowed but only briefly. She glanced over her shoulder, throwing a grin at me. ‘I have delivered my message. There is nothing more for me to do here. Just remember what I said, won’t you?’

My mother frowned as the woman disappeared. ‘Who was that?’

A bubble of laughter escaped from my chest and up my throat. The sound was foreign amongst the destruction. The clattering of bricks as they hit the floor. The yelling of men as they moved as much as they could, as quickly as they could. The shouts of the people inside the shelter. And there I was, laughing.

‘I will never understand you,’ my mother said.

The mirth hadn’t left. I clamped my mouth shut as the laughter tried to rise out of me. A gurgling sound came from the little girl in my arms. I turned away from the woman that judged me, glancing down at the bundle of joy instead. I couldn’t help it. Every emotion possible overcame me as I looked at houses that were destroyed. Bedrooms blown wide open. Kitchens disintegrated into the ground, taking their owners down with them.

‘Excuse me,’ a man’s voice said from behind.

I turned to face the father of the young girl. His eyes met mine for the first time. When he had handed her over, I hadn’t taken any notice of him. He was only young. Not much older than myself. It was admirable that he had his daughter with him, yet she should have been at home with her mother.

‘Thank you so much for holding on to Isabella,’ he said, lifting the blanket to check that she was okay. ‘I won’t be too much longer, are you all right with her?’

I couldn’t help my smile as he grinned. He was taller than me by quite a bit. His smile wasn’t really for me; it was for his daughter as he looked down at her. The glow of his cheeks made me feel fuzzy inside. I had never seen a man show that much affection towards their child before.

‘Yes, of course. Please, carry on.’

The hole by the entrance was getting wider. It wouldn’t be long until they could reach the people inside. The man went to walk away but I called him before he could leave. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but do you want me to take her to her mother? Will that be of help?’

He paused, letting his head and fringe fall forward. He faced away from me but I could tell that I had hit a nerve. His shoulders sunk at the same time his head dropped. He slowly turned to me. ‘We lost her a month ago.’

I bit my lip as he gave me a small smile and turned towards the destruction again. I let him go as I resisted the urge to kiss the child on the forehead. She had no mother. My throat closed as her blue eyes flickered open. She gazed up at me before the corners of her lips lifted into the cutest grin I had ever seen. Moving the blanket, I reached her hand and let her little fingers wrap around my own.

Blinking furiously, I swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall down my cheeks. Lifting my head, I watched the muscles of the man who was now a widow. His back moved as he lifted bricks and threw them to the ground. He wiped his forehead and joked with the others, trying to keep their spirits up.

‘Your father is a very brave man,’ I said to the baby.

My heart started to beat faster when he glanced over his shoulder and grinned at me. The little wink of acknowledgement made me lick my lips. The fact that he had brought his daughter outside so that he could help others made me admire him. Whoever he was, I would let him know that.

Chapter Nine

The whisper of voices woke me up. My head throbbed as I came to. I tried to lift my arm but I couldn’t find the strength to even think about moving.

‘She’s awake.’ Matt’s voice was tight.

I dragged my eyes open, squinting when the sunlight poured in. The room was stark white, like most hospitals. The car crash came into my mind. I wasn’t sure what had actually happened.

Matt stood close to my side, his hand caressing mine. Derek was at the end of the bed, moving from one foot to the other. His nervous energy made me close my eyes.

‘Are you alright?’ Matt squeezed my fingers.

I couldn’t open my eyes again. The pain in my head was too much. I heard Derek’s feet retreating from the room before he called to a nurse in the hallway.

‘Don’t try to move, will you? The nurse is on her way. Is your head hurting?’

My automatic response was to nod but the discomfort made me stop instantly. Matt stroked my cheek, which made me smile. It was good to have him by my side.

‘What happened?’ I said limply, squeezing his fingers back.

The sound of the nurse coming into the room made me open my eyes. Derek followed her over to the other side of the bed. She got out a light and shone it into my pupils. I squinted. It hurt. A lot.

‘You’ve had a nasty bump on the head. You have concussion but you’ll be fine. You also have a few cuts and bruises from the glass.’ The nurse wrote something on a pad. Her thick accent made it hard for me to understand but I got the general gist.

‘How long will she have to be in here?’ Derek asked.

Glancing at my bodyguard, I was shocked to see that his hair was messed up. He ran his hand through it, pulling at the ends as he eyed the bandage on my head. The nurse looked at him too, giving him a lovely smile.

‘Don’t worry about your friend. These things happen. It wasn’t your fault that an animal ran out in the road,’ she said, handing me a glass of water so I could take a sip. ‘She’ll have to stay for a day or two. We want to make sure everything is okay.’

My phone started to ring. The nurse left us as Matt handed it to me.

‘Cancer, I can’t believe this happened,’ my father murmured down the phone.

Closing my eyes, I smiled to myself. Although our parents had always taken care of us, they had never been any good at showing their emotion. It was nice, in a weird sort of way, to hear that he was worried.

‘Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,’ I said, lifting my hand to my head and prodding the bandage wrapped around it.

Derek and Matt still hovered by the bed. Their breathing was the loudest sound in the room.

‘Derek said someone was following you. Are you a hundred percent sure that it was one of Nick’s men?’

Father must have been in his office. It was far too quiet in the background. I was used to hearing my siblings making lots of noise whenever I was on the phone to one of them. My eyes started to sting as I thought about home. My brothers and sisters would be gathered around the kitchen table. Laughing and joking or just taking the mickey out of each other.

‘No, I’m not hundred percent sure it was one of Nick’s men. Maybe I was just being paranoid.’ I opened my eyes and glanced at Derek. He shook his head quickly, disagreeing with my conclusion.

‘Derek told me that he was quite sure because the car started to speed up. I’m worried about you, Cancer. Worried about both of you,’ Father said.

It all became too much. Tears fell from my eyes as I tried to swallow them. Matt rubbed my arm but I pulled away. Wiping my cheeks, I sniffled and wished that my father was there.

‘Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Derek is going to hire a new car, and when you’re ready, you can go home to your new villa. Until then, get some rest and recover.’ Father sounded like our mother. The thought of the woman who had brought us up made me cry even more. Although she had abandoned us, and been on Nick’s side for a while, she was now back within the fold of the family.

Biting my lip, I opened my eyes to look at Matt. Could I build a life with him? Or would it be easier to let him go?

‘Can I have a moment, please?’ I asked the two men in the hospital room.

Matt rubbed his neck but nodded quickly. Derek didn’t even glance at me as he turned and walked away. When they were both out of the room, I let my emotions break free. Father was silent on the end of the phone as I sobbed.

I slowly started to feel better as I allowed my fear to come out of me.

‘You don’t have to do this. You can come home whenever you like. We’ll face this together.’ Father’s reassuring tone made me long to go to him.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to speak. ‘I don’t want to risk Matt’s life. I wish I was there, with you and everyone else. I miss the Zodiacs. Even if they are annoying most of the time.’ I giggled when father laughed.

It was true. My siblings were annoying but I could also be as bad as them. And that’s why we loved each other so much.

‘Take your time. Derek is a very good bodyguard. No matter what happens, his only goal is to keep you both safe. Bear in mind that Matt also knows a thing or two. He worked with Nick, after all.’

My father’s words calmed me. He was right, as always. Matt had worked for Nick. He would know how he worked. In fact, he would know better than most people, including Derek.

‘We’ll be fine. I know we will. There is one problem…I’ve only just found out about the divorce. I wish you had told me that it hadn’t finalised,’ I said, grabbing a tissue from the box on the bedside table and wiping my nose.

‘I didn’t feel that it was my place to say anything, dear.’

It wasn’t unusual for my father to give us pet names, but it had been a long time since he had used them.

‘I’m glad he’s told you. I advised him to make sure he was clear with you at all times. There’s nothing like honesty in a relationship. Remember that.’

Starting to nod, I stopped when my headache increased. I kept forgetting that I had bumped it pretty hard. ‘I know. That’s exactly why I’m pleased he told me. It took him long enough. Although, I wish it wasn’t the case. I really did think the divorce had already gone through. A part of me wishes that I had known before I had come out here. I’m not sure I would have made this commitment. Especially now he has to come back next week anyway.’

A sigh escaped my father. ‘He’s coming back?’

He had to. As much as I didn’t want Matt to be at risk when it came to Nick, I couldn’t try and build a life with him if he was still married to his wife.

The heat that rushed over my skin made me bite my tongue. For the first time since knowing him, I was jealous of the woman he had married. In the past, I had managed to put it out of my head, because nothing had actually happened between us. But things were about to change.

‘It’s up to him what he does. I can’t be with him the whole time he’s married, though.’

Opening my eyes, I smiled when I caught sight of Matt and Derek looking through the glass window in the door. They were both impatient to find out what Father had to say. They would have to wait. I hadn’t finished talking to him yet. He was my dad. I needed him first.

‘That’s very commendable. I’m not sure everyone would be so worried about it, considering they’re not together. I’m pleased,’ he said.

Ignoring the gazes of the men at the window, I stared at the white ceiling above my head. ‘I’ve been very tempted. Not that you need to know that, sorry.’

He chuckled again. The familiar noise made my heart soothe. It was easy to talk to him, unlike my mother. She wasn’t a judgmental person but she would give it to you straight. It was either black or white with her, whereas Father understood the grey.

‘Don’t worry, dear, I’ve seen it all before. Remember that I’m not actually your father, I’m your guardian. I know your soul, Cancer. I know who you are better than any of you know yourselves. Watching Pisces go through her transformation helped me. I’m also watching and planning for the rest of you. This is your time, own it. Only you can make the changes needed in order for this to work.’

The longing that squeezed my chest made me clench my hands. My father’s wise words reminded me of home.

‘Why is it so hard? Why is everything we do met with such resistance? Not just with Nick but with my own bloody emotions. It goes round and round in my head when I don’t feel secure. I want to…come and see you all again. Even though I only left you yesterday.’ I reached for my cup of water and took a sip.

‘Then do that. Do what your heart tells you, not what others tell you. You know I wasn’t happy that you left. I had no choice but to let you go. You’re in your early twenties now, all grown up. Still a young person but your souls are older than most people on this planet. We can’t fail this time. We have to achieve our goal and complete our mission. I can’t say much more, Cancer, but I will say this: stop resisting everything and surrender completely. That is the only way you’ll be able to be with the man you’re supposed to be with.’

A sense of peace settled over me as my chest relaxed. I rubbed my stomach as it started to unclench.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ I said, swallowing hard.

‘Always.’ He didn’t need to say any more.

I said my goodbye and pressed the end button on the phone.

Life was completely unknown. I couldn’t see ahead. I couldn’t see anywhere. The only thing I could do was to be in the moment. And every moment counted.