Raz and Sophie peered at each other, sharing a grin.

  “What?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “It’s good to see your mind working again,” Raz said. “Taking back control.”

  “You never really gave me a chance before now. And I guess, neither did I. Back in Chicago, the whole trusting my instincts thing had kind of been torched by Eli, but that’s gone. And now realizing I’ve known what was best all along, well. It’s helped. A lot.”

  Cade smiled.

  “So it’s settled. When we return to Aravot, we’ll reassign partners,” Raz said, leaning back on the sofa. “I suspect Rainah may scoff, but she’ll get over it.”

  “I did, she’ll suck it up, too. Deep down, she wants him. I saw the way she flirted with Julian in Chicago before I announced they’d been matched. She wanted him then. She’s just hanging on to her last bit of freedom while she can. She’ll come around.”

  “Agreed. So we’ll train and prepare them. If we must, Julian can hang back, and we’ll send Nate and Lydia together on missions. Lydia is well trained.”

  “Wait, wasn’t Lydia in New York watching Phoebe? Remie can’t stay here forever, right? What then? Who’s going to keep watch over her?”

  “What about Micah?” Raz asked.

  “I don’t know.” I pushed my hair off my shoulder. “I think he’d be happier fighting demons. Part of what’s going on with him is he feels useless.”

  “Guarding Phoebe would not be useless.” Sophie scoffed.

  “Of course not, but it’s not fighting demons or breaches. Micah’s a fighter,” I said. “His gifts are physical. Babysitting, which is how he’ll see it, won’t make him feel any better. And to be honest, Micah and Phoebe haven’t always gotten along. Phoebe’s too straight laced for Micah’s laid back personality. They’ve always clashed.”

  “Okay, well we can make it temporary then. For a few weeks until we find a better solution.” Raz agreed.

  “Why don’t I go?”

  “Why you?” Cade glared.

  Perfect. More worrying.

  “Just for a couple weeks until they find a suitable Eternal to keep watch over Phoebe. I can go to New York, spend some time with her while you train someone else. Besides, Phoebe wants to find out about her parents. Speaking of, Sophie. You set that up, right? Any tips on finding them?”

  “First,” Sophie started. “We need you in Aravot. With Cade. As for Phoebe’s birthparents, I know nothing about them. Michael and Gabrielle located Phoebe, and she was sent to the foster home. I was instructed to keep her in your life once I rescued you all after the fire, but that’s all I know.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask Michael then. As for Phoebe’s new bodyguard, let’s compromise. While Cade and I wrap up our honeymoon, train Micah. He can go to New York for a couple of weeks then I’ll go for one. Spend time with Phoebe. This’ll be hard once Remie’s out on missions. Have we even considered what’s going to happen with them? Phoebe can’t protect herself. And they’re married now. How’s that even going to work?”

  “There will be things to work out. The initial plan was Phoebe gets a home in New York while she finishes school,” Sophie said. “Remie will, of course, go to her when he can.”

  “But isn’t the point of being stationed in Aravot a protective measure? How is Phoebe protected alone in New York?”

  I hated her being there by herself, especially with all the BS those damn demons and Fallen had pulled.

  Phoebe wasn’t safe anywhere.

  “We will protect their home, just as this villa is protected,” Cade said. “The sanctuaries. We can seek measures to keep out the darkness. Phoebe has her ring, you can teach her how to use it to protect herself as well.”

  That didn’t make me feel any better.

  After what happened to Phoebe with Azriel, the Fallen wouldn’t be so subtle next time around. Phoebe was in more danger now than ever before. And if the Fallen factions believed we weren’t on top of things, someone had to be with Phoebe at all times.

  “I need her safe. I know you don’t completely trust me, but after Azriel’s warning in the dark realm, I’m convinced he’ll come after me, and anyone close to me. I don’t even like the idea of Phoebe being out in the world, alone. Ever.”

  Azriel’s warning rang out loud and clear in my head.

  If things were quiet today, it only meant this truly was the calm before the storm.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cade

  “How do you feel, Chayah?”

  “Better.” She released a breath of relief. “I’m seeing the perks to this whole converging thing with you.”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “It truly is the core of our being.”

  Our souls drifted in the room, watching over our entwined bodies below in our bed.

  “I’ll admit it’s kind of confusing how this works.”

  “What exactly? Not projecting.”

  “Not the mechanics of it, but how it feels so—I don’t know, I guess it’s hard to explain.”

  “I understand. Think of it like this. After more than five thousand years in our human bodies, it’s the only way our Origin is ever truly at peace. Humans aren’t meant to live forever, yet we have human bodies to house our souls. And though we don’t tire as humans, our souls do. At times, we too, need to step away from our bodies to recuperate.”

  “Right. It happened when I Eternalized.”

  “Yes. Your human body technically died, and your Origin began to wake. You were able to find peace within yourself.”

  “I wonder if it’s like this for humans. When they die.”

  “It is.”

  “How do you know?”

  “You told me.” I held in a laugh. “You die every thousand years, as humans do. When you incarnate, you have human blood in your veins. Of course, there are things you experience as humans do, but you’re protected in order to ensure the Convergence takes place. When you Eternalize, you do, in fact, feel what a human would. Only for you, your soul returns to the same body, revived. Awake.”

  “Huh. That’s kinda cool.”

  “Yes.” I withheld a laugh. Zoe was adorable when her curious mind worked.

  And her mind was always working.

  “So, I have a question—” she began, hesitantly. “My memories. I’ve heard whispers. Actually, I’ve been practicing. Prying into people’s heads.”

  “That’s you’re right as Eternal Mother.”

  “Well, first I tried listening to Raz, because yeah. He’s Raz and if anybody would know something, it’d be him. That was an epic fail.” She scoffed. “But I did manage to sneak into Sophie’s head. I eavesdropped on a conversation with them. They were talking about me. Strange, when people talk about me, I get this weird tingle. Like an alert of some sort.”

  “That’s wonderful, love. That is, indeed, one your gifts. It’s good to know yours is beginning to emerge. So what did they say?”

  “Well, Sophie said she believed there was a reason I didn’t have my memories back.”

  “Yes, Raz suspects that as well.”

  “Like this is intentional on someone’s part? Someone within Genesis is messing with me?” She sounded concerned.

  “Perhaps. Though likely, it’s not in a malicious way. It could be things set into motion from a former incarnation. There is no way to know for sure. But one thing I’ve learned during my time as an Eternal, is everything happens with a purpose. A plan. All things are carefully executed for reasons often beyond our understanding.”

  “Wait, what happened to me being top dog in Genesis? So—why would someone mess with my head like this and not tell me? Or tell me why?”

  “I don’t know. Unless someone from within is trying to break down Genesis.”

  “Whoa. Can that happen?” she asked. “Would it?”

  “It’s happened before. Look at Lilith.”

  “What about her?”

  “She was Genesis. As were the few Arch Angels and Eternals that defected throughout the years.”

  “Why do they defect?”

  “One can only speculate. Power, perhaps? Or some other inherent need their souls are missing,” I said. “I’m concerned about Micah.”

  “Like he could defect?”

  “He became irritated this evening. Made snide remarks to Remie, was on the cusp of a breakdown until Raz calmed his nerves, and he and Elijah left for a walk.”

  “I totally understand Raz not wanting us to be gone long. If we can’t get our crap together, we sure can’t expect them to.” She released a sigh. “Okay, let’s make a deal.”

  “A deal?”

  All Zoe’s terminology was often lost on me. And since Raz said I had no sense of humor, I was happy to indulge her in questioning it, and Zoe finding humor in it, in return.

  “You’re not a gambler. Thank the gods.” She released a laugh. “I think we’d both be in trouble, no poker face and all. Anyway, I have a solution.”

  “What kind of solution?”

  “This. Converging our souls. I feel—complete. I think this is where I feel closest to you.”

  “As you should.”

  “Okay, so here’s the deal. We spend the next week, uninterrupted Cade and Zoe time here in Capri. Then when we return to Aravot, we make a point of this, at least one day or night a week. Converging. Especially until I get my memories back. We need some us time.”

  “That is reasonable.” I would smile if I could. “Though you’ve not learned to do this unless we’ve just—um.”

  “Had an orgasm. Geez, you’re funny.” She laughed. “Repeat after me.”

  “Orgasm. See, I can say it.” I chuckled. “Strange word, though.”

  “All right then, I can definitely handle spending time alone with you each week. And our souls will Converge. Like this, so we can talk or whatever.”

  “Deal.”

  “Good,” she said. “Now I don’t know about you, but once again, I’m drooling over those two hot as hell naked bodies down there, and I kind of want to go for round two?”

  I could not withhold a laugh.

  “What are you waiting for, love?” I asked. “It’s your Origin keeping us here. If your Gemini is to give your human body its release, you’ll have to release my soul.”

  “Never,” Zoe whispered. “Now that you’re mine, I’ll never let you go.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Zoe

  “Close your eyes, love. Hands clasped. Focus on your energy. Pull it from within your soul.”

  I let my eyelids fall shut and visualized my hands, fingers laced together.

  “Now see the energy. Like a small flicker or flame of light growing inside them. Feel it warm. Feel it grow beyond you. From deep within your Origin.”

  As I held my hands together, a heated glow built up between my fingers. It grew further. I slowly pulled my fingers apart, releasing my hands and opening them an inch wider.

  “That’s it. Feel the wind. The portal opening. Expanding. The air crackling within your fingertips.”

  I could see it in my head. A bridge to another realm was building from my mind.

  I was doing it.

  “Damn, this is awesome.”

  “Shh.” Cade admonished. “Focus.”

  “I love it when you get bossy.” I snickered, struggling to hold in a laugh.

  I pulled my hands further apart, feeling the air between them stir.

  Heat.

  Pop.

  A bridge wind was opening.

  I peeled open my eyes. Couldn’t help it.

  Narrowing my gaze, I stared hard, focusing on my hands, fractions apart. A ball of glowing light drifted there. I gazed into the light, watching it wiggle and expand.

  Moving my hands in little circles, the shimmy of the bridge didn’t diminish.

  It grew.

  The corners of my mouth tilted as the lights exploded, like sparklers on the Fourth of July.

  I smiled. Couldn’t help it.

  This was cool.

  I focused hard, staring into the glow of the wiggly waves of energy coming from my hands and my head. From my soul.

  Pulling my hands further apart, the portal grew. I pushed my palms out, forcing the bridge wind to open to its full extent, a gust of wind moved through the room.

  “You did it, love.” Cade stepped up behind me.

  I waved my hands and shut the bridge.

  “That. Was awesome.”

  “I’m so proud of you. You mastered your final task.”

  I nodded, a little proud of myself, too.

  “You’re ready, my love. You’re opening portals, you’ve mastered your dagger. We’re communicating internally now. All that’s left is advanced techniques, which you can work on when we return to Aravot.”

  After five days alone at our villa in Italy, Cade and I agreed today would be our last. We’d spent most of our time training in between hanging out on the beach and talking.

  Our uninterrupted time together had brought us closer, as short as it was.

  Cade assured me we could come back any time, even if just for one night.

  One of the perks of portal creations, which, by the way, I could totally pull off now.

  “So now that you’ve mastered portals, we have one more thing to train on.”

  “Umm, I have all the basics down, what else is there?”

  “Healing.”

  “No.” My eyes went wide, shaking my head. “No way.”

  “It’s all right. I’ve not been injured in some time, a measure of pain won’t kill me.”

  “Not happening.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  I wasn’t about to hurt him, then fail at healing him. I couldn’t do that to Cade. Didn’t have it in me.

  Cade pulled out his dagger and held it out to me.

  “No, I’m not doing it.” I shoved out my hands, pushing his away.

  “It’s part of your training. I insist.” His tone was stern. “Just a slight cut right here.” He pointed at his palm with the tip of his dagger. “Won’t hurt at all.”

  I stared at his weapon, a knot forming in my gut. Even the thought of hurting my Gemini made me sick to my stomach.

  “Take it. One small healing lesson, then we’ll be off on our island adventure. You know I have much planned for us.” He wiggled his eyebrows and shot me that sexy crooked smile.

  “Come on, Cade. Please. Don’t make me do this.”

  “I promise, I will hardly feel a thing.” He nodded toward the dagger, the handle pushing toward me.

  I stared at it for a second, sucking in a deep breath, then hesitantly took his weapon.

  It looked a lot like mine, practically identical. Only heavier. And the handle was larger, must be made for his hand. The blade was a dark indigo color like mine, like our auras, but his had a serrated edge, while mine was smooth.

  Cade pushed out his hand, palm out.

  I eyed his palm, then the dagger.

  In the few months I’d spent with Cade, however brief, I’d learned to pick my battles. Some I could win, some I couldn’t. When it came to training or protecting me, there was no winning with him.

  But I also learned something else.

  Although I couldn’t win, I could at least change the rules.

  I closed my eyes, taking a slow, measured breath. Turning my left hand over, I slit a shallow line down my palm, inhaling a harsh breath between my teeth at the pain, then dropping his dagger to the floor. I stared at the blood seeping out from the wound, dripping, staining the plush cream area rug beneath our feet.

  “Zoe.” Cade snapped at me.

  “Show me how it works?” I bit my lip, holding out my palm, shaking slightly. “Heal me.”

  Glaring and pursing his lips, Cade took my hand in his and raised his palm over the wound. He adjusted his feet then closed his eyes. A second later, a warm ball of purple light grew out of his palm, something like a portal, but not.

  I admired Cade’s face, concentrating on his mission, though totally distracting me from mine.

  His messy chocolate hair was swept back over his forehead. Straight nose. Long eyelashes. High cheekbones and strong jaw.

  My Gemini really was beautiful. I could stare for hours.

  I glanced down as Cade’s healing glow penetrated my skin, and the cut gradually cinched its way back together.

  Just like before I Eternalized, my body was healing, only this time, healing didn’t come from within me, it came from my Gemini.

  “Why did you do that?” Cade grumbled.

  “Because I can’t hurt you. I do it enough accidentally, I won’t ever do it on purpose.”

  He pursed his lips and stepped closer, holding my cheeks, staring into my soul. “That was reckless.”

  I shook my head. “It was harmless.”

  Cade let go of my cheeks, pulling me into his arms, so tight, I could hardly breathe. I didn’t mind though. Not one bit.

  I nuzzled into his neck.

  “I love you, Cade. It’s my job to protect you, too.”

  He pulled back and kissed me, then stared into my eyes. “I adore you, Chayah.”

  I smiled. “I know.” I kissed his nose. “Okay, have I earned my day off now?” I widened my eyes.

  “Yes. You most certainly have.”

  I tightened my arms around his waist. “What’s on the agenda?”

  “It’s a surprise. I will tell you though, we’ll be gone all day—and if I have my way—awake all night.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Zoe

  The sky was dark, but lights from the hills of Capri lit up around us as Cade carried me inside Villa Adams.

  Shopping in Capri and an impromptu bridge jump to a beach in the Maldives had totally wiped me out.

  Cade flipped on the lights and laid me in our bed.

  I let out a breath and glanced up at him standing over me.

  “How about a bath? Your hair is full of sand.”