Chapter 12

Nova huffed out a breath, trying to clamp down on the slow boiling anger that was trying to break free. “Let me explain.” She clacked her teeth together, and then without further notice, her mouth started spewing with pent-up frustration at everything she’d been feeling lately. “I’m tired of being paranoid and looking over my shoulder. Of hiding. I’m sick of being in the middle of something when I don’t even know what that is—and I’m mentally depleted of being afraid I’ll die at any moment and never have the answers to why the soul inside of me is so important.” Her skin felt like it was suddenly filled with electricity, sending tingles all over her entire body. “What are you doing? Stop doing that.”

His eyebrows went up, showing temporary shock before he tilted his head and his mouth moved into a small smile. “I’m not doing it, you are.” A serious expression wiped the smile off his face. “Or your soul is.”

Her soul was suddenly trying to communicate? “Well, this is the first time my soul has done anything but exist. How do I stop it?”

“I-I don’t know.” His brows were furrowed now, his eyes even darker, if that were possible.

Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. “Back up.” He opened his mouth, and she decided she wasn’t having it. “Just. Do. It. Back away from me.” She had enough to worry about, to figure out, she didn’t need to complicate things with her soul or any other part of her showing interest in a mysterious disappearing man that never aged. Regardless of how cute he was, and he was. Just thinking that made her realize how lonely she felt.

Instead of moving, he placed his hand over his chest. “Do you feel that?” He looked thrilled for a brief second.

“My heart pounding? Yes. That’s from you.” She stepped backward. “You know what, just go. I thought I wanted answers, but it’s just not worth it.” Nova moved away further, and waved her hand at him. “Go back to wherever it is you came from and stay there. I’ve seen you disappear, so do it.” Her heart felt like it was trying to climb up her body via her throat. “Just-just stay away from me.”

“Bastian,” he whispered.

“What?” Why was she still standing here? Oh right, she didn’t want to lead him right to her door.

“My name. It’s Bastian.” His tone was soft and soothing.

She did not want to be soothed by an ancient man. “Go home, Bastian.” She scowled at him and then looked at one of the other men with him. “Take him home, please.” She tried to sound polite, but it came out more like a growl. Nova’s chest was hurting now, the further she backed away from him, and if she was being honest, it was scaring the hell out of her.

“You’re in danger. Your soul is.” The other man said in a rushed way as if he’d just realized he was part of the conversation now.

Nova chuckled, probably sounding like she was insane. “That’s nothing new. It always is. It was the life before this one, and the one before that, and that one too, and so on for hundreds and hundreds of years.” She shrugged. “But thank you for your concern…”

Bastian stepped toward her and then as if he remembered she was moving away, just lifted his hand. “You remember your last life?” He jerked his chin to the other man, then back to her quickly. “All of the rebirths?”

Nova looked cautiously from him to the other one,.“I don’t know about any births, but yes, I can remember wars I’ve never seen, places I’ve never been, and I can tell you the names of all the women that have lived before me—” She stopped, realizing she was telling them too much. It took focus to not raise her hand and cover her mouth.

The tall redheaded man that had stood silently all this time, was now talking on his phone. She pointed at him. “Take him back to wherever he belongs.” He hung up and gave her a surprised look like he couldn’t do such a thing.

“She remembers,” Bastian told the other dark-eyed one in a hushed whisper.

“I heard,” he answered but continued to look at her.

Two women came around the corner. The red-headed one smiled up at the man without the dark eyes. The other one didn’t acknowledge any of them; she was looking at Nova, above her.

“It’s you.” She looked quite animated.

Nova opened her mouth, then closed it.

“I never saw your face before, but I’m so glad I am now.” She smiled at the other woman.

The redhead scoffed. “You guys need to back up and give her some space.” She patted the man smiling down at her on the chest. “Nothing more frightening than the lot of you hovering over a normal-sized person.” She pushed her way between the two dark-eyed ones, and gave Bastian a pointed look. “You too.” When she stepped in front of them, she smiled at Nova. It was a warm genuine smile. “Hi, I’m Beth. I know none of this makes sense. It never does with any of them, but Crissy has been seeing you and when that happens, it’s for a reason.”

Nova looked at Crissy. She’d never seen her in her life—any of them. She stepped back a few more feet. Her heart was still pounding, which in this situation would be a normal thing. The tingling across her skin was lessening, making her look at Bastian, it definitely had something to do with him. “I have to go.” She looked at Beth. “I will be fine.” She attempted a reassuring smile and knew it fell short.

“You should take my number…”

“I don’t have a phone.”

Beth looked at the tall red-headed man, then back to her. “Would you like one?”

Nova shook her head,.“I have no need for a phone.”

“All the pieces,” the little woman exclaimed. “They were meant for you.” She huffed out a breath and then look at Beth, before she dropped down to squat and pulled her backpack off. “I should have seen that. Why didn’t I see that?” She was mumbling as she flipped through a notebook.

Nova looked away from her slowly to Beth, wondering if she should be more concerned with her friend than a stranger’s safety. She glanced around, the red-headed man was just standing there, like all of this was a normal daily thing, his world must be crazy. Bastian was staring at the little woman mumbling to herself and the other dark-eyed man had his hand on Bastian’s forearm as if to prevent him from doing something. “Look,” she said slowly, hoping that maybe if she enunciated each letter of the word, they would pay attention and hear her,.“Thank you, so much for your concern, but…”

“Here is it.” The little one jumped up and bounced over to her like she couldn’t contain her excitement. She held the notebook up in her face. “Does this mean anything to you?”

Nova looked at the sketch she jammed in her face. She knew the design without having to think about it. She’d stared at it often when trying to puzzle out the very meaning of her existence. It was the symbol carved into the top of the trunk that held all the journals. What did that mean? How did this woman know it? It was hand-carved, and she knew it wasn’t a symbol widely used anywhere on the planet because Nova had spent months searching for it. This woman had been down in the hidden house. Nova looked up from the notebook to her, she couldn’t have been, not in that young body—but her soul could have. “Are you remembering that symbol?” She frowned. “You’ve seen it?”

The woman looked confused for a second and then bobbed her head. “Yes, in my head.” She kept nodding. “I thought I’d seen it because of Solrelm, but now I know that’s not why at all.

Nova heaved out a breath like she’d been holding it for years. The woman had seen it in her head. She had seen so many things in hers that her eyes had never beheld. Solrelm? Nova didn’t know what that was, but it didn’t matter, she’d seen the infinity symbol that was surrounded by an incomplete circle. “You’ve seen it.” She smiled and felt tears of relief filling her eyes. “I never thought...” She shook her head; it didn’t matter. “What’s your name again?” Maybe there was mention somewhere in the journals of another like her.

“Crissy.” She smiled a smile of such genuine joy Nova almost laughed.

“What symbol?” The bark in Bastian’s voice broke the moment of happiness.

“Oh.” Crissy flipped her hand around and held the notebook out.

Bastian’s face blanched and then the man beside him did as well.

“That’s…” Bastian frowned at the notebook and then glanced at the other man. “Trendan…”

“I’m seeing it,” Trendan answered. “Show her.”

Nova looked from one to the other and then to Crissy, she didn’t look phased at all. When she looked back, Bastian was yanking his arm out of his jacket and then pushed up the sleeve on his t-shirt. On his shoulder, faded by still clear was the same symbol in the sketch. “We both have one," he said in a tone of disbelief. “Most adult members of our realm have one. Where have you seen this?”

Nova put her hands over her mouth and stared at the mark on his flesh. “Realm?” she mumbled behind her hands.

“Nova, I know this is all a bit—strange,” Beth said.

Jerking her gaze back to her, Nova dropped her hands. “How do you know my name?”

“We’ve been trying to find you…”

“I have to go.” Nova backed away from them.

“Wait.” Crissy held up her hand, her eyes wide. If she hadn’t seen that symbol, Nova would have ignored her completely. “Go back down and think about all of it.” She nodded, a very serious look on her face. “When you need us, go to the Geminis and tell them you do.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it. She didn’t know what she meant.

“The Geminis?” Bastian put his jacket back on and looked at her. “You’ve seen them?”

Crissy shook her head. "No. I saw the Gemini astrological sign.” She huffed out a breath. “At first I thought it was twins, but Daxx was not having that talk…”

Bastian waved his hand around and she stopped. He looked back at her. “The women that ride the motorcycles. Those are the Gemini League women.”

“Oh. That makes sense now,” Crissy said and turned around and looked at the silent red-headed man.

Those women were a gang? Nova shrugged and backed up another step. “Fine. I will.” She didn’t know how she was going to get inside her home, they were practically standing on the doorstep she needed to go in. Biting her lip, she wondered if she could swallow her fear and take the ledge she’d only ever taken once to set up cameras. “I will.” She nodded her head again. She’d have to walk out of the alley. She paused in that thought, why weren’t their souls screaming at her? She looked from one to the next to the next and she couldn’t see anything. Not even the dimness that was always present in normal people. Who were these people?

“You live close?” Beth’s expression held genuine concern.

Nova looked down at the pavement and knew they basically standing over her home. “Yes.” She nodded and looked up at her. “I will be fine.” She looked at Bastian and her heart started beating wildly again. “Just please go.” She waved her hand around. “I don’t need you lurking around all the time, regardless of how cute you are.”

“I’m going to get Autumn to leave a phone with Ava, from the Geminis, okay?” Beth’s tone was soft. “When you want to talk, go and get it, the numbers will be in it.”

At this point, Nova would have agreed to sign a blood pact, she just wanted to be alone. She needed to think. Nodding, she glanced at Bastian again, he had a pained expression on his face. She didn’t know why that upset her so much, but she had to get away from him.

“Leave her be, guys.” Beth stood beside Bastian and looked up at him. “Just let her be for now.”

He frowned down at her and then looked at Trendan, the other man nodded his head abruptly. “Be very careful.” He looked at her. “There are others after you, you have to avoid them.”

She took a shaky breath. “I see the dark ones long before they see me.”

His expression showed confusion, he shook his head as if now was not the time for that conversation. “They know what you look like, so-so wear your dark sunglasses and cover that glorious hair.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. They knew what she looked like. She nodded her head as fast as a bouncing ball. She needed to leave.

“Brother.” Trendan put his hand on Bastian’s shoulder. “We must go.” He was looking at his watch.

Bastian looked at it and then looked at her again. “Be careful. Nothing can happen to you.” There was a growl in his voice and to add to the insanity of all of this, a shiver went through her at the sound of it.

“Come on, Criss, we need to get you back before Victor comes looking.”

Crissy sighed, “We don’t need him judging.” She picked up her backpack and then looked at her watch. “I have to go tell him about this.” She touched her watch and then she was gone. Just, gone.

Nova blinked and looked where she had been standing.

The silent redheaded man heaved an audible sigh. “I can’t believe she just did that.”

Beth winced. “I think it’s okay, but still, we better go talk to her.” She went over to him and took his hand. She looked over her shoulder at Nova. “I hope I talk to you soon.”

Nova watched them walk around the corner and then looked at Bastian and the other dark-eyed one.

“Be safe,” Trendan said in a gruff voice, then he put his arm around Bastian’s shoulder and if the bulge in his muscles were any indication was more or less shoving him so he would move.

Nova glanced again at the spot Crissy had been standing. “They do disappear,” she whispered to no one. Walking backward, she looked around. She may not see them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching from somewhere else. Even though Crissy had seen the symbol inside her home, she still wasn’t taking any chances of leading them to her door.

Nova spun around and jogged down the alley to the next building. She’d have to go through the door, up a few flights of stairs to the roof, and then go from rooftop to rooftop to get to the fire escape on her building, but right now she’d run a hundred miles if it took her home. Her mind was mush, her heart was beating so out of rhythm, she didn’t know what had just happened. She was going to have to write it all down and then get a few groceries. After that, read every journal and try to find answers. She hoped they had answers because right now she didn’t know if she wanted to talk to any of those people. People from realms that disappear. Solrelm. It was a place? She needed to look that up too.

An image of the pained expression on Bastian’s face popped into her head. Why, if her soul was meant to avoid him at all costs did her heart jerk in her chest when she saw that look on his face? She had so many questions and no one was safe to ask.