*Sephie*
Ivan arranged for the acupuncturist to come to the penthouse. It had been a while since she’d worked on me. My lung was continually getting better, but I was still struggling with controlling my panic if I struggled to catch my breath. I was more interested, however, in asking her questions about Andrei’s gift and how it could pertain to Viktor.
Once she and I were in the room alone, she said, “your connection with all of them is much stronger now. But there’s one that’s still resisting?”
I smiled at her. She always knew. “That’s actually why you’re here. He knows that I’m the one that’s been helping people discover what their gifts are, so he’s been avoiding me. He’s also very careful what he thinks around me since he found out I can read his mind. He’s been grieving the loss of his wife. I keep saying that’s why he’s resisting, but now I think he might just be scared.”
She held her hand out for mine, gently pressing on the spot in between my thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes, reading all the information she would need from me like she always did. She had a small smile on her lips when she opened her eyes again. “Your connection with Ivan is much deeper this time. You can communicate with him much like you communicate with your fiancé, no?”
I nodded. “We haven’t told the others yet. We’ve almost been caught already because I can’t help myself from saying stupid stuff that makes them laugh.”
She laughed softly. “The others won’t mind. They know there’s a special bond with you three, even if they’re not aware they know it. The one who is like you – he’s seen me for who I really am?”
“I don’t think he saw your wings, but he sees auras. I have questions about that, actually. We think Viktor’s gift has something to do with fixing people or healing people, since they all seem to be opposites of each other in some way. We just found out that Stephen breaks people, so it makes sense that Viktor would fix them. The only one that’s truly different is Misha, who can see the future and the past,” I said.
She started putting the needles where they needed to go as she thought about what I’d just said. She put her hand over my ribs. “You’re still struggling to catch your breath sometimes?”
I nodded. “It also makes me have a panic attack when it happens, which makes it worse. I’ve never had to deal with that before so I don’t know how to control it. They all feel it, too.”
She looked at me, then looked at the door, then back to me. She said quietly, “your ribs are still not completely healed either. It’s a constant reminder of the pain you went through. It’s hard to heal from something when you get no relief from it. I will fix it.” She silently went to work, putting more needles over the area than usual. Once she was finished turning me into a pin cushion, she said, “the one who is like you – can he see the holes in people’s auras?”
I nodded. “I’ve seen what he sees. It looks like dark spots.”
“There are ways to heal one’s aura, but none of them are quick fixes. All of them require the person to do deep work on themselves. While you might still be right about the last one’s gift, I’m not certain how it would work, without him needing an extra boost from us,” she said.
As soon as she said that, she noticed my eyes turning what I assumed were purple, as I had goosebumps rising over my entire body. Her eyes went wide, just as mine did. I suddenly remembered another detail about Viktor I had all but forgotten. “He’s the only one other than my fiancé that can calm my shaking after it starts. He just did it one day, without a second thought.”
She was quiet for a moment. “It’s not unheard of, but it’s rare. It means he has someone in Heaven helping him. He would need an angel’s grace to make it happen, but he could do it.”
“His wife,” I said.
She shook her head no. “She’s already reincarnated. It’s his unborn child.” She inhaled deeply, smiling at my confused look. “A soul can clear a tremendous amount of karma when they sign up for tragic ends. His wife was still pregnant when she was killed, which is one of the most tragic endings for a life not yet realized. People tend to mourn the unknown even more. That little soul cleared much of its karma and is now helping him in this lifetime. They’ll be linked forever now, as well.” She was quiet for a moment, then added, “that soul has chosen not to come back, just so it can always help him.” She looked at my eyes for a moment. “Your eyes say this is the truth.”
We heard a knock on the door. “Spider monkey, I don’t want to bother you, but are you okay? You’re kind of all over the place right now. It’s worrying me and Misha.”
I laughed. “I’m good, Bubba. Thank you for checking, though.”
The acupuncturist walked to the door, opening it far enough that she could stick her head out. “It’s resetting her emotions when this happens. They’re going to feel stronger as they recalibrate and her body goes back into alignment. I can show you, if you like?”
I giggled, knowing Andrei was terrified at the thought of getting tiny needles stuck in his skin.
“Uh, no. No, I’m good. I just wanted to make sure she was okay,” he said, nervously.
“She’s fine. She’ll be done in a few minutes,” she said. She had a wide smile across her face as she closed the door and turned back to me. She said quietly, so he couldn’t overhear, “I might like messing with him more than Ivan, which is saying a lot.”
I laughed. “You’ve been hanging around my father, haven’t you?” She didn’t answer, but her smile grew even wider on her face.
Adrik had come to the penthouse with Vitaliy and Aleksei while I was talking with the acupuncturist. As soon as we walked out of the spare room, his eyes landed on me. His wide, handsome smile stretched across his face. Before we got to them, I pointed to Vitaliy and said to the acupuncturist so only she could hear, “let that man shake your hand. You’ll make his day if you do.”
She gave me a knowing smile. She surprised me by walking right up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder, and whispering something in his ear. His eyes went wide, but his cheeks turned as red as my hair. Even his ears were red. He stammered for a reply, but she just smiled at him as she walked to Ivan to be escorted out.
We were all left trying not to laugh at Vitaliy’s flustered state after she left.
“I might like her a little more each time she’s here,” Adrik thought. I finally couldn’t contain my laughter any longer and a small giggle escaped. That was all it took for the rest of them, even Aleksei, to start laughing.
“No idea what she told you, old man, but it clearly made your day,” I said, grinning at him.
He grumbled something under his breath, but he also laughed along with everyone else.
“Who was she?” Vitaliy asked, once everyone had gained control. I knew he wasn’t interested in hearing about her acupuncture skills, but that’s the route I took anyway.
“She does acupuncture. She’s amazing,” I said, grinning at him. He knew I knew more than I was saying, but he didn’t push it further.
“Perhaps I should get this acupuncture. Your light is very bright right now, sladkaya. Come, let me feel,” he said, extending his hand to me. I walked over and put my hand in his. “You will tell me more later,” he whispered as he took my hand. I nodded my head, smiling at his softening expression. He looked from me to Adrik. “Everything feels stronger. That woman does this to you, too?” he asked.
“Not every time. She has in the past,” Adrik said.
“You need it every time,” Vitaliy said, frankly.
Adrik chuckled. “Noted.”
*“The old man has spoken!”* I thought, making Adrik laugh a little harder.