Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
CHANEL
Regan cleared her throat and gestured to me. “Chanel and I were just deciding how we were going to get Christopher to you.”
His eyes darkened. “Were you? Because it sounded like you were about to let someone else do it.”
I grimaced. “Well, he is very sticky.”
The others all snickered but Zuriel just glared at me. He motioned to the four of us. “Just figure your shit out. I’m tired of this.”
I turned toward Andreas with a frown. “Figure what shit out?”
He shrugged. “You think I know? You deal with him more.”
“Zuriel, what–” I turned back to Zuriel, but he was gone . . . as was Christopher.
“I hate it when he does that.” I groaned at Chanel.
Chanel nodded. “The least he could do is tell us how he does that. And what does he mean, figure our shit out?”
“Do you think you have your shit handled?” Constantine asked in an almost bored tone.
“Yes.” I hesitated. “No . . . Chanel?”
“Look, just because Christopher proved a little difficult for us doesn’t mean shit. We’re ancient as hell and this was the first problem child.” Chanel threw her arms up. “The statistics don’t lie. One outta like a million? Our shit is together.”
“That’s right.” I put my hands on my hips and nodded. “What is he even talking about?”
Constantine let out a very classic Constantine sigh, with all the frustration. “I see.”
I frowned. “What do you see? What is happening here?”
Regan glanced around. “I see chaos but we already offered to help clean up and you said you had it–”
“Oh this mess?” Constantine nodded. “We’ve got this handled. You have your own mess to tend to.”
Kaso raised his hand. “You do know that’s not helpful for them, right?”
Constantine smirked. “You do know it’s your mess, too…right?”
Kaso’s jaw dropped. “We already got Christopher–"
“Not him.” Constantine shook his head. “You four are far too old to be this clueless.”
Regan rolled her eyes. “Fine. Cool. We’re clueless old asshats. Someone help us?”
“Right.” I gestured to Constantine, Jimbo, Sal, and the other three Golden Girls who were all looking rather smug. “We’ve helped you out how many times in your lives?”
They all grimaced and looked to each other.
“Exactly.” I clapped my hands together. “So out with it. What are we missing here?”
“You want us to tell you?” Jimbo cocked his head to the side.
But Sal was already shaking his head. “Nah, they need to be shown.”
They met each other’s eyes, nodded, and then leapt forward at the exact same time.
They were vampires now so I hadn’t adjusted to how fast they could move these days so I had absolutely no warning before Jimbo grabbed the back of my head and shoved me forward at the exact same time Sal shoved Kaso toward me.
Our foreheads slammed together so hard we actually bounced off each other.
“Dammit, boys, WHY?” I screeched, holding my hands to my forehead.
Kaso groaned and bent over and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, that’s definitely broken. Why is your forehead so hard? Where’s Bodhi?”
Regan and Andreas were staring at us jaw slacked and wide eyed.
“JIMBO. SAL,” I yelled. “WHY?”
Jimbo looked disgusted as he shook his head at us. “Really? That’s how that went down?”
“No wonder you’re both still single,” Sal grumbled. He gestured between us. “How do you get your faces that close and you don’t even kiss?”
“Why would you throw my face into his just to make us kiss?” Kaso wiped the blood off his nose. “What did you think was gonna happen? You have vampire strength now dumbassses!”
“OH.” Jimbo snapped his fingers. “He’s right.”
Sal nodded. “Let’s try again–”
“NO!”
But they didn’t listen. They each grabbed us by the chins and gently pushed us together until our lips met. I’d kissed Kaso quite a few times now, so it wasn’t like I didn’t want to, but it was a little awkward to have two old wrinkly vampires holding our faces together.
“Are their lips touching, Sal?”
Sal leaned his head around and ducked. “The lips are touching. That should do it.”
“Canyouletusgonow?” I yelled with my lips smashed against Kaso’s.
“Thisisnotsexyboys,” he yelled after me.
The pressure on our heads vanished. We jumped apart and rubbed our mouths.
“My guys, my lips are gonna be bruised–”
“They’ll match my broken nose.” Kaso used his fingers to snap his nose back into place. “Guys, the fuck was that? Start talkin’ now.”
“What? You didn’t wanna kiss her?” Jimbo wagged his eyebrows.
Kaso scowled. “I have kissed her, you fools–”
“Not on the Island,” Jimbo interrupted.
Sal shook his head. “Definitely not on the Island or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
I sighed. “I have a headache from the blunt force trauma you just inflicted. Can you just–”
“Oh for Heavens’ sake, dearies,” Gertie scurried forward and grabbed my arm. “You’re way too old to be this slow.”
“What?”
Then she slid the sleeve of my black sweater up to my elbow. “See?”
“See? See what–” I gasped.
“What? See what?”
I tried to make words but nothing came out. All I could do was stare at the brand-new markings on my arm. I knew the lines made up an image that was probably relevant but my mind just went totally and utterly blank.
Sylvie cursed. “Don’t hurt yourself, handsome. Pull your sleeve up and see how they match?”
They match, she said.
They match she said.
I lifted my gaze to Kaso’s arm and there on the inside of his forearm was a marking one hundred percent identical to mine.
“Wow, I still don’t think it clicked.” Constantine actually chuckled. “I’m glad I was here to witness this. All four of you are dumbfounded. Congratulations, you’re soulmates.”
I swayed on my feet. “Soulmates.”
“We’re soulmates?” Kaso whispered.
I looked up and met his golden gaze and my eyes watered. We’re soulmates. Everything suddenly made all the sense in the world. Just like that.
“WHOA - NO! STAY BACK!” Regan shouted, bringing my attention back to her just as Jimbo dove for her.
Andreas swatted at Sal’s hands. “Hands off the glasses or I’ll put you through a glass window, you feel me?”
“KISS!” all three of the Golden Girls yelled at the same time. “KISS. KISS. KISS. KISS.”
I chuckled at the horror and shock on my cousin’s face. Andreas’ was bright red and eyeing her like he was terrified and excited. All while the old people in the room just kept chanting the word kiss.
“Okay, okay!” Regan snapped. She growled and jumped forward, took Andreas’ face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. Their kiss was significantly more gentle than ours. After a second, she stepped back with a flush in her cheeks. “There, we kissed. Ya happy?”
And then I saw it. On Regan’s forearm. I must’ve made a face because Regan scowled then looked down at her arm - and let out a string of curses. Kaso cackled beside me. Andreas just stared. They were soulmates.
Andreas was Regan’s soulmate.
Kaso was my soulmate.
The rules in First Realm were applied to everyone. The soulmate markings would only show after the couple shared a kiss while on Megelle Island. That was how it worked. If only Kaso had kissed me back at the Halloween parade.
“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?” Regan screamed. “ALL THIS TIME?”
Andreas flinched. Kaso ducked. I snort laughed.
“TWO THOUSAND YEARS YOU’VE BEEN HERE AND WE’RE JUST FINDING THIS OUT NOW?”
Andreas held his hands up. “Why you mad at me? I didn’t know–”
“I’m not mad at you!”
“You’re yellin’ at me–”
“I’M JUST YELLING BECAUSE I’M MAD.” She let out a banshee-like scream then pushed her wings out and charged for the door. “ZURIEL!”
Andreas watched her leave then looked to me. “Should I follow her?”
I laughed as I bent over and threw my soulmate over my shoulder. “You twos wanted to be Virtues, so now you are.” I winked then skipped out the door with Kaso draped over my shoulder.
I felt him laughing. “Andreas, you dumbass, get out there!” He yelled back to his brother who still hadn’t moved.
“Oh. Shit. Right.”
“ANDREAS!”
“COMING DOLL!”
Kaso and I both laughed. “Hope you don’t mind me scooping you up like this, love–”
“Baby girl, I’m yours any way you want me.”
“Let’s go make sure Regan doesn’t attack Zuriel, then we’ll see just which way I want you most.”
“Should I hydrate first?”
“Bodhi will give us something.” I grinned. “I see no reason to leave your bed while we have six more weeks of winter.”
“Ya know, I think Groundhog Day might be my favorite holiday now, too.”
I reached up and smacked his ass. “You’re definitely my favorite holidate.”
“Oh, Chanel?” He asked as we lifted into the sky.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
I grinned. “I love you too, cheesy bread.”