32. CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 32
T hough she was finally ready emotionally, Lexi still needed to deal with things logistically before she could make the move. This time, however, she wrapped everything up in a matter of a few weeks. She ended the lease on her apartment and donated most of her furniture. What she wanted to keep but couldn’t take through the portal, she boxed and shipped off to her folks in Phoenix, who were ecstatic to hear that she and Gideon had made up and were going on the road. She even went ahead and whipped up a website showing Gideon’s global performance schedule, being sure to go heavy on exotic locations her parents weren’t likely to consider traveling to.
Matthew volunteered to take Dexter, and the two of them bonded right away—a couple of fair-haired, blue-eyed, pretty-boys who quickly became joined at the hip. Lexi was almost jealous. But Matt promised to bring the cat to Taco Shots while he worked in his office so she could pop over and rub her face in his fur whenever she wanted. Matthew also kept her cell phone and laptop in his office so she could contact her folks easily and often. Once her mind had been made up, the whole process went smoothly.
Which isn’t to say she wasn’t a nervous wreck over the prospect of the actual transition.
When the day finally came and everyone gathered in Gideon’s living room in the early evening, she sat shivering, even with a roaring fire in the huge hearth. In fact, though it was New Year’s Eve—a date they thought perfect for the big event and what would hopefully be the start of her new life—the weather had turned a little strange for winter. An ominous storm was rolling in, which didn’t exactly help her nerves.
Gideon kept her close by his side, constantly whispering loving, soothing words in her ear as they greeted all the people who’d be helping with her procedure. Many of them she knew, but some she did not, and the fact that all these people would be with her, surrounding her as she lay in Gideon’s bed fighting for her life, was utterly surreal. Yet, she felt honored and blessed at the same time. She sensed the love they all had for Gideon, and how important it was to each of them that her conversion be successful.
And that, she thought, was a very good thing indeed.
Vikkras approached them, wearing a deep golden shirt and a bright calming smile. He was decked out in more crystals than she’d ever seen him wear before, and knew it wasn’t a matter of bling. “What’s the timing now, brother?”
“She’s already been here three and a half hours. We need to start soon,” Gideon said. “I think we’ll go upstairs now for a little quiet time before everyone else joins us.”
“Sounds good, man. You guys go on. I’ll round everyone up shortly.”
“Thank you,” he said, putting his arm around her waist to lead her up to the bedroom.
He’d already explained to her every detail of what was going to happen, and they’d spent the last several hours prepping and getting ready. But as they entered his huge bedroom, she took in the scene and her stomach did a little flip, a sour taste rising at the back of her mouth. She’d been in and out of the room all day as they’d prepared things, but now that the process was imminent, she saw everything— really saw it—for the first time .
All the usual candles were lit, the light bouncing beautifully around the room with its many mirrors. A small, cozy fire had been set in the hearth, and soothing incense filled the air. Large chunks of quartz crystals sat everywhere, every inch of their power required to help hold her in this world, and they, too, reflected the candlelight as if she were standing in a crystal cave.
The bed had been laid with crisp, white sheets scented with lavender. And there was food and water placed on tables all around so if anyone assisting with the process needed sustenance, they wouldn’t have to leave the room.
What unnerved her, though, was the table of medical items Roberto had laid out. She knew that much of Roberto’s work was done psychically. He had the ability to see into a body and seek out any problems, then guide healing energy to the source of trouble. In fact, he’d already done a thorough scan of her body to be sure she had no surprise issues that would make the transformation riskier, and of course, she’d been fine.
However, he also had the tools of traditional medicine at his disposal as well, and he knew how to use them. She saw a wide variety of glass bottles of assorted colors containing various powder and liquids, and tiny wooden boxes with cotton and cloth and pills of different types.
Lexi knew what some of those medicinals were, including smelling salts, sedatives, and painkillers, as well as ephedra and foxglove… in case there were problems with her heart. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she shoved the reminder of Cassandra’s fate out of her thoughts.
There was also a large clock on the fireplace mantle that hadn’t been there before. How many more minutes would tick by before this all started? And how many hours before it ended… one way or the other?
Her trepidation officially turned to fear .
“Gideon,” she said, her teeth starting to chatter.
He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head and rubbing his hands up and down her back. She knew he was as worried as she was, and that knowledge only made it worse.
He tilted her face to his. “You can still bow out, sweetheart. I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
She forced a smile. “There isn’t enough ice cream in this world to drown my sorrows should I back out now and go home alone.”
He gritted through his own smile. “You’re probably right about that,” he said, and walked her over to the bed, both of them sitting down on the edge of it.
They looked at each other intensely, his beautiful gray-green eyes mere inches from her own, looking at her with such concern. He reached a hand to her cheek, caressing her with his thumb. “It’ll be okay, Lex, I promise.”
He pulled her face closer and leaned in, his lips moving softly along her jaw line, the barest whisper of a touch. She tipped her head back as he slowly worked his way down her neck, his lips tasting her skin, his hands playing in her hair, his touch reassuring her soul.
“It has to be,” he whispered.
It has to be. She remembered those breathless words.
In that instant, everything came full circle. She’d seen this moment in time, his face, his caress, his words, over and over in her visions those many months before she’d ever come to his world, and now, at last, they were playing out. A long, impossible journey that brought her to this place, to this man, to this moment. Every choice, every action bringing her to where she was clearly supposed to be.
It had to be right, it had to be fate. It would be okay.
“It will be,” she said. “I know that now. Look. See.”
She felt him explore her mind then, coming to the same realization she had, and he pulled her tightly into a hug and held her .
There was a soft knock on the door, and they looked up to see Vikkras and Alana entering. “Okay, lovebirds. You ready?”
People filed into the bedroom, taking their places in various spots. Lexi had slipped beneath the sheets and Gideon was on the bed with her. Roberto and Vikkras stood right at her side.
Alana and Julian, both masters of voice , sat next to each other in a corner of the room and started singing a soft, beautiful chant, though they kept the volume low and unobtrusive. There was at least a half-dozen others there too, some closer in toward the bed, others sitting further away.
And the damn clock was telling her she had roughly ten minutes left before her body was going to try and make its great escape.
Lexi tried her best to relax, taking the deep cleansing breaths she’d learned in a biofeedback workshop she’d taken in her teens. But by now the unseasonal winter storm had arrived full-throttle, lightning flashing through the windows as if a million paparazzi were covering the big event, the huge thunder cracks rocking her resolve. “Hey, Vik, any chance you can do something about that storm? It’s not exactly helping my serenity here.”
“Sorry, love. I’m afraid I’ll have my hands rather full as it is, playing with physics just to keep you in this bed.”
“Gotcha,” she said. “I agree with your priorities. And I guess power outages aren’t exactly an issue around here.”
“Making jokes right up to the last minute,” Gideon said, brushing a strand of hair off her forehead. “That’s my girl.”
“Actually,” Roberto said. “The activity of the thunder and lightning may help to anchor her here—a focus point to keep her in this reality, our reality. I really think it’s a blessing.”
She relaxed a little at the sound of Roberto’s soft, rich voice .
Gideon glanced at the clock. “We’ve got to be close now.”
“Yes,” Roberto agreed. “Lexi, Gideon explained to you what we’re going to be doing, correct?”
“Most of it, I think, yes,” she said, so nervous now she was practically stuttering. “I think so.”
“Okay, so just to make sure then, let me walk you through it,” he said kindly. “When your body starts to fade back to your world, several people who have the ability to do so will hold your body in our vibrational frequency. That is, they’re going to use the power of their minds to keep your body vibrating to match our world. Gideon will be doing this, along with Vikkras, and some of the others in the room.”
She nodded, her throat sticky and dry.
“Unlike when we do this by playing the music, it’s a more direct manipulation of the atoms in your body,” he continued. “It’s more aggressive, if you will, and your body will try and fight it.”
Her body shook beneath the sheets, her palms clammy and sweaty, and she wondered how obvious it was.
Gideon stroked her arm lightly. “It’s going to be okay. You already know it is, sweetheart. You just need to make it through this one-time discomfort.”
“Oh, so now it’s only discomfort,” she said to him silently. “You’re a funny guy, mister.”
He smiled at her and winked, but his clenched jaw betrayed his own tension.
“Lexi,” Roberto was continuing, “at some point either your body will shift and relax into our frequency on its own, thereby making the permanent transition, or it won’t. In which case, you’ll slip back into your world.”
Or die, of course.
In fact, though no one spoke it out loud, she was pretty sure it was more of an ‘adapt or die’ situation. As a precaution, Gideon had purchased the row home in her world that matched up to his own—the one she’d noticed had been for sale the day her clairvoyance had shown Gideon and Benjamin arguing in front of it. Matthew now waited on the other side, sitting next to a bed that lined up with Gideon’s, waiting to receive her should the conversion not take and she faded back.
But deep down in her bones, she believed the second house was all for show. To give her the illusion of a safety net. She’d either end up in Gideon’s world, or nowhere at all. It was as simple as that, and she’d always known it.
“In the meantime,” he continued, “others here in the room will be using their own special abilities to help calm you and ease your pain. We’re all here for you, Lexi. It’s going to be okay.”
He handed her a glass of water and a pill. “It’s a light sedative. It’ll help you, and your body, relax into this.” She swallowed it down.
And not a moment too soon either. Apparently, Gideon, Vikkras, and the others had set to work on her body. She felt a change, a sort of buzzing inside, similar to what she felt whenever the portal music was playing, but much, much stronger.
“I feel something,” she said quietly, looking at Gideon. “Are you doing that?”
He nodded to her, but didn’t say anything.
“He can’t really speak to you right now,” Roberto said. “He’s concentrating very hard. You can always talk to me though. And yes, the buzzing you’re feeling is them holding you here.”
A huge rip of thunder cracked, and at the same time she felt something else. A pulling sensation that started deep in her gut, beneath her belly button. It was as if the bed was made of quicksand and was trying to suck her down into it. A flash of panic and adrenaline shot through her limbs.
It’s not gonna work! My world is trying to grab me !
Yet at the same time, the buzzing held her in a net, a cocoon enwrapping her body. It was yanking her back as strongly as she was being pulled. The forces grabbed at her equally and she felt as though she hung in mid-air. She glanced at Gideon’s face, and though his hands gripped her arm, his eyes were closed in concentration.
The pulling grew stronger, the lightning brighter, the thunder louder. She knew her body was not actually moving on the bed, but it felt as though she was dangling over a giant, black pit, the rope she dangled from bouncing and bobbing in empty space. She was neither here nor there. But Roberto had been right—she focused on the thunder. This thunder, in this world.
A wave of nausea took her and she gagged. Immediately, the sound of the singing got louder, filling the room with light, airy tones, and she relaxed again, the nausea dissipating.
“Roberto, I was getting sick, but it’s passed.” She turned her head and sought his face. “Was that because of them? Alana and Julian?”
“Yes.” He wiped a damp lavender-scented cloth across her forehead. “They responded to your need by increasing the volume.”
“Maybe this isn’t so bad,” she said, calming a bit. “I can do this.”
Gideon opened one eye and looked at her, then closed it again.
“I’m okay, Gideon. Don’t worry, I can handle this.”
But then she felt the first real hit. The quicksand and nausea had merely been a warm up. The pull of her world suddenly yanked at her insides as though someone had grabbed hold of her viscera and was attempting to disembowel her right there on the bed.
She bucked and screamed out in pain, her arms wrapping around her belly, her knees pulling up into a fetal position. The buzzing increased, fighting back against the pull, but the friction of the vibration built to a white heat, burning her from the inside out. There was a war being fought between vacuum and fire, and her body was the battlefield .
She clutched at the sheets, sweat blossoming on her face and chest, and she cried out, gulping for air. Every inch of pain amplified the more so because of the nature of Gideon’s universe and her heightened sensitivity.
“Lexi, please do your best to be still,” Roberto was saying from someplace ten miles away.
“You try and be still!” she heard herself shouting.
The singing got louder. Roberto’s hands moved along her body with a healing energy, soothing her a bit. She quieted, catching her breath and wondering if it was over or just the eye of the storm. Someone was replacing the candles that had burned down to nubs. How many hours had gone by so far?
She glanced at Gideon’s face. He too was soaked in sweat, his eyes closed in concentration. Tears ran down his cheeks. She wanted so badly to tell him it was okay, to just concentrate and not be upset, but…
Another wave of agony broke over her, coupled with flashes of lightning so bright they tore at her retinas, pierced her skull. Her back arched, her hands clutched at the linens, and tears finally broke from her eyes, running down her face and neck, turning cold on the sheets beneath her. She felt as though the opposing worlds each wanted her so badly, they were willing to rip her in two, that she was being ripped in two.
And she sensed that her universe was winning. The pain was pulling her into a black hole, down and down into darkness, back to her world. Her vision was fading, the room becoming dim.
“Gideon!” she called out, believing that she was leaving him. “Gideon!”
She saw his eyes fly open, horror on his face. She could see his lips moving, but could barely make out his words. It seemed as though he was yelling. “Lexi!” she thought he said. “Alexa! Stay! Please, Lex. Stay! ”
And then blackness closed in and became nothing.
She hadn’t faded away. She was seizing. Her body spastic and stiff, shuddering on the bed. He’d been doing battle with another universe for nearly three hours and it had now come to this. His tiny little love was being pulled apart, and cruelly, he was on one end of the tug ‘o war, doing half the damage.
“Gideon!” Roberto shouted, the rare occurrence of his raised voice snapping him to attention. “Get back to work. Concentrate on holding her here. Let the healers do their job.”
Gideon’s heart thumped in his chest, his lungs racing to catch air. He released his grip on her arm just long enough to wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
Concentrate on tonal frequencies and molecular vibration when she lay shuddering on the edge of death in front of him? He tried to find his center, slow his breathing. She needed him to do his job, not lose control now. He focused again, set back to work.
Though his eyes were closed he felt someone gently move his hands from Lexi’s jerking, twitching body, and he knew the healers were doing their job.
Please save her! Please calm her poor body!
He listened to the chanting, felt the healers moving around the bed, felt the tug of the other world. And then he felt… something shift.
The activity on the bed stilled, and the tug ‘o war rope went slack. Her world was no longer fighting him.
He risked opening his eyes. She was still. She was breathing. Was she… okay? Was it over? He glanced at Roberto with the question in his eyes.
“We’re close,” Roberto said. “We’re almost there. Her body has accepted our vibrations as its own. She’s made the conversion.”
Gideon let out a huge release of air, his shoulders relaxing into place for the first time in hours.
“But we’re not out of the woods yet. Her heart rate is uneven, irregular, and I can’t seem to steady it by any of the tools at my disposal.”
No! What does this mean?
To come so close and lose her now? Because of this? No!
“Gideon,” Roberto was saying. “Don’t panic yet, we’re almost there. I think you can help her.”
“How?”
“Use your telepathy, the connection you share with her.”
“But she’s not awake. She’s not conscious.”
“It doesn’t matter. You can still connect with her mind on a deep subconscious level. Connect with her body there. Find her heartbeat. Bring it into synchronicity with your own. Her heart to your heart. Try, Gideon.”
It seemed so unlikely, made no sense, had to be too simple. But then, wasn’t Lexi always the one saying the same things to him when he taught her to use her abilities?
He opened his mind and searched for hers. It was quiet, but open to him. He sensed her deep sleep, her unconsciousness. But listening, he discovered too the hum and flow of her body, the residuals of intense pain, the fatigue and weakness, the familiar vibration of his home world.
And there—the beating of her heart. Roberto was correct. It was jerky, unstable. Trying to find its rhythm, its step, but it had lost its way. His own heartbeat was strong and steady, and he held the two sounds in his mind, letting his own pulse take the lead, pulling hers along. He could sense her heart trying to catch his, match his, marry its pace .
It ran with him for a minute and then lost the rhythm, then ran with his again and… held it. The two hearts literally, gloriously, beating as one.
He opened his eyes and found he’d been holding her hand.
And Roberto was smiling.
She opened her eyes, sought out his face, and smiled. And in that moment, Gideon felt a weightlessness, a joy, a complete lack of burden.
He took her hand, turned it palm up, and kissed the center of it. “Happy New Year, sweetheart. You’re home now.”
Lexi tried to sit up in the bed, but Roberto gently placed his hands on her shoulders, encouraging her to lie back down. “You need to rest,” he said. “I know I don’t have to tell you your body has been through a horrendous ordeal tonight.”
He mixed a tea with several different powders and placed it on the bedside table.
“When you’re ready, after we’ve all cleared out of here,” he said, “go ahead and sit up and drink this down.”
“What’s in it?” Gideon asked.
“It’s a combination of things, a sedative to help her sleep, a painkiller, and a general tonic to strengthen her body’s systems. In a few days, she’ll feel good as gold.”
“Thank you, my friend,” Gideon said. “Do we need to worry about anything else?”
“No,” he said. “She’ll be fine now. Once the transition is complete, it’s complete. There’s never been any aftereffects that I know of, and her body is stable.”
The storm died down to a soft trickling of rain pattering on the windows .
“My only suggestion is that she get plenty of rest and relaxation for the next week or so. She’ll be a little fatigued for a while. Just take some time off and enjoy each other’s company.”
“Exactly what I had in mind,” Gideon said, sending a wink to Lexi.
Lexi thanked each person as they came up to her in the bed, shaking their hands or hugging them as appropriate.
Julian bent to hug her. “Welcome home, little sister.”
“As soon as you’re able to peel Gideon from your side, come find Alana and me,” Vikkras said with a wink. “We’ll give you the secret manual on how to keep him in line.”
Alana bent to Lexi and held her for several moments, tears of happiness on both their cheeks.
Gideon helped clean up the room and then escorted everyone out, embracing each of them, gratitude pouring off him in waves. When he returned to the bedroom, Lexi had already finished the tea and was curled up on her side fast asleep. In his bed.
In their bed.