by Dylan Quinn
Table of Contents
Title Page
~COPYRIGHT~
~DEDICATION~
Eternal Sacrifice Saga
Book of the Angel, Raziel
~Prologue~
~Chapter One~
~Chapter Two~
~Chapter Three~
~Chapter Four~
~Chapter Five~
~Chapter Six~
~Chapter Seven~
~Chapter Eight~
~Chapter Nine~
~Chapter Ten~
~Chapter Eleven~
~Chapter Twelve~
~Chapter Thirteen~
~Chapter Fourteen~
~Chapter Fifteen~
~Chapter Sixteen~
~Chapter Seventeen~
~Chapter Eighteen~
~Chapter Nineteen~
~Chapter Twenty~
~Chapter Twenty-One~
~Chapter Twenty-Two~
~Chapter Twenty-Three~
~Chapter Twenty-Four~
~Chapter Twenty-Five~
~Chapter Twenty-Six~
~Chapter Twenty-Seven~
~Chapter Twenty-Eight~
~Chapter Twenty-Nine~
~Chapter Thirty~
~Chapter Thirty-One~
~Chapter Thirty-Two~
~Chapter Thirty-Three~
~Chapter Thirty-Four~
~Chapter Thirty-Five~
~Chapter Thirty-Six~
~Chapter Thirty-Seven~
~Chapter Thirty-Eight~
~Chapter Thirty-Nine~
~Chapter Forty~
~Chapter Forty-One~
~About the Author~
~Check out Dylan’s Playground~
~Acknowledgements~
~Eternal Sacrifice Saga ~ from Evanescence~
GEMINI
The Eternal Sacrifice Saga
DYLAN QUINN
~COPYRIGHT~
Copyright © 2016 by Dylan Quinn. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.
621-Phoenix Publishing
P.O. Box 758
Duenweg, MO 64814
Cover Design by Stacey Robertson and Ryan Taylor
Edited by Kara Leigh Miller and Dylan Quinn
Formatting by CP Smith
First Edition, June, 2016
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
~DEDICATION~
For my Firstborns…
And the Chayahs who make the Eternal Sacrifice for theirs.
Eternal Sacrifice Saga
Book 1 ~ Gemini
Zoe & Cade
Novella 2 ~ Dissension
Julian & Rainah
Book 3 ~ Evanescence
Zoe & Cade
Book 4 ~ Conviction
Phoebe & Remie
Novella 5 ~ Redemption
Micah & Lahnie
Book 6 ~ Genesis
Zoe & Cade
Novella 7 ~ Absolution
An Epilogue
Book of the Angel, Raziel
Summer Solstice, 3016 BC
“1Let it be writ on this day, the Twin Souls of Genesis have sacrificed their Eternal Union to replenish the Tree of Souls, thus enacting the Gemini Doctrine. 2Each millennium henceforth, Chayah, the Eternal Mother, shall forgo her sovereignty and be reborn to earth. With this sacrificial act, so shall the Twin Souls reunite in her twenty-first year, initiating the Gemini Convergence. 3If by the Winter Solstice, the Twin Souls complete the Convergence, so shall their Eternal Union be bound, or else the Gemini Doctrine be dissolved henceforth, their Eternal Union irrevocably severed, and the Tree of Souls shall cease its rejuvenation evermore.”
~Prologue~
She’s dying.
My wife is dying, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.
I can only support her and hold her hand while she struggles to push.
To breathe.
She gasps for air, focusing every ounce of energy in her failing body to give birth to the Firstborn Daughter—not my child by right or blood—but by hers, alone.
The rebirth of her soul.
I stand beside her, helpless. Agonizing over what lies beyond—twenty-one years without her.
Stop. I must give precedence to the purpose of this sacrifice and to our duty as the Eternal family. We owe this to humanity.
I owe my wife.
Chayah releases a thankful breath then the room falls silent.
The Firstborn Daughter is here, delivered into the arms of her guardian.
I gaze into my wife’s emerald eyes then give pause with baited breath, emotionally preparing for her to take her last.
“Fear not,” she whispers. “You shall see me soon, I swear it.” Sharing in my despair, she takes her final moments of this life, and with her last fragment of strength, reaches up to comfort me. “You have imprinted on my soul. I will always return to you.”
A tear slides down her ashen cheek, and her eyelids flutter, struggling to keep focus with my gaze.
I must find the strength to let her go.
“I adore you, Chayah.” I run my thumb along her skin, wiping away her tears, then lay my hand against her cheek. Offering a weak smile, my body trembles as I whisper my goodbye. “I will be waiting, love. For Eternity.”
Her eyelids fall shut, and her hand drops from my face.
I inhale deeply, emptiness consuming me.
She is gone.
A moment later, a harsh breath escapes the child. Her whimper echoes through the bedroom, briefly absolving my grief.
“Take heart, brother. For your Twin Soul has returned, safe and sound.” The Archangel Gabrielle places the newborn in my arms. “Meet your Gemini. This is Zoe.”
My solemn heartbeat picks up its pace.
The child looks like my wife. A flawless facsimile—ebony curls and olive skin. Pink lips. A puzzling, yet breathtaking iridescent glow surrounds her.
“Her Genesis aura, a color only you can see. It matches your own.” Gabrielle responds to my unspoken thoughts.
Zoe’s long lashes flutter open, then her emerald eyes fix upon my unmoving gaze.
Tears fall down my face in light of her sacrifice.
Do you remember me?
Though she cannot speak, her expression brings me temporary peace—she knows my thoughts and feelings as before. Her wide eyes reflect her sorrow, but a hint of a smile crosses her quivering lips.
Chayah.
“It is you.” I exhale a relieved breath. Lightly brushing my fingertips along her cheek, I leave a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I need you. Please, love. Do not forget me.”
“Time to say goodbye,” Lailah, the Angel of Secrets says, her voice trembling as she steps beside me.
“I am not ready.” I hold Zoe close.
I want to be selfish, keeping her near, safe in my arms for Eternity. So innocent and pure, yet so strong and selfless. I do not want to let her go, but I know I have no choice.
Twenty-one years. How will I cope?
I fight my fears, imploring it all proceeds as it has been planned. That she will keep her promise and return to me.
This was her intention, offering the death of her human body and the rebirth of her Eternal soul to allow the Tree to replenish. But I could not bear to lose her, and she could not bear humanity’s extinction, so mercy was shown to us all.
This is our legacy.
Zoe reaches out from her swaddled cocoon, and I notice a new cluster of violet speckles on her wrist. A birthmark, perhaps?
“The Seal of Genesis.” La
ilah answers my silent question. “It is part of the Doctrine. To signify the bloodline. You shall have one when you reunite. The stars will connect, marking her as your Gemini, and you, hers.”
I place a kiss on Zoe’s wrist.
She fidgets and exhales a soft moan.
“It is time. I am sorry, brother. We can wait no longer,” Lailah says as she places her finger against Zoe’s lips and speaks an incantation beneath her breath.
Zoe’s eyelids fall shut, and her body relaxes in my arms.
She has forgotten me.
My soul aches for her. For us.
“Her memories are silent, but they will emerge when it is time. Keep faith, brother.” Lailah pats my shoulder. “Chayah will keep her promise.”
Gabrielle steps beside me and takes Zoe from my arms.
I watch helpless as they depart the room, and I am left alone with nothing but my silent recollections, my fragmented heart, and Chayah’s lifeless body.
I reach for her hand, so cold and empty. Devoid of the life that once honored my existence. I pause and take a moment to welcome the sacrifice Chayah has made today. I can only pray fate ensures it will be not have been in vain.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “For sanctioning this gift that you shall return to me and fall in love once more.”
I brush my hand across her cheek.
“See you soon, love.”
~Chapter One~
~June 21, Present Day~
Cade
Zoe's words whispered through the air.
Her haunting voice lingered as I stood in the foyer of a Chicago lounge, gazing at my Gemini’s photo through a glass display.
"Are you ready?" Raz's urging interrupted my scattered thoughts.
I exhaled. "As ready as I can be."
Raz braced my shoulder, and the tension eased.
I turned to face my oldest friend, the Angel of Wisdom, standing tall with his usual air of confidence. He had more than me today.
"Cade, my friend," he said with calm authority. "As they say these days, you've got this.” Raz always knew how to settle my nerves. It couldn't have anything to do with his gift of manipulating emotion.
He slapped my shoulder and ushered me down the narrow hallway toward the entrance of the lounge where Chayah, the Eternal Mother incarnate, performed for her latest fans.
Zoe's melody grew louder, sending goose bumps rising over my arms, inciting a familiar feeling, a warmth I'd missed for years, racing through my veins. Even after all this time, my heart still leapt at the sound.
A prodigious musical talent followed Zoe. Without fail, she returned to me each incarnation just as she had left.
Flawless.
The same beautiful soul. My wife.
I stood just feet from the entryway and took a final moment to right my thoughts before seeing her. Only twenty-one years had passed since we'd last said goodbye, but even in the scope of thousands, twenty-one was too many.
"Cade." Raz's voice broke my focus. He tipped his head toward the entrance.
I nodded, offering an illusion of confidence.
Although she and I had spent lifetimes together, Zoe wouldn’t remember me. She’d know I was coming if her guardian had prepared her properly, but she wouldn’t recognize me as the man she’d spent thousands of years loving.
I would be a stranger.
I held my breath and stepped past Raz into the hazy room, focusing my attention to the stage.
Everything disappeared save for an illuminating light leading toward her. Nothing else was visible—nothing but the vision of my Gemini propped up on a wooden barstool, acoustic guitar in her hand.
Zoe was just as I remembered. Flowing dark curls hung low down her back and swept across her shoulder. Small nose and high cheekbones. She sang into a microphone as she strummed the strings of her guitar.
A luminous aura surrounded her, glimmering hues of violet, with iridescent hints of every other color imaginable.
And as her Gemini, only I could see her colors.
My breath caught, seeing her light illuminated after so many years apart. It revealed the purity of her soul—sweet innocence concealing memories of lifetimes that were temporarily hidden from her consciousness.
Leaning against the doorframe, I pushed my hands into my pockets and waited for her to open her eyes.
She may not recognize me, but she would see my light and my color, that unbeknownst to her, was the same as her own. I hoped my presence would provoke a sense of familiarity. That somewhere within her, memories would break free from their slumber, evoking the imprint she professed I’d left on her soul.
Zoe stopped playing, and silence fell across the room. In that moment, her eyes drifted open. The audience cheered, and her smile I’d missed so desperately lit up the darkened room.
A moment later, her gaze scanned the room and then locked onto mine. Her eyes grew wide as she skimmed her lower lip with her teeth.
I bowed my head and gave an affirming smile.
“I’ve missed you, too, love.”
~Chapter Two~
Zoe
“Damn.”
Did I say that out loud?
The beautiful stranger standing just twenty-some feet away stole my focus—and my breath—the second his gaze captured mine.
Well over six feet, his muscular silhouette stirred the butterflies in my belly.
Nearly blinded, I put a hand to my forehead to get a better view of his iridescent aura, illuminating in a way only I could see.
Genesis blood definitely coursed through his veins.
And he had a Gemini.
As the unilateral matchmaker for our bloodline, I could match soul mates by the color of their aura. My guardian, Sophie, said because I was the original Gemini and the first Twin Soul, only I could see their colors.
I was the official Cosmic Cupid.
Whatever I'd been thinking disappeared without a second thought as our eyes locked, and the man’s gaze pierced my soul.
A second later, my wrist began to tingle and my feet slipped from their perch, nearly causing me to spill my favorite acoustic from my lap.
"Zoe?"
My bestie and bandmate, Phoebe Kinkaid, appeared beside me. She leaned down, her honey-blonde hair spilling over her shoulder as she peeled the Fender from my Kung-Fu grip.
As I chewed on my lip, analyzing the stranger’s aura, the Genesis birthmark on my left wrist flared to life, like a fire had been set inside. I glanced down to see if the mark was actually on fire, and inspected my ring, now playing some weird parlor trick—it was glowing.
I’m losing it.
The Ring of Chayah, as Sophie called it, was my mother's, who died when I was born. Sophie had given me the ring the day I turned eighteen. She said it would lead me to my Gemini, though she never said how.
I glanced around the room, but thankfully, nobody seemed to notice the light beaming from my hand.
Disaster averted.
Besides, I had enough to distract me tonight.
Somewhere in the crowded bar, a talent scout from Infinity Records was listening. Waiting to see me.
My advisor at Northwestern set up this meet-and-greet with the record company, and now my nerves were shot, wondering if tonight was the night my life would change forever—when this tainted day would finally earn its redemption.
Today was my birthday. My twenty-first, in fact. Any normal girl would be bouncing off the walls, using this as a perfect excuse to flirt with the college boys who frequented the club here on Navy Pier.
But I’m not normal.
Sure, this particular birthday made me a little happy. Finally legal, I didn't have to make up some lame excuse when a cute guy offered to buy me a drink, but this day was also a yearly reminder of those who deserted me.
Especially Eli, the boy who I thought was my Gemini.
“Zoe?” Phoebe stirred me from my internal ramblings. “You okay?”
"Yeah, I think so." I dragged myself from the
barstool and inspected my ring, which was still glowing and now warm, heating up my finger.
At Sophie’s instruction, I'd placed the heavy platinum band on my left ring finger three years ago, but it had never done this before. The crystal opal in the center was shimmering with iridescent beams.
“Okay, girl.” Phoebe tugged at my elbow. “Let’s go.”
As she led me off the stage, the stranger’s Genesis aura recaptured my attention. He stood steadfast in the doorway, adorable grin on his face.
Ooh, dimple.
“I have to get out of here.”
With an awkward wave to the crowd, I pushed past Phoebe and hauled ass off stage. Lost in my train of thought, my heels betrayed me when I crossed the threshold, and I fell down the two low steps leading to the dressing room.
Phoebe reached out to catch my fall, but missed, and she landed on the wooden floor beside me.
"What was that?" She giggled.
"I seriously think I broke my butt. Geez, I’m a klutz.” I rolled around and lifted my back off the floor. “What’s wrong with me tonight?"
The heat in my cheeks returned as I glanced back toward the door, thinking of the enigmatic aura that eluded me. And that dimple.
Phoebe stood and grabbed my hands but stopped short. She drew back like I’d shocked her.
"What's up with your mother's ring?"
"Um, I don't know.” I spun the ring around my finger. “It's never done this before. It just lit up after that guy—wait." My gaze darted to hers. "You can see that?"
"See what?" She narrowed her gaze. In less than a second, her eyes grew wide, and her mouth popped open. "Oh. My gosh." She pulled me to my feet and dragged me to the door. "Where is he?" Her excitement bounced off the walls. After a minute, she pointed toward the thing of beauty sitting at a table near the stage. "Him."
My heart pounded as I gripped the wooden frame and peeked around the corner to spy.
He sat with another guy, a few feet from my shameless stare. Worse yet, he waited beside an empty, reserved table—mine.
