Cancer: Book 5 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series)

by Rachel Medhurst

  ‘Derek said we can go if you disguise yourself.’ Leo came back into the room. He ran a couple of feet and jumped on the bed, making us bounce.

  ‘I’m not sure this is such a good idea. I thought we were going to try and be careful? They almost got Cancer yesterday. Are we not even going to talk about that?’

  Virgo took my hand and pulled me to a stand. She was right, I had to shake it off. If I wanted to survive, I had work out how we were going to live.

  ‘You know you want to go out tonight. It doesn’t take all day to sort things out.’ Leo jumped on the bed, making the springs creak.

  ‘Don’t do that, Leo. You could break the mattress. Let’s go and talk sensibly,’ Virgo said.

  I followed her into the kitchen. Derek poured tea as toast popped up.

  ‘You want to go out tonight?’ He handed me a steaming mug of tea.

  I shrugged and shook my head at the same time. I could either stay indoors and wallow or go out and dance the night away.

  ‘Of course she does,’ Leo called, skipping into the room.

  ‘Can I ask one question?’ Virgo climbed onto a stool. ‘Why are we still here if Matt’s gone back to London?’

  Derek buttered the toast and handed me the plate. I smiled at him, grateful that he was being so supportive. I had never realised how sensitive he could be.

  ‘She does have a point.’ Leo’s face was serious.

  Now that Matt had told me he didn’t know whether or not he wanted to be with me, it didn’t make sense that we stayed in Greece. I could be with my brothers and sisters again. My mother and father. Maybe it was time to go home.

  ‘Let’s stay for a couple more days. I’ll ring your father and speak to him,’ Derek said.

  I nodded, ignoring the toast that sat going cold on the breakfast bar. Virgo snatched a piece, knowing that I wouldn’t be eating. There was something about heartbreak that made you not want to put anything in your mouth.

  ‘I’m only going home if I’m allowed to go out tonight.’ Leo stole the other slice. Derek frowned at both of them but they knew me well.

  ‘I don’t know if that’s such good idea.’ Derek scratched his jaw.

  ‘Mate, you don’t need to protect me. I am the protector of myself. Just because I’m gorgeous, doesn’t mean everyone is trying kill me. Only those that are really jealous.’

  I rolled my eyes, blinking when they stung. Virgo snorted in mock amusement. Derek didn’t say anything as he packed the breakfast away. No one ate much anyway.

  ‘Let’s go out for one night. I think it’s time to go home after that. Things didn’t go as planned.’ I stood and stared out of the window. The sun shone bright, glistening onto the water. Going over to the doors, I opened them and stepped outside. Pulling my top over my head and unbuttoning my jeans, I pushed them off. In my underwear, I ran and jumped into the pool. The water enveloped me as I let myself sink as far as I could go. Opening my eyes, I let my breath release from my lungs as I watched the sun ray’s reflection. Bubbles rose over my face. The cool liquid caressed my skin as I started to float up.

  ‘What is it with everybody? Why can’t we just have a normal conversation?’ I heard Virgo say as I broke through the surface.

  They were standing by the side of the pool, watching me. All three of them.

  ‘What? Did you think I was going to kill myself or something?’ I laughed.

  The fake sound echoed around us.

  ‘Have you decided that we’re going home?’ Derek asked.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets but quickly pulled them out when I gestured at him. ‘Sorry.’

  The others glanced between us, their eyebrows pulled low.

  ‘Derek has this habit of tucking his hands in his pockets and it annoys me,’ I said in way of explanation. ‘Yes. There’s no point in staying here. If Nick’s men are on the island, it’s better to go back home. It’s safer there, where we can be with everyone else.’

  Leo and Virgo nodded. Derek smiled gently but looked away from me. Was he shy because we had shared a bed?

  ‘Sounds good to me.’ Leo dragged the chair to the edge of the pool and sat on it.

  I swum to the side and held on. Derek rolled the bottom of his trousers to his knees and sat on the edge, letting his feet dangle in the pool next to me.

  ‘Yes. Let’s go home in the next couple of days. In the meantime, we need to let our hair down.’ Virgo rested her hand on the back of Leo’s chair.

  ‘You? Let your hair down?’ Leo joked.

  They bantered between themselves, like they often did. More like bickered. Virgo didn’t really do banter.

  ‘Can was talk about the machine that they tried to grab you with yesterday?’ Derek said.

  I waded nearer to him, trying my hardest to keep the image of Matt out of my head. ‘It was strange. I have no idea what it was. I was in too much of hurry to get out of it.’

  Derek averted his gaze when I glanced up to see him eyeing my bra. He had never been as discreet as Matt.

  ‘I must admit, I didn’t have a chance to see what it was, either. When we ran out of the shop and saw you, we knew that you could take care of yourself. Especially when you turn into…water.’

  The others stopped talking and started to listen. I smiled when Derek’s cheeks heated red. Now that I had caught him looking, he couldn’t help but keep dropping his eyes. My chest squeezed as an image of Matt came into my head. I bit back the tears that threatened to rise again. I had cried enough.

  ‘Cancer looks weird when she turns into water. As if she’s a puddle in mid-air that falls down to the ground. Weirdo,’ Leo stated.

  My brother groaned when I pushed the water and splashed the bottom of his legs. He was about to stand up and kick water over me when Derek put a hand on his arm.

  ‘Leave her alone, mate.’

  Leo glanced at Virgo. I ducked under the water to get away from their probing looks. Coming back up, I brushed my hair away from my face.

  ‘The machine that the Dysfunctionals caught me with. Something came out of it and wrapped itself around my legs. It was like a tentacle. That’s the only way I can describe it. I have no idea what it was made of or how it knew how to grab me.’

  Derek nodded as he rubbed his jaw. His face was clean shaven, unlike my brother. Leo was blonde so the light stubble made him look like a rogue.

  ‘I don’t think we can figure out what it was on our own. We may as well go home and tell father what happened. Let him research it. Tonight, we need to go out and get hammered. Then I need at least two days in the sun so I can get a better tan. Might as well enjoy it while we’re here. What do you say?’ Leo held his hand in the air. ‘Raise your hand if you agree.’

  I raised my hand when Virgo did. Derek glanced at us and then did the same. ‘I won’t be drinking tonight.’

  Part of me felt bad for him but at the same time I was glad. I wouldn’t be able to have fun if I was constantly looking over my shoulder. At least Derek would take care of me, which meant I could have a drink. I needed to drown my sorrows. Nothing was turning out as I planned.

  ‘Right, that’s settled. I’m going to go get my sun lotion and my book-’

  ‘You? Read?’ Virgo laughed.

  I smiled as Leo jumped from his seat. Virgo made a hasty retreat. He started to run after her. They ran into the house, screaming as they went.

  ‘I don’t know how my brother lives with you lot,’ Derek said.

  His leg brushed my arm as he kicked it in a circle near me. I moved back quickly, unsure how I felt about the physical contact after he had held me all night.

  ‘You grow to love us.’ I swam away from him, towards the steps.

  ‘I think you’re right,’ I heard him mutter.

  It sounded like Derek was starting to like my family. Which was a good thing. We didn’t let many people in, but when we did, they became part of our family. My father obviously trusted Derek, which meant that I trusted him, too.

  ‘Are
you feeling better?’

  I pulled myself out of the water. My skin heated as Derek looked away quickly. My underwear was similar to a bikini so I didn’t know why he acted bashful.

  ‘I’m better than I was. Thank you,’ I said, coming over to him.

  He glanced down at his thighs, instead of up at me. A part of me wanted him to notice me. I suddenly wondered why. Matt had left and all I wanted was the attention of a different man. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Derek was…Derek.

  Turning, I made my way inside. My breathing grew heavy as my eyes started to sting. The man I loved was in England, while I was on a Greek island. The man I loved didn’t want me. Since being with him, I wasn’t sure if I wanted him either. Maybe it was time to stop thinking about it. Maybe it was time to get raving drunk.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The music pounded through me. The base made my bones vibrate. I had tried my best to make my eyes appear less puffy. I wasn’t that pleased with the results, but to be honest, I wasn’t looking for a date.

  ‘Time to forget about Matt,’ Leo shouted in my ear.

  The club was bouncing. Beautiful Greek people danced freely. They laughed and joked between themselves. Derek handed me a glass of wine. I smiled my thanks and downed it in one.

  ‘Take it easy,’ Virgo said from beside me.

  I bit my tongue. She was only trying to help. I wasn’t drunk enough to tell her to get lost yet. It would probably come later.

  ‘She’s right. I don’t want to carry you around if I’ve got to try and protect you.’ Derek took my glass as I handed it to him, scowling when I waved him away.

  I wasn’t going to let them ruin my fun. They had let me come out so why not let me have a few drinks?

  ‘Are you dancing, sister?’ Leo pointed towards the dance floor.

  Nodding, I grabbed his hand and dragged him into the crowd. He was an awful dancer but he loved to let his body move. It was funny to watch. He wandered off, towards a pretty bunch of girls. I stayed still, unsure what I should do. The warmth of the wine unfurled in my body. I started to relax as the music moved through me. Closing my eyes, I swayed to the beat.

  Nick’s men could do what they wanted. I didn’t care. They must know that Matt had gone back to London. In fact, they might have gone back, too. If I was away from my twin flame soulmate, there was no reason for them to be near me. In London, Nick had left us alone until our twin flame showed up in our life.

  The tap on my shoulder made me turn around. Derek stood there with another glass of wine in his hand. His eyes darted around us, searching for black clothed men. I smiled at him, taking the drink. I didn’t stop moving, allowing myself to feel the music. Derek’s gaze was drawn to me as our fingers brushed against each other.

  ‘Are you going to dance with me?’ I asked him.

  He frowned, shaking his head. The music was hard to speak over so I grabbed his arm and tried to get him to move. He was taking his job very seriously. Continuously looking around as I pulled on his arm.

  ‘Stop it. Come here.’ He pulled me into an embrace.

  His arms wrapped around me as he started to sway gently. The dancing didn’t go with the music but my heart started to beat a lot faster. He watched over my shoulder, moving me around so that he could check the whole area.

  ‘I didn’t know you could dance,’ I shouted, going up on my toes and speaking into his ear.

  Pulling back slightly, I took a gulp of my drink. I was starting to get a little tipsy. Derek’s arm around my waist made me step closer to him. I put my head near his chest and breathed in deeply. The scent from the night before filtered into my nose.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he said.

  I looked up at him. He glanced down, pausing when our gaze clashed. His green eyes were black in the dark room. The flashing lights of the club lit up his face before plunging it in darkness again. His jaw was soft, unlike Matt’s.

  ‘We’ve never really had a proper discussion, have we?’ I shouted.

  He shook his head before glancing over my shoulder. ‘There’s not been any need to.’

  Estimating where his foot was, I stamped on it with the heel of my shoe. He stepped back quickly, exclaiming as I smirked.

  ‘What was that for?’

  I took hold of his shirt and pulled him back to me. ‘Well…there should be a need to. I’m amazing, don’t you know?’

  He stared at me before stepping away. Ignoring him, I downed the rest of my drink. If we were there to have a good time, I was going to do just that. Spinning, I searched for the nearest man and swayed over to him. He smiled when I reached him, dancing with me as I forgot about all the other men in my life.

  ‘Cancer! I’ve been searching for you!’

  I couldn’t help smiling when my dance partner’s face fell. Leo took hold of my shoulder and turned me away from him. His height was enough to intimidate anyone, even if he was my brother.

  ‘Are you having a good time?’ Leo shouted into my ear.

  As we bopped to the music, I nodded. There was no point screaming over the music.

  ‘Good, because it’s about to get a lot funnier.’

  I turned to see where he pointed. Virgo pushed her way through the people on the dancefloor. She swayed but it wasn’t to the music. She held a beer in each hand. When she reached us, she took a swig from one of them. She grinned up at Leo as he went to take the other bottle from her.

  ‘This one’s mine,’ she shouted.

  Leo frowned but laughed when she took a mouthful of the other beer. It wasn’t like Virgo to be raving drunk. I giggled as she attempted to move her body in time to the music. It wasn’t very successful.

  ‘I’ve never seen this girl drunk,’ Leo called.

  As the beat of the music vibrated in my head, I went still. My eyes focused on my brother and sister. The music died away in my mind. It was as if we were in slow motion. The beat was dragged out in my head. I tried to move my body but it was difficult. In the distance, I could hear the ringing of my mobile phone.

  ‘Cancer!’ Leo’s arm wrapped around me. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

  ‘You almost changed into water,’ Leo hissed into my ear. ‘What happened?’

  He started to pull me away from the dancefloor. Virgo ignored us but Leo grabbed her arm at the last minute and dragged her along.

  ‘Is everything okay?’ Derek tried to make himself heard over the music.

  He stood on a ledge that elevated him above the dancefloor. He could see straight over the crowd, probably keeping watch.

  ‘We need to leave,’ Leo shouted.

  I let them help me out of the club. My head was spinning, even though I’d only had two glasses of wine. The doors closed behind us as we tried to act normal.

  ‘What was all that about?’ Virgo said, pouting.

  Leo didn’t slow down. He marched us up the street and around the corner to our car. Derek followed behind. I turned to look at him. His arm hovered behind his back. He obviously had a gun tucked into his waistband.

  ‘I hadn’t finished dancing,’ Virgo whined.

  Leo shoved me in the back of the car as soon as we reached it. The slow motion feeling came over me again. Leo, Virgo and Derek moved at a snail’s pace as they approached the vehicle and climbed in.

  ‘She just done it again.’ Virgo took my hand in hers and stroked my fingers.

  Everything sped up. I blinked quickly. Derek glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyebrows pulled low.

  ‘Have you taken anything?’ he asked.

  I shook my head slowly. I didn’t do drugs. Taurus and his drug taking had put me off.

  ‘What’s happening?’ I cradled my head.

  ‘You’re sort of flashing into…solid water.’ Virgo squeezed my fingers as her words slowed down.

  It made sense. I was losing control of my power. Everything was fine, and then all of a sudden, everything started to slow down and go fuzzy. It had never happened before. I could usually cont
rol when I was going to turn. Why was it happening now?

  ‘We need to speak to Father,’ Leo said from the passenger seat.

  Derek nodded as he started the engine. The car moved but I had to close my eyes. The others still spun. I jumped when the phone vibrated against my leg, startling me. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that Father had tried to get in contact. Several times.

  ‘It’s Dad,’ I said.

  Virgo snatched the phone off me and gave it to Leo. I opened my mouth to protest but decided against it. It was probably better that they handled it.

  ‘I’m going to put him on speaker,’ Leo said as he answered. ‘Dad, so glad you rang. What’s up?’

  The noise in the background instantly made my heart pound. My siblings chattered and laughed in London. Oh, how I missed them.

  ‘Is everything okay? I had a feeling. Where’s Cancer?’

  Our father really was our guardian. He knew everything about us. Even when we weren’t okay.

  ‘We’ve had an interesting evening. Let’s just say that Cancer has lost control of her power. For no reason, very suddenly.’ Leo held the phone high so that we could all hear.

  ‘I could sense something wasn’t quite right. Explain to me what’s actually happening,’ Father said over the speaker.

  Virgo leant forward and raised her voice so that he could hear. ‘Her solid form is moving into liquid but not fully. We can still see the shape of her body but she comes back before she turns into a puddle.’

  They talked about me as if I was an experiment. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. It was probably my emotions that made me feel strange. My emotions plus the alcohol.

  ‘Father, I’m fine. I’m sure it’s because everything has got a bit too much. I just need to go home and rest. We’re coming home in a couple of days so please don’t worry.’

  Leo tutted and pulled the phone back to him. ‘Ignore her,’ he said. ‘I’ve never seen her like this before. Ever. Something’s changed.’

  I tuned them out as Father replied. My mind wandered as I found myself looking at the back of Derek’s head. He was very quiet as he drove us home. He had bought me my second glass of wine. Had he put something in it?