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VEIL

T he sensation that follows is akin to a rush of adrenaline. It surges from the tips of my toes up to the crown of my head as every single hair on my body stands on end.

My eyes fly open to find Gemini beaming, his wide smile warm, eyes shimmering.

A shocked laugh tumbles out of my lips. “I did it,” I say breathlessly.

Without thinking, I leap toward him, my arms circling his neck in a burst of giggles. The impact of my body on his makes him fall backward onto the floor as his arms wrap effortlessly around my waist.

I push myself up to look him in the eye, and my laugh slowly fades. Our gazes turn serious, and I’m suddenly hyper-aware of my body on top of his.

“How does it feel?” Gemini rasps.

A part of me yearns to break this loaded moment. The rest of me craves the exact opposite. All the pieces of me are at war, and I’m standing directly in the line of fire.

I decide not to move.

I give him a shy grin. “The feeling has many layers to it,” I muse. “I feel my god’s connection inside of me, but then …” I pause, lingering on the foreign sensations, “Then I feel the power I stole from you like a second presence. Almost like a separate entity.” I smile. “How does it feel to you ?”

His expression turns boyish, his gaze moving up and around, as if trying to decipher the feeling. “Quiet.”

I expect to sense something, maybe a prickling at the nape that lets me know if he’s lying or telling the truth, but there’s nothing.

“I can’t tell if you’re lying,” I say, perplexed.

His hands dance up my spine and back down again. “Our powers don’t work on each other, remember?”

“But I thought maybe since I have your power …” I trail off, knowing Gemini will decipher what I mean.

“Power or not, beloved,” he says with a wink, “I’m still the chosen one.”

We fall into another loaded moment as we silently stare at one another until Gemini is the first to move. He gently pushes me to his side so he can jump to his feet, then gives me his hand.

“Now let’s go smell some lies,” he declares with a wide grin.

Still sitting on the ground, I meet his gaze as my brows furrow. “How do I give your power back?” Suddenly, I feel nervous.

He shrugs, wiggling his fingers to signal that he’s still waiting for my hand. “I’m sure the servant to the god of thievery will know how.”

At this time of day, the circus isn’t open to the public, but there’s enough of a crowd for me to metaphorically stretch my legs and try to test Gemini’s power on those around us. Acrobats practicing high up in the air, a knife-thrower lodging sharp blades inches away from his beautiful assistant, and?—

“Zazel!”

They quickly turn around at the sound of my voice, and I leave Gemini’s side to run up to where they are standing.

My heart pinches when I watch the overwhelming relief wash over my friend’s face.

“Veil, we’ve been so worried,” they say in a rush.

I pull them into a tight embrace as they continue to mutter their relief into my hair. Pushing me back, they keep their hands on my arms while they survey my body.

“Are you okay? Where have you been?” Their voice is tight with emotions, and tears prick my eyes at the thought of what I’ve unintentionally put them through.

“I’m so sorry, Zazel.” The ball in my throat grows bigger and bigger as I try to find the words while a small voice in my head hisses at me not to tell them that I was kidnapped. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I, uh … it’s just been a weird few weeks,” I say weakly, feeling guilty.

I turn my head to look at Gemini over my shoulder. He’s watching us, but to my surprise, he seems to have no care in the world, and I realize then that he wouldn’t even be bothered if my friends knew the truth.

He’s above it all.

And …

By the same logic, I am too.

I feel a large, gaping fissure start to form between me and Zazel before I even know how to process it. I turn back to them, their gray eyes narrowed as they bounce between Gemini and me. “Have you been with Gemini this whole time?” they ask slowly, their tone suspicious and somewhat incredulous.

My shoulders fall just as their hands let go of my arms.

“It’s complicated,” I reply with defeat.

We stare at each other for a few tense seconds until Zazel breaks the crackling silence. “Well, whatever this is, I hope you’re being careful. I’m happy for you.”

Gemini’s powers flare inside of me. A lie . But I wouldn’t have needed it anyhow. Their false statement hangs heavy between us like an accusation.

Zazel’s hard expression shifts, as if just noticing my leotard and loose jogging shorts. “Are you working here now?”

I rub my hand on the back of my neck, suddenly feeling awkward. The shift in mood is giving me whiplash, squashing the happiness I originally felt at finally seeing Zazel after three long weeks.

Now I’m desperate for this conversation to end.

“I am.” I pause. “Contortionist,” I add with a shrug of my shoulder.

Zazel’s brows dip in confusion. “You never told me—” They stop abruptly, their expression shuttering, as if realizing something I’m not privy to. They study me like it’s the first time they’ve ever set eyes on me.

My throat tightens, but my words stick to the roof of my mouth.

“I guess … I’ll be seeing you around,” Zazel mumbles.

They turn their back to me and walk away. I do nothing to fix the chasm between us as I let the confusing relief of this conversation ending settle over me.

I sense Gemini approaching, and a wave of anger crests, engulfing my confusing feelings. Spinning to face him, I shoot him a hard glare. I can’t decipher if the anger is misplaced or not, but I direct it at Gemini nonetheless.

“What have you done to me?” I hiss under my breath.

Gemini throws his hands in the air in a show of surrender as he laughs darkly.

“This isn’t funny,” I snap.

“What have I done to you?” he repeats, the spark of amusement dancing across his irises. “Why? Because you feel no connection to the people from your past life?”

His words stun me. Past life? My mouth opens, then shuts. Why does he always seem to be one step ahead of me? Always the one with the answers?

“You speak as if I died,” I snarl.

“Have you not?” he muses, stepping closer as his eyes darken. “Am I not witnessing the most beautiful of rebirths before my very eyes?”

His question strikes me as far too powerful for me to answer. I barely have space for his words to find a place inside my chest.

But they do.

Oh , they do.

Something inside me shifts. I let go of the gold thread connecting me to him, and I feel the very second his powers siphon back off to where they belong.

He closes his eyes and takes a large inhale, as if reveling in the feeling of being whole again. His eyes snap back to mine as his fingers slip under my chin, raising it slightly so that we’re eye to eye. My heart triples in rate.

“When will you learn, little rabbit?” he whispers much too softly. “You belong with us.”