Page 59 of City of Love

Gideon took her hand again, still unsure as to what Roberto’s opinion would be. “I was one of the people helping Cassandra through the transition. After nearly five hours of agony she went into cardiac arrest. Roberto and the other healers in the room were unable to bring her back.” He shifted to face her completely. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you needed to know. I couldn’t let you get any further into this… into us… without all the information.”

Neither of them spoke, Lexi staring off across the room once more. He couldn’t even hear her thoughts. The only sound he found was loud static, a white noise filling both of their heads—a clear sign of their mutual distress.

Roberto broke the silence. “Fear is there, yes. Vulnerability. But you two have been gifted the rare chance for a love and life so big it took two universes to bring it to existence. There is a price to be paid for that. You must be willing to risk all for it.” He paused and tented his fingers, looking down at his hands before returning his gaze to the two of them. “I believe that to have love and walk away from it because of fear, commits you to a darkness worse than death.”

And there it was. The answer to Gideon’s question. With his own soul freshly wracked in pain, Roberto still thought of this opportunity as a gift.

Gideon reached to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder and squeezed in silent appreciation.

Lexi studied Roberto intently. Gideon could see the gears turning in her head, and she chewed on that bottom lip almost to the point of bleeding. He wanted so badly to soothe her worry, give her the answer, tell her what the future held. But she was the seer. She’d have to reach out for that information on her own.

“What are my chances?” she asked Roberto. “I mean… how many others besides Cassandra have even tried?”

“I can’t tell you exactly, Lexi. From what I understand, there have been maybe a half dozen attempts in other portal cities, all of them successful with the exception of Cassandra.” Gideon noticed that despite his calm voice, Roberto’s hands were clenching the arms of his chair. “And as Gideon told you, many of us will be by your side to help you through.”

She looked down at her lap, one of her hands twirling a ring on the other.

Gideon placed a hand on her back, rubbing gently. “Any chance you might ask for a vision? Maybe you’re the lucky person who can actually know ahead of time how it will go.”

She sat up straighter and closed her eyes, but a long moment passed before she opened them and shook her head. “Nothing. I tried asking several different questions, but I’m not even getting a glimpse. How can that be?”

He had no reasonable response for her. Maybe her decision was still too uncertain, or too far out in the future. He offered her his weak explanations, noting her shoulders slump in response.

Roberto suddenly seemed weary, and he stood from his chair. Gideon and Lexi joined him.

“You do need to act fairly soon though, or else restrict her visits to the normal four hours with long breaks in between,” Roberto said. “You can’t keep extending her stays by replaying the music for very long before Lexi will begin to get sick from the constant pull on her body. It will affect her mentally as well as physically. You must watch for any signs of physical fatigue or erratic behavior.”

Gideon nodded, and then he gripped Roberto’s forearm in a warrior’s acknowledgement.

Lexi reached her arms to hug Roberto. “Thank you.”

“If you need me further, I am at your service.” he said, heading to the front door. “Gideon, I know the timing is poor, but we have several urgent meetings to attend. I’ll step outside and wait while you finish up. Please take your time.”

They shut the door behind him, and Gideon pulled her up against his chest, holding her so tightly he was probably close to crushing her. When she lifted her head, he caught her eyes, but the kiss he’d been needing to lay on her for an hour was again preempted, this time by the cat’s appearance. Dexter voiced his meow as he brushed up against their legs.

She lifted the fluffy white Persian into her arms and then moved to sit down at the kitchen table. “I guess there’s no way Dexter could come with me, is there?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. He’d have to go through the same process as you, and he’s too small, too fragile.” He reached to scratch the cat’s head, and Dexter purred into his hand. “I’m sorry, love.”

Glossy wetness glazed her eyes, and she wiped them quickly. “It’s okay. My parents could take him—after I figured out what the hell to tell them. I suppose I could visit them now and then. Somehow. They’re in Phoenix though, is there a portal there?”

“No, we don’t have any big cities that far west.” His heart sank with every one of her questions, but she just nodded, accepting.

The cat jumped off her lap and he reached for her hands. “Sweetheart, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You don’t need to make any decisions right now. In fact, this is a completely avoidable fate. You can simply choose to… not continue this.”

He gritted his teeth at the thought. He’d broken every one of his rules regarding relationships and the cannonball-sized lump in his gut told him he was already paying the price.

Her brow creased. “Not continue this?”

He hated himself for even suggesting it. Losing her now was not acceptable. No. But how incredibly selfish of him. It was her pain, her life. How could he ask it of her?

“No.” She verbally echoed his thoughts. “That’s ridiculous, Gideon. Not continue this? Continue us? Are you kidding?” She leaned forward, scooting her chair closer to his. “I’m not ready to give up on this just yet, are you? I know it’s only been, what, a couple weeks that we’ve known each other, but we have access to each other’s minds. We know one another more intimately than lovers who’ve known each other for years.” She put her forehead against his, and he closed his eyes, the emotion tightening his throat. “We both feel the same. Crazy though it may be, there’s no hiding it from each other.”

They pulled back, and he studied her face as he ran a finger along her cheek, finding he had few words in the face of her bravery.

“I admit, the thought scares me to death, but I can’t imagine just throwing in the towel and walking away from you, from us. From your amazing world. I mean… if we feel it’s right… when we feel it’s right, I’ve got to try, don’t you think?” She offered a fleeting smile. “It’d be a hell of a story to tell our grandkids.”

He chuckled in response, though the muscles along his spine tightened in a state of tension he knew would not let up until some point in the future when she’d safely completed the transition.

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