Page 49 of Crossing Between
"Hey," Kenji's voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he sat beside me, his large hand warm on my back. "You okay?"
"No," my voice muffled. "I'm not okay. I don't know if I'll ever be okay again."
His hand moved in slow, comforting circles between my shoulder blades. "Want to talk about it?"
I lifted my head, meeting his concerned gaze. "Everything's happening so fast. A month ago, I was just a fake medium trying to make ends meet. Now I'm some rare magical being fighting a demon while juggling feelings for three different men."
A small smile tugged at Kenji's lips. "When you put it that way, it does sound a bit overwhelming."
"A bit?" I laughed weakly. "It's completely overwhelming. I feel like I'm drowning."
Kenji shifted closer, his arm now fully around my shoulders. "Then let us be your lifeline. You don't have to face this alone, Zoey."
"That's just it," I leaned into his warmth instinctively. "I've always been alone in this. My whole life, I've had to hide who I am, what I can do. Having people know the truth, having support, it's foreign territory."
"And scary," he added, understanding in his eyes.
"Terrifying. And then there's this." I gestured vaguely between us. "Whatever is happening with you and Elias and Varon. I've never felt this way about anyone before, let alone three people at once."
Kenji was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "Can I show you something?" He took my hand in his.
Inodded, curious.
He held our hands up, palm to palm. "Look closely. Do you see it?"
I squinted, seeing nothing but our joined hands. "See what?"
"Close your eyes," he instructed. "Don't look with your eyes. Look with your magic."
Though skeptical, I did as he asked, closing my eyes and reaching for the small reserve of magic that had begun to replenish. I extended my awareness outward, focusing on our connected hands.
And then I saw it. A thin, shimmering red thread that extended from Kenji's pinky finger to mine. It glowed with a soft, pulsing light.
My eyes flew open in shock. "What is that?"
Kenji smiled, his eyes warm. "In my culture, we call it the red string of fate. It connects those who are destined to be together, regardless of time, place, or circumstances."
"Like soulmates?" My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Something like that," he nodded. "The string may stretch or tangle, but it never breaks. It's an unbreakable bond of fate."
I stared at our hands, though I could no longer see the thread with my physical eyes. "And you see this between us?"
"Not just us," Kenji's voice was soft but certain. "Between all four of us. You, me, Elias, Varon. We're all connected by the same string."
The implications hit me like a tidal wave. "That's why everything feels so intense. So right, even when it shouldn't."
Kenji nodded, his thumb stroking the back of my hand. "I've seen it for years in my visions. I just didn't understand what it meant until I met you."
"Does Elias know? Does Varon?"
"Elias knows something. He feels the connectionthrough his kraken. Varon, well, I think he suspects, but he's fighting it. He's lived too long, seen too much to trust easily in fate."
I absorbed this information, my mind racing. "So what do we do now?"
Kenji's smile was gentle. "We take it one day at a time. No pressure, no expectations. Just four people following the string wherever it leads."
His words lifted a weight I hadn't realized I'd been carrying. The confusion, the guilt over wanting all three of them. It wasn't wrong. It was fate.
