Gage was quiet, as though he knew I was processing everything that had happened. I wondered at his calmness, which seemed to imply he already knew all the answers. If he did have the answers, I hoped that he would share them with me.
Finally, I had warmed up enough that my body stopped shaking, and I could speak without my voice quivering. The world had stopped, and time had frozen. Had it only been half an hour? It seemed like it had been a lot longer than that.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue. Jason is a jerk. I broke up with him several months ago, but he couldn’t seem to understand that our relationship is over.”
“It is my pleasure to come to the rescue of such a beautiful woman. Some men are just dense and are unable to get the message,” he answered. His voice was sexy and deep. It was the kind of voice that made a woman’s heart pitter-patter.
I used to joke with my friends that James Earl Jones or Alan Rickman could read the classified section of the newspaper to me, and it would turn me on. Gage had such a voice.
Returning my mind to my rescuer, I focused on him, willing myself not to sound foolish.
“How did you happen to be in the area?” I asked him.
He smiled again. “I heard you call. Here,” he said, tapping his chest.
I didn’t say anything. I briefly wondered if he was talking about ESP, but quickly dismissed the thought. I wasn’t sure what to say to his admission, so I stayed quiet, waiting for him to explain.
“Do you believe in soulmates?” He asked me. “Do you believe that two people are destined to be together from the beginning of time? Do you believe that there is one person for each of us out in this world, and we can never be truly happy until we find that person?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I never really thought about it, especially for myself. Of course, I have written about it in my books, but I haven’t considered what it would mean for me,” I told him.
“The ancient Greeks believed that at one time, people had two heads, four arms, and four legs. However, they were so content that the gods became jealous and split the people in half. The people then spent their entire lives searching for their other half. The half that would make them whole again.”
I nodded. I loved mythology and often tried to incorporate the myths and legends of different cultures into my books. However, I had not considered the myth to be associated with me. I figured that it would always be me, my books, and a dog soon, especially after I thought that I had got rid of Jason. All the stories about soulmates were always about other people, never about me.
“In the myth, when the two halves of the person find each other, they become one again and are complete. They know how the other is feeling and what the other is thinking.”
I nodded again. That made sense to me.
“The two halves can communicate without ever saying a word.”
“I have written many books where people can find that kind of love. Love where people have loved each other through eternity. They would be together during one lifetime and then find each other again in the next lifetime.”
He gently put his hands on my face and stared into my eyes. “You, Luka, are my other half. You are my missing piece that I have searched for my entire life.”
As his lips lowered to mine, I knew in my heart that he spoke the truth. This kiss was different than the first one. It still created the heat that burned through me like a raging forest fire. However, the first kiss was tender. This kiss was possessive. This kiss was one that claimed my heart and soul as his own. This possession was very different than Jason’s. Jason thought of me as an object, a toy to be played with until he was tired of it. Gage’s kiss told me that he possessed me as his woman. He possessed me as the lost part of himself that he had been searching for during his entire life. This kiss told me that he would be lost without me.
I realized I needed him just as much. Although my brain didn’t quite comprehend what I was feeling, my heart and soul told me all I needed to know. Gage made me whole.
2
Gage
Ihad been hanging out with my friends and family when I felt as though someone had punched me in the stomach. It was a feeling that I had only experienced a couple times before, mostly when I was serving in the war. Something wasn’t right. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew my instincts would guide me to where I needed to be.
Without saying a word to anyone, I bounded away. Staying in my human form, I ran, my soul knowing where to guide me.
I wasn’t too far away from a cabin that had stood empty for quite some time. I had seen someone moving in from a distance and had figured that, sooner or later, I would saunter over and introduce myself to determine what kind of person would move into such an isolated area and into our territory.
Apparently, the time to introduce myself was now. I knew I needed to be there. As I came around the corner, I saw a woman standing in front of the cabin. Her long blonde hair blew around her full, voluptuous body. She had an aura of light that surrounded her, and I knew immediately that she was the other half of my soul.
I heard her soul calling out to me, reaching for me.
As the puny excuse for a man grabbed her, I was completely overcome with rage. When I saw his fingers dig into her skin, I could feel them digging into mine. I could feel his fingernails cutting into me and hear the venom in his voice ringing in my ears.
Without even thinking, I sprang into action. I leaped up to the porch and picked him up and threw him. He landed several feet away with a jarring thud. His jaw fell open in shock, and he shook his head as though he wanted to clear away the cobwebs that had suddenly clogged his brain.
His face turned red and then purple with humiliation and rage.