Chapter 27

After the words twin and flames left his lips, I took the conversation to the attic.

Xavier sits down on the mattress while I sit on my knees in front of him, shivering at the cold wooden floor.

"I've heard stories of twin flames, but I thought that at the end of the day, it's just a synonym of soulmates," I say.

The lion shakes his head. "Not with people like us. This is a piece that you don't find in American books. Back when I lived in Angola, my parents would read me hundreds of stories about soulmates, kindred spirits, and twin flames.
The fact that lions and lionesses are different is because they can choose between having a soulmate or a twin flame."

I tilt my head to the side. "What's the difference between them?"

"Well, soulmates are the other half of our hearts while twin flames are another piece of us. It sounds the same, but it's different. Let's say I meet two girls right now. One girl is my soulmate, so her intoxicating scent makes my lion lose control, falling for her hard. The other girl is my twin flame, so the mere presence of her makes me feel at peace. She changes me into a better part of myself as I do the same to her."

I hum, slowly nodding my head. "So a soulmate is something more physical while a twin flame, I'd say, is more on a spiritual level. But isn't a soulmate better for a lion? Why would you reject that for a twin flame?"

Xavier smiles. "That's a little tricky, and it all comes down to the person and feline agreement. If both parties aren't on the same page, the relationship will be fatal because either I or my feline will fight to meet the person we want. There's a reason why your feline likes me so much even though we're not soulmates."

I frown. "My feline?"

He gives me a firm nod. "Yeah, she's pretty persistent. I don't think you realize it, but every time I'm around you, your scent changes."

As if on cue, Foxy purrs in my mind, and a second later, Xavier's chuckles booms in the tiny attic. "You usually have a farm-like type of scent that reminds me of pumpkin, but now it's mixed with a rose scent. I like it."

I hold my hand up. "Wait a damn minute, farm scent? Even though it's been more than five years since I last went home?" I let out a groan, rolling my head back for a second.

"It's not that bad. Plus, I think the scent is connected to the environment of when your feline and you started coexisting, so it'll never go away, but anyway, do you know what all of this means?"

I blink, giving him a confused expression. Xavier slides down the mattress and scoots in front of me with his knees. My head cranes upward as his hands meet my cheeks. He leans down, softly kissing me. "You're my twin flame," he whispers with a gentle smile.

"How are you so sure about it?" I quietly ask.

"I might have asked for a tarot session to the client in exchange for pleasure."

My nose scrunches up as my heart tightens. "I don't know how I should feel about this slap on the face." 

Xavier's golden eyes glow, a grin stretching on his lips. "Slap on the face, huh? Is Alexa Reeds jealous of someone like me?"

I roll my eyes, pushing his hands away from my face. "Of course, I'm always possessive when it comes to the men I sleep with."

An ominous growl makes a shiver run down my spine. Why does it feel cold now? I glance at Xavier glaring at me.

"Did I say something wrong?" I ask.

Xavier sits down on his knees."Are you teasing me?"

I swallow a nervous lump. "What did the witch say?" I ask instead, hoping he'll follow along with the changing subject.

The world of sorcerers and sorceresses is still a mystery for me. No amount of reading will ever be enough to unveil it. When I was with Kali, I would sometimes spend the afternoon observing her as she practiced her magick.

With tarot cards, she would sit down on the floor, close her eyes, and say something under breath that a second later would weirdly enough make me feel at ease. Peaceful even.

After that, she would shuffle in her hands a deck of blank cards that would start glowing a different color, depending on what type of question she was quietly asking under her breath.

Once that was done, she would draw three cards and quietly look at them. Sometimes hours would pass by with her just staring at them. Apparently, from the human eyes, the cards remain blank, then for us creatures, there are images, while for the witches, they can see inside the card whatever they asked.

Of course, there were some rules when involving magick, but she didn't bother explaining them to me.

Xavier releases a sigh, rubbing his temples for a second. "Each card drawn had a twin flame image. Only one card had the couple upside down, which was the one where she saw you and Dante on the bed doing stuff." His eyes start glowing as they narrow at me.

My chest is making it harder for me to breathe now. What do I say to that?

Xavier sighs as he sits back on the edge of the mattress. "Do you like him?"

I raise an eyebrow, not believing what he just said. "You're kidding, right?"

Xavier's lips are set in a thin line. "Am I? Because it looked like I interrupted you before."

Impossible because I like you, you idiot.

I lower my gaze to my thighs, where my clasped hands are resting. The ruby ring is twinkling, reminding me of Xavier's words when he gave me the piece of metal.

If I give it back, he'll know I have feelings for him. But then again, the fear of being rejected is worse.

I force a smile on my lips, looking straight at his confused face. "I told you I wouldn't resist Dante's charm. I don't get why you're so surprised. If we end up doing it, it doesn't mean that I have feelings for him."

Xavier's face hardens before he chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "You're a cruel woman," he says more to himself than me.

Regardless, my eyebrows knit, making thin lines appear in-between them. "Me? You're the one who slept with the witch even though we specifically stated that we wouldn't sleep with other people."

His eyes widen for a brief moment before he laughs in my face. "That's rich coming from someone who had sex with our enemy."

"What?!"

Xavier opens his mouth, but I quickly put my hand up, needing to recollect my thoughts before I say something I might regret later.

Why is he so convinced that I had sex with him? Is it because of the kiss earlier? Or— Oh, the witch.

"When did you ask for the tarot session? Before or after calling me?" I ask.

Xavier tilts his head to the side. "What does that have to do—"

"Just answer me."

He clenches his jaw, his light feline eyes darting to the side. "Before."

I knew it.

"The Xavier I know wouldn't betray a written deal for some client. You would have come up with anything but sex," I say.

"Well, the Alexa I know wouldn't have succumbed to Dante's charm because of the written deal."

I nod as my arms cross across my chest. "That's right."

Xavier's frown. "Then why—"

"Because you slept with the damn witch. I was petty, and I made a move on Dante, but I didn't have sex in the end because I had you in my mind."

"I was petty as well because she saw you two kissing. That's when I offered myself, but I couldn't get it up since she wasn't you," Xavier reveals.

I stay quiet, waiting for him to realize how idiotic we were. I cannot believe everything happened for a goddamn misunderstanding.

The lion takes a while, but when he finally realizes our mistake, his eyes soften. "I'm an idiot," he says.

My heart skips a beat to the gentle look he's giving me. I walk by my knees near him, dropping my hands on his muscular thighs. "I'm an idiot," I say with a soft smile.

Xavier lets out a breath before grabbing the back of my head and leaning in for a kiss. Blood rushes to my cheeks as our lips move in sync.

Is this still part of our deal? Because it doesn't feel like a friend with benefits kiss.

It's delicate, slow, and full of emotions. I can feel Xavier's eagerness and love as crazy as it sounds. Or maybe that's just me reflecting my feelings on him, hoping he'd feel the same way as I do.

I love him.

Damn, I've been listening to Melodrama for hours now. Lorde better come out with another album asap. 

Anyway, this chapter will deffo change because I'm still researching about twin flames and thinking how to integrate it well with the werecats lore.

Don't forget to vote and see you in 11 days! x