Page 29 of Diamond Kisses

But as we sat in the dark waiting for death, I wondered if any of us would hit forty if we didn’t manage to escape.

“How old are you?” I whispered.

He smirked. “Do I look that decrepit?”

“No.” I laughed softly, sadly. “Just…I’ve never asked.”

“I turn thirty on January the first. According to my mother anyway. I don’t have a birth certificate. Not that I’ve seen anyway.”

“The first of January is your birthday?” I blinked. I coughed. If I needed any other signs that Henri was my twin flame, this was it. I’d read that some were born on the same day. Didn’t matter if the years were different—if you shared the same day, it was yet another cosmic union between a single soul that’d been split.

But I don’t know if I was born on January first…

Oh my God.

Yetanothersynchronicity.

Another push from forces unseen but so much bigger than us.

He frowned, studying my face. He knew without asking. “You’re January the first too?”

I gave him a small shrug. “I celebrate the first, but…I’m like you. I’m not entirely sure if that’s my true date, seeing as I was found and adopted. I was found on thefourthof January, but my father figured I looked a few days old, so he chose the first for a new beginning.”

Henri didn’t speak for the longest moment. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to all these strange similarities between us.”

“I know. Me either.”

He shivered dramatically. “It’s eerie but cool.”

“Isn’t it?” Tears ached. My nose itched. What would I give to tell my parents about the profound connection I’d found on this hellish island? I’d give anything to hug my brother and tell him everything the Vedic mystic said had come true.

You’re destined to destroy each other.

I flinched.

That part would never come true. Being together was the reason wehadn’tbeen destroyed. Even Victor was wise enough to use our bond to prevent us from such destruction. He’d used me as a pawn to keep Henri sane. And used Peter as a pawn to keep me in line. And despite knowing that my presence had only condemned Henri to pain I couldn’t begin to imagine, I was incredibly grateful that in that part of the prophecy, the astrologer was wrong.

God…what’s going to happen next…?

My eyes flicked to the bars again, begging to see something I hadn’t noticed in the thirty-six days we’d been trapped: a forgotten key. An axe to chop our chains. A guard that was on our side, sneaking down here to break us out.

A single tear escaped.

I swiped at it.

Henri sucked in a sharp breath. “God, Ily. Please don’t.”

I nodded and forced an overly bright smile. My voice broke, betraying me. “I’m fine.”

“Fuck, you’re killing me.” He drove both fists into his blanket. “I’d give anything to hug you right now. To hold you. Kiss you.”

“I know.” Sitting taller, I ran my fingers through Peter’s unwashed hair. “Just a weak moment, that’s all.”

Silence fell for the longest time before Henri forced a smile. A sinful, sexy smirk that was far too lighthearted for this sullen place. “You’re still driving me mad, little nightmare. Still filling me full of things I’ve never felt before.”

His old nickname for me could’ve been insensitive…but that was the point. Teasing each other. Trading jokes and stories. Taking the heavy and transforming it into light.

It was how we’d survived this long. Being normal. Being together. Not letting this prison choke us.

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