The Pearls

by Michelle Farrell

  “Kaiden can you explain this a little better?” Zoe asked in near panic herself.

  “If it is a Blood Dragon, he tracked them all down. You know how you feel the pull to me and Justine? Well we all have that feeling. When we are near another Dragon we feel the pull to them. We know each other’s habits, because we ourselves have them. Another Dragon would know the best time to fly. It means, if he was watching your mother and father he knew she was pregnant. He may have taken your father and then waited until her Dragon called to her, and made her take flight to celebrate your birth. You were four days old when she left you right? That means they got your father and wanted her too. It means they know you exist and we are not safe here.”

  “We are not Dragons yet.” Zoe was in tears now a fear she had never known crept its way inside her.

  “If he sees us together, we are as good as dead, now and even more so after we turn.”

  “Can we at least wait until Justine’s package comes, I don’t want to make her wait any longer than she has to?” Zoe asked

  “Yes we can, Mr. Steinman said it should be within the week. But I need to call Charles tell him what we have found out.”

  “So we are in Danger being here?” Justine asked she did not want Zoe to be in any danger because of her. If they waited for the package then it would be Justine’s fault if something bad happened.

  “The only thing we have on our side right now is no one knows we are here, no one knows what Zoe looks like, and no one knows you or me. Half-bloods do not feel the pull that we full-bloods do. If there are any of them around they will not feel us.”

  “So we stay inside, you got enough food and supplies for us for at least a week right?” Justine was all business now. She knew how to stay hidden and blend in and she perceived everything a danger. If they were not going to leave, then she would do what she had to do to protect Zoe.

  “Yes we should be good, but I would like to take you both to my home in Ireland as soon as possible. We are safest there.”

  “OK” Justine and Zoe said at the same time. Neither of them liked being in danger and now that they knew someone hunted them they knew running was not the answer. They couldn’t do the one thing that they were used to doing.

  “I will call Charles after we eat and we need make a plan ourselves. I don’t want to push anything on either of you and make this more difficult than it should be.” Kaiden looked defeated and broken. He felt like he drove Zoe right into a trap. All he wanted was to make her happy and keep her safe, and now she might be right in the middle of a dangerous situation. He was at a loss for what to do.

  They all cooked together after that, no one wanted to be separated from each other. Once dinner was made Zoe set the table and they all sat to eat. They talked about a plan. The girls listened to Kaiden talk about his home and what he thought would be the best plan to get there.

  Once they were all done eating and talking they cleaned up the table and kitchen together. Kaiden went to the living room to call Charles and the girls followed him. Justine sat in a chair off to the side but facing the front door. Zoe sat on one corner of the couch while Kaiden paced in front of them.

  Justine and Zoe were silent as Kaiden talked to Charles. After he told Charles about the journal there were a lot of yes and no’s. He listened for a long time and sat on the couch. Zoe leaned towards him on the couch and once she noticed what she was doing she got up and decided to make some tea. Tea always calmed her down. When she got back to the living room Kaiden was off the phone waiting for her. Zoe made them all a cup and handed one to each of them.

  “What does Charles think?” Zoe asked

  “He has heard some rumors over the years and is going to go through some old correspondence my parents have acquired over the years. He wants us to come home as soon as we are able. He actually wants us on a plane tonight.”

  “That’s a good idea for you and Zoe.” Justine said eyes to the ground

  “I am not leaving you Justine.” Zoe said angrily

  “I don’t want you to get killed because we are waiting for something for me.”

  “Let me decide that ok. I won’t leave you. If shit starts to go bad or we all start to feel unsafe then we will have Mr. Steinman ship it to us.”

  “Ok” Justine said with a small broken voice

  “I can send you both there and I can wait for it, but really I don’t want to be apart from you now that I have found you.” Kaiden said

  “No one is going anywhere” Zoe told them. She was not going to admit it out loud, but she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him now.

  Chapter 14

  They were all quiet for a while, lost in thoughts of the danger, and the journal. Zoe was holding the journal and flipping through the pages to see where the change happened. The beginning of the folder was all happy times and describing their new home and the pregnancy. Then one day there is just the entry of her father being taken and her mother’s fear clear as day. That was the last entry in the journal.

  “Anyone want to watch a movie, I kind of want to clear my head of this, this stuff.” Zoe asked

  “Please, a comedy if we have one, I need the same thing.” Justine answered

  “I hope you like what I picked out” Kaiden said

  Kaiden put the movie in and turned to see Zoe pull her legs to her chest and get comfortable. He walked to the hall and grabbed a small blanket out of the linen closet, he walked back to the couch, and laid it over Zoe’s legs. He then sat beside her on the couch and got comfortable too.

  Kaiden was nervous, he wanted more than anything for Zoe to love him as he already loved her. He understood her past and accepted it. He just wanted to show her how much he truly cared. He remembered his parents and how much they loved each other and him. Kaiden wanted that love too. He wanted to feel what his parents had. He knew the feel of a woman already. He was no stranger to sex. But he had never made love to a woman, never experienced the intimacy there is in the act. He only knew the gratification of a one night stand. Kaiden found Zoe absolutely flawlessly gorgeous. She could do no wrong in his eyes and he only wanted to make all her dreams come true.

  Halfway through the movie Zoe noticed that Justine had nodded off and was now passed out on the chair. Kaiden had went and got a twin bed for the nursery for Justine and he was sleeping on the couch while they were here. Zoe decided she was going to wake Justine and tell her to go to bed. Zoe gently shook Justine awake and told her to go to bed. Justine got up without a word and walked to the hall, once Zoe heard the click of the door she sat back down on the couch.

  Zoe was still a little light headed from everything that she had found out in the last twenty four hours. She knew that Kaiden was a good guy that he was going to do everything in his power to make her happy. She appreciated that fact more than anything else. No one in her life has ever tried to make her happy. This also scares her, she wasn’t sure if she was worthy of such a good man.

  Zoe glanced at Kaiden next to her. He was into the movie with a goofy grin on his face. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her face when looking at him. He was a beautiful man. She studied him taking in his profile. His strong jaw and a perfect straight nose, luscious full lips and the most amazing eyes she has ever seen. As she is staring at him he glances at her and she can’t help the flush that comes to her cheeks.

  “Do you like what you see?” He asked

  Damn she thought he caught me staring “I was just thinking that you are a perfect mix of your parents”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Oh I found the letters your mom wrote and she added some pictures.”

  “May I see them, please? I haven’t seen them in such a long time” Kaiden said

  “Of Course, would you like me to bring them out here?”

  “The movie is almost over can we wait until then and look at them together?” he asked hopefulness in his voice.

  “Sure, there are some journals of my Dad’s I found too th
at I wanted to go through.”

  “Maybe there is more about what was happening in those”

  “We shall see soon.” She smiled at him. She was looking forward to being alone with him. She was also very nervous about it.

  Zoe was so lost at this stuff, she didn’t know how to flirt. She was falling in love with him. The pull she felt to him was stronger than the pull she felt towards Justine. It was like her soul knew his and was trying to escape her body and go to his. With Justine it was just like a string that linked them. Kaiden went back to lounging on the couch and she shifted to be closer to him. Zoe was hoping that things would just fall into place without her having to open up too much about her past.

  Once the movie ended Zoe was leaning on Kaiden’s shoulder and he did not want to move. Lucky for him he got a DVD player that held more than one disc at a time. He had pre loaded all the movies. He wanted to read the journals and see the pictures, but they always had tomorrow, right now he was enjoying her touch.

  Kaiden changed the disc and put on the other comedy he got. Zoe said nothing as he changed the movie. She was also enjoying the feel of him breathing against her head. A little into the movie Kaiden put his arm around her shoulders and she let out a sigh. Zoe felt safe next to him and his arm around her intensified that feeling. Kaiden turned his body just a little and her head fell onto his chest. Zoe adjusted herself a little bit and snuggled into his side. Neither said a word as they shifted their bodies to get closer to each other. Kaiden feared that if he said anything he would scare her. Zoe just didn’t want to think about what she was doing for fear she might break contact. Kaiden smelled like home to her. His scent was magical and made her weak in the knees.

  Not long after the movie started they both started to drift asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Justine woke up suddenly to a sound outside. It was the middle of the night and for a second she had no idea where she was. Once her eyes cleared she remembered it all and sat up. She remembered Zoe waking her and telling her to go to bed.

  Justine was thirsty so she got up and went to the kitchen. On her way to the kitchen she glanced at the living room and saw Zoe and Kaiden fast asleep snuggled into each other. She was happy for Zoe, happy that Zoe was going to have the happy ending that she knew Zoe wanted.

  Justine was lost in thought staring at them. She wanted what they are going to have. She wants to be loved more than anything. She wants a man to hold her and look at her with nothing more than love and desire in his eyes. She also wants children someday. Something has shifted in Justine and she now knows that she will have that. Before she would look at families and couples with revulsion, because she thought she was never going to have that. But now she knows that there is someone out there that is meant just for her.

  Justine knows Zoe will find him, well Kaiden too. If Kaiden waited seven years for Zoe and was looking for her all that time, could her soul mate be looking for her too? Is there a possibility that some of the other full-bloods know what they are? Justine hoped that there were. Some people might not take the news as well as Zoe and her.

  Justine also knew that when she found her soul mate, the hardest thing was going to be coming out of her shell. Justine puts up a huge wall for everyone, including Zoe. She thinks it’s better to be untouchable than see through. Her past is full of nasty men and their nasty wants for little girls. She was only ever touched by one man and Zoe saved her from a fate of more touching and more sleepless nights in fear.

  Justine felt she owed Zoe her life and she vowed to always be by her side. Zoe has helped her come out of her shell a little and stop the hiding. Justine knew she was going to face this mess head on instead of running from it. She was not going to hide behind the bottle and drown her sorrows away. She wanted her soul mate to see a strong woman, not a woman hidden behind a bottle.

  Justine got her drink and went back to her bedroom. Once she closed the door she remembered why she woke up. Something must have been outside and woke her. She turned off the light and looked out the window and didn’t see a single thing besides the trees and the hills. Justine blew it off to be a small animal making the noise and laid back down and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 15

  As the morning sun was coming through the windows Zoe woke and took a deep intake of Kaiden’s scent. Kaiden was still sleeping so Zoe just laid there and enjoyed the feel of him. This feeling of contentment was so odd to Zoe but she enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms. She felt safe for the first time that she could remember. She also felt loved and wanted. Kaiden’s breathing changed while Zoe was lost in her thoughts and he opened his eyes to see her staring at him but her eyes were unfocused and it looked like she was looking into his soul.

  “Did you sleep well?” Kaiden asked

  Zoe jumped a little at the sound of his voice “Yes I did, how about you, did you sleep well?” She was blushing slightly at being caught staring at him.

  “Well let’s see, I fell asleep in the arms of the most beautiful and amazing woman, I had some pretty good dreams about said woman, and then I woke up and that woman is still in my arms. So yes I slept very well” a small smirk was working its way onto Kaiden’s mouth.

  Zoe was almost a cherry, her cheeks were on fire. “I had a good dream too, I think you were there, but I can’t be sure”

  “Oh? I have you dreaming about me now huh?”

  “I said you might have been there, but I can’t remember all of it to know for sure”

  Zoe did in fact remember her dream. She was in what felt like a castle and when she looked out the window it was so green and alive. The rolling hills dipped in and out of view and the trees swayed in the wind. Kaiden was the center of that dream too. They were wed and she had a large belly, she felt that she was having a little girl. Zoe remembered the bliss she felt having a life inside of her and she felt the love she had for Kaiden. The absolute adoration he had for her was undeniable. They were madly in love in her dream.

  Kaiden was watching her closely. He knew she was remembering her dream and as her cheeks changed color. He watched the red lessen and just stay at the center of her cheek bones. He couldn’t help himself so he lifted his hand and ran a finger down her face, her skin was like silk it was so soft. A sigh escaped Zoe’s lips and she let the lids of her eyes fall shut. Kaiden tucked some hair behind her ear and then held her face.

  He wanted nothing more than to pull her face to his and feel her lips against his. He wanted to run both his hands through her hair and pull her onto his lips. Kaiden wanted to drink all of Zoe inside of him. His hand paused on her face, he was nervous of scaring her. He didn’t want to push anything on her and have her clam up. Kaiden needed Zoe to make the first move. If she made the initiation to love him he would welcome it. Right now he needed to go slow with her.

  “I am starving would you like to go to breakfast with me?” Kaiden asked. He was so lost in her that he forgot the danger they were in and their vow to stay inside.

  “I would love to” Zoe was a little disappointed he didn’t kiss her, but she was also relieved. She wasn’t sure she was ready for it. “Did you want to go alone, or should we wake Justine.” And as soon as the question came out of her mouth her remembered.

  “As much as I would love to be alone with you, I am not comfortable leaving her alone. I don’t know what danger we are facing and if it is even here, but I would rather be safe than sorry.” Kaiden replied

  “Ok why don’t you start to get ready and I will go wake Justine.” Zoe lifted herself off of Kaiden and was now standing looking at him, drinking in his form. God he was beautiful.

  “Enjoying the view?” Kaiden noticed her stares, he was doing the same with her, but he liked to ruffle her feathers a little too.

  “Hmm?” Zoe was so focused on her thoughts and his body she wasn’t paying attention.

  Kaiden stood and grabbed her hands in his. “I asked if you like the view.”

  Damn she got caught again “Right I’
ll go wake Justine” and she hurried down the hall trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught again.

  Kaiden went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee before he got in the shower.

  Zoe opened the door to the bedroom Justine was staying in and as soon as she opened the door she wanted to run.

  “JUSTINE!!”

  Justine jumped out of bed looking ready to fight “Damn Zoe, What?”

  “Is that your face?” She asked in a whisper pointing to the window

  Kaiden was instantly at her side looking at the window where her finger pointed. There was a slight smudge of a face and hands cupped around it. Instant fear shot into him.

  “What the hell? I woke up last night to a noise, but I thought it was just a little critter, when I looked there was nothing out there.” Justine told them.

  Kaiden ran from Zoe’s side out the back door and the girls were instantly on his heels. Once in the back below the window they saw foot prints and some drag marks. Drag marks?

  “It looks like someone was looking in the window and something else or someone else dragged them away.” Kaiden said

  “Let’s go inside now!” Zoe demanded

  They all ran back inside, once they were inside Zoe went to the DVD player and turned on a movie and then turned the volume all the way up. She then went to the kitchen and turned the water on full blast. Justine figured out what she was doing and went to the bedrooms to turn radios on full blast and all the faucets in the bathrooms. Zoe then grabbed Kaiden and dragged him in the small closet. Justine joined them a second later.

  “I don’t feel the pull of another Dragon, but something is off, and everything inside me is telling me to run.” Zoe told them

  “Ditto on the running, someone was watching me sleep and I am freaked the fuck out.” Justine whispered